The Kenai girls and the Soldotna boys lead the Region III meet in Valdez after Friday’s 6.5-kilometer freestyle races.
The Kardinals got their Region III title defense off to a solid start, as the Kardinals are more than four minutes clear of the other teams.
In the 6.5-kilometer freestyle, the Kards’ Riana Boonstra posted the top time as all four of Kenai’s scoring skiers were in the top 11.
Boonstra won at 20 minutes, 1 second, while teammate Addison Gibson was at 20:24. Also for the Kards, Katie Cooper was ninth at 21:36 and Mikaela Salzetti was 11th at 21:50.
Hannah Pothast led Soldotna in sixth at 21:01, while Kellie Arthur was 10th at 21:48.
Ruby Lindquist of Seward was eighth at 21:28.
The Soldotna boys also got off to a good start, with all of their timed skiers in the top nine. SoHi leads Colony by 27 seconds and Grace by 55 seconds.
Grace’s Trent Fritzel won the 6.5K freestyle at 17:09, but for the Stars John-Mark Pothast was third at 17:24, Levi Michael was seventh at 17:56, Koby Vinson was eighth at 17:58 and Jeremy Kupferschmid was ninth at 18:25.
Kenai’s Karl Danielson was fifth at 17:44.
The meet wraps up today in Valdez with classical mass start races.
BOYS
Friday’s 6.5K freestyle
Team times: 1. Soldotna, 1:11:46; 2. Colony, 1:12:13; 3. Grace, 1:12:41; 4. Kenai, 1:15:59; 5. Homer, 1:18:38.
Boys freestyle:
1. T. Fritzel, Gra 17:09; 2. T. Knopp, Col 17:16; 3. J. Pothast, Sol 17:24; 4. D. Knopp, Col 17:26; 5. K. Danielson, Ken 17:44; 6. L. Fritzel, Gra 17:56.4; 7. L. Michael, Sol 17:56.9; 8. K. Vinson, Sol 17:58; 9. J. Kupferschmid, Sol 18:25; 10. D. Peterson-Thompson, Col 18:29; 11. J. Cosgrove, Gra 18:30 12. J Davis, Hom 19:00; 13. T. Farring, Col 19:01; 14. A. Johnson, Gra 19:05; 15. J. Butler, Ken 19:09; 16. J. Roach, Gra 19:12; 17. A. Downing, Sol 19:20; 18. J. Houston, Pal 19:21; 19. P. Michels, Ken 19:24; 20. J. Shuler, Sol 19:31; 21. T. Schulz, Hom 19:31; 22. E. Ickes, Was 19:35; 23. L. Floyd, Ken 19:40; 24. T. Mumford, Gra 19:49; 25. C. Rauch, Hom 19:56; 26. H. Parks, Hom 20:09; 27. B. Grover, Col 20:18; 28. E. Kempf, Ken 20:24; 29. B. Swalling, Pal 20:33; 30. N. Kristich, Col 20:53; 31. T. Debnam, Ken 20:57; 32. Q. Alward, Hom 20:59;; 33. J. Sparks, Sol 21:25; 33. M. Chapman, Col 21:25; 35. M. Singh, Pal 21:29; 36. A. Gannon, Gra 21:32; 37. M. Torkelson, Ken 21:46; 38. A. Estes, Sew 22:13; 39. J. Wisner, Hom 22:48; 40. L. Smith, Sew 23:21; 41. S. Relay, Val 24:06; 42. E. Super, Hom 24:12.
GIRLS
Friday’s 6.5K freestyle
Team times: 1. Kenai, 1:23:53; 2. Palmer, 1:27:57; 3. Colony, 1:28:39; 4. Soldotna, 1:31:21; 5. Homer, 1:31:30.
Individual results:
1. R. Boonstra, Ken 20:01; 2. A. Gibson, Ken 20:24; 3. J. Block, Col 20:47; 4. R. Berrigan, Pal 20:54; 5. R. Woodings, Pal 20:58; 6. H. Pothast, Sol 21:01; 7. R. Norris, Val 21:15; 8. R. Lindquist, Sew 21:28; 9. K. Cooper, Ken 21:36; 10. K. Arthur, Sol 21:48; 11. M. Salzetti, Ken 21:50; 12. L. Olsen, Col 21:52; 13. C. Powers, Col 22:00; 14. R. Ellert, Hom 22:14; 15. S. Wolf, Hom 22:47; 16. A. Taylor, Pal 22:56; 17. E. Bingham, Pal 23:07; 18. K. Holmes, Hom 23:12; 19. A. Beveridge, Gra 23:15; 20. I. Bergholtz, Ken 23:17.1; 21. M. Vantrease, Hom 23:17.2; 22. C. Demintieff, Gra 23:22; 23. S. Lindquist, Sew 23.26; 24. K. Davis, Hom 23:33; 25. M. Alexson, Hom 23:34; 26. S. Feige, Pal 23:37; 27. A. Kopsack, Col 23:48; 28. L. Floyd, Ken 23:53; 29. M. Lundin, Pal 23:56; 30. A. Baxter, Pal 23:56; 31. I. Block, Col 23:57; 32. J. Jenkins, Col 23:58; 33. M. Chythlook, Sol 24:10; 34. H. Delker, Sol 24:21; 35. B. Bennett, Sol 24:23; 36. M. Salzetti, Ken 24:44; 37. S. Hill, Sol 25:17; 39. K. Hendricks, Sol 27:12; 39. J. McNelly, Val 27:43
