REGIONAL — Ely junior runner Molly Brophy capped her fifth straight trip to the Class A state cross country meet Saturday with a 71st-place finish in 20:35.2 on the University of Minnesota’s Lee Bolstad Golf Course.
It wasn’t the result she hoped for, but it hardly tarnished an impressive streak few athletes achieve. Since joining the Wolves varsity as a seventh grader, Brophy has qualified for state every season, a run of consistency and competitiveness that Ely coach Jayne Dusich said sets the tone for the team.
“Molly’s really fun to have around — just a fun girl, kind of silly, but serious when it’s time to race,” Dusich said. “The rest of the team looks up to her. If they can keep up with her, they know they’re in good shape.”
Brophy started Saturday’s race strong, running with the lead pack early before developing a side ache about a mile in. Dusich said the setback slowed her but didn’t stop her.
“A lot of people would just quit and use it as an excuse,” she said. “Molly doesn’t slack at all. She pushes herself as much as she can.”
The finish marked the first time Brophy didn’t improve on her previous state placing – she took 35th a year ago – but it came at the end of a season that tested her resilience. Dusich noted that early on, Brophy battled rib pain that required physical therapy and limited her workouts. That issue resolved, and by season’s end she was healthy again, ready for another strong campaign next fall.
“She’s been dealing with a lot, but she’s tough,” Dusich said. “We’ve got another year with her, and I’m excited to see what she does.”
North Woods freshman Kahlil Lightfeather-Spears also represented the region at the state meet, running for the South Ridge Panthers. He finished 68th in the Class A boys race with a time of 17:17.2, marking a significant jump from last year’s 113th-place finish as an eighth grader.
It was the third straight state appearance for Lightfeather-Spears, who first qualified as a seventh grader in 2023, when he placed 103rd as the youngest competitor in the field. In his first two seasons he advanced as part of the Panthers’ state-qualifying team, but this fall he reached the meet on his own, earning an individual berth after finishing ninth at the Section 7A meet in Coleraine.
Lightfeather-Spears’ steady rise through the ranks mirrors the kind of early success few runners achieve. He also placed eighth in the Polar League conference meet earlier this season, signaling his growing presence among the region’s top distance runners.
With three state trips already behind him before high school’s halfway mark, the young Grizzly appears poised to build on what’s already a remarkable start to his running career.