Posted: 3/1/06
Boys Nordic team repeats as state champs
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
For the second straight year the Forest Lake High School boys Nordic ski team settled the argument of who the best team in the state is by winning the state championship last Tuesday at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.
ìThe boys totally dominated the race from start to finish and they skied very impressively,î Rangers head coach Deno Johnson said.
ìTo win back-to-back state titles like they did was fun, and you wonít find another group of athletes that deserve to win more than these guys.î
The Rangers finished with 766 team points, 27 points ahead of second place St. Louis Park.
The state race was supposed to happen Feb. 16, but sub-zero temperatures forced the Minnesota State High School League to delay the race a few days until the temperatures rose.
The delay didnít bother the boys like it did other teams. Johnson said other skiers were battling the cold elements, while the Rangers simply took to the track like it was any other race with the sun shining.
The Ranger who had the most success was senior Ben Fick. Last year Fick won both the individual classical and pursuit state titles, won them again this year, and captured the elusive freestyle state title this year.
ìIt (not winning the freestyle race) was all I thought about last year,î Fick said. ìI was happy, but I wondered what happened in that race.î
Fick skied to a first place finish in the 5K freestyle race with a time of 14:25.9, over 10 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. In the 5K classic race Fick finished with a first place time of 14:39.9, almost a half a minute ahead of the second place finisher. Fickís combined pursuit time of 29:05.8 was over a minute better than the second place finisher.
Fick wasnít the only impressive Ranger at the state meet. Senior Ted Steiner and Leif Nordgen finished in the top 10, while junior Zac Clark was in the top 20.
Steiner finished 24th in the freestyle race with a time of 15:53.9 and a fourth place finish of 15:16.4 in the classic race for a pursuit time of 31:10.3, putting him in sixth place.
ìI just went out there and raced,î Steiner said.
Nordgren crossed the finish line eighth in the freestyle race with a time of 15:23.9, and the classic race 18th with a time of 18:49.9, giving him a pursuit time of 31.13.8 in seventh place.
Clark finished 29th in the freestyle race with a time of 15:58.9, then moved up with an 11th place finish in the classic race with a time of 15:40.7, for a pursuit time of 31:39.9.
Other Ranger finishes included senior Jamison Hull, sophomore Travis Strike and junior Dave Kasl.
Hull had a pursuit time of 34:36.4 after finishing the freestyle race in 17:39.9, and the classic race in 16:56.5. Strike had a pursuit time of 34:50.5 after finishing the freestyle race in 17:58.9, and the classic race in 16:51.6. Kasl had a pursuit time of 35:52.4 after finishing the freestyle race in 17:33.9, and the classic race in 18:18.5.
This yearís Rangers team had four seniors on the team, three who skied in the state meet. Fick, Steiner and Hull will all be doing their own things next year while the Rangers try to win their third straight state title.
Hull hasnít decided if heíll attend Hamlin and run cross country or Western State and ski while majoring in biology. Steiner plans to attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison and major in engineering. Fick is still undecided about what heíll be doing next year.
ìItís going to be weird without these guys next year,î Clark said. ìWeíve been skiing with these guys for years now, but Leif and I are going to have to step up and work harder to fill their gap left by them.î
Nordgren said the Rangers will come back stronger next year as the younger skiers will step up. Nordgren added heíd like to be an individual state champion next year, something Clark wonít let him have without a fight. The inner team drive for an individual state title is something that will certainly help the Rangers chances of winning a third straight title.
Since taking over the Rangers Nordic program 10 years ago Johnson has produced eight individual state titles, five from Fick, and 46 All-State skiers.
Girls racers
The girls Nordic team qualified two individual skiers, junior Kristi Jo Buerkle and sophomore Annie Dehmlow. Dehmlow skied in both the classic and freestyle races, while Buerkle only skied in the classic race.
Dehmlow earned All-State honors in the classic race with an 18th place finish with a time of 18:55.9 in the 5K race. Buerkle narrowly missed All-State honors with a 30th place finish with a time of 19:21.7.
ìThere wasnít much pressure because the feeling was more of letís have fun and have a good race to top off the year,î Buerkle said.
Dehmlow placed 33rd in the 5K freestyle race with a time of 19:03.9 to have a 27th place pursuit time of 37:59.8.
ìOn the girls side we graduate nobody and there is a lot of talent there so I think next year will be another exciting year as theyíll progress a lot,î Johnson said.
ìWe have girls like Liz Peterson who as a seventh grader just missed All-Conference honors in the program. I think the days of Forest Lake surprising people are over.î
Forest Lake Times
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