A pair of epic streaks came to an end Saturday at the Region III cross-country meet at the Government Peak Recreation Area near Palmer, but the Kenai Central and Homer girls continued impressive runs of their own.
The Wasilla boys took the Division I title at the meet to stop a string of 15 straight for the Kodiak boys, while Hunter Hayes of the Warriors won the Division I race to halt an 11-year streak of crowns for Bears runners.
The Kardinals girls won regions for a third straight year. Addison Gibson, building on four titles from Allie Ostrander and another from Riana Boonstra, became the sixth Kenai individual champion in seven years and the Kards took four of the top five to score just 21 points.
In a powerful display of depth, the SoHi boys finished second by just two points to earn their first trip to state since 2008.
Homer, meanwhile, took the Division II girls title for the fourth straight season, with Tessa O’Harra of Anchorage Christian Schools winning the individual race. ACS, behind individual champion Blake Bennett, stopped Homer’s string of boys crowns at two.
Kenai coach Maria Calvert, who was named co-coach of the year along with SoHi’s Ted McKenney, said the race was a great tuneup for state.
“We still have more work to do,” she said. “We’ll enjoy this and get back to work on Monday. We’re really energized and there’s still so much more at stake.”
Gibson, who was named the girls runner of the year, won at 20:40, while Boonstra was second at 20:41. Jayce Calvert was third, Brooke Satathite was fifth and Ithaca Bergholtz was 10th.
“She was our No. 6 runner at regionals last year so to be the regional champion this year — I’m so very proud of how it all came together,” Calvert said.
The coach added all seven runners — including Sarah Drury in 27th and Dareena Doyle in 29th — did exactly what they needed to do.
Soldotna’s Erika Arthur also finished 14th to make state, but Kellie Arthur at 16th and Cameron Blackwell at 18th just missed.
In the Division I boys race, Hayes, a sophomore, won at 17:52 while Kenai freshman Maison Dunham was second at 17:59 to become the only Kenai boys runner to qualify for state.
“Hunter Hayes had a really strong race, but I thought Maison really held his own and was able to come up with second,” Calvert said.
Wasilla scored 51 points for the title, while Soldotna had 53. The Stars had all seven in the top 19, with Josh Shuler in seventh, Bradley Walters in ninth, Koby Vinson in 10th, Sean Verg-in in 12th, Lance Chilton in 15th, Bechler Metcalf in 17th and John-Mark Pothast in 19th. Also, SoHi’s Jack Harris won the JV race.
“It’s fun,” McKenney said. “They work hard. It’s a short season but a long, hard season. It takes a lot of effort for them to keep up that intensity.”
The Homer girls scored 41 points for the victory, beating the 45 of Grace Christian. Seward was third with 57 points to also qualify for state.
For the Mariners, Autumn Daigle was third, Alex Moseley was fourth, Brooke Miller was fifth, Sienna Carey was 12th and Shine Carey was 17th.
Ruby Lindquist paced the Seahawks by finishing second, about 20 seconds behind O’Hara. Also for Seward, Emma Moore was sixth, Hana Cooney was 14th, Sadie Lindquist was 16th and Kalista Rodriguez was 20th.
The Anchorage Christian boys scored 39 points to top the 47 of Homer. Seward was fourth to earn a state berth.
Jacob Davis led Homer in third, while Luciano Fasulo was seventh, Jordan Beachy was eighth, Denver Waclawski was 10th and Clayton Beachy was 19th.
For Seward, Neil Lindquist was fifth, Max Pfeiffenberger was 12th, Zen Petrosius was 17th, Trey Ingalls was 20th and Jaden Van Dyke was 21st.
The Nikiski boys were fifth, missing a state berth by just one placement. Gavin Wallis led the effort by taking 29th.
Nikolaevsk cross-country sends six runners to state
The Nikolaevsk cross-country team qualified six runners to state Saturday at the Region II meet at Susitna Valley High School in Talkeetna.
All five of the Nikolaevsk girls qualified by winning the team title, scoring 24 points to the 31 points of runner-up Cordova.
