The Clarkston Varsity Skiers faced their toughest competitors yet in last week’s Divisional races at Pine Knob Ski & Snowboard Resort.
They raced the Slalom on Jan. 30 and Giant Slalom on Jan. 31 against Rochester Adams and Bloomfield Hills.
“ The competition at Pine Knob has been great this season, we have some really fast racers at Pine Knob,” said Mike Foyteck, head coach. “The boys team has struggled to this point in the season but seem to be coming around at the right time. Our Lady Wolves have been improving each week and we hope this continues for a strong finish in the remaining races.”
The Clarkston Varsity Boys split their matches and improved their record to 8-1. The boys beat Bloomfield Hills, but lost to Rochester Adams as the Clarkston Varsity Girls increased their record to 5-3. The girls beat Rochester Adams, but lost to Bloomfield Hills.
During the Slalom race, the boys had three athletes in the top 10: seniors Max Wiedemann and Justin Osborn, and junior Cameron Brown. Captain Wiedemann finished second overall with a combined time of 45.44 seconds, Osborn finished sixth (46.42 seconds), and Brown finished ninth (46.87 seconds). Also, finishing strong were Ryan Nicosia at 32nd, 59.76 seconds; and Evan Raddatz in 34th, 60.77 seconds.
The girls also had a strong showing at the Slalom race with senior captain Katie Bayley and sophomores Allison Osborn and Chloe Swanson placing in the top 11. Bayley skied to seventh overall with a combined time of 48.02 seconds, followed by Osborn in ninth (53.11 seconds), and Swanson in 11th (53.62 seconds). Rounding out the girls’ results were Annika Karlstrom at 24th, 58.19 seconds; and Megan Ford at 34th, 55.89 seconds.
The boys were dominant again at the Giant Slalom race with three boys finishing in the Top 10. Wiedemann raced to sixth place with a combined time of 35.77 seconds, Brown finished eighth (35.90 seconds) and Hunter Hambrick was ninth (35.93 seconds). Osborn placed 20th, 37.39 seconds; Raddatz was 23rd, 37.59 seconds; and Nicosia was 45th, 42.47 seconds.
The girls were led again by Bayley, who raced to third overall, with a combined time of 36.08 seconds, followed by sophomore Olivia Foyteck in 17th (40.04 seconds). Osborn was 20th, 40.64 seconds; Swanson was 24th, 40.97 seconds; Karlstrom was 28th, 41.48 seconds; and Ford was 35th, 43.10 seconds.
The Boys and Girls Junior Varsity teams also raced Slalom on Jan. 30 and Giant Slalom, Jan. 31.
Jacob Roeser led the boys with a 17th place overall finish in Slalom, followed by David Robinson, 21st, Jake Marra, 25th, Jacob Draksler, 27th, and Nicholas Bassman, 31st. Sophomore Mia Farella, who finished 12th overall and Julia Belinsky, 13th, led the girls.
The boys JV team had a strong showing at the Giant Slalom race, with four in the Top 20, including the race winner, Peyton Miller. Jacob Roeser finished in eighth, Marra. 11th; Robinson, 20th; Bassman, 24th; Draksler, 25th; and Miles Benson, 33rd.
The girls were led again by Farella in 17th place; Helen Josephson, 22nd; Belinsky, 23rd; and Sophia Goik, 28th.
This week the teams compete in the divisional races at Pine Knob, which are the final races for the division and will include season awards. The top three team per gender qualify for the SEMSL race Feb. 20th at Pine Knob.
The top three teams per gender qualifying from Mt. Holly, Alpine Valley, Brighton and Pine Knob will attend the SEMSL race.
Clarkston competes in the regional race held at Pine Knob on Feb. 14.
~Catherine Osborn

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