A photo finish

TALKEETNA — Palmer head coach Darin Markwardt nearly didn’t let Davis Dunlap race on Saturday. It’s a good thing Markwardt changed his mind.

The Palmer senior standout edged teammate Duney Strickland by only four-tenths of a second to win the boys’ race of the Mat-Su Borough Championships in Talkeentna.

“I wasn’t actually going to let him race. He’s been sick all week. But a half-hour before the race I had a change of heart,” Markwardt said. “I felt so bad for him. It’s his senior year. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt and it turned out he had a phenomenal performance. I’m really proud of him.”

Dunlap was actually the first of three skiers separated less than a second at the finish line. Dunlap finished the 8-kilometer course in 25 minutes and 23.2 seconds and Strickland followed at 25:23.6. Colony sophomore Schyler Knopp was less than a second behind Dunlap, finishing at the 25:24.1 mark.

“It’s the most exciting finish I’ve seen all year,” Markwardt said. “Maybe in a few years.”

The trio skied together for much of the distance. Strickland led the small pack deep into the race. Knopp took the lead with about 30 meters to go. Strickland grabbed the lead back and led until the final meter. But in that final meter, Dunlap was able to find a burst and sneak past Strickland.

“He threw a toe right in front of Duney,” Markwardt said. “(Davis) is very long legged and has a very quick finish.”

The girls race also produced an extremely close finish.

But in this case, it wasn’t just between teammates, but siblings.

Palmer senior Amanda DelFrate edged twin sister Kimberly by just 2.3 seconds to win the girls’ 6-kilometer. Amanda DelFrate crossed the finish line at the 25:14.1 mark. Kimberly was right behind at 25:1.4.

While Kimberly has typically had the edge over Amanda, Markwardt said, if the race comes down to a final sprint, Amanda usually has the edge.

“Amanda has really stepped up this year,” Markwardt said.

The Moose took the top three spots in the girls’ race. Shannon Stough finished third for PHS. Palmer also took seven of the top 10 spots in the boys race. Markwardt was also excited about a pair of Palmer wins in the junior varsity races.

Caitlin Skvorc led the Colony girls with a fourth-place finish. Morgan Michels finished fifth for Susitna Valley and Valerie Schleich was 10th for Wasilla.

In the boys’ race, Knopp was one of three Knights to place in the top-seven. Gunner Williams was fourth and Abe Meyerhofer finished fifth.

Connor Mattson led the Warriors with an 11th place finish.

Palmer and Susitna Valley co-hosted the event. Markwardt said dozens of parents volunteered to make the race a success.

Mat-Su Borough

Championships

Saturday, Talkeetna

Girls 6-K:

1. A. DelFrate, Pal 25:14.1; 2. K. DelFrate, Pal 25:14; 3. S. Stough, Pal 26:30.0; 4. C. Skvorc, Col 26:35.8; 5. M. Michels, SV 26:43.5; 6. M. Shones, Pal 27:39.3; 7. H. Smith, Pal 27:39.5; 8. H. Norris, Val 27:42.5; 9. M. Lynn, Pal 29:58.7; 10. V. Schleich, Was 30:43.7; 11. B. Anderson, Col 31:00.3; 12. A. Jahn, Col 31:09.2; 13. S. VanBavel, 31:13.5; 14. R. Hall, Was 31:40.5; 15. A. Nagel, Col 31:42.0; 16. K. Parker, Was 32:29.1; 17. L. Lutz, Pal 33:30.9; 18. L. Dreese, Col 40:47.6.

Boys 8-K:

1. D. Dunlap, Pal 25:23.2; 2. D. Strickland, Pal 25:23.6; 3. S. Knopp, Col 25:24.1; 4. G. Williams, Col 2:03.1; 5. W. Mangelsdorf, Pal 2:29.3; 6. T. Hoople, Pal 27:43.3; 7. A. Meyerhofer, Col 27:50.3; 8. A. Strickland, Pal 28:04.4; 9. K. Hollady, Pal 28:42.5; 10. D. VanHoomisen, Pal 29:00.3; 11. C. Mattson, Was 30:21.4; 12. J. Dahms, Pal 30:28.3; 13. J. Buck, Col 30:42.4; 14. J. Hausmann, Col 31:16.2; 15. K. Walker, Val 31:17.2; 16. D. Sinnett, Col 31:19.1; 17. K. Pulver, Was 31:41.6; 18. A. McConnell, Pal 32:48.0; 19. M. Adamson, Val 33:13.0; 20. C. Lematta, Val 24:06.1; 21. C. Susky, SV 35:23.1; 22. C. Bowmer, Was 35:23.2; 23. D. Carr, Val 35:29.0; 24. Q. Verfaillie, Val 37:25.5; 25. R. Loveless, Was 39:13.3.