This season, the Cougars were the ones being hunted on the final day of the state championship. But no one could track them down ad they skied their way to a second consecutive state title Wednesday at Mt. Abram.

“Very proud of the team effort,” Mt. Blue coach Mark Cyr said. “That’s all they care about is team. When they talk about how they did, they’re really talking about how they did in relation to the team and how they helped the team. That’s what we stress all the time, every year.”

Mt. Blue placed four skiers in the top 15 and accumulated 40 points in the giant slalom event. The Cougars compiled 40 points in the slalom Tuesday, finishing the state meet with 80 points. They entered the day 33 points ahead of Greely and 35 clear of Scarborough. Mt. Blue finished 78 points ahead of Edward Little, which jumped two teams en route to a second-place finish. 

Scarborough (201), Greely (204) and Gorham (264) rounded out the top five. 

Dillon Robert led the Cougars with a sixth-place finish in the giant slalom. He completed his two runs in 1 minutes, 30:77 seconds. For Robert, it was a bit of redemption. He wiped out twice at last year’s meet — once on both the giant slalom and slalom — and didn’t factor into his team’s scoring. He again fell Tuesday on his second run and had to settle for 50th.

“I just wanted to finish and I knew that if I finished I could get a good time up, a good place up,” Robert said. “I really wanted our team to win and we did.”

Kyle Farrington, who was second in the slalom, took eighth in 1:31.19. Anthony Franchetti (1:33.26) and Mitchell Haines (1:34.28) finished 10th and 12th, respectively. All three placed in the top 12 on Tuesday. 

While the Cougars had a healthy lead this time around, it was a sharp contrast from a year ago when they found themselves trailing Oxford Hills by six points entering the final event of the season. 

“We went in last year knowing we had to step up in the slalom and everybody did,” Farrington said. “We got a little more sleep last night than those nights last year.” 

For some of the Mt. Blue skiers, skiing with a lead allowed them to breathe a little bit easier. For others, it added some extra pressure.

“I thought day one we skied really well, but knowing we had a little bit of a lead, it took some pressure off us and let us ski to our ability,” Farrington said. “We just said, ‘You need to ski your race and do what you can.'”

“I think in some ways it’s harder because you have pressure on you not to fall and not to lose your lead,” Robert said. “We were fighting to make sure that we would have the championship again.”

The Cougars won the overall state title with 168 points between the four disciplines. Oxford Hills finished second with 449 points. 

Biddeford’s Curtis Paradis captured the giant slalom crown in 1:26.31. His first run of 42.82 was the fastest time of the day. 

Edward Little placed two skiers in the top 16 to help the Red Eddies climb up the standings on the final day. Maxx Bell (1:30.77) and Kyle Mooney (1:34.96) finished seventh and 16th, respectively.

There was an EL skier atop the girls’ giant slalom rankings as well, as Brooke Lever finished second in 1:43.52. She entered her final run in fourth place, but leaped both Marshwood’s Sophia Syrene and Alex Shapiro with a second run time of 52.36. She finished second in the slalom Tuesday, as well. 

“I think I skied pretty well,” Lever said. “There were a couple parts on the course that were a little rough for me on the second run. First run felt solid and that’s what I need to do for my team. I stood and that’s all I could do.” 

Lever’s teammate, Samantha Herrick, finished in the top 10, coming in ninth in 1:49.72. 

The Red Eddies finished second behind Falmouth with 135 points. They leapfrogged Greely in the process, outscoring the Rangers by 35 points in the giant slalom. 

Greely’s Jeannette Cunningham had the fast time on the girls’ side, finishing her two runs in 1:38.12, more than five seconds ahead of Lever. 

Falmouth grabbed the girls’ alpine title with 85 points. Greely (156), Oxford Hills (198) and Marshwood (221) rounded out the top five. Falmouth also won the overall state title on the girls’ side, sweeping all four disciplines.