Grzelak posted the Redettes’ fastest times in both the slalom and giant slalom as MSHS scored 60 points, just four shy of state champion Traverse City Central’s 56.

That was a much closer result than at a regional involving both teams that was held at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville on Feb. 10. One of three D-1 regionals statewide, TCC posted a 33-point victory over the Marquette that day.

But the TCC finals victory still broke Marquette’s five-year stranglehold on the state championship. The last time the Redettes weren’t atop the state was 2015. The MSHS girls won six in a row from 1999-2004.

“After the first round of the (giant slalom), we had a good feeling,” TC Central skier Sarah Beattie said to the Traverse City Record-Eagle. “That was super cool, because we were ahead at that point, but we still had one more and all of our times were so close on the first run that the second one really did matter a lot, so that was super cool that we pulled it off.”

Marquette skier Logan Audette makes a move in a turn at the MHSAA Division 1 boys downhill ski finals held at Nub's Nob near Harbor Springs on Monday. Audette finished fifth in giant slalom and 11th in slalom. (Traverse City Record-Eagle photo by James Cook)

Clarkston was a distant third Monday with 117 points, followed by Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern-Eastern with 151, Milford 182, Rochester Adams 208, Birmingham 218, Brighton 262 and Fenton-Linden-Lake Fenton 297.

Three Marquette skiers also competed as individuals at the boys state finals after the Redmen just missed qualifying as a team at the Crystal Mountain regional.

Logan Audette had MSHS’ fastest times in both slalom and GS.

Traverse City West won the boys state title with 63 1/2 points, just a shade ahead of runner-up Rochester Adams’ 69 total. Bloomfield Hills was third with 85 1/2, followed by TC Central with 140, Brighton 166, Clarkston 203, Forest Hills Northern-Eastern 215, Milford 226 and Birmingham 292.

The Marquette boys had won the last eight state championships, and the last time they didn’t win was 2012, when they were runners-up.

Marquette's Maddy Stern crouches to maintain her speed during an event at the MHSAA Division 1 girls downhill ski finals held at Nub's Nob near Harbor Springs on Monday. Stern finished 12th in giant slalom and 22nd in slalom. (Traverse City Record-Eagle photo by James Cook)

Each discipline at the finals included 70 to 75 competitors.

The Record-Eagle also noticed differences at these finals. Although skiing was the least affected MHSAA winter sport as far as scheduling, there were still most of the new differences because of the coronavirus pandemic, including team tents being set up far away from the finish lines and teams not allowed into the lodge other than using restrooms and ordering cafeteria food.

Large leaderboards also weren’t present as they were thought to attract tightly packed crowds. And award ceremonies were held outside.

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Grzelak cracks girls top 10

In the girls meet, Grzelak posted the third-best two-run total in slalom of 72.08 seconds, a little over a second behind the only two skiers that bested her.

Grzelak had runs of 34.29 and 37.79 seconds, each the third-best in that particular run as times slowed the second time around.

Sarra Guggemos of Okemos won slalom with 70.60 after runs of 33.21 and 37.39, while Elle Craven of TC Central was second with 70.81 and runs of 33.62 and 37.19.

In giant slalom, Grzelak led a tightly-bunched group of Redettes, finishing ninth in 53.67 seconds, just a shade more than three seconds behind winner Holly Grzelak of Forest Hills Northern-Eastern, who is Anna Grzelak’s cousin.

Anna Grzelak had runs of 27.16 and 26.51, her second run the third fastest of the field in that run.

Also for Marquette in the GS, Ella Jones was 10th in 53.92 with runs of 27.03 and 26.89, Lexi Hammerstrom 11th in 54.01 with 26.98 and 27.03, Maddy Stern 12th in 54.04 with 27.03 and 27.01, and Ada Bernard 14th in 54.19 with 27.00 and 27.19.

The Redettes’ other GS skier, Zoey Brian, was 29th in 55.94 with runs of 27.89 and 28.05.

The Marquette skiers were more widely spaced out in slalom.

Following Grzelak, Bernard was sixth in 74.28 with runs of 35.32 and 38.96, Jones 10th in 75.88 with 35.97 and 39.91, Brian 16th in 76.82 with 36.36 and 40.46, Stern 22nd in 77.83 with 37.15 and 40.68, and Hammerstrom 27th in 78.71 with 37.31 and 41.40.

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Audette leads MSHS boys

Audette finished fifth among boys skiers in GS and 11th in slalom.

His GS time of 49.26 seconds included runs of 24.68 and 24.58. His total was just over a second behind the winning time of 48.22 posted by Aiden Lewandowski of TC West.

In slalom, Audette was 11th in 70.36 with runs of 34.94 and 35.42. He finished not quite a half-second out of 10th and not quite two seconds behind the winning time of 68.38 posted by Hunter Halstead of Bloomfield Hills.

Marquette teammate Cole Johnson was 33rd in slalom with 74.96 on runs of 36.62 and 38.34, while adding 65th place in GS with 76.43 on runs of 49.91 and 26.52.

A third Redmen skier, Hayden Kauppila, completed one run in each discipline but not the second and didn’t have a total score. That was particularly unfortunate in slalom, where his first run of 33.57 seconds was second-best in the field and about three-quarters of a second behind Halstead’s opening run.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.