MARS HILL — Skowhegan staged a comeback to win the Class A boys Alpine ski championship Wednesday morning at Big Rock. The Indians started the day in third place, but put all four skiers in the top 20 to beat Mt. Blue by four points.
Konnor Therriault led the way, finishing fourth. He was followed by Mike Earle in 14th, Sebastian Dumont in 17th and Michael Pakulski 18th.
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“We were in a good spot starting the day,” Therriault said. “Our goal was to have everyone finish in the top 20 for us to do well.”
Skowhegan finished with 134 points, followed by Mt. Blue (138) and Marshwood.
Marshwood was in first to start the day with 67 points after the giant slalom race Tuesday. Mt. Blue (71) was second and Skowhegan third (81).
Marshwood, however, ran into trouble early and Mt. Blue couldn’t keep up with the Indians.
“We knew we could do well,” Therriault said. “It wasn’t a steep course, so we had to push pretty hard to keep speed.”
Mt. Blue coach Mark Cyr liked the results of the boys Alpine race.
“I was very pleased with the boys and realizing that they could hold their own at this level,” Cyr said. “Skowhegan was tremendous in the slalom and deserved to win the Alpine title.”
Mt. Blue placed three skiers in the top 10, led by North Kay, who finished third. Also for Mt. Blue, Time Andrews was seventh and Alex Chandler 10th.
Greely won the girls Alpine title, scoring 57 points. Kennebunk and Edward Little tied for second at 115, while Mt. Blue was fourth with 119.
“Our girls had some major falls,” Cyr said. “It was a rough day but we had some big races from our fifth and sixth skiers that keep us in the hunt.”
Heather Farrington turned in the top slalom race for the Cougars, finishing eight.
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The Winthrop High School Alpine team had a strong showing in the giant slalom at the Class C state championship ski meet Tuesday at Saddleback Mountain. However, the Ramblers stumbled in the slalom competition Wednesday.
Winthrop’s Colby LaFlamme and Reilly Fitzgerald both fell on the Gray Ghost course and the Ramblers fell out of contention.
“I felt great after the giant slalom, it really boosted my confidence,” LaFlamme said. “We had three skiers finish in the top eight.”
LaFlamme and Fitzgerald both fell on their first runs. LaFlamme recovered in his second run, turning in the fourth-fastest time of the day, but his combined time put him 36th.
“This whole experience has been very satisfying,” LaFlamme said. “To have accomplished what we did as a team in the giant slalom was good.”
Winthrop was third in the team standings after the giant slalom race. The Ramblers have just three skiers and four are needed to score as a team. The Ramblers used a ghost score for their fourth score, which is derived by adding one point to the total number of skiers who finish the race.
The Ramblers’ third skier, freshman JJ Jansen, maintained his consistency both days, finishing seventh in each race.
“I was more comfortable in the slalom race,” Jansen said. “We performed pretty well as a team, it was a good experience.”
Olivia Tsouprake finished 11th and Kristen Doughty was 19th for the Winthrop girls.
“Hopefully we will be able to pick up some of the middle school skiers next season,” Tsouprake said. “We have been watching the better girls skiers and trying to learn from them while picking up a lot of things during practices this year.”
Livermore Falls claimed the top spot in both the boys and girls slalom races. Alex Rose had the two fastest times of the day to win the boys title, while Lindsey Jacques won the girls race.
Central Aroostook of Mars Hill won the combined boys Alpine team championship. Freeport won the girls title.
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The Luce sisters from Mt. Blue took two of the top three spots in the Class B girls slalom state championship Wednesday at Mt. Abram Ski Resort in Greenwood. Erin, a junior, won the race, while Elise was third.
Yarmouth won the girls Alpine title with 71 points, beating out Falmouth (94). Mt. Abram finished fourth and Maranacook ninth.
Maranacook’s Sean Daigle finished fifth in the slalom, while Waterville’s Phillip Bergeron finished seventh.
Falmouth won the boys title with 62 points, followed by Mountain Valley 128. Maranacook was fifth and Mt. Abram 10.
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