GREENWOOD — Edward Little’s Connor Jackson still had a look of disbelief on his face after he won the giant slalom portion of the Class A boys’ Alpine championships at Mt. Abram on Friday afternoon.
Jackson glanced at Mt. Abram as he spoke slowly about his astonishing victory with a combined winning time of 1:37.47
“It feels really good,” said Jackson, a senior who didn’t think a first-place finish was possible. “I did not. We have a lot of good skiers, especially, like, Max Bell.
“It means a lot. I really worked hard for it. I am just really happy. I think the second run was better. I felt like I was much earlier to the gate than my first run, where I was late a lot.”
The second run of the giant slalom featured a few frustrating spills, chills and heroics.
Falmouth High School is sitting pretty for the moment after placing four skiers in the top-10 — AJ Noyes (fourth, 1:37.74), Nick Shapiro (fifth, 1:41.35), Ben Adey (sixth, 1:42.06) and Ben Keller (eighth, 1:43.16). Marshwood’s Sean Maguire (1:37.56) took second, Leavitt’s Brady Hathorne (1:42.73) grabbed seventh and Mt. Blue’s Eli Yeaton (1:43.31) and Greeley’s Alex Richard tied for ninth place with a time of 1:43.31.
“Second run was a lot better because I worked a lot harder at the top than the bottom and let it run,” Yeaton said.
Mt. Blue coach Mark Cyr also said his boys team took a cautious approach to the course.
“Making rounder turns than they needed to,” Cyr said. “They should have been going in a little more direct. We tried to get them to be a little cautious on the head wall, but then let them go, but I think they improved in the second run.
“I haven’t heard any numbers, yet, Again, it is going to be Edward Little, Falmouth and Mt. Blue, maybe Oxford Hills. Falmouth is in really good shape.”
Falmouth seized the lead after the first day.
Bell displayed fortitude after taking a small spill. But he collected himself and finished the course. He turned in a blistering first run with a time of :47.03 before his mishap that placed in 26th place.
Mt. Blue’s Sam Smith found himself in a similar situation when his ski came off during the second run.
“I didn’t fall or anything. My ski just came off,” Smith said. “It is pretty upsetting. I had a good run going.
“That’s racing. There is nothing you can do about that,” Cyr said.
But what was really impressive is that Smith also competed — and helped Mt. Blue win a state title — in the Class A Nordic championships in the morning at Black Mountain in Rumford and rushed back to compete in the Alpine competition in the afternoon.
“I had Nordic this morning. We were on the bus at 6 o’clock and raced at 9 a.m.,” Smith said. “As soon I finished, I had to come here and race, and we actually won that. I am pretty tired right now. And I am going to have another one tomorrow.”
Mt. Blue’s Hunter Bolduc (17th, 1:46.39) said the team took a conservative approach to the Mt. Abram course.
“It was little slow the first run,” Bolduc said. “We all skied pretty conservative but … my second run felt better. I wasn’t as conservative, but I don’t know about the time.”
GIRLS
Cheverus’s Annesley Black finished on top with a combined winning time of 1:46.94, and Fryeburg Academy’s Brooke Juneau (1:47.69) glided into second place.
Mt. Blue’s Ellie Pelletier (1:53.45) claimed third and Edward Little’s Jordan Cummings (1:54.82) finished fourth.
“The girls skied a little slow — especially the first run,” Cyr said. “A little tentative, a little cautious, so they got behind the eight ball a little bit.
“I think we are maybe seven points out of first right now. So the girls skied a little cautious. We are clearly a better slalom than a GS. We are looking for better things tomorrow.”
Fryeburg sits in firs place, two points ahead of Edward Little.
Despite taking a fall, Oxford Hills’ Caroline Burns still finished in 21st place with a time of 2:04.50.
“The first run was little bit better. It wasn’t as choppy,” Bilodeau said. “I think the course got a little bit torn up after that.”
Mt. Blue’s Ashley Wiles (29th, 2:08.08) let loose her second run after taking cautious approach on the first run.
“The first run was a little conservative,” Wiles said. “(The course) is not bad. It is really holding up well. The snow is firm.”
The teams return to competiton on Day 2 of the Class A boys’ and girls’ Alpine championships, which will be held at Black Mountain in Rumford on Friday.
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