Scarpella wins state GS title


Skier takes crown with fastest first and second runs
By Cody Olivas Herald Sports Editor
Thursday, Feb 17, 2022 5:59 Updated Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 6:01

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Durango High School junior Toby Scarpella won several races throughout the alpine ski racing season, but on Thursday he won the biggest high school race in the state.

Competing in the CHSAA state giant slalom championships in Winter Park, Scarpella had the fastest first run of the day, 59.97 seconds, which gave him a 1.26-second lead heading into his second run.

In his second run, Scarpella solidified his lead with the fastest run of the round: 1:02.23, helping him win the state giant slalom title in a combined time of 2:02.20.

“He was super-aggressive and fast,” said DHS head coach Jill Carithers. “He’s that kid; he’s probably the fastest kid out there.”

David Connors of Aspen finished second with a combined total of 2:04.39, and Dylan Smith of Summit finished third in 2:04.89.

The ski area, however, received 3 to 4 inches of snow before the event, softening up the course and causing ruts that were difficult to avoid.

“It was a challenging course because of the soft snow conditions were causing it to rut,” Carithers said, noting that several Demons did not finish both their runs. “It’s one minute, so there’s no time to make any errors.”

Barron Bronson also scored a top 20 finish for the Demons, placing 18th with runs of 1:05.55 and 1:09.62.

Dane Englund placed 34th with runs of 1:10.75 and 1:16.54 to round out the Demons team scoring.

Ian Fehr was in 31st after his first run of 1:08.90, but did not finish his second run. Zach Oliver didn’t finish his first run, but completed his second one in 1:11.18, the 25th-fastest of the round. Holden Bronson didn’t finish his first run either, but laid down a 1:16.62 in his second attempt. Only 46 of the 62 boys and 48 of the 64 girls completed both runs.

Madison LeSage led the Durango girls with a 25th-place finish. She skied her first run in 1:14.33 and her second in 1:15.38 for a combined time of 2:29.71.

Lauren McClellan finished her first run in 1:15.23 and her second in 1:18.26 to finish 29th in a combined 2:33.49.

Annabel Carithers was in 20th after her first run of 1:12.51, but caught an edge and spun out during her second run and did not finish.

Ava McClellan skied a 1:16.21 and was in 38th after one run but did not finish her second. “She was skiing incredibly fast and aggressive,” the coach said. “They put it all out there, it just didn’t work out.”

Alaysia Cullum put down a 1:17.51 run on her first lap, but didn’t finish her second run either.

Coach Carithers said the ruts that formed in the course “ate them alive.” She said it was a little inconsistent at first, going from powder to ice, but that conditions improved by the second round.

Paige Peterson of Summit claimed the girls GS title in 2:12.66.

The Demons will return to Winter Park Friday for the slalom championships, and the coach said Scarpella “absolutely” has a chance to win a second title. “He feels slalom is his better event,” coach Carithers said.