L.T. Sierra stood and watched the freestyle race Thursday, cheering on his teammates as they powered the Leavitt Hornets to a one-point advantage over Mt. Blue in Class A Nordic competition.

Saturday, it was his turn.

Fresh from a day of rest, Sierra skied his way into eighth place in Saturday’s classical race at Black Mountain of Maine, keying a three-point win in the event and a four-point Leavitt victory in the Class A Nordic skiing state championships.

“When he heard his name in the top 10, he was really, really happy,” Leavitt coach Dustin Williamson said. “He was coming in with fresh legs. His better event is the classical race, so we didn’t use him in the freestyle, and he was fresh out there today.”

The shift, Williamson said, is a testament to the overall depth the Hornets have this season.

“We felt comfortable using all of the skiers we have,” Williamson said. “This team is so talented, they were able to all ski well.”

The Leavitt girls’ finish wasn’t in nearly as much doubt. Starting the day with a 17-point cushion on Mt. Blue, the Hornets outscored the Cougars by 16 more Saturday to take the Class A girls’ Nordic title 55-88.

Marybeth Kelson was the top finisher for Leavitt in third place. Katelyn Beeckel (5th), Natasha Varney (9th) and Melissa Kelson (10th) rounded out the top four for Leavitt.

“They’re pretty pumped,” Williamson said. “(Marybeth Kelson) was psyche to get third place as a senior. I think all of our seniors did well this year in their final state meet.”

Also decided Saturday were the two overall titles, though to many, the classical race was merely a formality.

Rebecca Schoen won her second race in three days for Mt. Blue and Meredith Allen racked up another top-10 finish to lead the Cougars to their second-place finish in Nordic combined, and to their 14th Class A overall title in 16 years.

“She’s just absolutely risen to the occasion this year,” Mt. Blue coach Buzz Davis said. “She’s peaking at the right time.”

Mt. Blue’s girls totaled 203 points in the four events, finishing 55 points ahead of runner-up Oxford Hills.

The Vikings never won an event outright, but were a consistent team throughout the week, allowing them to pass Leavitt and Edward Little.

The Hornets were a distant third in the overall girls’ picture with 387 points, while EL had 398 in fourth.

On the boys’ side, the Cougars again dominated. Welley Ramsey took second in the classical race Saturday, teammate Derek Rowe finished sixth and Adam Fissette grabbed ninth to help Mt. Blue to a 35-point overall win over Leavitt.

“It was great for the boys to come back in the Alpine race (Friday),” Davis said. “They took care of things on their end and we were able to hold our own here in Nordic.”

Edward Little took third in the boys’ overall standings with 295 points, while Oxford Hills finished in fourth with 308.


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