Sports

by Tom Coombe -

TRIPPED UP IN FRONT OF THE NET - Ely senior Austin Meskill tumbled to the ice after being tripped by an International Falls player. Photo by Finn Bay Photography.

by Tom Coombe -

Playing in the first Ely Hoop Club alumni basketball game for the girls and boys were: Front row: Evan Omerza Middle row: Spencer Gaulke, Morgan Moravitz Susan Cook, Naomi Isbell , Missy LaTourell, Mindy MacKenzie, Jillian Manning, Jen Zgonc, Bob LaTourell, Braxton Casey Back row: Max Gantt, Izaak Nosbisch, Blaise Lah, Carter Gaulke, Alison Zaverl, Kalley Fischer, Shayla Zaverl, Erin Muhvich, Krystle Nylund, Ashley Bastable, Megan Wognum, Jean Hutar, Michael Lah, Reed Petersen, Elliot Omerza, Adam McDonald. Photos by Ken Hupila.

The Ely area will host youth snowmobile oval ice racing for the fifth year.
The KCPRO East ice racing circuit returns to Fall Lake, in front of the Longbranch in Winton.
The awards banquet following the race will be held at the Grand Ely Lodge.
Races are for kids ages four to 14 and there is a demo machine for youth who would like to try it out.
Race divisions include Kitty Cats, 120s, 206s, champ sleds and 340s.
The event is free for spectators with 11 different classes of races starting at 10 a.m.
This year there will again be at least one Ely connection with Brant Gruba, age 10, who’s in his sixth year of racing.
Brant is the son of Adam and Shawntel Gruba and the grandson of Rod and Sheila Gruba of Ely.
The event is part of a circuit of races that this season will be held in Ely, Duluth, Chisholm, Virginia, Cloquet, Britt and Rice Lake, WI.

by Tom Coombe
It’s a turn back the clock sort of night at Ely’s high school gymnasium.
After the current Timberwolves teams wrap up their weekend with games in a pair of home holiday tournaments, the home court will belong to more than 30 former Ely basketball players.
The occasion are a pair of alumni games, set for Saturday evening.
The girls game tips off at approximately 5:30 p.m. while former Ely boys basketball players will follow at 7 p.m.
As of Wednesday, 14 Ely girls basketball alumni and 16 boys had signed up to participate, and there’s still time to register up to the day of the event. There is no age limit.
Sisters Missy (LaTourell) Mackenzie and Mindy LaTourell, who led Ely to a district title in 1993 are the oldest Ely girls alumni set to participate. One of their teammates, 1996 alumni Jen (Klobuchar) Zgonc is also signed up.

GOOD TURNOUT for the 22nd annual Ely High School Alumni Hockey Game. Taking part were (l-r): Tony Schaller, Matt Gerzin, Thomas Montana, Louis Meskill, Cody Lakner, Tim Hegman, Chris Schlosser, Nate Dostert, Teddy Pierce, Frank Udovich, Andy Krunkkala, Lori Huseby, Travis Erzar, DJ Lindstrom, Eric Urbas, Josh Hanninen, Kael Richards, Gage Merhar, Andy Brandau, Austin Berens, Alex Povhe

by Tom Coombe
The Ely Nordic Wolves were in familiar territory and made the most of it.
Sophomore all-stater Jasper Johnston dominated the boys race and Ely swept to the boys title during the ski teams’ home-opening meet, held Dec. 13 at Hidden Valley.
Johnston was one of four Wolves in the top-10 of the boys standings while Ely’s Zoe Devine and Kalyssa Eilrich both bagged top-10 finishes among the girls.
Ely was first among five boys teams and the girls took third at an event that brought about 200 skiers to town.
While the Wolves are perennial contenders in Section 7, Ely Head Coach Paula Anderson cautioned against putting too much stock in the results of the early-season encounter, given the absence of many of the top skiers from opposing section contenders.

by Tom Coombe
An idea for a community service project has, in five short years, taken on a life of its own.
Now in its fifth year, the Hoops for Hope Holiday Tournament has become a staple on Ely’s high school girls basketball calendar and a significant local fundraiser.
This year’s event is set for Thursday and Friday at the high school gymnasium, with four teams squaring off and raising money for the local Spiritwood Foundation in the process.
Hoops for Hope, in addition to raising money for a local cause, also raises awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease, one of several benefits from an event that started with an idea from Darren Visser, who took over as girls basketball coach in town and started the tournament in 2014.

Ely Squirts first place finish at the City on the Bay Walker, MN tournament this past weekend. Ely went undefeated in four games, beating Becker Big Lake, Blaine, Warroad, and then Bloomington Kennedy Richfield in the championship game. Pictured are: back row (l-r): Head coach Nicki Carlson, Assistant Coaches Justin Zemke, Bill Forsberg, Joe Majerus; 3rd row: Lewey Powell, Jayden Zemke, Stig Majerus, Ryland Sandy, Tyler Forsberg, Sylvia Shock; 2nd row: Brayden Akins, Nico Lenci, Brady Eaton, Sean Merriman, Caz Carlson, Owen Marolt, Hunter Halbakken, Evan Leeson; Front: winning goalie in net for the championship game, Jon Schlosser. Submitted photo.

BATTLE IN FRONT OF THE BENCH - Ely’s Austin Meskill (5) looked to take the puck from an Eveleth-Gilber player right in front of Ely’s bench as coaches Jake Myers and Ben Johnson and the Wolves’ Jackson Flom and Isaac Gawboy look on. Photo by Eric Sherman

by Tom Coombe -