BIWABIK, MINN. - Ely senior Zoe Devine briefly lost her lead going into the final turn of the girls freestyle pursuit, then surged and edged past Duluth East's Lydia Kraker by barely a blink at the finish line.
Asked if she was sure she had won the high school Nordic skiing state championship on Thursday afternoon, Devine didn't hesitate.
"No," she said. "That's probably the closest race I've had."
That theme carried on to the boys race, where Benon Brattebo of Eden Prairie and Ben Lewis of Blaine came flying around the final curve ski-for-ski, both finishing in 26 minutes, 00.9 seconds — but Brattebo was credited with the victory.
"He got me by a boot," Lewis said.
It was actually Brattebo's left toe, according to a photo taken from the timing booth. The boys and girls races both were photo finishes.
The Minnesota State High School League's Nordic skiing state meet finished Thursday on a bright, 6-degree day at Giants Ridge. Skiers raced in the classic pursuit race in the morning, then started the afternoon's freestyle race staggered according to time, with the fastest going first.
Duluth East's boys and girls won team titles. The girls scored 387 points, followed by Stillwater and St. Paul Highland Park. The Greyhounds boys team had 381 points, followed by Wayzata and St. Paul Highland Park.
