Can the Mohawk Trail girls alpine ski team bring a third straight MIAA state championship trophy to Buckland this winter?

The Warriors took home the state title in 2021, the first girls title in program history, and followed it up with a second straight state championship last winter, doing so on their home course at Berkshire East.

With a core of its roster returning, a third title is more than a possibility for Mohawk Trail. According to Warriors girls coach Brandon Boucias, there’s been no sense of resting on their laurels from this squad.

“I’m not sure how many schools are three-time state champions,” Boucias pondered. “There’s no complacency with this group. It’d be easy for there to be some after the two state titles but I really don’t know if they know what complacency is. We have an amazing mix of characters and kids on this team. It’s our largest team in a long time and top-to-bottom, we have a lot of really good skiers.”

One of the main returners that gives Mohawk Trail a shot at a third straight state title is Addie Loomis. Now a sophomore, Loomis has been a force on the mountain the last two years, finishing second in the state meet in the giant slalom while having the fastest time in the slalom a year ago. Loomis has also been the PVIAC individual champ the past two years.

Emmy Sisum, who also returns, placed 11th in the giant slalom and 14th in the slalom at states. Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner is another returner who had a big day at states last year, taking 29th in the giant slalom and 42nd in the slalom. At the PVIAC individuals, Sisum took second and Slocik-Gritzner placed third, giving the Warriors a podium sweep of the top three finishers.

Mae Hoff, who was on the cusp of working into the top three in the Warriors lineup last year, placed sixth at PVIACs and has improved going into her final season. She and Sisum will serve as senior captains for Mohawk Trail.

“They all look amazing,” Boucias said. “We had such productive all sport workouts in November. We nearly had a perfect attendance for our preseason fitness which is five days a week. We picked up new skiers and the energy on our team is high. We have high expectations but first and foremost, we want to be a cohesive team. Being super inclusive is important to us and that we relate, communicate and enjoy each other’s company. We want everyone to feel like they’re part of the team and all that’s been exceptional this year.”

With star power at the top of the lineup, the Warriors have plenty of depth behind them.

Naomi den Ouden placed 10th at PVIACs as a seventh grader while Ohia Dellert (15th), Caroline Makosiej (16th), Myah Grant (18th) and Brooke Koshinsky (20th) cracked the top 20. Most teams would be pleased to have one or two racers make it into the top 20. Mohawk Trail had nine last year, and with Grant the lone to graduate, Mohawk Trail is primed for another stellar season on the mountain.

“Everybody is looking forward to this year,” Boucias said. “Our expectations are always the same. We always want to be the best team in Western Mass. I think we can do that and we should do that. At states we hope to get a top three finish. For a school our size, finishing in the top three is an amazing accomplishment. These girls are walking around with their state championship logos on their jackets now, though. You know they’re shooting for the trifecta. These girls have been working hard and they all look improved from where they were last year.”

Adrian Grant is a skier who was on the cusp of a top 30 PVIAC finish last year and has improved in the offseason. Sophomore Teagan Hale and seventh graders Charlie Bishop and Lydie Pinkham are new to the team and all showing progress. Pinkham, whose older sister Ellie Pinkham skied at Mohawk Trail before heading to NMH, is someone to watch. 

With such a deep roster, a state championship is well within the Warriors’ grasp. As Boucias cautioned, the best team doesn’t always win states, as skiing has so many variables to it.

“Every year is different,” Boucias said. “Last year we won but I’m not sure we should have won states. We won because a couple other teams had their top skiers fall and all of our racers skied and were on their game. I told them to ski fast but not fall down. It was a simple message but it’s worked. In a state championship meet if one of your top three skiers falls down, you’re done. We’re hoping we’re so deep this year that we can avoid that.” 

The PVIAC season kicks off on Tuesday at Berkshire East. It will be the first of seven meets during the regular season, with the PVIAC individual championship currently set for Feb. 13. The state championship meet is currently scheduled for Feb. 27 at Wachusett Mountain in Westminster. 

While the girls have captured state titles the last two years, the Mohawk Trail boys have been on the cusp of winning one themselves. 

The Warriors placed fifth at states last year, with Weston den Ouden coming in third in the giant slalom and 12th in the slalom. Gage Patenaude took 35th in the slalom. In the PVIAC season, Mohawk Trail won the PVIAC North League title — den Ouden placed second at individuals while Patenaude took fourth and Phineas Tuttman placed seventh. 

With a good chunk of its roster returning, the Warriors are primed for another big winter on the slopes.

“Things are going well,” Mohawk Trail boys coach Sean Loomis said. “We’re down to nine skiers from 12 this year. We have a lot of returners and experience back. Everyone knows what they’re getting themselves into. They know how we run things. It’s a nice, cohesive unit.” 

Patenaude and den Ouden return this winter and will serve as senior captains for the Warriors. Mohamed Abdelgewad rounds out the seniors, Tuttman is the lone junior while freshman Grayson Bishop and eighth graders Ben Zarotny and Brayden Brisson round out the returners for Mohawk Trail. 

Seventh graders Oliver Ferris and Zavel Gardner are the two newcomers to the team, both of which are showing promise early on. Ferris is an athlete who has been skiing nearly his entire life. 

After a tough few weeks of dry land practices, the Warriors are excited to get up on the mountain on Tuesday. 

“We consider our dry land practices to be pretty intense,” Sean Loomis said. “Our two senior captains — Weston den Ouden and Gage Patenaude — really upped their responsibilities by getting the younger kids moving along. They set the precedent on how we do our workouts.”

While Sean Loomis pointed out that there’s no guarantee going into a season, he noted that he likes the way the group has come together thus far as Mohawk Trail hopes to repeat as league champs. 

“You never know going into the season,” Sean Loomis said. “You don’t know what other teams will be and how you stack up. Of course, we want to win the league. States is tough on the boys side just because some of those schools out east are just stacked and incredibly deep. It’s hard for us with our numbers to compete with them. In our league we expect to win the league. I expect good things from these guys but you just never know what all the other teams have. We’ll find out on Tuesday.”