A LONG TIME COMING: Wasilla boys snap Kodiak's streaks, end championship drought

PALMER — For more than a decade, the Kodiak boys’ cross-country team has had a stranglehold on Region III running titles. The Bears began the season with 15 straight team titles and boasted the last 11 individual champions.

Both streaks were snapped Saturday as the Wasilla Warriors ended a decades-long championship drought.

Wasilla sophomore Hunter Hayes earned a win in the boys’ Division I race and helped the Warriors earn the boys’ team title during the Region III Championships Saturday afternoon at the Government Peak Recreation Area near Palmer. With his win, Hayes became the first Wasilla runner to earn a boys’ cross-country title since former Wasilla star Chris Gilbert did it in 1988. Wasilla also captured its first boys’ team title since 1985 and fourth in school history.

“It’s really exciting,” Wasilla head coach Leslie Varys said. “I knew it was going to be a lot of work if we were going to be able to pull it off.”

Throughout the season, Varys has known her team’s potential, but hasn’t wanted to look too far ahead.

“I felt confident they were in the position, poised, ready to do their best,” Varys said. “We’ve been talking about this all season long. They were ready for it.”

Hayes used a time of 17 minutes, 52 seconds to win the title. He finished seven seconds ahead of Kenai Central freshman Maison Dunham, the runner-up.

“I’ll be honest. He surprised me,” Varys said of Hayes. “I knew he could do it. He did a phenomenal job. I’m so proud of him.”

Hayes may have even surprised himself.

“I was hoping to get top 3,” Hayes said after his win.

Hayes said he didn’t have any particular game plan going into the race.

“Just run,” Hayes said. “I didn’t really have any strategy.”

Hayes, who sprinted to an early lead, said he traded leads with Dunham.

“Me and the Kenai kid were back and forth up until the last (kilometer),” Hayes said.

And the Hayes, who has developed quite the final kick, created space between himself and Dunham.

“That’s what I have been using to get high up there (in the standings) in the races,” Hayes said of his efforts late.

Junior McKinley Larson also posted a top-5 finish for the Warriors, placing fifth with a time of 18:25. Varys said Larson’s run was key to Wasilla’s success as a team.

“He ran an amazing race,” Varys said. “I don’t think he’s ever finished that high for us.”

Larson’s prior best was a 22nd-place finish at the Region III Preview Meet at the Government Peak Recreation Area earlier this month. Larson also cut 35 seconds off his time from his last race on the recreation area’s trails, despite sloppy conditions Saturday.

Issak Bell (11th, 18:41), Taft Steiner (13th, 18:48) and Kaleb Greathouse (21st, 19:28) also finished in the top 21 for the Warriors. Varys said Bell passed multiple runners during the final stretch of the race.

Varys praised the work of each of her scoring runners who helped Wasilla edge Soldotna by two points in the team standings.

“It’s nice all their hard work pays off,” Varys said. “It feels good.”

Four Valley teams advance to state

Four Valley teams qualified for the ASAA/First National Bank State Cross-Country Running Championships for the second straight year. Alongside the Wasilla boys, the Palmer girls and both Colony squads will run at Bartlett High School next week.

Palmer finished as the region runner-up in the Division I standings. Kenai Central placed four runners in the top 5, and won the girls title with 21 points. Palmer was second with 57.

Sophomore Sophia Nowers led Palmer with a sixth-place finish and time of 22:01. Nowers was the first of three straight Palmer runners to cross the finish line. Freshman Sophie Wright (seventh, 22:01) and sophomore Lydia Ortiz (eighth, 22:24), placed in the top 10. Nina Kalytiak (23:21) finished 15th for the Moose and Zoe Copp (24:14) was 21st.

Colony senior Jill Bowker helped the Knights finish third in the girls’ standings. Bowker led all Valley runners with a fourth-place finish in the Division I girls’ race.

Like Hayes, Bowker exceeded her own expectations.

“Top 10, hold nothing back,” Bowker said of her goals heading into the race.

Bowker finished with a time of 21:48.

“I wanted to go out strong, but not go out too fast,” Bowker said. “I wanted to get up there and hold it.”

