The SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools Athletic Association) Nordic Ski Championships were hosted this week and the Lockerby Vikings are back in the game.

Not that any keen observer of the sport could not see this coming.

When the OFSAA Championships were hosted at Kivi Park last February, the Lockerby junior boys claimed gold on a provincial scale - and that core group of Gord Farrell, Ewan Duncan and Cameron Young were all front and centre at the city showdown hosted in Naughton at Walden Cross-Country.

This year, however, there is greater depth across the Vikings roster, enough so to supplant the Lo-Ellen Park Knights as overall aggregate boys champions - though the latter, a perennial powerhouse on a provincial scale, would still walk off as girls and overall team gold medal winners.

The other trend of interest was the fact that participants were heavily skewed towards the “high-school” classification at the competition, with only seven athletes taking part in the Open races that attract those who partake in the Ontario Cup club circuit at this time of year.

In terms of the senior boys race, Gord Farrell finished first not only in the HS bracket, but also overall, crossing the line a little over a minute faster than Callum Wiss of Lo-Ellen, who took first place in the Open Division. Just back of that duo were the Lockerby tandem of Ewan Duncan and Cameron Young, with a pair of ESMC Pantheres directly on their heels in the form of Olivier Tremblay and Raphael Belzile.

Picking up silver and bronze in Open were Chesley Godwin and Keir Gauld, both of Lo-Ellen.

The senior girls race which featured all participants registered in the high-school group would see the Knights claim four of the top five placings, with Megan Pineau showing the way. Misaki Diavolitsis of Lockerby spoiled the chances of a complete sweep at the top for the Knights, clocking in well ahead of the LEP trio of Alex Hann, Lea Maki and Alessandra Melo.

With no novice division in play on the HS nordic ski scene, the junior ranks are home to many a new face and name to the party, though there are some obvious mainstays who have managed to make a name for themselves in their first two years of Sudbury secondary school athletics.

To wit, the junior boys tandem of Julian Luoma (Lo-Ellen) and Eden Abols (Lockerby) absolutely blazed their way across the 5km course this week, posting times of 14:06 and 14:58 respectively - about four minutes faster than the next nearest competitor in capturing Open Junior Boys gold and silver medals.

On the H-S side of things, Louie Grillanda and Fletcher Loken are among the other Lockerby up and comers that have Vikings’ coaches so excited, finishing first and third with Maxime Belzile of Macdonald-Cartier squeezed in between and schoolmate Miguel Gauthier some 25 seconds off the pace in fourth place.

The junior girls also boasted a pair of Open entries, led by Julia Masters of Lo-Ellen who stopped the clock in 19 minutes flat in posting the fastest time of any of the grade 9/10 girls. Earning the top two ranks on the HS division podium placements were Ewa Breckon (LEP) and Emma Pilbacka (STB), with Alice Westby of Lasalle only seven seconds off that pace to finish fourth overall and second in the Open grouping.

Rounding out the top five overall was Isabela Oliver of Lockerby as the skiers now prepare for the next week in North Bay.