Sophomore Conrad Phelan approached the Mesabi starting line in a race with more than 1,200 skiers. Phelan blocked out the others and focused on finishing on top.

“It was a lot more nerve-wracking with so many people watching,” Phelan said. “I felt like I had to do well in order to support the team and rank highly.”

The boys’ varsity team competed in the Mesabi Invitational ski meet, the largest high school race in the nation Jan. 12.

The boys’ team was able to finish in fifth place out of 73 teams, but according to senior captain Nick Sokolowski the team was preparing to do better than that.

“We were hoping to place higher than fifth,” Sokolowski said. “We were still able to place higher than we were ranked though.”

Park competed against the highest ranked teams in the state, including Park’s biggest competition to qualify for State, Minneapolis Southwest. Southwest beat out the Orioles during Mesabi, but Sokolowski said he believes the team still has a shot at beating them in sections.

“They didn’t beat us by all that much, and our skiers didn’t have their best races,” Sokolowski said.

Head coach Doug Peterson said he believes the team has the potential to qualify for and succeed at State.

“Ten years ago the St. Louis Park Nordic team was able to win the State championship. This team is as good as that team, if not better,” he said.

Peterson also said he believes they will not only succeed in State, but also defeat Southwest.

“We got beat by Southwest but not that badly,” he said. “In ski racing every race can be different, and that day they were better, but we get another chance.”

Phelan said he believes the team has the talent and skill to beat Southwest.

“We just need to keep practicing as hard as we have been and match Southwest with our performance,” he said.

The boys’ Nordic team’s next event is a sprints race at Como Golf Course Jan. 21.