The Maine high school Class C Nordic skiing season concluded last week, in fresh snow and warm temperatures, with the state meet at Black Mountain in Rumford.

The Boothbay Region High School boys team finished sixth overall in the two day event, the best Boothbay team finish to date at states.

Seniors Sophia Thayer and Robert Campbell set Boothbay records for the best individual finish place in the state meet. Thayer finished in the top 20 in both events and Campbell finished in the top 20 in freestyle.

Classic race February 19

BRHS senior and girls team leader, Sophia Thayer delivered another outstanding performance to end her high school career, finishing 15th of the 57 entrants in a time of 20:26. Maya Schwehm finished 48th at 25:28 and Angela Machon, 55th at 28:03.

Samantha Pierce, Merriconeag, took first place at 17:14, Hannah Streinz, Katahdin, second at 17:31, and Hannah Renedo, Orono, third at 17:49.

“The girls race went well,” Coach Emily Higgins said. “Sophia had a strong and quick race; she showed her strength and power as she completed the course. Both Angela and Maya showed great improvement in technique as they completed the classic race. Angela’s technique is excellent, and always reminds me of someone who has skied for a long time.”

In the boys classic race, Higgins said technical difficulties played a role.

“The boys race also went well, but the newly falling snow caused some trouble with my decisions about kick wax, the wax that gives classic skis the ability to stick to the snow for a push with each stride,” Higgins said. “The boys struggled with upwards movement, but had fabulous glide, speeding their descents.”  

“Robert Campbell, fighting a cold and a broken pole strap, finished 25th out of 63 entrants in 18:28 and Bennett Scully finished in 18:58 in 34th place. Zach Vise was less than a minute behind with at time of 19:55. Joey Paolillo and Liam Conlin skied great first state races, with times of 20:58 and 22:19, respectively. Trystan Mercier had a strong finish with a time of 21:30, achieving his personal goal of finishing in less than 22 minutes.”

Katahdin’s Daniel Streinz finished first at 14:58, Dylan Thombs, Monmouth, second at 15:03, and Graham Roeber, Merriconeag, third at 15:16. For the boys team scores, Merriconeag placed first with 18 points, Dirigo, second with 62 points and Fort Kent third with 67. Boothbay placed sixth out of 11 teams with 156 points.

Freestyle race February 20

Coach Higgins reports the weather was warm, sunny and approaching 40 F for the freestyle races the following day. “Both boys and girls had great races, with only mechanical issues (boot problems) holding up Trystan Mercier,” Higgins said.

Thayer was a standout in freestyle races, as well, finishing 14th of 60 competitors at 17:59. Machon finished 53rd at 25:51 and Schwehm 55th at 26:15. Classic top finishers Streinz and Pierce switched finish positions in the skate race, with Streinz first at 15:18 and Pierce second at 15:51. Fiona Ahearne, Merriconeag, finished third at 16:51.

For the boys, Campbell led the team, as he has all year,  finishing 13th out of 62 skiers at 15:18.  Also scoring for BRHS were Scully (28th, 16:35), Vise, (43rd, 17:18) and Paolillo (54th, 19:28). Also finishing for Boothbay were Kyle Alamo (58th, 21:54) and Mercier (62nd, 24:12).

Dylan Thombs won the skate race at 13:09, followed closely by Daniel Streinz, (2nd, 13:11), and Forrest McCurdy, Merriconeag, (3rd, 13:31). Merriconeag won the event with 21 points, Fort Kent, placed second with 45, and Madawaska, third with 73. Boothbay placed 6th out of 11 teams with 128 points.

The overall two day team results were Merriconeag, first with 39, Fort Kent, second with 112, and Dirigo, third with152; Boothbay placed sixth with 294 points.

Higgins said she was pleased with everyone’s improvement this season and, based on this year’s results, expects returning team members will continue to steadily improve next year.

As the Seahawks’ fourth Nordic season draws to a close, BRHS says goodbye to its best Nordic skiers to date. Over their four year Nordic sojourn, Campbell and Thayer evolved from novices to veteran competitors. With each passing year, these two young athletes have carved more time off their runs and edged further up the finish line roster. Each retires as the BRHS record holder for both ski styles.

While Campbell and Thayer clearly stand out, both Higgins and Coach Nick Scott also noted Scully’s tremendous accomplishments this year. Unlike his senior teammates, who have skied all four high school years, Scully began Nordic in his junior year. Despite the late start, Higgins said Scully’s natural athleticism and disciplined work ethic allowed him to quickly rise to the number two position for the Seahawks.

“Benn Scully's performances place him among one of the top three skiers in skate (only Robert and Chase Brown have done better) and tied for second (with Tom Brown) in classic. An awesome improvement for Benn over last year,” Scott said.

Higgins said the season officially ended with some team bonding at Sugarloaf Mountain.

“In addition to the skiing, Kelly and Bill Campbell kindly hosted the team at their Sugarloaf home, serving a dinner and housing everyone (and Kelly’s parents, as her father drove the bus),” Higgins said. “Their support this season made a huge difference and made it possible for me to coach, given the reality of being a working mom with two small children. The team really represented hard work by all members and their parents, all of whom offered great help, support and encouragement for everyone.”