print page | send as email | email editor

Jackson senior Ben Dann tucks as he carves around a gate during his second giant slalom run Friday at Snow King. Dann posted the best combined time for the event of 1:33.26. NEWS&GUIDE PHOTO / PRICE CHAMBERS

View our entire photo gallery >>

The Jackson Hole High School girls’ alpine ski team had a sense they had outpaced Pinedale for the Wyoming High School state alpine championships Saturday at Snow King.

However, it wasn’t until the podium announcement afterward that it became official. The Broncs outlasted Pinedale by the slimmest of margins – 125-124 – to win the state title on their home mountain. It was a sweet win for the Broncs, who had their streak of nine straight state titles snapped by Pinedale last year. Following the announcement, all 14 varsity and junior varsity girls rushed to the podium to celebrate their title. There was hardly enough room for all of them.

“They had a feeling they won because they won on Saturday,” Hansen said. “But to have it be one point is still pretty close. It was neat to see all of them, including the JV girls, jump on the podium.”

The Bronc boys, meanwhile, repeated as state champions with far less suspense. Led by All-State points leader Rob Brennan, the boys coasted to a dominating 154-51 win over second place Natrona County.

“Even though they were expected to win, it was still awesome,” Hansen said. “They all stood up and finished.”

The Bronc girls did not get off to a spectacular start to the weekend. The girls watched standout sophomore Sarina Scott fail to score any points after she made a few crucial mistakes on the giant slalom course Friday. Senior Natalie Meadows helped out, though, with a second-place time of 1:37.22. Sophomore Cora McCandless was fourth (1:38.93), senior Teal Barmore sixth (1:39.80) and junior Mackenzie Binger ninth (1:42.16) on Friday.

Nonetheless, the Broncs trailed by six points going into Saturday’s slalom.

“I was concerned, but I knew we were still in it,” Hansen said. “Last year we lost by nine points. I think last year we were winning on Friday and we lost. I knew things would swing.”

On Saturday, Scott rebounded with a second-place time of 1:49.47, 1.03 seconds behind Pinedale’s Laney Johnston. Meadows was fourth (1:50.83), McCandless was seventh (1:52.31), Binger ninth (1:58.56) and Barmore tenth (1:59.30).

“I thought our girls came out and skied really well on Saturday,” Hansen said. “In some ways they skied as a team. Sarina had a shot at a state championship, but she wanted to make sure she got a good finish for the team points. Teal Barmore skied well for us. Natalie is our senior captain. She led the team both days.”

The team also got a boast from senior Hannah Roush, who did not make the lineup but played a key role, Hansen said.

“She was basically a nice part of the backbone as a senior even though she wasn’t on the slopes,” Hansen said. “It’s nice to have those kids who love the sport and just get what they get out of it. They’re giving back to the team in more ways than scoring.”

Pinedale’s Amy David won the girls All-State points title, 164-162 over Scott. Meadows was fourth.

For the Bronc boys, meanwhile, it was all about domination. Senior Ben Dann won Friday’s giant slalom with a time of 1:33.26. Senior Brennan was second (1:34.51) while senior Patrick Finnegan was fourth (1:35.07) and junior Ty Tarrant fifth (1:35.12). Senior Kevin Lucey was sixth (1:35.50) and sophomore Taylor Meadows ninth (1:40.31).

On Saturday, the Broncs took four of the top five spots. Finnegan was first (1:42.84), Dann was second (1:44.64), Lucey third (1:45.63) and Tarrant fifth (1:56.52). Brennan was seventh (1:57.68).

Jackson’s depth was certainly illustrated over the weekend. Dann and Finnegan winning individual titles, and Brennan winning the All-State points title, in spite of his seventh-place finish Saturday. Brennan beat out teammate Finnegan 192-191. The Broncs other first-team All-State members were Tarrant, Lucey, Scott, Meadows. On the second team was Dann and Binger. McCandless, Barmore and Danika Comey were All-State honorable mention.

The teams will be honored in a parade from Jackson Hole High School through the Town Square Thursday beginning at 11:15 a.m.