Sports

AWESOME DAWSON—Dawson Schaeffer hit this 15-foot runner to put Nome ahead for good with 18 seconds left in the championship game against Grace Christian. The Nome-Beltz Nanooks went on to become the 2022 3A Boys Basketball state champions.

Nome Nanooks are state champions

By Peter Loewi The Nome-Beltz High School Boys Basketball Team won their first 3A state championship, beating Grace Christian 49-47. Leading up to the championship game, the Nanooks defeated...

BLAZING START — Unalakleet freshman Wassaq Nanouk Jones, 343, leads the field on Thursday at Unalakleet’s First Hill Ski Course, in the 34th Annual Western Interior Ski and Biathlon Championships’ 6.4-kilometer high school skate ski race.

WISA championships held in Unalakleet

By Keith Conger The color pattern on the awards ceremony podium was predominately made up of Galena Hawks’ blue and gold during the three-day 34th Annual Western Interior Ski and Biathlon...

Apayauq Reitan Red Lantern musher in 2022 Iditarod

The last musher is off the trail when Apayauq Reitan finished the 2022 Iditarod.

Brent Sass wins 2022 Iditarod

By Diana Haecker Brent Sass, in his seventh running of the Iditarod, won the 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, arriving under the burled arch on Tuesday morning at 5:38 a.m. with 11 dogs in harness...

UNALAKLEET CHECKPOINT—The sun sets over the Unalakleet checkpoint of the Iditarod, illuminating the Nulato Hills.

Iditarod: Mushers enjoy Unalakleet hospitality

By Peter Loewi On Sunday, the two front runners in the 2022 Iditarod had already passed, but the work at the checkpoint was only just ramping up. Volunteers and fans alike came in and out more...

SHAKTOOLIK CHECKERS— Lynn Takak and Iditarod Checker Gary Bekoalok wait for Iditarod teams to arrive in Shaktoolik on Sunday, March 13.

Iditarod: Mushers hunker down in Shaktoolik

By RB Smith Fierce winds and drifting snow greeted mushers as they came into Shaktoolik last Sunday, March 13, forcing many to hunker down for the night and crowd into the small checkpoint. The...

50 YEARS OF IDITAROD— Aaron Burmeister of Nome leaves the start line during the ceremonial start in Anchorage, on Saturday, March 5.

50th Iditarod begins with 49 dog teams heading to Nome

By RB Smith The 50th Iditarod kicked off to a snowy start last weekend, as 49 mushers hit the 1,100-mile trail to Nome. The race is the first full Iditarod to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic...

Rob Luce addresses the Nome City Council on Feb. 28, 2022.

Council: Alcohol sales restriction ordinance fails

By Diana Haecker After months of work sessions, debates at regular meetings and hearing angry testimony from Nome residents, an attempt to curb by ordinance hard liquor sales through package stores...

Team 7 arriving in Nome on Monday, Feb. 21.

Aklestad/Olstad lead Iron Dog to halfway point in Nome

By Peter Loewi Heavy, wet snow and strong winds didn’t stop Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad from storming into town at 2:17 p.m. on Monday, leading the Iron Dog 2022 Pro Class to the Halfway Point in...

TRAINING RUN— Mike Morgan and his team partner Chris Olds recently finished a training run from Wasilla to Nome. Here Morgan is pictured at Hell’s Gate where the trail drops from the Alaska Range onto the southfork of the Kuskokwim River.

Iron Dog: Nome’s Mike Morgan embarks on his 13th run

By Peter Loewi Iron Dog is so competitive, says Nome racer Mike Morgan, that you can’t afford to work on the machine during the race. There are “a lot of strong teams that could potentially do...