SARANAC LAKE — The local high school Nordic ski teams of Section VII raced Tuesday night under the lights of the Dewey Mountain Recreation Center in the first day of the sectional championships.

As lake effect snow bands dumped steady snow onto the course, the teams competed in a relay format, with three skiers per team. Both the boys and girls races were hotly contested, with less than 30 seconds separating the top teams as the Lake Placid boys and the Saranac Lake girls came out victorious.

In the boys race, the Blue Bombers’ top team of Aidan Fay, Connor Mannion and Colin Francis took home the win with a combined time of 24:34. Saranac Lake’s No. 1 team of Alex Evans, Liam Stoddard and Mason Stoddard were 26 seconds back in 25:00, while Saranac Lake’s of Keaton Daley, Emmett VanBuskirk and Ebin Meissner had a strong effort, finishing third in 25:22.

On the girls side, Saranac Lake’s Tyler Burth, Cadence Kennedy and Pepper Laxson took home the win with a time of 27:25. They were followed by Lake Placid’s Maya Garrison, Holly Erenstone and Lelia Fey in 27:49. Saranac Lake’s of Kaylee Holmes, Lila Zobel and Amelia Evans took third in 31:56.

The teams were slated to meet for their final race of the year, second day of sectionals, on Wednesday at the Paul Smith’s College VIC. The winning teams will represent Section VII at the NYSPHSAA State Championship meet.

Below are the complete results from Tuesday’s race.

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BOYS

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Team

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1. Colin Francis, Aidan Fay and Connor Mannion (LP-1), 24:34; 2. Mason Stoddard, Alex Evans and Liam Stoddard (SL-1), 25:00; 3. Keaton Daley, Emmett VanBuskirk and Ebin Meissner (SL-2), 25:22; 4. Parker Scanio, Will Coffin and Jesse Carlson (LP-2), 28:45; 5. Graham Scull, Liam Gotham and Nick O’Brien (LP-3), 33:04; 6. Porter Dominesey, Miles Aaron and Khubaib Nader (SL-4), 37:26; 7. Teddy Rudow, Seth Schuster and David Wubbs (K-1), 56:03;

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Individual

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Colin Francis (LP), 7:52; Aidan Fay (LP), 8:05; Mason Stoddard (SL), 8:12; Keaton Daley (SL), 8:16; Alex Evans (SL), 8:17; Liam Stoddard (SL), 8:31; Emmett VanBuskirk (SL), 8:32; Ebin Meissner (SL), 8:33; Connor Mannion (LP), 8:37; Ben Ziemann (SL), 8:56; Parker Scanio (LP), 9:22; Will Coffin (LP), 9:23; Graham Scull (LP), 9:39; Jesse Carlson (LP), 10:00; Fletcher (SL), 10:53; Liam Gotham (LP), 11:00; Porter Dominesey (SL), 11:32; Nick O’Brien (LP),12:25; Jim Guglielmi (LP), 12:25; Khubaib Nader (SL), 12:54; Miles Aaron (SL), 13:00; Robert Bowen (LP), 13:38; Teddy Rudow (K), 15:25; Seth Schuster (K), 16:16; David Wubbs (K), 24:21.

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GIRLS

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Team

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1. Tyler Burth, Pepper Laxson and Cadence Kennedy (SL-1), 27:25; 2. Maya Garrison, Leila Fey and Holly Erenstone (LP-1), 27:49; 3. Kaylee Holmes, Amelia Evans and Lila Zobel (SL-2), 31:56; 4. Kelsi Burth, Lilly Patnode and Lauryn Caldwell (SL-3), 35:49; 5. Zarela Gulli, Lilah Stringer and Maialen Ayerra (K-1), 43:40.

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Individual

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Tyler Burth (SL), 8:57; Maya Garrison (LP), 8:58; Pepper Laxson (SL), 9:03; Leila Fey (LP), 9:06; Cadence Kennedy (SL), 9:25; Holly Erenstone (LP), 9:45; Kaylee Holmes (SL), 9:53; Amelia Evans (SL), 10:56; Lila Zobel (SL), 11:07; Kelsi Burth (SL), 11:23; Zarela Gulli (K), 11:42; Rose Wenzler (LP), 11:48; Lilly Patnode (SL), 12:12; Lauryn Caldwell (SL), Emily Bartiss (SL), 12:57; Lilah Stringer (K), 15:10; Julia Pickard (SL), 15:33; Maialen Ayerra (K), 16:38.