Gloria Jacobsen of Glennallen won the five-kilometer girls race at 22 minutes, 13 seconds, while Elizabeth Fefelov was third at 22:47 and Justina Fefelov was fourth at 23:15.
Also for the Warriors, Isabelle Hickman was ninth at 24:05, Kristin Klaich was 10th at 24:35 and Sophia Klaich was 13th at 27:41.
Port Graham’s lone representative at the meet, Suzanne LeBelle, took 16th place at 31:11.
In the boys race, Nikolaevsk did not have enough runners for a team, so runners had to make the top 10 to qualify for state. Glennallen won the team title, while Nenana’s Andrew Stringfellow won the race at 17:41.
For Nikolaevsk, Zachary Trail nabbed a state berth by taking 10th at 19:33, while Michael Trail narrowly missed state by taking 11th at 19:44.
Region III Championships
Saturday
Government Peak Recreation Area
GIRLS
Division I
Team scores: 1. Kenai Central, 21; 2. Palmer, 57; 3. Colony, 63; 4. Soldotna, 99; 5. Kodiak, 105.
Individual five-kilometer results
1, Gibson, Addison, Kenai Centra, 20 minutes, 40.58 seconds. 2, Boonstra, Riana, Kenai Centra, 20:41.47. 3, Calvert, Jaycie, Kenai Centra, 21:09.99. 4, Bowker, Jill, Colony, 21:48.46. 5, Satathite, Brooke, Kenai Centra, 21:51.35. 6, Nowers, Sophia, Palmer, 22:01.66. 7, Wright, Sophie, Palmer, 22:21.07. 8, Ortiz, Lydia, Palmer, 22:24.60. 9, Glover, Carly, Kodiak, 22:33.53. 10, Bergholtz, Ithaca, Kenai Centra, 22:33.88. 11, Bell, Nicole, Colony, 23:02.73. 12, Spaic, Sofija, Colony, 23:03.10. 13, Christiansen, Maddie, Kodiak, 23:03.41. 14, Arthur, Erika, Soldotna, 23:05.02. 15, Kalytiak, Nina, Palmer, 23:21.90. 16, Arthur, Kellie, Soldotna, 23:33.31. 17, Novelli, Jazlynn, Colony, 23:45.33. 18, Blackwell, Cameron, Soldotna, 23:48.96. 19, Deering, Kylee, Colony, 23:54.21. 20, Fagan, Malina, Kodiak, 24:05.45. 21, Copp, Zoe, Palmer, 24:14.65. 22, Lorring, Tanis, Soldotna, 24:24.78. 23, Smith, Claire, Colony, 24:34.05. 24, Block, Izabella, Colony, 24:41.92. 25, Vasquez, Carissa, Wasilla, 24:47.87.
26, Steiner, Brynn, Wasilla, 24:56.74. 27, Drury, Sarah, Kenai Centra, 25:02.15. 28, Madruga, Vanessa, Palmer, 25:03.18. 29, Doyle, Dareena, Kenai Centra, 25:04.77. 30, Berrigan, Aila, Palmer, 25:21.34. 31, Martin, Sonora, Soldotna, 25:22.31. 32, Thomas, Sophie, Soldotna, 25:33.58. 33, Christiansen,Chandra, Kodiak, 25:35.21. 34, Raisley, Ella, Kodiak, 25:44.57. 35, Neff, Shalom, Kodiak, 25:53.99. 36, Parnell, Katie, Kodiak, 25:54.81. 37, Delker, Katie, Soldotna, 26:55.49.
Division II
Team scores: 1. Homer, 41; 2. Grace, 45; 3. Seward, 57; 4. ACS, 89.
