The Dalles ski team had three athletes competing at the OISRA State Championships last weekend on Mount Bachelor with freshman Maddie Gragg finishing in 32nd place for the team’s top finish. Louis Red Cloud scored 50th place in the slalom and Matt Gragg claimed 55th place. In the photo are, from left to right, head coach Dane Klindt, Hannah Biehn, Matt Gragg, Ethan Martin, Maddie Gragg, Petra van Kessel-Ervin, Addie Klindt, Emma Diede, Louis Red Cloud and assistant coach Joe Ferres. Not Pictured are, Ian Fitzgerald and George Harrison.
The Dalles ski team had three athletes competing at the OISRA State Championships last weekend on Mount Bachelor with freshman Maddie Gragg finishing in 32nd place for the team’s top finish. Louis Red Cloud scored 50th place in the slalom and Matt Gragg claimed 55th place. In the photo are, from left to right, head coach Dane Klindt, Hannah Biehn, Matt Gragg, Ethan Martin, Maddie Gragg, Petra van Kessel-Ervin, Addie Klindt, Emma Diede, Louis Red Cloud and assistant coach Joe Ferres. Not Pictured are, Ian Fitzgerald and George Harrison.
As the curtain falls on a promising winter ski campaign, one thing is certain: Maddie Gragg is going to be a major topic in the state championship conversation over the next few seasons.
Gragg, a freshman, placed 32nd overall and teammates Matt Gragg and Louis Red Cloud each earned top-55 status in slalom action during Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association State competition on Mount Bachelor in Bend.
Facing off with 97 other female slalom racers on the famous Thunderbird Course, Maddie Gragg posted two-run times of 57.42 and 58.68 seconds for her 1:56.10 to secure 35th place, 26.82 seconds behind the overall leader, Oregon Episcopal School’s Samantha Woodring, who notched a 1:29.28.
The freshman added a giant slalom time of 1:31.88 after marks of 47.67 and 44.21, which put her in 36th place, out of 96 participants.
Woodring scored a giant slalom win with her final time of 1:23.26 and a combined 2:52.54, 2.87 seconds ahead of Hood River Valley’s Josie Peterson (1:24.43 giant slalom, 1:30.98 slalom, 2:55.41 combined).
Those four completed runs gave Maddie Gragg her 3:27.98, just 35.44 seconds off the top pace.
Woodring swept the field with her title-winning combined times of 2:52.54, besting Peterson (2:55.41), Wilsonville’s Kiera Bertell (2:57.64), Baker Early College’s Ava Lilley (2:57.91) and Summit’s Keely Buchanan (2:58.02).
“Maddie skied very solid and as a freshman, 32nd place is quite an accomplishment. I am very proud of her,” TD head coach Dane Klindt said. “Maddie was also honored with a Sportsmanship of the Year award for the league at the state awards ceremony. All our kids from The Dalles are great at helping in the league with any work that needs to be done. I think they all deserve an award, but Maddie really stood out. For her to be recognized at the awards ceremony Friday night was really special. She totally deserves it.”
In the boys’ division, Red Cloud had an opening slalom run of 45.90, but came back strong his second try with a 43.72 to end up with his 1:29.62 for 50th place.
Matt Gragg, a senior, had a good start at 44.90 and then capped his day at 45.36 to lock down a two-run mark of 1:30.26 and 55th place, out of the 108-person field.
“Louis was very cautious his first run, but on his second run, he got his confidence going and skied a great run to get 50th overall in slalom,” Klindt said. “Matt also skied two very solid runs.”
Both Gragg and Red Cloud struggled in the giant slalom portion aboard the Thunderbird Course in Friday’s action, as Matt Gragg posted a 57.11 on his first attempt, which put him in 39th place, but after catching an edge on his second try, he could not complete his race and was given a DNF (did not finish).
Red Cloud ran into trouble at the 10-gate mark and came up empty in his first giant slalom attempt.
After bending his skis on that first attempt, Red Cloud had to use assistant coach Joe Ferres’ skis and placed 62nd overall following a 1:00.57 second try.
Central Catholic’s Tucker Scroggins picked up first place with his combined time of 2:45.50, finishing 8.49 seconds ahead of Lakeridge’s Jihoon Pak (2:53.99) and 9.93 in front of Ty Glumbik (2:55.43), also from Lakeridge.
Jesuit’s Hayden Mills (2:55.46), Summit’s Ty Zuber (2:55.60) and Lake Oswego’s Laz Glickman (2:59.34) made up the top-6 individuals.
On Wednesday, TD’s entire team participated in the Skiercross event.
Ian Fitzgerald, George Harrison, Emma Diede, Addie Klindt, Petra van Kessel-Ervin, Maddie Gragg and Hannah Biehn were all eliminated in the first round.
Matt Gragg, Red Cloud and Ethan Martin all advanced to the third round.
“Louis and Ethan collided with each other on the fourth turn of the course and went up and over the berm and into the snow fence,” coach Klindt said. “It was a wild race with a lot of contact. There was a double jump at the end that made for some very exciting finishes.”
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