NORDIC SKIING: Bemidji boys land season-best showing in Little Falls

Jan. 28—LITTLE FALLS — The Bemidji High School boys Nordic skiing team had its best showing of the season on Thursday, placing third overall at an invite in Little Falls. The BHS girls were close behind on the leaderboard with a fourth-place finish.

In the boys race, three Lumberjacks finished in the top 10. Jack Mueller was sixth with a time of 33:18, while Louis Morrissey (eighth, 33:36) and Seth Lindgren (ninth, 33:48) followed close behind. Cooper Kuzel and Reed Kuzel also participated in the relay event, placing fourth of six teams in 15:10.

Ethan Yorek's first-place time of 31:19 led Little Falls to the team title. The Flyers tallied 381 points, while Brainerd's 376 and Bemidji's 370 rounded out the top spots.

In the girls race, Mary Beth Mathews had Bemidji's best individual finish by taking third overall in 38:48. Regan DeWitt came in 11th (40:56) and Mia Hoffmann in 23rd (43:28) to wrap up the team's score in the pursuit race. In the relay, Anna Renn and Ella Simula combined for a time of 16:12 to place second of six pairings.

Liliana Schaeffer of Brainerd topped the field with a time of 36:42, leading the Warriors to victory with 386 points. The Jacks' 362 also put them behind Sartell/Cathedral (374) and Moorhead (369).

TrekNorth took eighth place in the boys field and ninth in the girls field. The boys were led by Josh Godding's 24th-place performance of 37:46, while Iris Jensen paced the girls with a 54th-place time of 50:56.