By Margo Roeckl

The weather was cold and snowy, making the bus trip up the hill ponderously slow, but the DHS snowboard team racers were fast and furious once they got on the slopes.

In the final slalom race of the 2011-12 regular season on Monday at Boreal Ridge Resort, the DHS snowboard team placed first again and continued to put distance between itself and the other teams in Central Division II.

For the Davis varsity girls, Kayla Robinson finished eighth, with teammates Monica Lopez-Islas ninth and Brittney Gingerich-Brooks hot on her heels in 11th place. Valerie Hurst finished 19th to give the Davis varsity girls a third-place finish.

The varsity boys racers came in tightly packed together. Nick Howell had a speedy seventh-place finish, with teammates Josh Robinson, Nicholas Wehrhan and Brian Simmons right behind, finishing ninth, 10th and 11th overall. This gave the varsity boys team a second-place finish. The combined varsity scores were enough to put Davis on top once again.

The Davis team has been No. 1 in all three slalom races this year and hopes to continue this kind of success at the state meet next month. Heading into the final race of the regular season, Davis holds first place in the division with a total of 2,385 points, trailed by North Tahoe in second with 2,301 points.

“It seems highly unlikely that any of the teams will be able to bridge the gap in the final race, so it appears that Davis has clinched the division title this year,” a beaming coach Marcia Heller announced.

DHS senior Warren Quattrocchi led the junior varsity boys, finishing fourth overall, closely followed by Kyle DiBiasio (fifth) and fellow DHS seniors Danny Pugh (sixth) and Parker Fritch (10th).

“Our seniors have been outstanding all year,” Heller said.

Seniors Nick Howell and Josh Robinson have been heading up the varsity boys team this season with Jackson Vanover, Brice Corcoran and Blake McDonald also racing varsity. Fritch showed his versatility this year by having first- and second-place finishes in slalom and giant slalom in the open division.

Quattrocchi’s finish in Monday’s race — first for Davis and fourth overall — was a personal best this season. Pugh, who was out of the race circuit last year due to injury, was a steady force in the open division with solid third-place finishes in slalom and giant slalom races.

Self proclaimed “park rats” Andrew Stoye, Sam Vanderlist and Eli Siegel all worked hard, improving their form this past year, and all plan to attend colleges where they can continue to snowboard, with Stoye committed to attending the University of Utah.

Lopez-Islas is the sole female racer graduating this year and has been a leader among the varsity girls racers for the past two years. She has enjoyed racing giant slalom best and will have one more chance to race GS in the regular season in the final race scheduled for Friday at Sugar Bowl.

In reflecting on this year’s senior class, coach Heller said, “I’m really going to miss this group of graduating athletes next year. I have had the pleasure of coaching most of them for the past three or four years, and they are hard-working, talented athletes, fine young adults and really a lot of fun to be around.

“It will be a wonderful send-off for them to end their high school race experience with a No. 1 team finish.”

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Parker Fritch rides down a snowy, slippery course at Boreal on Monday in the open divison race. Courtesy photo

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Graduating senior Andrew Stoye attacks the slalom course at Boreal on Monday. Courtesy photo

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