DULUTH- The Ely boys Nordic Ski team proved that their Jan. 25 win over Duluth East at Hidden Valley was no fluke by beating the Greyhounds on their home slopes at Spirit Mountain last Thursday.
It was a Wolves-Greyhounds layer-cake leaderboard with each of Ely’s top five skiers beating their Duluth East counterparts in the pursuit race. Dylan Durkin again led the way for the Wolves, topping the field with a combined time of 24:27 for the two runs, placing second in the first heat and finishing first in the second to claim a 17-second win over the Greyhounds’ Mark Goettel.
Aksel Skustad took third for the Wolves by placing third in both heats for a combined time of 24:47. Eli Olson had the fastest time in the first heat but slipped to fifth in the second, finishing fifth overall with a time of 24:52. Wyatt Devine took seventh with an overall time of 25:09, and Oliver Hohenstein placed ninth with a time of 25:45.
Other Ely skiers placing in the top third of the field included Otto Devine, 11th in 25:29, Milo McClellan, 17th in 27:17, and George Sponholz, 25th in 28:03.
The top five finishers counted in the team scoring, giving the Wolves a five-point 380-375 win. Other teams competing in the meet, in order of finish, included Cloque-Esko-Carlton, Grand Rapids, Mora, Proctor-Hermantown, and Cook County.
Durkin has emerged as head of the class in the Arrowhead heading into this week’s regional competition, also taking first place in the 5K classic race at Spirit Mountain, finishing with a time of 13:01.4, 14 seconds ahead of runner-up Goettel. Skustad took fourth in 13:19.2, Wyatt Devine placed fifth in 13:24.4, Olson came in seventh in 13:36.4, and Otto Devine slipped in at ninth in 13:55.9. Hohenstein and McClelland also placed in the top third of the field, finishing 12th and 17th, respectively.
Girls finish fourth
Anna Dunn led the Ely girls to a fourth-place finish in the eight-team pursuit race, coming in 16th with a time of 31:15. Mattie Lindsay wasn’t far behind in 18th with a time of 32:08, and Molly Brophy rounded out the group of Wolves finishing in the top third of the field with a time of 32:56, placing 26th.
In the classic race, Dunn jumped to eighth on the final leaderboard with a run of 15:58.6. Lindsay cracked the top third of finishers by placing 18th with a time of 17:03.8.
The Wolves were scheduled to compete in the Section 7 regional meet at Giants Ridge on Wednesday. The state meet will also be at Giants Ridge on Wednesday, Feb. 12 and Thursday, Feb. 13. Check the Timberjay website and Facebook page for meet updates.