Wasilla freshman wins Skyview Invite

KENAI — Ah, to be young again.

No, not a high school senior. Not even a sophomore. We’re talking a high school freshman.

On an azure afternoon billowed with cotton clouds and the first freckles of fall, a Wasilla freshman won the five-kilometer girls race at the Skyview Invitational, a statewide running fest featuring 800 runners and 30 schools at Tsalteshi Trails.

State, meet Jenna Ford — Ford “like the truck,” as she put it immediately following her victorious sprint in which she edged out Kenny Lake sophomore Kailey Wilson by seven-hundredths of a second. In a similar sprint finish, Service junior Jani Lane edged Grace Christian senior Jacob Kirk by one second to take the boys title.

“In girls cross country, talent shows up at about age 14,” Wasilla cross country coach Gary Howell said. “That’s why I want her to have fun. You never know where they’ll be in four years.”

Having fun with Ford should not be a problem. Howell said she has the most jovial personality of any runner on the team in recent memory.

“That’s why I call her ‘Knucklehead,’” he said. “She runs with straw in her mouth, she’ll throw berries at other kids. She’s just a great kid.”

Ford said after the race she didn’t do much training to get ready for her first high school season, in which she’s won her first three races. Howell said that depends on how training is defined.

While Ford isn’t out doing intervals and fartlek runs, she does raise goats and run with those goats through the woods. At this point, Howell is more concerned with enjoying Ford’s personality than turning her into an elite runner.

“I’m just looking to make sure she keeps having fun,” he said.

On a Saturday in which temperatures crept into the 60s, fun for Ford meant staying in a lead pack with Wilson and Dimond freshman Amelia Hennessy, then out-sprinting the pair down Angle Hill and then across a flat, 100-meter section to the finish. Howell said Ford looked so comfortable with a mile to go that he would have been surprised if she did not win.

“I was thinking they had something left too,” Ford said of Wilson and Hennessy. “I guess I had a bit more.”

Ford finished at 19 minutes, 16.0 seconds, while Wilson clocked 19:16.7 and Hennessy crossed at 19:18.

The runners Ford vanquished know a little bit about crashing the party as a freshman. Last year, Wilson won the Class 1-2-3A state meet just months into her high school career. Soldotna sophomore Bree Mucha, who finished fifth at 19:35, finished second in the Class 4A state meet last season.

“I’d never even heard of her, not even from middle school,” Mucha said of Ford. “It’s kind of like me last year. Now I know how everyone else feels.”

Skyview senior Ivy O’Guinn, who finished fourth at 19:25, said Ford’s run also had her feeling nostalgic. O’Guinn finished sixth in the Class 4A state meet as a freshman before taking eighth as a sophomore and fourth last season.

“Now I know what the other girls felt like when I was a freshman,” O’Guinn said. “This gives the rest of us something to shoot for — keeping up with these freshman.”

Ultimately, the goal for every girls runner in the state most likely won’t be keeping up with freshman, but a senior. That senior is Leah Francis, a Juneau-Douglas runner that won Class 4A state titles as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Juneau was not at the Skyview Invite, and Howell said he does not think Ford will get a chance to run against Francis until the state meet.

But with O’Guinn, Mucha and Kodiak’s Chloe Ivanoff — who finished 13th Saturday and fifth at state last year — all in Region III, Ford should find plenty of competition until then. The region also flexed its muscle in the team competition, as Colony finished third, Wasilla took fourth and Kodiak swiped fifth behind meet champion West Anchorage.

The Soldotna girls, who also received a 19th-place finish from Melanie Smith, also are expected to be strong after taking seventh in the state last year, but could not field a full team Saturday. The Skyview girls finished 11th to lead the peninsula, while Seward’s Allison Barnwell gave the peninsula another top-20 effort by taking 15th.

In the boys race, the graduation of Trevor Dunbar, who won the last three Class 4A state titles, gave some other runners a chance at glory. Lane, who finished sixth at Class 4A state last year, used his superior finishing ability to top Kirk, the Class 1-2-3A state champion last year. Lane finished at 15:51, while Kirk crossed at 15:52. Kodiak’s Dylan Anthony, who finished third at Class 4A state last year, ran in a lead pack with Lane and Kirk throughout the race and finished third at 16:02.

Kirk said that Lane normally beats him in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs in track, while Kirk is able to top Lane in the 3,200. Kirk said Lane can run an 800 in 1:59, while Kirk’s best is 2:03. That superior kick came in handy when Kirk passed Lane on the Angle Hill to take the lead with about 125 meters left. Lane steadied himself, passed Kirk back, then beat him to the line.

