GRAND RAPIDS— A strong day for Ely meant plenty of firsts here for both the girls and boys ski teams. The girls squad took first in the team competition, narrowly edging Grand Rapids, 381-380 for the top spot in a four-team field.
Ely junior Zoe Devine dominated the individual field, cruising to a first place finish in the 7.6-kilometer skiathlon with a time of 27:27.9, a full 35 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Fellow junior Phoebe Helms took fifth in the 24-skier field, with a time of 29:42.1, while Ely sophomore Ava Skustad finished seventh with a time of 30:26.9. Senior Gracie Pointer was the fourth Ely girls skier to make the top ten, taking tenth with a time of 31:32.2.
Gracie’s brother, Gabe, also a senior, finished first in the individual competition among a boys field of nine skiers, with a time of 24:44.3. That was a hefty 27 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Skelton Carter, of Mesabi East. Senior Jon Hakala finished in third place with a time of 25:33.7, while senior Micah Larson took fifth with a time of 27:02.7.
With only three boys skiers, Ely fell short on total points against Mesabi East, whose six skiers filled in second, fourth, and the final four finishes to claim a 385-294 team victory.
Ely skiers take a break for the holidays. They’ll be back in action on Jan. 4 when they host the Ely Classic at Hidden Valley.