This year’s winter conditions posed far greater challenges than usual to the state’s high school Nordic ski teams, so much so that even having a championship wasn’t a given. But meet organizers pulled a rabbit out of a hat and Concord High made the most of the opportunity.

Senior Tyler Watt won the freestyle and finished second in the classic race to lead the Concord boys to back-to-back Division I championships, and junior Frances Lesser won the classic race and finished third in freestyle to lead the Tide girls to the D-I runner-up plaque. 

The D-II championships were also contested at Oak Hill in Hanover on Wednesday, with Hopkinton senior Matt Clarner leading area competitors with an individual championship in the boys’ freestyle and a bronze in the classic race.

As has been the case for the majority of the Nordic ski schedule this season, the original plan for the championship races was altered. Divisions I and II were originally meant to be held on two separate days at the Great Glen Trails in Jackson, but a lack of snow and warm temperatures forced both meets to be held on the same day.

Even as Concord head coach Erin Waters drove to Hanover, with the temperature in the 50s and rain falling from the sky for the second straight day, skiing seemed improbable.

“It was magical to be able to ski. The amount of legwork our organizers did to make this happen was insane,” Waters said. “We’re up here and there’s no snow anywhere. It’s raining, it’s been raining. Oak Hill was a phenomenal host. We were thinking it could’ve been changed drastically, or even canceled. The conditions, while pretty mashed potatoey and sloppy, there was full coverage (of snow on the trails).”

Sporting short sleeves under their racing bibs and skiing on snowy trails surrounded entirely by bare ground, the D-I boys were the first on the 1.87K loop for the morning classic race, with Keene’s Sully Sturtz crossing the line in 10 minutes, 43.9 seconds to win the 3.8K classic, ahead of Watt’s time of 11:01.5.

Concord used its depth to its advantage, with sophomores Dean Ayotte (sixth, 11:50), Sebastian Christie (seventh, 12:53) and Will Corbett (11th, 13:39) scoring well in the classic to give the Tide an early lead.

Watt won the afternoon freestyle in 10:21, 20 seconds ahead of Sturtz, with Ayotte (seventh, 12:04), Christie (eighth, 12:21) and Corbett (11th, 12:49) also scoring in that race, to give Concord a two-race total of 755 points.

Keene (723), Winnacunnet (700), Souhegan (689), Kennett (670), Bedford (670), ConVal (193) and Manchester Central (150) rounded out the D-I boys’ scores.

The skiers took off from the starting line in 15 second intervals in a staggered start, and the order from the afternoon skate made it so Watt’s teammates could use him as a guide and a pacer, of sorts, on the course.

“This morning he didn’t feel 100% (in the morning classic race), but he absolutely crushed the freestyle,” Waters said.

Last year’s D-I champion in both the classic and freestyle, and this year’s NH Coaches Series champion in both the classic and freestyle, Watt is arguably the best Nordic skier in the state. He’s competed on a regional and national level, and will once again compete in this year’s Junior Nationals in Lake Placid, N.Y., but he has always made Concord High skiing a priority.

“Tyler really has been a phenomenal skier, teammate and captain,” Waters said. “This felt like a culmination of all that. He’s done things on a larger stage out of state, but he cares a lot about high school skiing, he cares a lot about this team and gives it his all.”

Seniors Casey Ames and Connor Anderson also represented the Tide in the freestyle, and junior Connor Crotty and senior Lucky Doperalski skied for Concord in the classic.

“We had a pretty deep team on that side,” Waters said. “It’s amazing to have athletes in just their second year skiing reach that level.”

The Concord girls finished second behind Keene, 774-757, and were competitive with the Blackbirds in both races, highlighted by Lesser’s victory in the morning classic race.

Bedford (708), Winnacunnet (695), Souhegan (659), Kennett (647), Manchester Memorial (158) and Central (152) rounded out the girls’ standings.

“(Lesser) found a whole new gear today,” Waters said. “We’ve been waiting for it to come out all season and it came out today. The conditions today served her well. She’s super strong and has a ton of endurance. The hills and mushy conditions served her well. Just watching her ski without seeing the results, it felt like she had won.”

Lesser’s time of 13:54.5 bested runner-up Ella Hoy of Keene by 51 seconds. 

Senior Chloe Gudas had a breakout day in the classic, finishing fourth in 15:01, with junior Phoebe Dater-Roberts (10th, 17:22) and sophomore Bella Komorek (13th, 17:32) scoring for the Tide.

