The HF-L Boys Varsity Nordic Ski team members proudly show off the Section V Championship trophy and medals after they won the sectional championship over two days of racing last week. Photo by Nolan Hoh
It’s not “Another brick in the wall” but another brick in the trophy case for the Honeoye Falls-Lima Varsity Nordic Ski program.
The HF-L Boys Varsity Nordic Ski team won the Section V Championship with two great days of skiing at the top of Bristol Mountain last week, compiling 8 points to easily take the win over seven other schools as the second-place team Pittsford Mendon had 33 points. In the individual 7.5 kilometer distance race on February 12, HF-L saw five skiers place among the top 10. Drew Larsen led the pack by winning the individual distance race with a time of 21 minutes, 0.5 seconds. Henry Burke clocked 22:27.7 for third. Riley Cushman crossed the finish line in 22:30.8 for fourth. Calvin Burke followed in 23:27.6 for seventh. Linden Bellizzi was ninth (23:37.3). Amer Armbruster claimed 12th at 24 minutes, 17.3 seconds. Braeden Weaver finished 16th (24:58.3). Rowan Lyle ended up 17th (25:07.4). Lukas Fischer came in 19th at 25 minutes, 10.2 seconds. The Cougars secured their title by going 1-2 in the 3×3 kilometer relay race on February 13 and, for good measure, their “C” relay team was fifth. The winning trio of Larsen, Calvin Burke and Henry Burke combined for a winning time of 36:10. Cushman, Armbruster and Bellizzi were just under two minutes behind them, posting a 38:04 for second. Weaver, Lyle and Fischer were fifth at 40:39.
HF-L’s girls were second with 22 points; behind the winner Pittsford Sutherland but ahead of six other teams. Four Lady Cougars were among the top 10 in the individual distance race. Jenna Lawrence covered the individual distance course in 24:57.7 for third. Kate Brennan seized fifth at 25:43. Hazel Jokl clocked 26:01.9 for seventh. Emily Lawrence secured 10th at 27 minutes, 10.6 seconds. Emma Rozzi was 16th (28:10.2). Kate Dailor came in 17th (28:11.1). Rebecca Rozzi was close behind in 18th at 28:29. Lucy Neff ended up 22nd (29:10.4). Finley Neenan finished 25th (30:01.6). Jenna Lawrence, Jokl and Brennan combined to take second in the relay at 43:23. Emily Lawrence, Emma Rozzi and Dailor teamed for sixth at 49:11. Rebecca Rozzi, Neff and Neenan grabbed eighth at 51:46.
“Overall, the teams had great sectional races,” coach Mark Armbruster said. “Both the boys and girls had big efforts. In the individual distance race, it is individual starts at 30 second intervals and the kids are seeded and get to choose where in the lineup they want to start. Drew chose to start second to last and that put him right behind Drew Cole from Sutherland. Drew Larsen closed that 30 second start gap pretty quickly on Cole. Henry had been sick later in the season, so he had a really good race. Riley skied an incredible race for the boys team. For our girls, we thought Jenna had a chance to win it and her time was only 30 seconds behind the winner’s time. Kate Brennan had a steady race. Hazel had a really good race. Emily had a really great race and she is only a freshman. The results just show the depth of our teams. Drew Larsen and Jenna both received the Ruth Hayes Award because they had the lowest combined times of the day in each race between their individual distance race times and their splits in the relays. For the state meet, 12 boys and 12 girls qualify for the Section V team and we have four girls (Jenna, Kate Brennan, Hazel and Emily) and six boys (Drew Larsen, Henry, Riley, Calvin, Linden and Amer) going to the state meet.”
HF-L skiers will compete in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championship on February 26 and 27 at Lake Placid.
