Minnesota State Meet Preview

by Bruce Adelsman
February 14, 2006

The grand finale of the Minnesota High School Nordic racing season is the Minnesota High School Championships, aka the State Meet.   Once again the big event will be held on the world class trails at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, MN.  And perhaps, it may be the last State Meet of its kind, as the league considers a probable switch to a two class system in the near future.

The State Meet will feature the same format as last year:  Interval start freestyle racing in the morning, with the exciting pursuit start format classical racing in the afternoon.   

Individuals

In the boys race, Forest Lake's Ben Fick is standing head-and-shoulders above the field.  Fick is the defending state champion in freestyle and pursuit and has been unchallenged most of the season.  Behind Fick, there is a tight group of challengers.  Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids actually beat Fick in a race at US Nationals.  Wynn Roberts, ranked number one in the last poll, is a dark horse and could surprise the field.  Fick's own teammate, Ted Steiner will be in the mix, along with St. Louis Park's hotrod Mike Mommsen, and Bemidji's Waylon Manske.  While Fick certainly appears to be ready to sweep, any of these skiers could upset those plans.

The girls race looks to be a little more closely matched than the boys, but Visitation's Katie Bono is the odds on favorite.  Bono has dominated in most of her races this season, frequently topping the college-age skiers in Junior Olympic races.  St. Paul Central's Claire Luby represents Bono's biggest challenger and could take one or more of the titles.  Elizabeth Yetzer of Lakeville North has continued to improve each season and Grand Rapids Anna Roessler has performed well on the Giants Ridge course, and both could just as easily be on the podium.  Rocketing up the field this season, Stillwater's Jessie Diggins has made huge improvements and could surprise everyone.  Diggins is only in 8th grade this year, which may be fortunate for her seniors – Diggins is an early favorite for the 2007 State Meet.  Other skiers to watch for:  Duluth East's mid-season addition Ingrid Fjeldheim is a great skater, Grand Rapids Addie Byrne is another rising star, and Roseville's Lindsay Marshall races well at the Ridge.

Team

Forest Lake has all but locked up the team title, returning its four starters from last year's winning team: Fick, Steiner, Leif Nordgren and  Zac Clark.  Barring injury or major illness, they should dominate the boys title. St. Louis Park probably represents the best outside shot at upsetting Forest Lake, especially if Tim Cheeseboro, Andrew Tilman and Tyler Hendrickson can step up their races for the State Meet.

The most exciting race of the entire State Meet could be the battle for the girls team title.  Grand Rapids has been ranked number one most of the season, and brings back much of their 2005 championship team:  Roessler, Byrne, Sara Gaalaas and Kalie Mix.  Roseville has a great history of performing well at the State Meet and the team of Marshall, Lynn Duijndam, Rita White, and Katie Salvatore will be evenly matched against the Rapids girls.  Duluth East and Lakeville North may also be near the front, with really all of the girls teams having a decent shot at the title.  This will be the race to watch in the Giants Ridge stadium as the girls finish the classical pursuit.

The third weekend in February seems to historically be one of the coldest of the season, and this year the early forecasts are predicting another cold one.  Hopefully the weather will warm enough to prevent any major changes in the schedule, and more importantly, any danger for the skiers.

As much as we attempt to highlight what we believe some of the favorites are, you can expect surprises.  It is the State Meet – nothing is guaranteed.  Get out on the sidelines and cheer on your favorites come Friday!