The months of summer work, the long days of preseason training and the subsequent weeks of Southeast Conference races are about to come to an end. The Region V Cross-Country running championships will decide the top harriers in the panhandle on Saturday along the Treadwell Mines Trails at Sandy Beach in Douglas.
“We are excited and ready for a big weekend,” said Juneau-Douglas coach Tristan Knutson Lombardo.
Pushed by a record number of runners this season, the Crimson Bears went down to the last meet to determine their top seven boys and girls runners for the championships.
The talent level was so tight that senior Soren Thompson missed the boys cut by a half-second and sophomore Madeline York missed the girl’s top seven by just over a second in last weekend’s Ketchikan Invitational.
“We took 20 runners to Ketchikan last weekend as part of our region run-off,” JDHScoach Merry Ellefson said. “Our final slots needed to be determined and Maddy and Soren were right in that mix and will be alternates for the region squad.”
The Crimson Bears boys region team includes Ali Arthur, Ethan Goebel, Arne Ellefson-Carnes, Tim McKenna, Clem Taylor-Roth, Jack White and Ryan Moritz.
The Crimson Bears girls region team is Kat Barrows, Kyra Barrows, Toma Kimlinger, Maddy Handley, Nicole Mannix five, Malia Miller and Gillian Smith.
The Thunder Mountain cross-country team also needed a final week to determine their region runners.
“The selection of our region team was pretty straight forward,” TMHS coach Scott May said. “We picked our top seven girls from Ketchikan.”
The Falcons boys chose just the top six from the Ketchikan meet as freshman Connor Norman was sick.
Norman has been among the Falcons’ top seven placers all season.
“It is always difficult to be that eighth runner,” May said. “But they will all have an opportunity to race on the same course during the community race at 11 a.m., before the region races.”
The Falcons boys region team is includes Obadiah Dawson, Justin Sleppy, Jonah Penrose, Shafer Suzuki, Ben Landes, William Wallace and Connor Norman.
The Falcons girls team is made up of Naomi Welling, Erin Wallace, Dunya Hermann, Kaylah Duncan, Veronica Salter, Willa Madden-Wood and junior Elena Bryson.
“Our guys and girls are excited and ready to go,” May said. “It’s a tough course, so they know that it will be tough to get a personal record this weekend. In this race, the focus really goes more toward who is around you and trying to strike a balance between where you are in the race in relation to who is around you, and how you are feeling internally. We know that both JD teams are really strong this year, and it will be a battle for second place. Erin is hoping to push Naomi again this weekend, however, both have had a hard week.”
Welling is the Southeast favorite to repeat as region champion. She has not lost a race this season and continues to melt her times lower. That said, her improvement has resulted in competitors shaving time to stay on her heels.
Ketchikan’s Erika Rodenhisler will try and close the gap and has the potential to be in the top three. JDHS’ Kat Burrows has also been getting stronger each week, and could push Rodenhisler.
“Our pack of girls has been running stronger, smarter and faster, led by Katline (Barrows) all season,” Knutson-Lombardo said. “Behind her, our runners continue to shift places, which speaks to the depth and motivation of our top seven. Ketchikan has been running tough and THMS is lead by top region runners Naomi and Erin. It’s great to watch all these girls continue to grow and run faster, and consequently, lead our racers to personal improvement.”
The key runner to watch in the 4A boys will be Ketchikan’s Sylvan Blankenship, who just started competing recently and has boosted the Kings roster quite a bit. While he is not the favorite, he will be among the keys in the top three that could disrupt the fourth and fifth runners on each team’s scoring.
JDHS’ Arthur, Goebel and Ellefeson-Carnes and TMHS’ Dawson will challenge Blankenship early and are used to the home trail. The Crimson Bears’ Mortiz is also capable of pulling off the big push. And don’t be surprised if Ellefeson-Carnes does something a freshman hasn’t in many years by winning the crown, with TMHS’ Norman close behind.
JDHS and TMHS runners will also be battling for top 10 individual finishes. The Falcons’ Justin Sleppy and Jonah Penrose will be poised to land a spot in the top 10.
The top 4A boys and girl’s team, and top 10 individual boy and girl finishers, qualify for the state tournament in Anchorage on Oct. 3.
SMALL SCHOOLS
While only three teams competing at the 4A level, the 1A/2A/3A championships could feature as many as 10 boys teams and 12 girls teams. The top three boys and girls teams qualify for state as long as one of those three is a 2A squad. The top 15 individual boys and girls runners also qualify for state.
Wrangell’s Reyn Hutten and Hydaburg’s Lilian Borrowmeo have been the regions top small school girl runners, with Petersburg’s Kayleigh Eddy, Hannah Pfundt, Julia Murph, Erin Pfundt and Avery Skeek, and Sitka’s Alya McNeilly, in the mix. Thorne Bay senior Taylee Nyquest is the defending small school region champion but has raced just once this season, concentrating instead on archery championships. If she runs she will challenge. Hutten placed third last season.
Sitka’s Colin Baciocco won the small school title last season and placed first in last weekend’s race ahead of JDHS’ Arthur and Goebel, who finished second at regions last season. Wrangell’s Matthew Gerald will challenge for the crown and will be pushed by Sitka’s Joseph Pate, David Wilcox and Petersburg’s Tucker Hagerman and Hoonah’s Emmanuel Budke.
The Region V championships begin with a community race at 11 a.m. on the Treadwell Mines Trails. Runners that did not qualify for the region tournament will compete alongside members of the community.
The region championships begin at noon with the 1A/2A/3A boys race, followed by the 4A boys race at 12:45 p.m., the 1A/2A/3A girl’s race at 1:30 p.m., and the 4A girl’s race at 2:15 p.m.
Hundreds of volunteers and JDHS/TMHS families will be assisting with the race collaboration that includes housing and a potluck with chef Jessie Stringer. Patty Moser is region head timer and former runners Andre Bunton and Katie Krehlik are course marshals.
Thunder Mountain’s Naomi Welling crosses the finish line during a cross country meet in Sitka this season.
