Coach unites four south metro prep foes at Nordic state ski meet

Brian Abery finds himself in an unusual predicament. He cheers for both Eagan and Eastview.

Abery serves as the Nordic ski coach for both schools. He also has one team from each school — Eagan (boys) and Eastview (girls) — returning to the state meet for the second consecutive year.

The two schools are part of the Independent School District No. 196 combined program, which also includes Apple Valley and Rosemount. So, technically, Abery roots for cross-country skiers from four different schools come the end of the season.

"It's nice to be able to work with all four schools in the district as essentially one team, and see young adults who compete against each other in other sports pull together and function effectively as a team developing friendships with each other along the way," Abery said.

The Eagan boys' and Eastview girls' teams have strong enough numbers where they ski separately during the entire season. All of the other schools are a combined program throughout the regular season before splitting up at section time.

"There's not a lot of times where these four schools can come together and become great, great friends," Eastview activities director Matt Percival said.

Eagan and Eastview were both dominant in winning the Section 1 team titles at Hyland Recreation Area. They both will participate in the state meet Thursday at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, starting at 10 a.m.

"We all have a great amount of respect for him as a coach," said Eagan's Chris Acton, the lone senior on a team spearheaded by its sophomore class. "He has been skiing all his life, and really knows what he's talking about. He helps out all of us."

Chris' younger brother Patrick, a sophomore, was the boys' medalist. Eastview junior Margie Freed garnered the girls' crown in the section meet.

Abery also had two other individuals advance to the state meet. They are junior Maxwell Johnson of Rosemount in the boys' field and senior Camille Sjoquist of Apple Valley in the girls' competition.

"We all get along really, really well," Chris Acton said. "The rivalries in other sports go away immediately with our group. We all see each other as teammates."

The Eagan boys' team finished fourth while Eastview's girls' wound up seventh at the state meet a year ago. The Wildcats will be making their fifth consecutive state trip as a team.

"A lot of people find it hard to understand how we can work together as a team," Eastview junior Kylie Kraemer said. The Lightning, also with only one senior, are led by their junior class. "We have a lot of team bonding get-togethers."

It doesn't stop there.

"We watch each other's techniques and strategies," Kraemer said. "We all learn from each other over the course of the season."

Ron Haggstrom • 612-673-4498