Nordic skiing: Brainerd boys dominate season opener - Brainerd Dispatch

COLERAINE – Eli Knapp paved the way for the Brainerd Warriors to dominate Mt. Itasca Invite on Thursday, December 14th.

Knapp won the 5K individual freestyle and the Alex Lelwica-Hayden Hagen team won the team relay to give Brainerd 317 team points, which was 33 points better than runner-up Little Falls.

“The boys were very confident and it was the relay races that set the tone,” Warrior co-coach Chris Hanson said. “They were skating hard and fast in that relay, and then when it came to the individual races, it was a choppy start. We knew we were skating well, but it was hard to tell because none of our boys were catching each other just because our top six skaters were Very close together and they were skating well. I think the gap between the top five was less than 10 seconds. They had never seen each other and raced really hard.

Knapp won in 16:30 and was followed by Owen Robertson in second, Lance Hastings in third, Gabe Hallgren in fourth, Tate Knapp in fifth, Joe Newman in sixth, and Whit Brown in 10th.

The Flyers finished second with Eddie Sobiech taking the lead in seventh. The Flyers Relay Team was just one athlete in Parker Grant. His teammate fell ill and did not race.

Anneliese Byrd won the girls 5K freestyle in 18:30 to help the Warrior girls finish second behind St. Cloud Cathedral/Sartelle. Carolyn Holcomb Smith placed seventh and Izzie Smith placed 10th.

Anneliese Baird

Kelly Humphrey

“Because it was our first snowboard race, all of our girls looked really good,” Hanson said. “Cathedral came in and showed they are very strong. We need to be firing on all cylinders and we were short on Bridget Collins today. We’ve brought her back into the mix and tightened things up considerably.”

The sprint relay team of Sophia Lundy and Elisabeth Rademacher placed third.

Little Falls finished third. The relay team of Elise Jurek and Emma Larson placed third. Ainsley Krisha was the first individual, finishing in the top ten.

“Snow conditions were great, which is not relative,” Hanson said. “Their conditions were really good. There was a lot of snow making on the smaller loop. There were great snow conditions. It was a great job by the people of Mount Itasca in setting up their course. They run biathlon events and other events as well. It was well prepared us when we got there.”

Team Results: 1-Brainerd 317, 2-Little Falls 284, 3-Bemidji 280, 4-Sartell 198, 5-Trek North 116

Individual winner: Eli Knapp (cold) 16:30

Team Sprint Relay: Brainerd (Alex Lelowica-Hayden Hagen) 13:23

Brainerd scores: 2-Owen Robertson, 3-Lance Hastings, 4-Gabe Hallgren, 5-Tity Knapp, 6-Joe Newman, 8-Wyatt Brown, 10-Triston Kubista, 13-Silas Osborne, 19-Truman Dirks.

Little Falls results: 7- Eddie Sobiech

Little Falls Relay: Little Falls (Parker Grant)

Team results: 1-Sh. Cathedral of Claude-Sartelle 392, 2-Brainerd 373, 3-Little Falls 337, 4-Bemidji 271

Individual winner: Anneliese Byrd (Brainerd), 18:30

Team Sprint Relay: Cathedral-Sartrell 16:52

Brainerd Results: 7-Caroline Holcomb-Smith, 10-Izzie Smith, 11-Addie Ryan, 14-Anya Storbaken, 16-Amelia Rademacher, 17-Ava Cabell, 21-Stella Hagen.

Brainerd continues: 3- Sophia Lundy-Elizabeth Rademacher

Little Falls results: 10- Ainsley Kresha

Little Falls Relay: 3-Elise Jurek-Emma Larson

Next: Brainerd at Mount Itasca Tuesday, December 19; Little Falls at Mount Itasca Thursday, December 21

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The Brainerd boys Nordic skiing team showed their dominance in the season opener, making a strong statement as they swept the competition. Their impressive performance at the event has solidified their position as a force to be reckoned with in the Nordic skiing world. The team’s incredible skill and teamwork were on full display, leaving no doubt that they are a major contender in the upcoming races. Their triumph at the season opener has set the stage for an exciting and promising season ahead.