The run has been an unprecedented kind on the slopes. Eight straight seasons that ended with championships. Eight straight seasons of dominance, and the Concord High School Nordic ski teams show no signs of slowing down.
It’s been that kind of decade for the Crimson Tide, who haven’t lost its Division I crown since 2008, and has piled up 18 championships between the boys and girls’ teams over the last 10 seasons.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t doubt that we’ll be able to win the Division I championships,” said first-year Coach Sam Evans-Brown, who takes over one of the strongest and talented Nordic teams in the Capital Area, if not the entire state. “I don’t want to be overly confident, but Division I is a lot of big schools that are in urban places, so it’s not traditionally power-house ski schools … I think the kids will obviously race their own race and everyone is going to be looking to have good performances there.”
Evans-Brown takes over for Phil Clarner and inherits a healthy mix of returning upperclassmen, talented cross country runners, and kids who specialize in the Nordic discipline. Evans-Brown himself is a Nordic skier and 2009 graduate of Bates College. He also knows the local mountains well after growing up in Gilmanton and racing in Gilford.
“I honestly feel really lucky to have the job,” Evans-Brown said. “It’s really great to be able to give back to something that was a really important part of my life growing up.”
Despite the high expectations for the Tide, the season won’t come without its challenges. The Concord girls lost one of their top skiers to graduation in Kate Andy, who was an All-State selection the last two years and placed 26th overall at the Eastern High School Championships Women’s 7.5-kilometer Classical. Concord will also be without the top overall finisher in last year’s Division I championship Classic race in Michaella Conery.
“We did lose a few strong skiers we graduated last year but I also believe that those returning have great potential,” senior captain Jessica Nelson said.
The boys return most, if not all, of their most reliable scorers from a year ago. Oliver Spencer, James Wilkes, Nathaniel Nichols and Cameron Brochu are all back in the fold after placing in the top five last season in the D-1 championship freestyle race. The Tide lost Jamie Nelson to graduation, but have enough depth with skiers like Alexander Duncan and Colin Conery to account for the loss.
“We graduated a lot of really talented seniors last year,” Evans-Brown said. “I think everyone is going to have to reset their ambitions a little bit, but with that said, there’s going to be a lot of impressive performances.”
Wilkes added: “The kids who were on the team last year have made good improvements over the summer and fall and we have good returners, too, so I think we have the team to win the state meet again.”
Senior captains Nelson and Wilkes are two of the top skiers after dominating on the trails over the course of their junior seasons. Wilkes qualified for the Eastern High School Championships, where he finished 47th of 110 skiers, earned All-State honors and finished sixth overall at the NHNCA Coaches Series 5K Race. Nelson delivered a 12th-place finish at that event on the girls’ side.
“I think as far as my goal, the Coaching Series race is really important for our team and for me because we’re competing against all the divisions in the entire state instead of just our division so it definitely spreads the competition out,” Nelson said.
Evans-Brown also said he expects a few skiers to really make a leap forward this season.
Sophomores Heather Deacon and Brochu were two of the names that came to mind when asked about potential surprises.
“(Deacon) really got into the sort of extra circuit, high school races and the Eastern Cup where kids are racing against college students early in the year and ambitious skiers from Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts,” Evans-Brown said. “Brochu is kind of a dark horse. I don’t think we really know what he’s capable of but I’m sort of seeing a lot of talent there.”
Concord is scheduled to open up the Nordic season with its first race Jan. 5 at Legacy Park in Bedford. The Capital Area Championship will be hosted by Bow and are set for Feb. 22, while the Division I Championships will take place on Mar. 6 at Great Glen Trails.