RUMFORD — Mt. Blue used its depth and team strength to take the overall lead on Day 1 in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference ski championships at Black Mountain, while the Maranacook boys claimed the lead in Alpine.
In a tight race on the Alpine slope, Mt. Blue’s Lucas Bonnevie continued his dominance by putting together a stunning two-run time of 1 minute, 27.68 seconds. But it was the consistency of the Maranacook boys, paced by Alec Daigle’s third place, that made the difference for the Black Bears.
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“I was out of control on my first run,” Daigle said. “I went conservative on the second run because we needed everyone to complete two runs for the team.”
Daigle’s leadership gave Maranacook a 37-43 lead over second-place Camden Hills in the boys Alpine championships. Adding to the Maranacook effort was Kelby Mace (seventh), Toby Smith (12th) and Alex Tooth (15th).
Bonnevie’s outstanding runs, coupled with a first-place finish by Dustin Staples in the 5K Nordic freestyle race, gave the Cougars a one-point lead over Oxford Hills. Mt. Blue finished Day 1 with 92 points.
Heather Farrington paced the Mt. Blue girls with a second-place finish in the giant slalom, laying down a two-run time of 1:36.07. Edward Little’s Allaire Lever won the race in 1:32.78. The Cougars landed four scoring skiers in the top 13, with Abbey Ellis taking fifth, Mallory Parker 12th and Marina West 13th.
“I tucked on the top on the first run and that was a bad idea,” Farrington said. “I was on my game on the second run, it was much better.”
The Mt. Blue girls lead Edward Little 77-110 for the overall title.
Maranacook’s Abby Mace turned a brilliant 14:47 to win the girls freestyle race over a talented field. Mt. Blue’s Sara Wade was second with Maranacook’s Adrian Huntington taking sixth and teammate Caroline Colan 10th.
“The girls skied really well, I am very happy with what they did today,” Maranacook coach Steve DeAngelis said. “We need to develop a fourth skier to fit with the effort of our top three. We have a bunch of girls that are back there and need one to fit into the mix at the top.”
Day 2 of the KVAC ski championships will be Saturday at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington. Skiers will compete in the slalom race starting at 9 a.m. followed in the afternoon by a 5K Nordic classical pursuit race.
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