Individual five-kilometer results
1, O’Hara, Tessa, Anchorage Ch, 20:40.85. 2, Lindquist, Ruby, Seward, 21:00.90. 3, Daigle, Autumn, Homer, 21:15.62. 4, Moseley, Alex, Homer, 21:23.75. 5, Miller, Brooke, Homer, 21:40.79. 6, Moore, Emma, Seward, 21:44.44. 7, Demientieff, Charlee, Grace Christ, 22:01.97. 8, Jackson, Mazzy, Grace Christ, 22:18.41. 9, Morgan, Maddy, Grace Christ, 22:33.06. 10, Widener, Kiah, Grace Christ, 22:38.94. 11, Annett, Grace, Grace Christ, 22:43.99. 12, Carey, Sienna, Homer, 22:54.60. 13, McLaughlin, Anna, Grace Christ, 23:04.74. 14, Cooney, Hana, Seward, 23:06.99. 15, Ellis, Laura, Grace Christ, 23:18.39. 16, Lindquist, Sadie, Seward, 23:30.67. 17, Carey, Shine, Homer, 23:56.63. 18, Stephan, Anna, Redington, 24:08.46. 19, Fuller, Ashley, Anchorage Ch, 24:39.91. 20, Rodriguez, Kalista, Seward, 24:59.27. 21, Walker, Hope, Redington, 25:07.41. 22, Davis, Katie, Homer, 25:11.68. 23, Parks, Mary Kate, Anchorage Ch, 25:14.17. 24, Dow, Sophia, Seward, 25:57.15. 25, Davidson, Harmony, Homer, 26:11.76.
26, Nolan, Grace, Redington, 26:15.84. 27, Tedrick, Emily, Anchorage Ch, 26:27.40. 28, Wadsworth, Katelyn, Valdez, 26:46.28. 29, Hofacker, Makenzie, Anchorage Ch, 27:49.93. 30, Tachick, Alyssa, Redington, 27:50.58. 31, Wood, Carlisa, Anchorage Ch, 28:07.90. 32, Choi, Ji In, Anchorage Ch, 28:25.15. 33, Brueckner, Shiphrah, Seward, 28:34.72.
BOYS
Division I
Team scores: 1. Wasilla, 51; 2. Soldotna, 53; 3. Colony, 69; 4. Kodiak, 75; 5. Kenai Central, 136; 6. Palmer, 149.
Individual five-kilometer results
1, Hayes, Hunter, Wasilla, 17:52.29. 2, Dunham, Maison, Kenai Centra, 17:59.47. 3, Thompson, Brenden, Kodiak, 18:08.26. 4, Block, Gavin, Colony, 18:16.86. 5, Larson, McKinley, Wasilla, 18:25.39. 6, Meier, Lane, Colony, 18:26.05. 7, Shuler, Josh, Soldotna, 18:29.83. 8, Gruner, Braxton, Kodiak, 18:31.22. 9, Walters, Bradley, Soldotna, 18:32.41. 10, Vinson, Koby, Soldotna, 18:36.86. 11, Bell, Isaak, Wasilla, 18:41.15. 12, Verg-in, Sean, Soldotna, 18:41.83. 13, Steiner, Taft, Wasilla, 18:48.10. 14, Winegeart, Paul, Kodiak, 18:53.06. 15, Chilton, Lance, Soldotna, 18:56.75. 16, Taylor, Josh, Colony, 19:01.52. 17, Metcalf, Bechler, Soldotna, 19:07.18. 18, Torres, Kolby, Colony, 19:07.61. 19, Pothast, John-Mark, Soldotna, 19:09.12. 20, Danielson, Karl, Kenai Centra, 19:13.69. 21, Greathouse, Kaleb, Wasilla, 19:28.63. 22, Birbilas, Riley, Kodiak, 19:35.57. 23, Logsdon, Samuel, Wasilla, 19:39.64. 24, Fraker, Wesley, Wasilla, 19:47.30. 25, Ewrin, Landis, Colony, 19:49.83.
26, Maclean, Amiqaq, Palmer, 19:53.81. 27, Robertson, Lev, Palmer, 20:00.83. 28, Nummer, Gabe, Kodiak, 20:02.28. 29, Seto, Youji, Kodiak, 20:04.45. 30, Copp, Ethan, Palmer, 20:26.74. 31, Streit, Garrett, Colony, 20:31.15. 32, Miller, Levi,Palmer, 20:49.18. 33, Ramirez, Simeon, Colony, 21:30.05. 34, Hartman, Hayden, Palmer, 21:39.39. 35, Hanson, Lars, Kodiak, 21:47.23. 36, Villanueva, Josh, Palmer, 21:47.56. 37, Collver, Gideon, Kenai Centra, 22:11.46. 38, Bezdecny, Andrew, Kenai Centra, 22:32.44. 39, Stockton, Evan, Kenai Centra, 23:28.54.