Bowker was one of five Knights to finish in the top 20. Nicole Bell (11th, 23:02), Sofia Spaic (12th, 23:03), Jazlynn Novelli (17th, 23:45) and Kylee Deering (19th, 23:54) also finished in the top 20. Colony finished with 63 points in the girls’ standings.

The Colony boys also qualified, placing third with 69 points. Sophomore Gavin Block led Colony with a fourth-place finish and time of 18:16. Freshman Lane Meier followed in sixth, with a mark of 18:26.

Josh Taylor (16th, 19:01), Kolby Torres (18th, 19:07) and Landis Erwin (25th, 19:49) also finished in the top 25 for Colony.

Colony finished ahead of 15-time defending region champion Kodiak in the standings. Kodiak will miss the state meet for the first time in more than two decades.

JV runner named Region III MVP

Wasilla junior Allison VanPelt, who spent the entire season running in the junior varsity races, was named the region’s most outstanding athlete in the girls’ class during the award’s ceremony.

VanPelt, a Mat-Su Career and Technical High School student, is running with the Warriors after competing for Houston during her first two seasons. After making the move from Houston athletics to WHS following the 2016-17 school year, VanPelt has not been eligible to run at the varsity level during the cross-country season due to the Alaska Schools Activities Association’s rules involving transfers within a school district.

As a junior varsity runner, VanPelt was among the top runners in the girls’ class in the state, at any level. Saturday, VanPelt posted a time of 20:36 in the girls’ junior varsity race. That time would have placed her first in both the Division I and Division II girls’ varsity races.

“I think that in this sport we’re competitive against each other, but we all love doing this same thing. We want to be able to recognize other people who love it, even in they’re not on our team,” Varys said. “We want to recognize the hard work and dedication.”

Varys said she was excited to see VanPelt’s hard work and dedication rewarded, regardless of her status as a J.V. runner.

“It was great for her,” Varys said.

For more on VanPelt and her story, see frontiersman.com/sports.

Hayes was named the most outstanding athlete for the boys.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Region III Championships

Saturday

Government Peak Recreation Area

GIRLS

Division I

Team scores: 1. Kenai Central, 21; 2. Palmer, 57; 3. Colony, 63; 4. Soldotna, 99; 5. Kodiak, 105.

Individual five-kilometer results

1, Gibson, Addison, Kenai Centra, 20 minutes, 40.58 seconds. 2, Boonstra, Riana, Kenai Centra, 20:41.47. 3, Calvert, Jaycie, Kenai Centra, 21:09.99. 4, Bowker, Jill, Colony, 21:48.46. 5, Satathite, Brooke, Kenai Centra, 21:51.35. 6, Nowers, Sophia, Palmer, 22:01.66. 7, Wright, Sophie, Palmer, 22:21.07. 8, Ortiz, Lydia, Palmer, 22:24.60. 9, Glover, Carly, Kodiak, 22:33.53. 10, Bergholtz, Ithaca, Kenai Centra, 22:33.88. 11, Bell, Nicole, Colony, 23:02.73. 12, Spaic, Sofija, Colony, 23:03.10. 13, Christiansen, Maddie, Kodiak, 23:03.41. 14, Arthur, Erika, Soldotna, 23:05.02. 15, Kalytiak, Nina, Palmer, 23:21.90. 16, Arthur, Kellie, Soldotna, 23:33.31. 17, Novelli, Jazlynn, Colony, 23:45.33. 18, Blackwell, Cameron, Soldotna, 23:48.96. 19, Deering, Kylee, Colony, 23:54.21. 20, Fagan, Malina, Kodiak, 24:05.45. 21, Copp, Zoe, Palmer, 24:14.65. 22, Lorring, Tanis, Soldotna, 24:24.78. 23, Smith, Claire, Colony, 24:34.05. 24, Block, Izabella, Colony, 24:41.92. 25, Vasquez, Carissa, Wasilla, 24:47.87.

26, Steiner, Brynn, Wasilla, 24:56.74. 27, Drury, Sarah, Kenai Centra, 25:02.15. 28, Madruga, Vanessa, Palmer, 25:03.18. 29, Doyle, Dareena, Kenai Centra, 25:04.77. 30, Berrigan, Aila, Palmer, 25:21.34. 31, Martin, Sonora, Soldotna, 25:22.31. 32, Thomas, Sophie, Soldotna, 25:33.58. 33, Christiansen,Chandra, Kodiak, 25:35.21. 34, Raisley, Ella, Kodiak, 25:44.57. 35, Neff, Shalom, Kodiak, 25:53.99. 36, Parnell, Katie, Kodiak, 25:54.81. 37, Delker, Katie, Soldotna, 26:55.49.

