RUNNING AHEAD

WASILLA — The numbers are down at Wasilla High School.

Last season, as Wasilla headed into the cross country season there were more than 60 Warriors on the roster. This year, it’s more like 40.

But that’s OK. Those aren’t the only numbers down this year. The Warriors’ times are dropping too.

“The numbers are definitely down. We don’t have a lot of kids, but three-quarters (of our athletes) are serious runners,” Wasilla head coach Gary Howell said recently. “We’re deep on talent.”

Wasilla has shown that talent through the first few weeks of the season. The Warriors started by sweeping the team titles of both the Colony Twilight and Seward Invitational. Last Saturday, the Wasilla girls won the Skyview Invitational and the boys finished third.

That victory at the Skyview Invite was notable on a few levels. The 15-team meet staged on the Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna is seen as one of the toughest regular-season events of the season, and typically gives coaches an idea where their teams stack among the state’s best.

Saturday marked the first time the Wasilla girls won the Skyview Invite, according to Howell, who recalls his team’s prior best in the invite as a seventh-place finish. The Warriors also placed all five of their runners in the top-30, showing their potential for a top-heavy lineup.

Defending Northern Lights Conference champion Jenna Ford finished third at Skyview and leads Wasilla’s cast of talent in the girls’ class. The sophomore finished sixth in the state meet last year.

Senior Cori Schleich, juniors Morgan Dampier and Jessica Pahkala, and sophomore Mandi Ringgenberg also return. Ringgenberg (17th), Dampier (19th) and Schleich (20th) all posted top-20 finishes in the region meet last year. Pahkala returns after missing her sophomore season due to injury.

After watching Ford run her way to a conference crown last year, Howell has another freshman who could make an impact. Freshman Mariah Burroughs finished ninth in the Skyview Invite.

“She’s been a big surprise,” Howell said. “I knew she was good, but didn’t know she would run with Morgan.”

Burroughs finished two seconds ahead of Dampier, a defending state track and field champion for the Warriors.

On the boys’ side, the Warriors sport a junior-laden team that could battle for a region title.

“These boys came in as freshmen with a bunch of potential,” Howell said. “The majority of them ran all summer long. They’re super fit and feeling good.”

Leading that class is junior Noah Ripley, who continues to shatter his own personal records this fall.

Earlier this month, Ripley posted a time of 16:57 during an individual win at the Seward Invite. That time was about 40 seconds faster than a personal record he set in 2009. On Saturday, he shaved another 25 seconds off his best mark, finishing eighth in the Skyview Invite with a time of 16:32.

“He definitely did what he needed to do over the summer,” Howell said.

Joining Ripley in that fast junior class are the likes of Simon Fischer, Josh Pahkala, Keith Thompson and Michael Johnston.

Last season, Johnston posted a team-best third-place finish at regions. Ripley (10th), Pahkala (15th) and Thompson (21st) also posted top-21 finishes.

Senior Ryan Tracey has moved up to the varsity level to help replace graduated seniors Drew Ford and Alden Lee. Howell said freshmen Andrew Cooley, Kyle Polis and Anthony Keller could also see varsity time.

The Wasilla boys finished second in the NLC team standings last season and the girls were third. The Warrior girls finished fifth in the state meet.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.