Blake picks itself up after slips on slopes

BIWABIK, MINN. - When Michael Ankeny muffed his second run of the team competition at the state Alpine ski meet Thursday, he found himself in the depths of despair.

"I was very, very sad," the sophomore from Blake admitted.

His thoughts flashed to his brother, Peter, who had sat out most of the season recovering from a knee injury. Michael had wanted to win the team event to help Peter win a team title as a senior, and now it looked like it wasn't to be.

But thanks to teammates who pulled up the slack, Blake still won a second consecutive team title. A few hours later, Michael Ankeny's mood improved even further when he walked away with the individual team crown.

Ankeny made up for his earlier slip, and also redeemed himself after falling in the individual competition a year earlier. This time, he said, he thought only one thing on the slopes: "Go, go, go."I like the individual competition a lot more," Ankeny said. "If you fall, it's because of you. It doesn't affect anybody else."

Ankeny recorded the fastest times in both individual runs. He went into the second run clinging to a lead of only .12 seconds over defending champion Patrick Conway, a senior from Minneapolis Southwest. Ankeny's second run of 32.59 seconds was just a clip faster than Conway's, giving him the victory by .45 seconds.

Two other Blake skiers finished in the individual top six. Marc Massie, a sophomore, finished third, and Peter Ankeny was sixth.

Michael Ankeny already has made a splash on the international scene, placing second last year in the giant slalom of the Whistler Cup, the junior equivalent of the World Cup. But he said winning a state crown means a lot as well.

"This is exciting because the people in your community and school are involved in it," Ankeny said. "Most people don't know what I do outside of school."

Bears overcome adversity

Last year, the Bears coasted to a state title, winning by 20 points. This year, they needed every point in defeating Minnetonka 165-163.

"Today was a struggle," Blake head coach Bob Teslow said, "but we did it."

Michael Ankeny's second-run muff was the biggest blow. But that wasn't the Bears' only hurdle: The team's No. 5 and No. 6 skiers were disqualified.

The rest of Blake's skiers came through, though. Jason Briggs, a senior who had fallen during sectionals, finished 10th overall after a tremendous second run. Marc Massie finished second, and Peter Ankeny was fourth. And even though Michael Ankeny's slipup cost him about 10 seconds, he still finished 15th overall.

"I'm thrilled for Marc," Teslow said. "He's always, always there. ... And I'm thrilled for Jason. After a real tough race at sectionals, he had two very solid runs today."

Said Briggs: "This is great for the school, for the team. Building on tradition. Leaving a legacy."

Minneapolis Southwest finished third, with 139 points.

Freshman triumphs

With top skiers falling left and right, Nikki Larson just tried to focus on the course. But even after she finished her second individual run cleanly, she didn't think it was good enough to win.

"It was such a slow course," the freshman from Lakeville South said. "You don't feel like you're that fast."

Larson was in fourth place after the first run but won the title after three of the top five skiers fell during the second run on a tricky, back-and-forth course. Larson handled it, she said, by holding her skis on the outside edges.

"A lot of great racers had a lot of trouble, but Nikki skied the line," Lakeville South coach Mark Moltzan said. "There was a perfect, fast line to that course. Somehow she saw it and was able to ski it."

Larson, who finished 13th in the individual competition as an eighth-grader, posted a combined time of 1:23.68. Krissy McNeill of Bloomington Jefferson, the leader after one run, finished second in 1:24.30.

Greyhounds girls repeat

The Duluth East girls defended their title, edging Lakeville South 167-163. Senior Kaitlyn Ryan anchored the Greyhounds, finishing fourth overall and taking some of the sting out of a fall at sectionals that eliminated her from Thursday's individual competition.

"It definitely helps," she said. "We have so much depth on this team. All six of us skied solid today."

Pam Schmid • 612-673-4565 • pschmid@startribune.com