1. Maranacook Alpine: The Black Bears won Mountain Valley Conference and Class B state titles last year, and they should be strong again. In junior Tristan Riley, Maranacook has the MVC slalom and giant slalom favorite, as well as a likely top-three finisher at states. The Black Bears have another of the MVC’s top skiers in senior Sam Hayes, a likely podium finisher in both slalom and GS. Don’t be shocked to see sophomores Zach Adams and Wyatt Duca or junior Rally Friese finish in the top 10 in one or both races for a team that’s favored to bring home another MVC title.

2. Mt. Blue Nordic: Can Mt. Blue make it five straight Class A Nordic titles? Although the Cougars lost some key skiers (Henri McCourt, Elias Bartlett, Eli Hoeft and Grayson Hoeft), don’t count them out. Damian Wynn is the No. 2-returning Nordic skier in the KVAC and will challenge for a podium spot at the state level. He competed with fellow junior Nick DeMarco in the Waterville Sprint Festival on Dec. 13, finishing third as a duo. Coach Ben Geissinger also expects big things out of freshmen Lucas DeMarco and William Strickland. Expect Mt. Blue to be in the mix at both the KVAC and state levels.

3. Messalonskee Nordic: A good duo goes a long way in the Nordic world, and in juniors Lex Cote and Noah Oliver, the Eagles have one of the best. The two already have a major victory under their belts this season, winning the Waterville Sprint Festival. Cote is the No. 1-returning skier from last year’s Class A Nordic meet, in which he finished seventh in the pursuit race, and Oliver is the No. 2 returner from that meet after placing 10th. Sophomore Matt Phillips and junior Rowan Angelini should also be factors for the Eagles.

4. Mt. Blue Alpine: The Cougars are consistently a KVAC player, and this season should be no exception with three of the top-four skiers returning from a squad that placed second in the conference in slalom and third in GS. Junior Finn Morton will be a podium threat in both events. River Wilkie, a sophomore, is a KVAC podium contender in the slalom and will be in the top-10 mix in GS. Oak Medina is back after top-25 KVAC finishes in both slalom and GS as a freshman, and Nolan Hornsby, another sophomore, also returns.

5. Winthrop Nordic: Other MVC coaches are wary of Ed VanTassel’s Ramblers, who have a nice corps of skiers at their disposal. At the top of the list is junior standout Sam St. Germain, who is the No. 2 returner in the conference and will also be in the mix for a podium spot at the Class C state level. Fellow junior Gianni Haefele could challenge for a top-10 spot in the MVC; he finished 10th with St. Germain in the Waterville Sprint Festival team event. Sophomore Jackson McBride also returns for the Ramblers.

Also keep an eye on: Maranacook Nordic