Colony High brothers lead Knights into state ski meet

PALMER — Twin brothers Dawson and Tracen Knopp are so much alike, even their times are the same.

The Colony juniors finished the Region III Championships in Valdez with identical two-day totals of 39 minutes and 50 seconds. Dawson finished first in the 8-kilometer classic race on Saturday and was fourth in the 6.5-K freestyle on Friday. Tracen placed second in both races during the two-day cross-country skiing meet.

“It’s kind of interesting to have both of them race against each other. They have a lot of the same goals, and their main competition is related to them,” Colony head coach Mark Strabel said of the Knopp twins.

Dawson Knopp used a time of 22:24 in the classic race to become the first Colony boys’ skier to win an individual title at a region meet since Ryan VanGorder notched a first-place finish in 2007. A time of 17:26 gave him a fourth-place finish in the freestyle. Strabel said Dawson was disappointed in his finish in the freestyle, but rebounded the following day. Strabel said the message was Saturday is another day, and an opportunity for Dawson to go out and hammer it. And that’s exactly what he did.

“There was a slightly different course the second day, a little bit harder, and that favors him. He’s been training on harder courses this whole season,” Strabel said.

The region meet was part of a specific set of races the Knopp brothers have been training for, Strabel said, a group of races that also included U.S. Nationals in January, and the upcoming state and Junior National meets.

“He trains a lot, really puts in the time,” Strabel said.

Strabel said Tracen Knopp continues to excel despite having to overcome obstacles.

“He’s been dealing with a lot of adversity over the years. A couple of years ago he broke his ankle. He broke his arm last year,” Strabel said of Tracen. “He’s been able to come back after two years of basically being injured.”

Strabel said Tracen has adopted the philosophy, of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

“And he’s so much stronger,” Strabel said.

During the first day of the region meet, Tracen used a time of 17:16 to place second in the freestyle. He was seven seconds behind the winner, Trent Fritzel of Grace Christian. Tracen notched a time of 22:34 in the classic, finishing 10 seconds behind his brother.

The Knopp brothers have shifted their focus to state, where each hopes to become the first Colony skier since VanGorder in 2007 to place in the top 10.

“They definitely want to get in the top 10. They want to be up there on the podium as well,” Strabel said.