A little rain and soft, sticky snow conditions did not deter local participants Tuesday, when racers from Mohawk Trail Regional High School and Frontier Regional School competed at the annual MIAA State Alpine Ski Championships at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton.
Mohawk, the girls PVIAC South Division regular-season champion, had the most qualifiers in the event with six. Leading that contingent Tuesday was eighth-grader Ashley LaCross, who skied to a pair of top-25 finishes in the slalom (42.93) and giant slalom (59.29) as the top local in the field.
Official results weren’t immediately available at press time, but Marblehead High School swept the team titles.
“Ashley had a really strong, strong showing,” said Mohawk coach Brandon Boucias of the South Division regular-season individual champion.
Fellow eighth-grader Taylor Loomis was also strong at the state meet, while teammate Erin Laffond, a sophomore, made for another stellar top 3 in the Mohawk lineup.
“Overall, just a lot of really good skiing from our team out there,” Boucias said. “Taylor skied very well, particularly in the slalom, where she was substantially better than her seed. Erin Laffond was another one who had a really solid day. My top 3 girls all ski for the Berkshire East race program. These are young girls, who are going to be at the top for a long time.”
Tyler Rice, Christina Lively and Lizzie Herzig rounded out the competitors for Mohawk on the girls’ side at Wachusett, which brought about a different element as far as the terrain is concerned.
“It’s really tough for us to race at Wachusett because their slalom course is so flat,” explained Boucias. “We train at Berkshire East and it’s a really steep hill. It’s just a very different style of skiing. Usually we’re really challenged at Berkshire East. So today I was psyched because we had some good performances despite all of that. The goal is, ‘Let’s really pound our seedings, knock them out of the water..”
Frontier’s Coriann Delaney was her team’s fastest skier at the state meet. The freshman, who qualified for her third consecutive state championship, unofficially took 34th in the slalom (43.68) and 36th in the GS (1:01.60). Classmate Alina Smiaroski, also competing in a third state meet, and junior state championship debutante Anna Zera represented the Red Hawks.
A pair of Mohawk boys represented the Warriors, with Dan White leading the charge thanks to an outstanding performance in the GS. White unofficially snagged 21st place in the event (59.17), crossing the line way ahead of his seeding.
“He had a phenomenal day,” Boucias offered. “He really stole the show.”
Mohawk’s Bennett Boucias had his best finish in the slalom, unofficially crossing in 86th place (46.29).
Wissman a UMass football coach
Veteran educator and coach Dave Wissman, a former star quarterback and 1,000-point basketball scorer during his time at Mohawk Trail Regional High School, has joined the University of Massachusetts football staff as defensive line coach, it was announced by head coach Mark Whipple Tuesday.
“Dave Wissman brings a wealth of defensive knowledge to our program,” Whipple said. “He’s a tremendous person, a great recruiter and really knows how to build relationships. His experience as a defensive coordinator and familiarity with Ed Pinkham’s system make him a great fit for our staff.”
Locally, Wissman coached at The Berkshire School (2005-07), Northfield-Mount Hermon School (2000-05), Pioneer Valley Regional School (1999-2000), Mahar Regional School (1998-99) and Eaglebrook School (1986-98).
After graduating from Mohawk in 1981, Wissman was a four-year letter-winner and team captain at the University of New Hampshire (1981-85). During his time in Durham, N.H., Wissman was coached by newly hired defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham and was teammates with UMass’ Director of Operations Paul Gorham. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree from UMass in 1993.
Wissman spent the 2009-16 seasons with the Sacred Heart football program, including the last six years as defensive coordinator. The Pioneers won back-to-back Northeast Conference Championships in 2013 and 2014 while advancing to the FCS Championships during both campaigns. He tutored 23 all-conference selections, five All-New England honorees and three All-Americans.
“Working with a staff I’ve known for many years and closer to home, I’m excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Wissman said. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Ed Pinkham’s system, mentality and philosophy. I know what his expectations are.”
Turners 7/8s advance
Behind a 15-point effort from Jake Sak, Turners Falls captured a 38-34 win over Palmer in the quarterfinals of the grades 7 and 8 Suburban League NIT Division Tournament Monday night.
Nick Lyons added 8 points in the win for Turners, which also received strong outings from Ryan Bergmann (7 points) and Jake Dodge (5 points).
The squad advanced to the semifinals of the event in a game that will be played in Turners at a date to be determined.
FMC at Natick
Aviana Bouchard of Greenfield was mistakenly not included as a team member for the Performance Essentials class that competed in the 46th annual ISI figure skating competition in Natick over the weekend.
The FMC Ice Sports Performance Essentials team competed in the Synchronized Formation and won a gold medal.
April 1 race to end child abuse set
The Race to End Child Abuse 5K run/walk will take place on April 1 at The Children’s Advocacy Center (56 Wisdom Way in Greenfield).
Registration for the event is at 8 a.m. and the race begins promptly at 9 a.m. There is no registration fee for the race but donations for the Children’s Advocacy Center will be accepted. The race will be officially timed with a raffle, homemade cookies and water waiting for you at the end.
Come take a tour, run a race and support your community program. Further information email Info@cacfranklinnq.org or call Irene at (508) 843-7306.
GML Registrations
Registrations for the Greenfield Minor League will take place this weekend at the Greenfield Police Station.
Registrations will take place on Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The league is also introducing 50/70 baseball this season.
GGSL Registrations
Registration for the Greenfield Girls’ Softball League is set for this Saturday as well as March 18 at the Greenfield Elks Club on 2 Church Street.
Registration will be open from 9 to 11 a.m., and the league is open to all girls in Franklin County age 5 to 16. For more information, contact GSSL President Richard Mascavage at (413) 863-4246.