FAIRBANKS — Led by their stocky “5-foot wonder” Nick Best, the Eielson Ravens swept the 1A-2A-3A Region VI cross country championships for the second straight year on a frigid day at Birch Hill Recreation Area.

Best, giving up well over a foot in height to Hutchison’s lanky Blake Hughes, tucked behind him for a mile before seizing control of the 5-kilometer event and cruising to a 35-second win in 18 minutes, 23 seconds.

“We planned for me to stay with him a little bit and after that start to break away,” Best said while wrapped in a blanket minutes after the race ended. “It worked out pretty well.”

Best’s senior season, the first full one in cross country for the former wrestler, has gone exceptionally well.

“I started out with the low 19s (minutes) and now I’m down to running low 18s and high 17s, so it makes me happy,” he said.

Being region champ was not on his list of preseason goals.

“I was just hoping to get into the 18s and help the team get to state,” Best said.

Mission accomplished, as Eielson scored 27 points to top Delta Junction with 47 and Hutchison with 49.

A friend of Best’s with a bullhorn showed his affection during the postrace awards ceremony.

“We love you, 5-foot wonder,” he proclaimed to laughter.

Best’s quick turnover and downhill running expertise contrasted with Hughes’ long stride, though Best was dwarfed behind him early on.

Coach David Dyer is impressed not only with Best’s work ethic, but that he followed tactical instructions of not taking the lead immediately on Saturday.

“He pushes himself extra hard in practice, does things above and beyond what I ask him to do, but he still surprised me a little bit (Saturday),” Dyer said.

There was no surprise about the girls team champion, as Eielson was the only squad to have the five finishers required for a team score.

“They won by default, but the girls did come out and run some good races without getting themselves hurt,” Dyer said.

Still, Dyer would prefer other local 3A schools fielded full squads. Monroe had four runners, Delta Junction entered three and Hutchison had no girls signed up.

“I was hoping to make it a competitive region,” Dyer said. “It’s better for the girls to have competition to force them to run better times.”

Monroe certainly made their limited squad count as the Rams swept the top three places.

Lizzy Bennett, a track runner and swimmer who is new to cross country, easily took first in 22:30, then later posed for a “Schreder sandwich” photo with runner-up Nicole Schreder (22:49) and third-place Megan Schreder (23:10). Nicole was the defending region champ.

“I just wanted to set my pace and hold it and hopefully kick it in at the end,” Bennett said, adding that she was “kind of dying” at the beginning of the third and final lap of the hilly course.

Bennett, a junior, said Monroe intended to line up a full team this season.

“We actually started out with five but the fifth one hurt her ankle or knee or something,” she said.

Next up for the Monroe trio, along with Eielson’s teams and any runner who placed among the top 10, is the state cross country championships Oct. 4 in Palmer.

“We really wanted a team score ... but cross country is so individual and our girls did great today, so we’re just really proud,” Bennett said.

that is the news article from the paper i am looking forward to state i just cant wait also that was at one of the toughest courses in alaska my PR is 17:43 lets just say birch is full of roller coasters