Palmer senior hits personal best during final run on home course

PALMER — Mason Minturn has hit the Michael Janecek Running Trails hundreds of times during his four years at Palmer High School.

But his last official run on his home dirt just may be the sweetest.

Minturn posted a personal record time of 16 minutes and 19 seconds to finish second in the 4A boys race of the Region III Cross-Country Running Championships on Saturday.

“My senior year, I wish I would have taken first, but second’s not that bad,” Minturn said. “I wish I could have kept up with Cole (Christiansen), but he’s a great runner.”

Christiansen captured his first region title with his mark of 16:17. Minturn ran with the Kodiak runner for the first two miles of the 5-kilometer race, but Christiansen gained ground during the late stretch of the race.

“That’s when he dominates,” Minturn said. “I was with him for the first two-and-a-half laps, but it’s tough that last half-mile, quarter-mile.”

Minturn’s runner-up finish also helped Palmer finish second in the boys standings and secure a team berth in next week’s state championships.

Minturn was the first of three Moose to finish in the top 18 and four among the top 26. Seniors Schyler Knopp and Andrew Liebing finished 17th and 18th respectively. Joe Day was 26th.

Christiansen owned a healthy 12-second advantage on Minturn at the finish line and Minturn was a very comfortable 22 seconds ahead of Kodiak’s Levi Thomet at the finish, but the race of the day was for fourth.

Wasilla senior Noah Ripley was locked in a sprint with Skyview’s Micah Hilbish down the final stretch, and was able to edge Hilbish by less than three-tenths of a second to finish fourth.

“It feels great,” Ripley said. “I wanted to get top 5. I thought I ran a good race, ran it right.”

Wasilla head coach Gary Howell said he was thrilled to see Ripley win the battle at the finish, and score the fourth spot.

“I’ve known him since the seventh, eighth grade and watched him run. To see him come down the home stretch and hold off the Skyview runner and run one of the fastest time in high school at the region meet is a thing of beauty.”

Ripley was also one of three Warriors to finish in the top 15, joining 10th-place Josh Pahkala and 14th-place Brendon Lee.

Before the meet, Howell said the Warriors’ primary goal was to earn one of the four team berths to the state championships. The secondary goal was to place three runners in the top 15.

“Josh and Brendon are running really well,” Howell said. “If they hadn’t run as well, we wouldn’t be going to state.”

Three Valley teams claimed the four team berths for the state championships. Third-place Colony also is headed to the state meet at Bartlett High School next week.

Brandon Schafer and Abe Meyerhofer both finished in the top 15 to lead the Knights. Schafer and Meyerhofer, who hit an immediate sprint after the gun sounded, actually led early in the race.

Darien Sinnett and Kamber Lucas finished 21st and 22nd respectively for Colony High.

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

REGION III CHAMPIONSHIPS

Region III-4A boys team standings:

1. Kodiak 37; 2. Palmer 87; 3. Colony 90; 4. Wasilla 92; 5. Kenai 113; 6. Skyview 129; 7. Homer 179; 8. Soldotna 209; 9. Houston 256.

Region III-4A boys individual results:

1. C. Christiansen, Kod 16:07; 2. M. Minturn, Pal 16:19; 3. L. Thomet, Kod 16:41; 4. N. Ripley, Was 16:46.27; 5. M. Hilbish, Sky 16:46.51; 6. F. Machaud, Ken 16:54; 7. L. Fried, Kod 16:59; 8. D. Adickes, Hom 17:01; 9. B. Schafer, Col 17:05; 10. J. Pahkala, Col 17:05; 11. D. Deal, Kod 17:14; 12. S. Janorschke, Sky 17:16; 13. A. Meyerhofer, Col 17:19; 14. B. Lee, Was 17:20; 15. J. Fogle, Kod 17:21; 16. D. Jensen, Sol 17:24; 17. S. Knopp, Pal 17:27; 18. A. Liebing, Pal 17:27; 19. J. Theisen, Ken 17:28; 20. J. Theisen, Ken 17:29; 21. D. Sinnett, Col 17:34; 22. K. Lucas, Col 17:42; 23. J. McCarthy, Kod 17:43; 24. C. Ess, Pal 17:46; 25. B. Atkinson, Col 17:47; 26. J. Day, Pal 17:48; 27. B. Sessom, Col 17:52; 28. J. Viekstrom, Sol 17:55; 29. H. Foster, Kod 17:57; 30. K. Thompson, Was 17:58; 31. B. Sparks, Sky 18:02; 32. B. Muniz, Pal 18:06; 33. N. Mole, Ken 18:12; 34. K. Frick, Was 18:12; 35. E. Atchley, Ken 18:13; 36. C. McCarron, Hom 18:17; 37. L. Reed, Col 18:21; 38. M. Bullerdick, Sky 18:25; 39. B. Carricaburu, Was 18:29; 40. P. Ochoa, Hom 18:30; 41. A. Springer, Ken 18:31; 42. R. Steiner, Was 18:35; 43. B. Musgrove, Sky 18:37; 44. J. Worsfold, Hom 18:40; 45. K. Kleewein, Hou 18:42; 46. A. Mole, Ken 18:46; 47. J. Richey, Hou 18:51; 48. K. Cooper, Sky 18:55; 49. C. Musgrave, Sky 19:04; 50. C. Smith, Pal 19:13; 51. B. Beachy, Hom 19:17; 52. D. Drake, Hou 19:42.