Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Rankings - Round 5

February 26, 2021

Another round of rankings, just ahead of sections next week...

Commentary

Oh boy - literally. Things have heated up at the top with a serious dog race for the number one. Colin Freed crushed the high school contenders in the JNQ skate race last week, but the State Meet is a two race event, and skiers like Cooper Camp, Roger Anderson, Jasper Johnston and Declan Hutchinson are gunning for him. After that, there is a very competitive field of contenders which we seem to keep shuffling around each week -- will all depend who is peaking.

For one of the only times this season, Molly Moening looked almost vulnerable at the JNQ race last Sunday. A tough course for sure, and much like the State Meet silver trail, perhaps it opens the door for the likes of Maggie Wagner and Sydney Drevlow to have a shot. But Moening is the complete package and remains the one to beat. Ella Bakken moves up, showing she certainly deserves to be in the top ten with a strong JNQ performance. We move up a couple of the Forest Lake stars as their team continues to grow. 

On the girls side, we finally give in to the Forest Lake juggernaut. We’ve said before that Forest Lake and Highland Park are like twins, but at this point in the season it appears Forest Lake has moved ahead, showing strong improvements across the board. While it’s hard to not stick with the defending champion, Forest Lake deserves the recognition (and perhaps some fuel for HP). Wayzata looks strong, but not nearly as deep as the two contenders. After that, it's more of a toss up.

For the boys team, no real changes. Minneapolis Southwest has a team of greyhounds while Forest Lake is like a pack of dobermans. It's shaping up for a great battle at the State Meet. Robbinsdale-Armstrong and Duluth East could show well, and are contenders for third for sure.

With sections we expect to finally get some solid data for team rankings, and a better understanding of who is peaking.   One final round of rankings coming up.

Girls Individual

  1. Molly Moening, St Paul Highland Park, 11
  2. Maggie Wagner, Edina, 11
  3. Sydney Drevlow, Hopkins, 8
  4. Jordan Parent, Forest Lake, 10
  5. Lauren McCollor, Wayzata, 12
  6. Margo Nightingale, Mounds Park Academy, 10
  7. Ella Bakken, Eden Prairie, 12
  8. Ingrid Halverson, Wayzata, 12
  9. Ella Niznik, Forest Lake, 11
  10. Lily Brown, Duluth East, 11

Cusp: Zoe Devine, Ely, 10; Margaret Dalseth, Visitation, 12; Celeste Alden, St Paul Highland Park, 12; Amelea Hauer, Forest Lake, 12; Della Bettendorf, Proctor, 8; Chloe Erickson, Forest Lake, 9; Evelyn Hudrlik, Forest Lake, 10; Inga Wing, SPA, 8; Etta Leugers, Minneapolis Washburn, 12; Hailee Zimpel, Elk River, 10

Boys Individual

  1. Colin Freed, Wayzata, 12
  2. Roger Anderson, Robinsdale Armstrong, 12
  3. Cooper Camp, Minneapolis Southwest, 11
  4. Jasper Johnston, Ely, 12
  5. Victor Sparks, Minneapolis Southwest, 12
  6. Declan Hutchinson, Marshall School, 12
  7. Isak Nightingale, Mounds Park Academy, 11
  8. Sam Stertz, Grand Rapids, 12
  9. Magnus O'Connor, Prior Lake, 12
  10. Jonathan Hudrlik, Forest Lake, 12

Cusp: Daniel McCollor, Wayzata, 9; Davis Isom, St. Paul Highland Park, 10; Noah Erickson, Forest Lake, 11; Andrew DeFor, Edina, 10; Nicholas Youso, Bemidji, 12; Jonathan Clarke, Bloomington Jefferson, 11; Ben Lewis, Blaine, 10; Benon Brattebo, Eden Prairie, 10; Benjamin Bauer, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, 12; Ian Morse, Duluth East, 11

Girls Teams

  1. Forest Lake
  2. St. Paul Highland Park
  3. Wayzata
  4. Duluth East
  5. Hopkins
  6. Ely
  7. Stillwater
  8. Eden Prairie
  9. Rosemount
  10. Alexandria

Boys Teams

  1. Minneapolis Southwest
  2. Forest Lake
  3. Robbinsdale-Armstrong
  4. Duluth East
  5. Prior Lake
  6. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton
  7. Eden Prairie
  8. Maple Grove
  9. Brainerd
  10. Ely

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