Division II

Team scores: 1. Homer, 41; 2. Grace, 45; 3. Seward, 57; 4. ACS, 89.

Individual five-kilometer results

1, O’Hara, Tessa, Anchorage Ch, 20:40.85. 2, Lindquist, Ruby, Seward, 21:00.90. 3, Daigle, Autumn, Homer, 21:15.62. 4, Moseley, Alex, Homer, 21:23.75. 5, Miller, Brooke, Homer, 21:40.79. 6, Moore, Emma, Seward, 21:44.44. 7, Demientieff, Charlee, Grace Christ, 22:01.97. 8, Jackson, Mazzy, Grace Christ, 22:18.41. 9, Morgan, Maddy, Grace Christ, 22:33.06. 10, Widener, Kiah, Grace Christ, 22:38.94. 11, Annett, Grace, Grace Christ, 22:43.99. 12, Carey, Sienna, Homer, 22:54.60. 13, McLaughlin, Anna, Grace Christ, 23:04.74. 14, Cooney, Hana, Seward, 23:06.99. 15, Ellis, Laura, Grace Christ, 23:18.39. 16, Lindquist, Sadie, Seward, 23:30.67. 17, Carey, Shine, Homer, 23:56.63. 18, Stephan, Anna, Redington, 24:08.46. 19, Fuller, Ashley, Anchorage Ch, 24:39.91. 20, Rodriguez, Kalista, Seward, 24:59.27. 21, Walker, Hope, Redington, 25:07.41. 22, Davis, Katie, Homer, 25:11.68. 23, Parks, Mary Kate, Anchorage Ch, 25:14.17. 24, Dow, Sophia, Seward, 25:57.15. 25, Davidson, Harmony, Homer, 26:11.76.

26, Nolan, Grace, Redington, 26:15.84. 27, Tedrick, Emily, Anchorage Ch, 26:27.40. 28, Wadsworth, Katelyn, Valdez, 26:46.28. 29, Hofacker, Makenzie, Anchorage Ch, 27:49.93. 30, Tachick, Alyssa, Redington, 27:50.58. 31, Wood, Carlisa, Anchorage Ch, 28:07.90. 32, Choi, Ji In, Anchorage Ch, 28:25.15. 33, Brueckner, Shiphrah, Seward, 28:34.72.

BOYS

Division I

Team scores: 1. Wasilla, 51; 2. Soldotna, 53; 3. Colony, 69; 4. Kodiak, 75; 5. Kenai Central, 136; 6. Palmer, 149.

Individual five-kilometer results

1, Hayes, Hunter, Wasilla, 17:52.29. 2, Dunham, Maison, Kenai Centra, 17:59.47. 3, Thompson, Brenden, Kodiak, 18:08.26. 4, Block, Gavin, Colony, 18:16.86. 5, Larson, McKinley, Wasilla, 18:25.39. 6, Meier, Lane, Colony, 18:26.05. 7, Shuler, Josh, Soldotna, 18:29.83. 8, Gruner, Braxton, Kodiak, 18:31.22. 9, Walters, Bradley, Soldotna, 18:32.41. 10, Vinson, Koby, Soldotna, 18:36.86. 11, Bell, Isaak, Wasilla, 18:41.15. 12, Verg-in, Sean, Soldotna, 18:41.83. 13, Steiner, Taft, Wasilla, 18:48.10. 14, Winegeart, Paul, Kodiak, 18:53.06. 15, Chilton, Lance, Soldotna, 18:56.75. 16, Taylor, Josh, Colony, 19:01.52. 17, Metcalf, Bechler, Soldotna, 19:07.18. 18, Torres, Kolby, Colony, 19:07.61. 19, Pothast, John-Mark, Soldotna, 19:09.12. 20, Danielson, Karl, Kenai Centra, 19:13.69. 21, Greathouse, Kaleb, Wasilla, 19:28.63. 22, Birbilas, Riley, Kodiak, 19:35.57. 23, Logsdon, Samuel, Wasilla, 19:39.64. 24, Fraker, Wesley, Wasilla, 19:47.30. 25, Ewrin, Landis, Colony, 19:49.83.

