Skinnyski.com High School Rankings - Week 5

January 7, 2013

Commentary

A lot of interesting results coming in the last 10 days, much of it more interesting by what is not in the results...

US Nationals was once a big event primarily for the oldest juniors along with the seniors and masters. But in recent years, more of the younger juniors have turned out, hoping to test their mettle against the best in the nation, and possibly earn a coveted trip overseas for some international competition. This year, it was primarily the Sisu Foundation from Minnesota that sent some of their best J1 kids out to Soldier Hollow to test the waters (nearly all were first-year J1s). It is hard to draw a lot from these results, as distances are longer in some races, some events were sprints, and then the mass start races factor in start seeding. Mattie Watts and Kris Bourne both posted some good results, punctuated by a 9th place finish in the womens J1 10K skate for Watts. Top ranked Alayna Sonnesyn was beset by a number of problems, posting results below her typical strong performances.

Meanwhile, flu and illness have played a role in the recent results. Irondale hosted their annual continuous pursuit invite, bringing a rematch against powerhouse Eden Prairie and adding Stillwater into the mix as well. The Irondale boys brought their A team and took the meet scoring title fairly handily -- however, Eden Prairie wasn’t racing with a full deck as two of their stars, Henry Zurn and Mitchell Stenoien were missing in action. And not seen in recent results, Rocci Wolhk was down for a while with an early case of the flu.

Movers and Shakers

Scott Harrison, Mound-Westonka, continues to improve and pulled off a victory over conference rivals on a tough Battle Creek course. Tyler Gilbert, Irondale, gave Eden Prairie’s Tom Bye a run for his money in the Irondale Invite. As as recently as Monday, Jakob Ellingson, fresh off his biathlon qualification for World Juniors, topped teammate Harris Dirnberger. Stillwater’s Megan Weaver has made it known she deserves top ten consideration with solid results against top tier competition recently. Niki Reker, Roseville, put in some prep work for the upcoming JNQ races this month with a 10K classical race, finishing third in a smartly run race at Twin Cities Championships. Nick Acton, Eagan, makes his own bid for top ten ranking, knocking off Zak Ketterson in two of the last three meetings.  And Anna French shows the Wayzata team is stacked with talent (and already making the case for the girls team to be ranked #1 again next fall!).

Mesabi Looms

The mighty Mesabi East Invite, the biggest one day high school meet in the Nation, is this weekend at Giants Ridge.  Nearly all of top skiers in Minnesota, as well as number of ringers from Wisconsin, will put it on the line Saturday.   The results will weigh heavily in next week's rankings ... its time for the real stars to shine!


Girls Teams

  1. Wayzata
  2. Eden Prairie
  3. Roseville
  4. Duluth East
  5. Stillwater

On the cusp: Hopkins, Ely, Burnsville, Andover, Osseo, Irondale, Little Falls

Boys Teams

  1. Eden Prairie
  2. Forest Lake
  3. Irondale
  4. Ely
  5. Roseville

On the cusp: Duluth East, St. Cloud Tech, Hopkins, Stillwater, Eagan

Girls Individuals

  1. Rocci Wolhk, Forest Lake
  2. Mattie Watts, Irondale
  3. Alayna Sonnesyn, Wayzata
  4. Amy Bianco, Ely
  5. Niki Reker, Roseville
  6. Sarah Benton, Hopkins
  7. Vivian Hett, Burnsville
  8. Kris Bourne, MPA
  9. Eryn Stewart, Eden Prairie
  10. Sonja Hedblom, Eagan

On the cusp: Kaley Shagen, Osseo; Anna French, Wayzata; Megan Weaver, Stillwater; Nicole Schneider, Wayzata; Maddie McKeefry, Andover; Sophie Schuder, Duluth East; Erin Bianco, Ely; Solveig Viren, Grand Rapids; Siena Ellingson, Hopkins

Boys Individuals

  1. Harris Dirnberger, Hopkins
  2. Luke Brown, Minnehaha Academy
  3. Tom Bye, Eden Prairie
  4. Jakob Ellingson, Hopkins
  5. Steve Hokanson, Mounds View
  6. Scott Harrison, Mound-Westonka
  7. Nick Proell, St. Cloud Tech
  8. Sean Bjork, Stillwater
  9. Jake Jankowski, Forest Lake
  10. Nick Acton, Eagan

On the cusp: Lucas Mason, Roseville; Tyler Gilbert, Irondale; Zak Ketterson, Bloomington Jefferson; Henry Zurn, Eden Prairie; Jesse Olson, Ely; Sean Cork, St. Louis Park; Mitchell Stenoien, Eden Prairie; Zean Baker, Brainerd

Coaches, keep those results rolling in.

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