With the sun’s straggling rays glistening upon the sloshy yet somehow firm snow, skiers trudged their way to the finish line and keeled over one by one.
In a race that featured six schools from around the state, Hopkinton hosted a tune-up race Tuesday at the Hopkinton Fair Grounds where the results highlighted area teams and individuals. The boys race, which started promptly at 3 p.m., was won by Michael Pelletier of Bow in a time of 18:35. Ten seconds behind him was Tyler Watt of Concord, and rounding out the top three was Oliver Dolcino (19:44), also of Bow.
Despite filling up two-thirds of the top three finishers, the Falcons’ boys’ team placed third overall with 363 points. Kearsarge won team honors with 374 points, followed by the host Hawks with 366. The Cougars had four skiers place in the top 10 times, led by Elias Baer (20:39) who finished fifth.
Concord (339), Winnacunnet (322) and Derryfield (221) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
In the girls’ race, Hopkinton continued its winning ways much like it has all season by finishing first with 389 total points. The Hawks boasted six skiers in the top 10, including Frances Trafton (21:41), Ava Rothe (22:55) and Hannah Bennett (23:05), who finished first, third and fifth, respectively.
The next closest team was Kearsarge in second place with 361 points. The Cougars’ highest finisher was Molly Ellison (21:43), who placed second.
Rounding out the team placements were Concord (338), Bow (315) and Winnacunnet (292).
Saturday features the second race in the N.H. Coaches Series, where teams from across the state and a few programs from neighboring states compete against one another. The second race begins at 10 a.m. in Plymouth.