Crimson Bears runners go with the flow as season begins

Flight issues cause team to miss Wrangell meet, prompting improvised race at Treadwell Mine Historic Trail

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country runners race towards the Treadwell Mines Trails at Sandy Beach. (Photo courtesy JDHS XC)

By Klas Stolpe

Juneau Independent

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa·at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country team know a thing or two about the twists and turns on the trails around Southeast, but they found a new path when last weekend’s meet at Wrangell was derailed.

“We had to make the best of the hand we were dealt on our trip last weekend to Wrangell,” JDHS boys head coach Zack Bursell said. “Our flight was cancelled due to mechanical issues while we were stopped in Ketchikan, causing us to miss our race in Wrangell. Skagway was stuck along with us and chose to join us on a rebooked flight back to Juneau that evening. In all, we spent about eight hours in the Ketchikan airport waiting on delays and for our flight to be rebooked. Fortunately, we were able to get out for some fresh air for a couple hours before getting on our flight home that night. Still wanting to give our teams an opportunity to compete, I offered to host an improvised 5K race (titled the ‘Rangle Rejects Revenge) between them and our traveling team at our Sandy Beach course before they caught their ferry home.”

JDHS junior Zac Bos topped the boys’ race in 18 minutes 36 seconds, but Skagway took the team finish scoring 27 points to JDHS’ 32. In second place was Skagway sophomore Logan Rupprecht with 19:09; 3. JD so. Max Webster 20:09; 4. SKG sr. Brenden Moncibaiz 20:10; 5. JD jr. Daniel Degener 20:13; 6. SKG so. Zane Coughran 20:48; 7. SKG so. Arthur Aribam 20:56; 8. SKG jr. Luca Tronrud 21:30; 9. SKG so. Logan Ward 22:12; 10. SKG so. Dane Ames 22:29; 11. JD so. Porter Goudie 22:48; 12. SKG sr. Camden Lawson 22:56; 13. SKG so. Maddox Tracy 23:42; 14. SKG jr. Samuel Munson 24:09; and 15. JD so. Craig Thorsteinson 27:14.

JDHS swept the top six positions for the girls’ team win with freshman Emmalynn LaPlatte taking first in 27:22; 2. JD sr. Melanie Schrader in 27:36; 3. JD so. Aurelia Field 27:46; 4. JD sr. Zoe Lessard 28:20; 5. JD sr. Grace Gazdig 28:29; 6. JD fr. Lucy Wall 28:37; 7. SKG so. Mackenzie Mixon 28:50; 8. JD jr. Kaycee Parady 29:26; 9. JD fr. Kira English 30:06; 10. JD so. Elyzsa Sapinoso 30:13; 11. JD so. Leighton Zararzua 30:24; 12. JD jr. Jillian Levy 30:28; 13. SKG so. Aurora Woods 30:55; 14. JD sr. Sasha Morrison 31:21; 14. JD jr. Makia Silva 34:13; 16. SKG fr. Ella Rauscher 34:37 and 17. SKG fr. Millie Bass 48:46.

“Our travel team for this meet was mostly new runners with a few returners,” Bursell said. “Despite the long travel day, I was impressed with the enthusiasm both teams brought to the improvised race. A surprising number of athletes clocked times significantly faster than they had run on that same course just one weekend prior.”

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country head coaches Zack Bursell, center left, and Abby Jahn, center right, talk to their runners during a practice this season. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

Now into their second season as a combined team with the now-defunct Thunder Mountain High School, the Crimson Bears are proving to be an all-inclusive success.

“The team is fully integrated,” JDHS girls coach Abby Jahn said. “There was a growth period last year and we worked hard to merge the two team cultures together. With the leadership of our captains last year, this year, and all of our amazing coaching staff, we've been able to reach our goal of effectively merging our teams. With a larger team we've had to readjust our coaching strategy and lean into the leadership of our assistant coaches and captains even more. There is less time to work with individual athletes, but we do our best to make sure athletes are given the time and attention they deserve. We set the plan for the day then work with our leaders to help us carry out our vision. With a larger team we've found that our team building games and activities are even more fun and certainly more chaotic. We have to think on our toes and be flexible as we continue building this team.” 

The Crimson Bears team captains are seniors Grace Gazdig, Zoe Lessard, Elias Schane and Della Mearig and juniors Atagan Hood, Ellie Wall, Erik Thompson and Kaycee Parady.

The 2025-26 JDHS roster: 

Seniors: Jesper Bennetsen, Piper Blackgoat Diehl, Sloan Christensen, Siena Farr, Grace Gazdig, Dane Hubert, Brynne Loggy-Smith, Zoe Lessard, Lua Mangaccat, Della Mearig, Sasha Morrison, Elias Schane, Emilia Shelton-Walker, Melanie Shrader, Randy Stichert, Anberlin Tingey and Koby Yturbe.