26, Maclean, Amiqaq, Palmer, 19:53.81. 27, Robertson, Lev, Palmer, 20:00.83. 28, Nummer, Gabe, Kodiak, 20:02.28. 29, Seto, Youji, Kodiak, 20:04.45. 30, Copp, Ethan, Palmer, 20:26.74. 31, Streit, Garrett, Colony, 20:31.15. 32, Miller, Levi,Palmer, 20:49.18. 33, Ramirez, Simeon, Colony, 21:30.05. 34, Hartman, Hayden, Palmer, 21:39.39. 35, Hanson, Lars, Kodiak, 21:47.23. 36, Villanueva, Josh, Palmer, 21:47.56. 37, Collver, Gideon, Kenai Centra, 22:11.46. 38, Bezdecny, Andrew, Kenai Centra, 22:32.44. 39, Stockton, Evan, Kenai Centra, 23:28.54.

Division II

Team scores: 1. ACS, 39; 2. Homer, 47; 3. Grace, 52; 4. Seward, 75; 5. Nikiski, 164; 6. Redington, 176; 7. Houston, 200.

1, Bennett, Blake, Anchorage Ch, 17:15.27. 2, Merchant, Tristian, Anchorage Ch, 17:40.03. 3, Davis, Jacob, Homer, 17:56.75. 4, Fritzel, Luke, Grace Christ, 18:04.25. 5, Lindquist, Neil, Seward, 18:08.00. 6, Martin, Gabe, Grace Christ, 18:14.53. 7, Fasulo, Luciano, Homer, 18:20.17. 8, Beachy, Jordan, Homer, 18:36.40. 9, Davis, Joshua, Anchorage Ch, 18:44.48. 10, Waclawski, Denver, Homer, 18:48.94. 11, Jones, Erik, Grace Christ, 18:51.12. 12, Pfeiffenberger, Max, Seward, 18:51.93. 13, Parks, William, Anchorage Ch, 18:53.10. 14, Smith, Kaleb, Anchorage Ch, 18:58.99. 15, Kopp, Paul, Grace Christ, 18:59.42. 16, Coverdell, Vincent, Grace Christ, 19:12.94. 17, Petrosius, Zen, Seward, 19:21.54. 18, Gionet, Levi, Grace Christ, 19:22.67. 19, Beachy, Clayton, Homer, 19:46.08. 20, Ingalls, Trey, Seward, 19:46.94. 21, Van Dyke, Jaden, Seward, 19:47.55. 22, Rich, Bill, Homer, 19:54.91. 23, Leach, Kevin, Grace Christ, 19:56.01. 24, Desoto-Finn, Hunter, Anchorage Ch, 20:12.24. 25, Koster, Samuel, Seward, 20:14.90.

26, Anderson, Ethan, Homer, 20:34.74. 27, McMurray, Brendan, Seward, 20:40.33. 28, Bohlman, Matthew, Anchorage Ch, 21:00.13. 29, Wallis, Gavin, Nikiski, 21:13.86. 30, McCollum, Bryan, Nikiski, 21:31.28. 31, McCollum, Aaron, Nikiski, 22:06.81. 32, Alfaro, Rafael, Valdez, 22:07.03. 33, Metcalf, Gavin, Redington, 22:38.88. 34, Yourkoski, Joseph, Nikiski, 22:44.29. 35, Jones, Porter, Redington, 22:54.23. 36, Kirn, Ryan, Redington, 23:08.55. 37, Ashworth, Nathan, Redington, 23:24.09. 38, O’Quinn, Shane, Houston, 23:39.43. 39, Brotzman, Macrae, Houston, 23:41.88. 40, Nolan, Daniel, Redington, 23:43.90. 41, Guim, Lain, Houston, 23:45.47. 42, Swanson, Ben, Valdez, 24:10.43. 43, Heft, Henry, Nikiski, 25:40.10. 44, Wilkinson, Nicholas, Houston, 26:41.56. 45, Hanks, Nicholas, Houston, 27:15.57. 46, Smoldon, Josh, Houston, 29:27.25.