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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Team of destiny

Patrick Slack
Posted 2/22/17

BIWABIK - Maybe.

The thought first came to Ely head coach Paula Anderson a couple of years ago, a thought she did her best to contain.

Maybe.

Maybe, with this group, if everyone could …

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Team of destiny

Posted

BIWABIK - Maybe.

The thought first came to Ely head coach Paula Anderson a couple of years ago, a thought she did her best to contain.

Maybe.

Maybe, with this group, if everyone could develop and everything clicked on that one day, this Ely team could win its first state championship in team history.

On Thursday, it became reality.

Dominating the race by every measure, Ely won the girls state Nordic ski meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik on Thursday, outpacing runner-up Robbinsdale Armstrong 413-394.

Senior Erin Bianco was at the front of the pack, winning the individual pursuit state championship in 32:20.0.

Junior Emma Terwilliger earned 11th in 33:43.1 and junior Ryne Prigge was 18th in 34:33.0, with junior Laura Pasmick clinching the team title by placing 29th in 35:17.3.

Senior Caroline Homer followed in 68th in 36:54.4, freshman Brooke Pasmick earned 79th in 37:21.0 and junior Evelyn Bercher finished 89th in 37:40.2 to round out the championship roster.

“There has not been a team like this,” Anderson said. “When they were a little younger, a couple years ago, I looked at this group and thought, you know, if ever the girls were going to win, this was the group that could do it.

“But of course you just say that in quiet, you don’t publicize that in any way. And then the years go by and you have your ups and your downs and you see how difficult it is and how challenging and how competitive it all is and how big the schools are down there (in the Twin Cities metro).”

Ely entered the state meet ranked third as a team, a darkhorse contender behind Robbinsdale Armstrong and Stillwater.

Coming off of a tough state performance last year, the Wolves’ goal was mainly to hold that third spot, not aim for first.

“Going in I honestly never even let myself think that,” Anderson said. “Last year we were fifth and it was really disappointing because we didn’t have a great day and you learn a lot from that. So this year I was going in thinking, OK, if we’re third we will really consider this day a success.”

Everything changed, however, on race day.

The Wolves put on a dominant display in the morning freestyle, surging into first place and changing the entire dynamic of the race.

“After that first race we realized, ‘This is possible.’ They skied out of their heads, they really did,” Anderson said. “The pressure was on, that’s for sure.

“I knew Erin had had a great day,” Anderson said. “And then when I found out Emma and Ryne were one minute back from her, and she had skied that fast, I knew they had had really great days. And then I found out Laura was in a good spot, I thought, we have to be in first.”

The Wolves gathered together during the two-hour break, trying to remain as calm as possible with the stakes as high as they were leading into the afternoon classic, a chance at history on the line.

“There’s really nothing to be said at that point,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to keep them relaxed. They ski best when they’re relaxed.”

Standing at the finish line as the Wolves skied in, it became apparent that what was once a passing thought was now a reality: Ely had won it all.

“I think it shocked a lot of people,” Anderson said. “It was definitely a decisive win.”

After waiting the entire season to see what the team could achieve when 100 percent, the Wolves found themselves finally healthy and peaking at exactly the right time.

“Erin skied great,” Anderson said. “Emma, I was hoping she could be top 20, but 11th was pretty awesome. Ryne had a great day, and that was what we needed. It was perfect.

“Laura had a day unlike any other she’s ever had. And that clinched it.”

The Wolves also benefited from their depth, picking off skiers from several rival teams.

“It’s really important for that fifth, sixth and seventh skier, who maybe didn’t score for us, but every skier they pass matters because it might be someone (scoring) for other teams,” Anderson said. “Caroline had a great day. And Evelyn and Brooke both had great days.

“Every single one of them skied an inspired race.”

Graduating from the Ely roster are Bianco, Homer, Cate DeRemee and Taryn Osthoff.

While those leaders will be missed, a strong group will return.

“They’ll be tough,” Anderson said. “There are others in the wings. I think they’ll be very competitive. We just keep working. They’re kind of coming into their own, a lot of them. Gains are still there to be made.”

Maybe another championship will come down the road.

For this year’s Wolves, though, a state championship is no longer a question of maybe.

It’s history.

See more on the girls victory in Sports