CHARLEMONT — Racers from around Western Mass. made the trip to Berkshire East on Thursday, braving the rain to compete in the first PVIAC alpine ski race of the season. 

The defending state champion Mohawk Trail girls team looked like it didn't skip a beat from last season on Thursday. The Warriors had four of the top six finishers on the slalom course, with freshman Addie Loomis placing first with a run of 45.11 seconds and Emmy Sisum taking second with a run of 47.33 seconds. 

For Loomis, it was great being back on the mountain and competing with her Mohawk Trail teammates again. 

“I’ve already been skiing so it wasn’t a big jump to get back in here,” Loomis said. “It’s nice to be back in high school racing again and I’m excited for this season.”

Mae Hoff placed fifth overall (51.17) and Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner earned sixth (51.45) for the Warriors. Caroline Makosiej (16th, 1:00.18), Naomi Den Ouden (18th, 1:00.69), Ohia Dellert (22nd, 1:03.20) and Brooke Kochinsky (25th, 1:06.20) were fellow Mohawk Trail girls who placed in the top 25. 

For Loomis, the conditions made for an interesting course, with the rain making the conditions different depending on what part of the hill you were on. 

“It went well out there,” Loomis said. “The snow was tough. On the flats it was really soft but once you got on the pitch — I was the fourth one down — it was run through. The snow was weird but overall it was a fun course. It was a good first race.” 

Hampshire’s Dana Warren finished 10th with a run of 54.35 seconds, with fellow Raider Talya Gilman placing 13th (57.32). Northampton placed two girls in the top 25, with Maise Tuck earning 17th (1:00.23) and Giselle Ohn taking 20th (1:01.51). Amherst’s Vivi Bernier took 19th (1:00.92) and PVCICS’ Charlotte English took 24th (1:06.03). 

The Mohawk Trail boys had just as much success on Thursday as the girls team. The Warriors placed eight racers in the top 20 of hthe giant slalom race, led by Weston Den Ouden who took first overall with a run of 28.58 seconds. 

Gage Patenaude took sixth (30.99), Grayson Bishop earned seventh (21.83), Ben Makosiej finished in eighth (31.96), Oliver Johnson took 10th (32.25), Phineas Tuttman placed 11th (32.27), Wyatt Sisum came in 13th (32.62) and Alex Schreiber took 19th (33.44) for Mohawk Trail, who looked like a team poised to repeat as PVIAC champs. 

“We won league last year and we didn’t lose any kids,” Schreiber said. “We have an older team so hopefully that translates on the mountain.”

For Schreiber, a junior, getting the first race under the belt is always a relief, with all the first-race jitters now out of the way. 

“It was pretty good,” Schreiber said. “I came in a little scared but coming out I felt a lot more confident in my skiing. It was really sticky. Eye sight and visibility was very low. Because of that, your base is staying in so you can still catch and edge and ride much smoother.” 

Hampshire is one squad looking to take the PVIAC from the Warriors, placing five racers in the top 25 Thursday. Edward Przybyla was the top finisher, taking second with a run of 28.77 seconds. Dawson Kelly (fifth, 30.81), Evan Novak (14th, 32.63), Billy Warren (20th, 33.49) and Jon Dunn (24th, 33.75) rounded out what was a successful opening race for the Raiders. 

Amherst’s Beckett Baird took third overall (29.04) while Northampton’s Keller Mahoney earned ninth (32.09). 

The Blue Devils placed two other racers in the top 25, with Alex Sirois taking 16th (33.12) and Charlie Ames placing 23rd (33.56). Mahoney liked how his team competed on Thursday, hoping to have another strong season on the slopes. 

“It was good to have everyone on the team out here,” Mahoney said. “We all competed well. There was some soft snow today. The conditions weren’t bad out there. We all made it through it.” 

PVCICS had two racers in the top 25, with James Scott finishing in 17th (33.17) and Clayton English earning 18th (33.27). 

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