Northfield doesn't have an overabundance of Alpine skiers but that doesn't keep the Raiders from sitting atop the hill.
Seniors Schuyler Sonnega was the girls' medalist and Elliott Boman the boys' in the 17-team Welch Invitational meet Jan. 13 at Welch Village near Red Wing.
Sonnega become just the third skier to win back-to-back titles in the 42-year history of the meet. She posted a combined time of 1 minute, 4.31 seconds on her two runs. A year ago, Sonnega finished 16th in the state meet.
Boman clocked in at 57.18 seconds for his two runs, defeating Luke Doolittle of Eagan/Eastview by more than two seconds. Boman won the state championship two years ago; Doolittle finished third last season.
"Northfield has been very fortunate to have Skye and Elliott here," Raiders coach Johnny Ostberg said. "Like most teams, ours is small, with only 20 skiers.
"We have high goals, but as a team, we all focus on supporting and cheering for each other, and celebrate each and every personal success."
Top performances
• Prior Lake sophomore guard McKenna Hofschild scored a career-high 37 points, helping the Lakers upset Class 4A, No. 3 Apple Valley 89-82 in a South Suburban Conference girls' basketball matchup. It was her third 30-point performance of the season. She is averaging 23.8 points per game.
• South St. Paul junior William Taylor has found his shooting touch. The forward scored a career-best 36 points in a 91-71 loss to North St. Paul in a Metro East Conference boys' basketball game. He followed that up with a 28-point outing in an 83-76 setback to Hill-Murray. Previously in his career, Taylor had only had one game in which he scored more than 15 points.
