HRV snowboarders win boys state championship

HRV’s team depth was the difference for the Eagles. Six of the nine HRV team members who competed at state helped account in the team’s scoring at least once. In a couple of events, HRV’s fifth- and sixth-best times or scores of the day would have been enough for the Eagles to win the discipline.

Hood River clinched the title with it’s first-place showing in the halfpipe competition on Saturday, which included scoring finishes by Max Jones, Nainoa Holland, Aiden Edholm, and Liam McIntire. They combined to dominate the event with 684 points, easily outdistancing runner-up West Linn’s 583. Ashland was third at 571.

Jones and Holland were third and fourth overall, Edholm was eighth and McIntire 13th. Jones’ 198 points on his first run left him in the lead at the midway point, but he was surpassed by eventual winner from West Linn, Seth Sorensen, who posted a second-run score of 209, and Beaverton’s Quintin LaVille, who scored 202 on his second run.

Holland’s best score of 197 was right behind his teammate Jones. Edholm scored a 156 in the event on his second run, while McIntire’s first run of 133 points was his best of the day.

The Eagles posted one other finish in the halfpipe that wasn’t included in the team scoring, as Elias MacNab was 28th with a best run of 133 points.

Hood River started the four days of competition on Wednesday by winning the first-of-two timed events, the banked slope with a 3-5-6-7 finish. Edholm, Jones, and Holland were joined in the team scoring by Julian Munn-Foster. Edholm led the way for the Eagles with a time of 53.83 seconds, good enough for third behind winner Ronen Retzlaff of West Linn (52.74) and LaVille (53.25). Jones was timed in 54.32; Holland in 54.43; and Munn-Foster in 54.46.

Non-scoring finishes for HRV in the banked slope were: Paul Logan (10th, 55.37); McIntire (14th, 56.06); and MacNab (28th, 57.68).

In Friday’s slopestyle, Edholm, Holland, MacNab, and Jones led HRV to a 105-point over West Linn. Holland came from behind to finish second with his second run of 256 points. He came within two points of winner, Benny Cohen of Portland’s Cleveland.

Holland (234, 5th), MacNab (216, 7th) and Jones (198, 14th) also had their best runs on their second attempts over the course. Non scorers in the team competition for HRV were Paxton Beukelman (26th) and McIntire (29th).

HRV’s Matthew Schreiber also qualified for state but was injured and was not able to compete.