Quincy ski win division
Kainoa Hall, left, and Cody Morrison take a breath after their final race. Morrison grabbed first place in both league runs and Hall was right behind him with second- and fourth-place finishes. Photos by Suzi Brakken
The Quincy High School boys’ ski team swept its league championship last Friday, Feb. 17, and qualified five skiers for the state finals in March.
The Quincy team placed four skiers in the top 10 among five high schools and 33 racers, following two slalom races held in snowy conditions at Boreal Mountain on Feb. 17.
Unofficially, that should make them the top ski team in the Central 1 League of the California Nevada Interscholastic Ski and Snowboard Federation, although team awards won’t be announced until the state competition.
Senior Cody Morrison won both slalom races with his best run at 40.55 seconds. He ended up first in the league championship, which combined the results of five races.
Junior Kainoa Hall landed fourth place in the first race, then placed second in the second slalom race just 2 seconds behind teammate Morrison. He ended the league season in third place overall.
Senior Luke Zempel took seventh and eighth place, consecutively, in the Friday races, placing seventh place overall.
Freshman Sam Lawson placed ninth in both races, and moved up to ninth place overall for the season.
Freshman James White scored 13th and 14th in Friday’s races and took the 13th spot in the league overall.
Teammate Lucas Fernandez, a foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain, lost a ski during the second run of the first race and ended 30th. He rallied in the second race, taking 21st place in his first season of ski racing. His league rankings were unavailable.
All skiers were required to assist the league by acting as gate-keepers for snowboard races following their own races, which kept them on the ski hill in wet and snowy conditions for most of the day.
Snowy conditions don’t slow down QHS Cody Morrison as he takes two first-place runs.Ski team participants received a reward for valiant effort, tough competition and a wet day in the snow by way of a league barbecue and awards ceremony at the Auburn Ski Club lodge at the end of the day.
The QHS Ski team now moves on to state championships at Northstar on March 7 though 9. The races will feature both giant slalom and slalom races with top skiers from all over the state.
QHS ski team member Sam Lawson makes his way down the run Feb. 17 during the league championships at Boreal in very fresh snow. It’s a good thing he is dressed for the occasion.