Division II
Team scores: 1. ACS, 39; 2. Homer, 47; 3. Grace, 52; 4. Seward, 75; 5. Nikiski, 164; 6. Redington, 176; 7. Houston, 200.
1, Bennett, Blake, Anchorage Ch, 17:15.27. 2, Merchant, Tristian, Anchorage Ch, 17:40.03. 3, Davis, Jacob, Homer, 17:56.75. 4, Fritzel, Luke, Grace Christ, 18:04.25. 5, Lindquist, Neil, Seward, 18:08.00. 6, Martin, Gabe, Grace Christ, 18:14.53. 7, Fasulo, Luciano, Homer, 18:20.17. 8, Beachy, Jordan, Homer, 18:36.40. 9, Davis, Joshua, Anchorage Ch, 18:44.48. 10, Waclawski, Denver, Homer, 18:48.94. 11, Jones, Erik, Grace Christ, 18:51.12. 12, Pfeiffenberger, Max, Seward, 18:51.93. 13, Parks, William, Anchorage Ch, 18:53.10. 14, Smith, Kaleb, Anchorage Ch, 18:58.99. 15, Kopp, Paul, Grace Christ, 18:59.42. 16, Coverdell, Vincent, Grace Christ, 19:12.94. 17, Petrosius, Zen, Seward, 19:21.54. 18, Gionet, Levi, Grace Christ, 19:22.67. 19, Beachy, Clayton, Homer, 19:46.08. 20, Ingalls, Trey, Seward, 19:46.94. 21, Van Dyke, Jaden, Seward, 19:47.55. 22, Rich, Bill, Homer, 19:54.91. 23, Leach, Kevin, Grace Christ, 19:56.01. 24, Desoto-Finn, Hunter, Anchorage Ch, 20:12.24. 25, Koster, Samuel, Seward, 20:14.90.
26, Anderson, Ethan, Homer, 20:34.74. 27, McMurray, Brendan, Seward, 20:40.33. 28, Bohlman, Matthew, Anchorage Ch, 21:00.13. 29, Wallis, Gavin, Nikiski, 21:13.86. 30, McCollum, Bryan, Nikiski, 21:31.28. 31, McCollum, Aaron, Nikiski, 22:06.81. 32, Alfaro, Rafael, Valdez, 22:07.03. 33, Metcalf, Gavin, Redington, 22:38.88. 34, Yourkoski, Joseph, Nikiski, 22:44.29. 35, Jones, Porter, Redington, 22:54.23. 36, Kirn, Ryan, Redington, 23:08.55. 37, Ashworth, Nathan, Redington, 23:24.09. 38, O’Quinn, Shane, Houston, 23:39.43. 39, Brotzman, Macrae, Houston, 23:41.88. 40, Nolan, Daniel, Redington, 23:43.90. 41, Guim, Lain, Houston, 23:45.47. 42, Swanson, Ben, Valdez, 24:10.43. 43, Heft, Henry, Nikiski, 25:40.10. 44, Wilkinson, Nicholas, Houston, 26:41.56. 45, Hanks, Nicholas, Houston, 27:15.57. 46, Smoldon, Josh, Houston, 29:27.25.
Homer’s Alex Moseley and Brooke Miller and Seward’s Ruby LIndquist jockey for position in the Division II girls race at the Region III Championshps on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at the Government Peak Recreation Area. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
Kenai Central freshman Maison Dunham makes his way toward the finish during the Division I boys’ race of the Region III Championships Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at the Government Peak Recreation Area near Palmer. Dunham finished as the boys’ runner-up.
Soldotna’s John-Mark Pothast and Bechler Metcalf race for the finish at the Region III Championships at the Government Peak Recreation Area near Palmer on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
