Knights sophomore wins Colony Invite

PALMER — When Colony High School hosted its annual Colony Invitational cross-country running meet last year, Tracen Knopp, then a CHS freshman, had to watch from the sidelines.

Knopp was on crutches, nursing a fractured fibula, an injury he’d suffered before his freshman year of high school. But Knopp is healthy now. And Saturday, the Colony sophomore earned the first win of his high school cross-country running career. Knopp edged Grace Christian School’s Zach Young during the final stretch of the race to finish first in the boys’ varsity race of the Colony Invite at CHS.

Knopp was among a number of local winners in the Valley-heavy meet. The Wasilla boys and Colony girls captured team titles. Colony’s Jill Bowker (second), Alex Mathis (third) and Cathelyne Powers (fifth), and Wasilla’s Riley Burroughs (fourth) each notched top-5 performances in the girls’ varsity race. Knopp led a group of Valley boys in the top 5, that included fellow Knight Dakota Peterson-Thompson (third), and Wasilla’s Quincy Fuller (fourth) and Colton Pulver (fifth).

Knopp earned his win after running in Young’s shadow for most of the race.

“He was fast. I stuck right behind him, and made my move with about 200 (meters) to go,” Knopp said after the race.

Knopp said there wasn’t any set strategy to make a move with a final kick.

“It just happened that way. I didn’t really know who was in the race,” Knopp said.

Young, Knopp and Peterson-Thompson ran in a cluster at the front for the majority of the race.

“I was right behind him the whole time,” Knopp said. “I knew I wanted to start with other people for the first lap or so, even though I didn’t really know who was in the race. I wanted to be with someone for the first lap and decide from there.”

Knopp finished with an official time of 17 minutes and 14 seconds. Second and third came down to a photo finish, with Young (17:16.66) using a final lean to edge Peterson-Thompson (17:16.95).

The Colony duo ran just ahead of a pack of Wasilla Warriors in the top 8. Fuller led Wasilla with a fourth-place finish and time of 17:31, finishing less than a second ahead of Pulver (fifth place, 17:32). Karl Greathouse (17:50) was eighth. Lane Reed (12th, 18:00) and Justin Gentz (13th, 18:01) also finished in the top 15. Wasilla’s top 5 runners finished within a span of 30 seconds.

Andrew Spencer led the Houston Hawks with a sixth-place finish and time of 17:42. Cameron Jensen led the Palmer Moose with a 14th-place finish, and time of 18:05. Ryan Kavalok (16th, 18:14) and Hayden Foster (17th, 18:16) finished in the top 20 for Palmer.

Dawson Knopp (11th, 17:54) and Tyler Daniel (20th, 18:54) rounded out Colony’s top 5.

Wasilla finished first in the boys’ team standings with 39 total points. Colony was second at 57.

On the girls side, Colony used three runners in the top 5 to run away with the team title. Glennallen’s Griahna Gerlach won the girls race, with a time of 19:37. Bowker, the runner-up, crossed the finish line six seconds later to clock a time of 19:43. Mathis (20:17) and Powers (20:41) were third and fifth respectively.

Burroughs led Wasilla a fourth-place finish and time of 20:33. Ruby Woodings finished sixth for Palmer at 20:45.

Colony placed five in the top 15. Elisabeth Bowker (21:03) was 11th and Jocelyn Kopsack (22:02) placed 15th.

Ellie Bietsch led Susitna Valley with a 13th-place finish and time of 21:34.

Colony was first in the girls’ team standings with 29 points.

Next weekend Valley programs will compete in the annual Palmer Invitational.

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

Colony Invitational

Saturday, Colony High School

Boys team scores:

1. Wasilla 39, 2. Colony 57, 3. Grace Christian 64.

Boys individual results:

1. T. Knopp, Col 17:14.55; 2. Z. Young, Gra 17:16.66; 3. D. Peterson-Thompson, Col 17:16.95; 4. Q. Fuller, Was 17:31; 5. C. Pulver, Was 17:32; 6. A. Spencer, Hou 17:42; 7. H. Kratz, Sew 17:48; 8. K. Greathouse, Was 17:50; 9. M. Marshall, Sew 17:54; 10. T. Fritzel, Gra 17:55; 11. D. Knopp, Col 17:59; 12. L. Reed, Was 18:00; 13. J. Gentz, Was 18:01; 14. C. Jensen, Pal 18:05; 15. D. VanderWeide, Gra 18:11; 16. R. Kavalok, Pal 18:14; 17. H. Foster, Pal 18:16; 18. I. Bell, Was 18:24; 19. G. Sorensen, Gra 18:25; 20. T. Daniel, Col 18:54.

Other Valley finishers:

21. J. Burton, Pal 18:58; 25. K. Lucas, Col 19:24; 28. L. Seims, Was 19:33; 30. R. Haan, Col 19:36; 32. E. Kinney, Hou 19:42; 33. N. Harrison, Col 19:52; 36. L. Natwick, Pal 20:18; 39. J. Klina, Pal 20:38; 40. B. Swalling, Pal 21:05.

Girls team scores:

1. Colony 29, 2. Seward 65, 3. Grace Christian 86.

Girls individual results:

1. B. Gerlach, Glen 19:37; 2. J. Bowker, Col 19:43; 3. A. Mathis, Col 20:17; 4. R. Burroughs, Was 20:33; 5. C. Powers, Col 20:41; 6. R. Woodings, Pal 20:45; 7. B. Wedin, Sew 20:48; 8. R. Lindquist, Sew 20:49; 9. C. Applegate, Gra 21:00; 10. A. Hatter, Gra 21:03; 11. E. Bowker, Col 21:03.93; 12. H. Wayner, Gra 21:30; 13. E. Bietsch, SV 21:34; 14. C. Geraghty, Col 21:49; 15. J. Kopsack, Col 22:02; 16. A. Mayer, Col 22:03; 17. A. Pfeiffenberger, Sew 22:12; 18. R. McLellan, Was 22:28; 19. G. Jacobsen, Glen 22:31; 20. J. Braun, Sew 22:35.

Other Valley finishers:

21. S. Contreras, Pal 22:37; 22. A. Qualls, Pal 22:44; 24. D. Ingersoll, Was 23:04; 27. R. Berrigan, Pal 23:17; 29. G. Minnick, Was 23:31; 31. E. Bingham, Pal 23:37; 32. E. Wright, Pal 23:39; 35. J. Burroughs, Was 24:24; 39. K. Munday, Was 25:08.