Alpine skiers from Rochester Century, Northfield win state titles

BIWABIK, MINN – Tears of joy began to turn into ice on the rosy checks of skiers as blustery conditions settled in on Giants Ridge late Wednesday afternoon. Some also were shed in disappointment and sorrow.

An emotional day on the slopes of Biwabik reached its pinnacle when Forest Lake, mired in tragedy a day earlier, came out of the depths to share the Alpine boys' team championship with Edina. The title is the first for the Rangers' program, Edina's fifth.

"I'm so proud of the kids," a subdued Rangers coach Grant Lindemer said. "It's all about them."

Lindemer was driving the team vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, to the the meet Tuesday morning when it was involved in a fatal crash with a car in Cloquet. A passenger in the car was killed; no one in the team vehicle was injured.

"Our friendship as a group helped us pull through all of this," said Forest Lake senior Riley Schilling, who led the Rangers with an eighth-place finish. "It's been an eventful, crazy two days."

Forest Lake wasn't the only program to make history. Brainerd won the girls' team championship for the first time. In individual competition, Rochester Century senior Katie Hanson and Northfield sophomore Elliott Boman were the medalists, both winning the initial state crown for their school.

The southern part of the state, known for its rich farmland, can now boast championship downhill skiing, too.

"We're both pretty excited," Hanson said. "It's really exciting to be from down south and win the championship."

The duo also swept medalist honors in the Section 6 meet.

"We have a lot of pride," Boman said. "I've never skied like I did today."

Hanson knew winning the girls' title would not be easy. Nine of the top 15 skiers from 2014 were in this year's field.

"There were a lot of great skiers out there," said Hanson, who finished fourth her junior season. "I was going to give it my very best."

"I knew I had some time to make up," Hanson said. "It's all about taking risks, and I had to step it up if I wanted to win."

Hanson, the first skier on Helsinki in the afternoon, flew through the course in 37.90 seconds. She was the lone girl under 38 seconds on the run.

"Winning the state skiing title for Century is amazing," Hanson said. "Hopefully, I can be a role model for younger kids in the program."

While Hanson concludes her prep career, Boman is just getting his started. He appeared in his first state meet, trying to rebound from a broken leg suffered before the start of last season.

"I knew I had to start all over," Boman said. "I had to build up my strength. It was a lot of training."

"It was really tough for me," Boman said. "I would get mad at myself when I struggled to do something."

One area where Boman didn't struggle on Wednesday was weaving his way through the two courses. His two runs were nearly flawless. He had the best run (35.70 seconds) in the morning and was second (34.49 seconds) in the afternoon.

"I was going for it today," Boman said. "There wasn't going to be any regrets."

The Brainerd girls' team and Forest Lake boys' squad shared one goal — make the podium. Winning a state championship was an afterthought, and with good reason. The field included the Minnetonka girls' and the Blake boys' teams, both seeking their third consecutive championships. Each finished third.

Brainerd accumulated 164 points, outdistancing runner-up Blake by 26 points. "We never dreamed of this," Brainerd senior Hannah Moen said. "This is amazing."