Juniors: Raegan Adams, Angus Andrews, Claire Babcock, Zach Bos, Samuel Buttner, Daniel Degener, Inde Eckerson, Adele Fanning, Logan Fellman, Lumi Fermin, Shandlin Frommherz, Atagan Hood, Austin Huang, Jillian Levy, Kaia Mangaccat, Eva Meyer, Caden Morris, Kaycee Parady, Tullitsiaq Reimer, Anna Reiter, Bryden Roberts, Gavin Sebastian, Makia Silva, Erik Thompson, Ellie Wall, Max Webster, Eli Wyatt,

Sophomores: Mariah Andrew, Sigrid Eller, Aurelia Field, Porter Goudie, Emmett Hightower, Carson Kautz, Finnan Kelly, Marigold Lindoff, Nevah Lupro, Frisco McGuire, Osh Morris, Anderson Murray, Lucas Nelson-Vallejo, Aubrey Revestir, Elyzsa Sapinoso, Caleb Schane, Sunna Schane, Freyja Shelton, Gracie Snyder, Craig Thorsteinson, Larkyn Woltring, Lucas Wyatt, and Leighton Zarazua.

Freshmen: Kinley Bentz, Ben Blackgoat, Dez Bos, Ethan Buchheit, Kira English, Knox Francis, Oscar Lamb, Emmalynn LaPlante, Henry Maier, Max Montalbo, Maya Mothershead, Alana Nguyen, Eleanor Peterson, Brooks Pinney, Tymur Tkachenko and Lucy Wall. 

Assistant coaches include John Nagel, Elizabeth Ramseth, Ricky Worl, Izzy Barnwell, John Bursell, Merry Ellefson, Etta Eller, Anna Iverson, Tristan Knudson-Lombardo, Katie McKenna, Jesse Miller, Annika Ord, Geoff Roes, Topaz Shryock and Hilary Young.

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country coaches talk to their runners during a practice this season. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

On Aug. 16, the JDHS team hosted the 5K community Sayièk Invite.

Men’s Open: 1. Finn Morley 16:52; 2. Zack Bursell 17:06; 3. JD jr. Thompson 17:41; 4. JD jr. Fellman 17:59; 5. Nick Iverson 18:56; 6. Finley Hightower 19:20; 7. Corder Janes 19:44; 8. JD jr. Z. Bos 19:45; 9. Hiram Henry 19:56; 10 JD so. E. Hightower; 11. JD so. Kautz 20:05; 12. JD so. Murray 20:11; 13. JD jr. Degener 20:18; 14. JD jr. Huang 20:44; 15. Finn Lamb 20:46; 16. JD so. Webster; 17. JD jr. Buttner 20:47; 18. Clem Taylor-Roth 20:49; 19. Arne Ellefsen-Carnes 20:51; 20. JD so. Kelly 21:36; 21. Elijah Levy 21:43; 22. JD jr. Morris 21:50; 23. JD so. C. Schane 22:39; 24. JD so. Nelson-Vallejo 22:50; 25. JD fr. Pinney 23:02; 26. JD so. Goudie 23:16; 27. Ricardo Worl 23:34; 28. JD jr. Sebastian 25:17; 29. JD fr. Lamb 25:30; 30. JD fr. Blackgoat 26:54; 31. JD so. Thorsteinson 26:56; 32. JD fr. Francis 27:30; 33. Marc Wheeler 27:55; 34. JD jr. Reimer 30:28; 35. Kade Walker 30:28.

Women’s Open: 1. Hillary Young 20:56; 2. JD jr. L. Mangaccat 21:32; 3. Anna Iverson 21:33; 4. JD sr. L. Mangaccat 22:35; 5. JD sr. Della Mearig 22:44; 6. Meghan Desloover 23:43; 7. JD so. S. Schane; 8. Elizabeth Ramseth 24:08; 9. JD so. Lupro 24:38; 10. Katie McKenna 24:57; 11. Lilly Otsea 24:58; 12. JD fr. Weltering 25:17; 13. Molly Emerson 25:48; 14. JD jr. Wall 25:52; 15. Breea Mearig 26:13; 16. JD fr. D. Bos 26:16; 17. JD sr. Farr 26:17; 18. JD jr. Fanning 27:19; 19. JD sr. Schrader 28:03; 20. JD sr. Lessard 28:32; 21. JD fr. LaPlatte 28:39; 22. JD sr. Gazdig 28:50; 23. JD jr. Parady 29:32; 24. JD jr. Lindoff 29:33; 25. JD sr. Yturbe 30:19; 26. JD sr. Morrison 30:23; 27. JD sr. Christensen 31:00; 28. JD so. Zararzua 31:04; 29. JD jr. Levy 31:10; 30. JD sr. Stichert 31:22; 31. JD fr. Wall 31:45; 32. JD fr. English 32:29; 33. JD jr. Reiter 34:18. 34. JD jr. Silva 34:45.

The Crimson Bears travel to Hoonah this weekend.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at kstolpe@juneauindependent.com.