Crimson Bear boys seek repeat title

As he gets ready for his first state meet, Juneau-Douglas High School senior cross-country runner Greg Frank has been picking up some tips from his older brother, Chris, a former Crimson Bear runner.

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"He's been telling me that, mentally, it's the easiest race you'll ever run. The only thing you have to think about is that it's state, and your senior year," said Greg Frank, who finished sixth at last weekend's Southeast meet in Sitka as defending state champion Juneau earned a team berth at state.

"At Sitka, I ran my tail off. At state, I'll run my heart out."

Juneau will try to defend its crown on Saturday on Skyview High School's Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna. The Class 4A boys race caps the competition at 2:15 p.m., while the Class 4A girls race at 12:45 p.m.

The Class 1A-2A-3A races are at noon for the girls, and 1:30 p.m. for the boys.

The Crimson Bear boys have been a marked team since winning the state title a year ago in Palmer, but have held up to this season's pressure. They dominated the team standings at September's Dimond Invitational in Anchorage, which featured a field filled with state qualifiers.

Five of the seven Juneau runners who won the state title returned this year - senior captain Tristan Knutson-Lombardo, juniors Tyler and Wesley Dinnan, and sophomores Nils Domke and Ray Huebschen. They've been joined by Frank and sophomore Andrew Flansaas.

"I'm excited to be able to go," Frank said. "It's a good opportunity to end my cross country career - four years - on a good note."

Dimond is expected to be Juneau's top competition at state, while Chugiak's Jesse Cherry is looking to defend his individual title. Knutson-Lombardo, the Dinnan twins and Colony's Peter Doner will be Cherry's top competition.

Juneau coach Guy Thibodeau said the Crimson Bears have been getting in some good runs this week, but at shorter distances as they taper their training toward state.

"We want to keep the runners in tune with that race pace," he said. "We run shorter intervals that are not very stressful."

Thibodeau said the course is similar to last year's state meet course at Palmer.

"It's a good, fair course; a good test," Thibodeau said. "Some hills, some level areas where you can go fast, and some challenging downhills."

The Sitka boys finished second at the region meet to claim the other Southeast state team berth. Ketchikan's Beau Poppen is an individual state qualifier.

Haines runners ready for Class 1A-2A-3A race

The Haines girls won the Class 2A-3A Southeast team title at last weekend's region meet and earned their first team berth to state in at least a dozen years. They are led by a talented freshman duo, J.J. Lende and Christine Hansen, who finished 1-2 in Sitka, and senior Alix Goodman, who finished sixth.

Hansen's two older sisters - Ann, a junior, and Kelly, a senior - also are on the squad. It's the first year of running for Kelly Hansen and fellow senior Karen Boyce.

Another Haines freshman, Chandler Kemp, finished third in the Class 2-3A Southeast boys race to earn an individual berth at state.

Haines coach Heather Lende said the school and town are showing their support and excitement for the state-bound runners, who were due to leave Haines on Thursday morning for the long drive to Soldotna.

"It's great to suddenly have this revival," she said.

Craig finished second in the Southeast girls team standings to claim the other Class 1A-2A-3A state team berth from the region. Wrangell, led by senior Southeast champ Mike Howell, and second-place Kake earned the two Class 1A-2A-3A Southeast boys team berths.

• Andrew Krueger can be reached at andrew.krueger@juneauempire.com.