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Boys Nordic team claims Sprint Relays
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Wednesday, 02 January 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
There was a Nordic ski meet last week in the Suburban East Conference, which means the Forest Lake boys added yet another victory to its ever-growing win total.
The Rangers finished with 293 points, while second place Stillwater earned 285.
Held at Trollhaugen on Tuesday, Dec. 18, the conditions were perfect for the two-person, skate sprint relay.
Forest Lake’s Ben Brodin and Ryan Wright were the winning duo, turning in the top time at 18:13. They were followed by a pair from Mounds View and a team from Stillwater, and then it was more Rangers.
Forest Lake’s Travis Strike and Shawn Wright took fourth place, and Steve Coozennoy and Mike Howe grabbed the fifth spot.
“Shawn and Ben were outstanding,” head coach Deno Johnson said. The consistency they are showing is a big positive.”
Every Ranger competitor landed in the top 10, as Mitch Wohlk and Roman Morris raced to a 10th place finish.
“Once again, the boys team asserted their dominance on the SEC Nordic scene. They’ve worked hard for a long time and there is no letting up. A total team performance,” Johnson shared.
“Joe Jackson and Alex Kelley teamed up and won the JV sprint, and I can’t think of the last time a Forest Lake JV boys team hasn’t crossed the finish line first.”
Whereas the boys have positioned themselves as the superpower in the state, the girls bracket is controlled by Stillwater. And as luck would have it, they’re also in the Suburban East Conference.
The Ponies had two relay teams finish in the top three spots, and won the event with 287 points. Roseville was second at 283, while the Rangers took third with 273 points — just one point better than Mounds View.
“The girls were pretty solid. They are more adept at 5K racing, and that’s what they have coming up,” Johnson explained.
Annie Dehmlow and Elizabeth Peterson were the highest-ranking pair from Forest Lake, coming in fourth place, and then Kate Babbitt and Jen Scott took ninth.
“Kate and Annie stood out with some fast splits for their respective relays,” Johnson said.
“Elizabeth and Jen are getting faster every day and it’ll be fun to see where they stack up in the SEC.”
Completing the list of Rangers were Amber Anderson and Julia Hipp, who earned 17th place.
SPRINT RELAYS —
Boys
1. R. Wright/Brodin 18:13
4. Strike/S. Wright 18:47
5. Coozennoy/Howe 18:55
10. Wohlk/Morris 19:44
Girls
4. Dehmlow/Peterson 21:15
9. Babbitt/Scott 22:42
17. Anderson/Hipp 24:15
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