Joe Drennan
Sports EditorWith state rankings of fourth for the girls and fifth for the boys, the Forest Lake High School nordic ski team is on a roll this season.
At Saturdayís Mesabi East Invite, both teams had success. Defending champion Laura Edlund defended her title finishing first once again. Becky Alexander had a strong 21st place finish, and Jenessa Van Deen finished 95th in the classic race.
In the skating race, Sarah Wright finished seventh, followed by Nikki Duffís 32nd place finish and Jennie Coozennoyís 96th place finish. The team as a whole finished fourth out of 64 teams.
ìThat was a fantastic result,î Forest Lake head coach Deno Johnson said. ìThat establishes the team as one of the premier girls teams in the state with only about a month to go in the season.î
Apart from being competitive athletes, the girls nordic ski team is also excelling in the classroom as well. Johnson said that when he got his teamís grades he only saw Aís on the girls report cards.
ìThatís pretty crazy,î Johnson said. ìTheyíre just outstanding student athletes and it shows.î
On the boys side, captain Lorin Skoglund came down with the flu the day before the race, but his teammates still managed a 10th place finish without him. Sophomore Ted Steiner finished 23rd, followed by Jordan Kockís 42nd place finish in the skate race.
In the classic race, Ben Fick placed 16th, and Peter Bailey finished 23rd.
ìThe boys team has done a really nice job in their off season training and itís really paying off,î Johnson said.
The Rangers next race is today at Battle Creek at 3 p.m.
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