Duo leads Palmer Moose boys

PALMER — The Palmer Moose have had their fair share of standout cross-county runners during the past few decades.

Former Moose runners Norm Rousey, Eric Callison and Aaron Dickson all chased down state titles. Other runners such as Jake Parisien, Drew Dickson and Wylie Mangelsdorf were all listed among the Northern Lights Conference’s best in recent years.

This year, Palmer has two more runners to add to that list. Senior Mason Minturn and junior Chris Osiensky are off to a fast start after notching top-4 performances during the Bartlett Invitational last Saturday.

“It’s going to be a fun season,” Palmer coach John Bishop said Monday. “We’ve been hearing about other schools for years. It’s nice to be back in the mix.”

Bartlett is the home of the 2011 state championships, and the Bartlett Invitational turned in to a virtual preview of the state meet. The efforts of Minturn and Osiensky on the BHS trail have Bishop stoked about the season.

“I don’t know if it’s too early to say this, but we’re shooting for regions,” Bishop said.

Kodiak, typically the dominant force on the boys’ side in the NLC, is the obstacle. But with both Mason and Osiensky besting Kodiak’s top returner, Cole Christiansen, at Bartlett, Bishop is pleased with his team’s prospects.

Both runners broke the 17-minute mark in the 5-kilometer, a goal each set last season. Minturn hit 16:52 to finish third and Osiensky was just seconds behind at 16:56 and fourth.

“That was awesome to see,” Bishop said.

Minturn and Osiensky have emerged as two of the region’s best, but Palmer is not exactly only two runners deep.

Seniors Schyler Knopp, Joe Day, Andrew Liebing, Clarence Ess and Kaden Weaver are all part of a deep, veteran-laden varsity squad.

Knopp, who ran at Colony High before transferring to Palmer, is new to the team and an addition Bishop is excited about.

“It’s a huge boost,” Bishop said.

Minturn (fourth) and Osiensky (sixth) posted top-6 finishes during the region meet last year. Liebing was 26th and Day was 31st.

While the Moose are deep and experienced on the boys’ side, it’s nearly the opposite with the Palmer girls. The Moose graduated a handful of athletes, including Gretchen Winter, who placed 14th in regions. Although the Palmer girls team is small, the Moose have welcomed back sophomore Hana Bohman, who placed a team-best 13th in the NLC meet last year.

Junior Deanna Cummings and sophomore Heidi Hanna are key runners on the PHS girls squad.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.