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Junior Looking To Make History On The Slopes

By Tom Schardin, 12/28/19, 2:15PM CST

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Junior Ashley George can make history on the slopes this winter for the Prior Alpine ski team.

No Laker skier has ever qualified for five state competitions in her career. George has earned four trips, including last year when she finished 18th overall with a combined time of 1:16.29 on her two runs.

As a ninth-grader, George finished 11th at state. She was 39th in her first state appearance as a seventh-grader and was 80th as an eighth-grader.

Both Prior Lake teams opened the season Dec. 17 in a competition at Buck Hill Burnsville. George led way for the girls team finishing third overall with a time of 44.94 on her two runs.

Prior Lake finished fourth in the team standings with 255 points. Eagan won (354), followed by Lakeville North (302) and Burnsville (297). Eastview was fifth (227) ahead of Lakeville South (178) and Apple Valley/Rosemount (170.5).

On the boys side, the Lakers were also fourth (203). Lakeville South claimed the top spot (353) ahead of Eagan (277) and Lakeville North (255). Burnsville was fifth (202), followed by Apple Valley/Rosemount (194) and Eastview (81).

Prior Lake will be back on the slopes Jan. 7 at Buck Hill at 3:30 p.m.

The Section 6 meet is set for Feb. 4 at Buck Hill. The top two teams make the state field, along with the top 10 individuals not on the advancing squads.

Last year, the girls were eighth in the section team standings, while the boys were 18th.

The girls have four skiers back who were the section team last year including sophomores Meg May and Emma Gannon and senior Sophie Gannon.

Three skiers from Prior Lake boys section squad are back who competed at sections: junior Josh Carlson and eighth-graders Braden DeBoer and Blake Stout.

In the Dec. 17 meet, Carlson led the boys taking taking 20th overall (54.12), while sophomore Zander Leining was 26th (58.09) and junior Rafe Walter in 32nd (59.90).

Other finishes for the boys included:

  • Stout (35th, 60.83),
  • Junior Jackson Pettes (36th, 61.02)
  • DeBoer (37th, 61.14),
  • Seventh-grader Brad Stout (38th, 61.84)
  • Eighth-grader Riley Spieler (39th, 61.88)
  • Sophomore Avi Neumann (43rd, 64.53)
  • Sophomore Tyler Schaefer (54th, 72.62)
  • Ninth-grader Aden Syverson (55th, 72.95)
  • Ninth-grader Soren Featherstone (62nd)

On the girls side, seventh-grader Annabel McCann finished 15th for the Lakers (53.91), while Emma Gannon was 18th (55.81) and Sophie Gannon was 29th (61.11).

Other girls finishes for Prior Lake: 

  • Senior Lily Benko (36th, 64.02)
  • Junior Jade Haugen (40th, 66.52)
  • Junior Maddy Hauentstein (45th, 70.38)
  • Junior Sofie Hansen (49th, 74.57)
  • Senior Melissa Wyum (51st, 76.58)
  • Eighth-grader Ava Benko (54th, 82.79)
  • Sophomore Abby Warmhoff (58th)
  • May (64th)

This year's state competition Feb. 12 at its annual site, Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Lakeville South won the girls team title last year, while Edina is the defending boys champion.