Winnacunnet’s Skyla Mace won the freestyle in 12:57.3, but Lesser took home third in 14:25. Komorek, freshman Mahalie Burdette and Gudas went 7-8-9 in 15:21, 15:38 and 15:56, respectively.

Waters also credited Gudas for her significant contributions, both on and off the course.

“She’s a captain, she really helped create the culture of this team,” Waters said. “Her results have jumped like crazy this year. She put in a ton of work, got a lot stronger, and the results show that. For her to be in (fourth) position is incredible for her. She’s become a completely different skier.”

Dater-Roberts (freestyle), junior Lila Doherty (freestyle and classic) and Burdette (classic) also skied well and provided additional depth to Concord’s lineup.

Wednesday’s results were a testament to the Tide’s dedication and flexibility despite the challenging logistics of the season. The team only skied at Beaver Meadow, its typical practice location, five times, and made the lengthy trips to Holderness and/or Proctor Academy multiple times a week.

“It’d be easy to be frustrated with the conditions, but they’ve toughed it out, like every Nordic had to,” Waters said. “They did a great job keeping it together, having fun, and pushing themselves. It’s been a great group to coach.”

Division II

Clarner won the eighth and final race of the day at Oak Hill, capturing the D-II skate crown in 10:03.3.

“Clarner has had a breakout year and has really put in the work,” Hopkinton head coach Rob Rothe said. “Seeing him on the podium for both races today really put the icing on the cake.”

Gilford repeated as the boys’ team champion with 752 points and Plymouth did the same in the girls’ side of the standings with 779.

Fall Mountain (733), Hanover (702), Plymouth (680), Hopkinton (654) and Kearsarge (627) were second through sixth for the boys’ teams, with Bow (549) finishing ninth.

Lebanon (710), Hanover (704) and Hopkinton (688) completed the top four girls’ teams, with Kearsarge (461) and Bow (442) coming in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Fall Mountain’s David Northcott won the boys’ classic in 10:26.7, Plymouth’s Addi Englund (11:29.7) won the girls’ freestyle and teammate Ella Ronci (12:27.7) won the classic.

Clarner (10:40) finished third in the classic with Joseph O’Rourke (18th classic, 24th freestyle), Harrison Wilson (26th classic, 31st freestyle) and Cameron Bassett (34th freestyle, 36th classic) also scoring for the Hawks.

Elias Baer (fifth classic, eighth freestyle), Andrew Blagden (20th classic, 26th freestyle), Nethaniel Stepp (35th freestyle, 38th classic) and Andrew Brahan (39th classic, 39th freestyle) scored for Kearsarge.

Eli Wilkening (13th classic, 20th freestyle), Aiden Ciminesi (33rd classic, 36th freestyle), Jack Kohl (51st classic, 54th freestyle) and Gabe Abberton (61st freestyle, 63rd classic) scored for Bow.

On the girls’ side, Elizabeth Trafton (seventh classic, 11th freestyle), Florence Dapice (12th classic, 23rd freestyle), Evelyn Hopper (16th classic), Amelia Walsh (18th classic, 19th freestyle) and  Lia Chapin (21st freestyle) were the scoring skiers for Hopkinton.

The Hawks were the division runner-up last year, but given the amount of turnover on the roster, Rothe was pleased with a fourth-place performance from the squad.

“A top five in this division is a great result, especially after we graduated four of our top six from last year,” Rothe said. “Elizabeth Trafton has led the team all season, both in points and as a leader who has been instrumental to inspire and motivate the girls team.”

Ava Valle (23rd classic, 25th freestyle), Ainsley Frenkiewich (33rd freestyle, 34th classic) and Katherine Blagden (22nd freestyle, 37th classic) scored for Kearsarge.

Ashe McKeen (44th classic, 46th freestyle), Makaylie Laws (45th freestyle, 47th classic), Vera Virta (50th freestyle, 51st classic) and Molly McCarthy (52nd classic) scored for Bow.

Skimeister

The completion of the Nordic championships also meant the completion of the skimeister competition, which combines the scores of athletes who compete in both Alpine and Nordic skiing.

Harrison Wilson and Lia Chapin topped the boys’ and girls’ standings, respectively with their performances in both sports. Hopkinton swept the top of the podium in last year’s skimeister as well.

“It can be a lot to juggle for these kids,” Rothe said. “Hopkinton has been strong in this competition, and both Harrison and Lia continued this streak.”