“In past races, I could never seem to get around him,” said Kirk, who added he was not quite healthy Saturday due to an illness he picked up about seven days ago. “This time, I wanted to get ahead of him and see if I could hold him off. He still was able to beat me.”

Lane, who helped lead Service to the team title ahead of runner-up South, said training with fast teammates has helped him immensely.

“Once he got ahead of me on the hill, it was like I was back in the 800 meters in track,” Lane said. “I just thought, ‘I gotta go.’”

Homer’s Tux Seims had the top peninsula finish in the boys race at 21st, while Cook Inlet Academy’s Josh Holly was 24th. The Seward boys team finished 12th to lead the peninsula.

Skyview Invitational

Saturday

at Tsalteshi Trails

(top 25)

GIRLS

Team scores: 1. West Anchorage, 60; 2. South Anchorage, 87; 3. Colony, 111; 4. Wasilla, 121; 5. Kodiak, 128; 6. Service, 191; 7. Grace Christian, 197; 8. Chugiak, 209; 9. Dimond, 214; 10. Eagle River, 261; 11. Skyview, 325; 12. Bartlett, 328; 13. East Anchorage, 333; 14. Kenai, 390; 15. Palmer, 412; 16. Anchorage Christian Schools, 443; 17. Bethel, 491.

Individual five-kilometer results

1. Jenna Ford, Was, 19 minutes, 16.0 seconds; 2. Kailey Wilson, KL, 19:16.7; 3. Amelia Hennessy, Dim, 19:18; 4. Ivy O’Guinn, Sky, 19:25; 5. Bree Mucha, Sol, 19:35; 6. Susan Bick, Bar, 19:35; 7. Alyssa Hutchins, Col, 19:41; 8. Merielle Vania, Sou, 19:44; 9. Emma Minge, Sou, 19:48; 10. Letitia Luch, Wes, 19:56; 11. Marcelyn Luch, Wes, 19:59; 12. Kryston McPhetres, Chu, 20:00; 13. Chloe Ivanoff, Kod, 20:01; 14. Jamie Bethea, Kod, 20:02; 15. Allison Barnwell, Sew, 20:04; 16. Rachel Roelle, Wes, 20:12; 17. Annie Liotta, Wes, 20:12; 18. Mariah Applegate, Gra, 20:13; 19. Melanie Smith, Sol, 20:18; 20. Danielle Gerik, Wes, 20:19; 21. Sydney Stewart, Col, 20:25; 22. Jenette Northey, Ser, 20:29; 23. Allie Smith, Kod, 20:30; 24. Tsaina Mahlen, Sou, 20:31; 25. Stephanie Kirk, Sou, 20:34.

BOYS

Team scores: 1. Service, 45; 2. South, 89; 3. Grace Christian, 89; 4. Kodiak, 127; 5. West Anchorage, 154; 6. Palmer, 169; 7. Wasilla, 172; 8. Chugiak, 209; 9. Colony, 243; 10. Dimond, 250; 11. Anchorage Christian Schools, 318; 12. Seward, 345; 13. East Anchorage, 355; 14. Bethel, 398; 15. Homer, 406; 16. Skyview, 464; 17. Bartlett, 479; 18. Eagle River, 489; 19. Nikiski, 507.

Individual five-kilometer results

1. Jani Lane, Ser, 15:51; 2. Jacob Kirk, Gra, 15:52; 3. Dylan Anthony, Kod, 16:02; 4. Silas Talbot, Ser, 16:12; 5. Wylie Mangelsdorf, Pal, 16:19; 6. Nathaniel Knapp, Eas, 16:37; 7. Robert Walgren, Ser, 16:43; 8. Andrew Arnold, Gra, 16:46; 9. Brandon Brewster, Sou, 16:51; 10. Hans Roelle, Wes, 16:55; 11. Nick Treinen, Wes, 16:56; 12. Pat Mullet, Chu, 17:03; 13. Nathan Deer, Kod, 17:06; 14. Dane Goodman, Ser, 17:10; 15. Jack Novak, Sou, 17:14; 16. Carl Smith, Sou, 17:19; 17. Mason Minturn, Pal, 17:22; 18. John Klein, Gra, 17:24; 19. Ben Wheatall, Ser, 17:27; 20. Matt Baker, ACS, 17:28; 21. Tux Seims, Hom, 17:29; 22. Jacob Whipple, Pal, 17:31; 23. Alden Lee, Was, 17:32; 24. Josh Holly, CIA, 17:35; 25. Mason Huffman, Sou, 17:36.