They had their own runs.
Their own times.
Their own approach to saving athousandth of a second around a gate.
But when students at Mamaroneck High look years from now at the plaque Charlie Roseberry, Robby Lundberg and Cole Lovejoy won their school, they’ll no doubt think of them as one.
One super team.
The three made their senior year – now fraught with uncertainty – special.
In a sport often dominated by teams from snow-rich,mountain-rich,upstate areas, Lovejoy, Lundberg and Roseberry combined last month to win the state boys team skiing championship.
As a result, the three, who went from rivals as freshmen to friends on a mission, share The Journal News/lohud boys Westchester/Putnam skier of the year award.
The three set their sights on the state title a year ago after finishing second as a team at the 2019 state championships.
After all three qualified for states again and combined to win the Section 1 boys team title with Lundberg winning giant slalom andLovejoy second and Roseberry third and Roseberry taking slalom with Lovejoy second, they approached states with what Lundberg described as an expect-nothing “underdog mentality.”
But after day one, they were underdogs no more, if they ever had been underdogs.
In a 61-skier field, Lovejoy finished fourth in slalom, Lundberg ninth and Roseberry 10th. With no other team having more than one person in the top 10, Mamaroneck knew it was poised to win.
The following day it was official. While Lovejoy lost a ski due to a missing boot pin, Lundberg took sixth and Roseberry 13th in giant slalom.
“The most exciting part was winning the state championship (after the GS),” Lovejoy said. “But the first day, when all three of us finished all our runs and were in the lead and were all in the top 10, we were the most motivated and excited. It was the closest we’d been and we were nervous and so excited.”
“We (went from) competing with each other (when younger) to instead competing together for a common goal,” said Lundberg, who joined the team as a seventh-grader and, like Roseberry, races outside school for Jiminy Peak.
Roseberry, who won the prestigious boys Section 1 skimeister title for lowest combined time among two slalom and two giant slalomruns atthe sectional championships, was a huge piece of the puzzle.
Roseberry, who got his start skiing at about age 4 at Mamaroneck’s home slope, Thunder Ridge in Patterson, moved to the district before his freshman year.
“To bring the plaque to the school was really surreal in a way,” Roseberry said. “It put us on another level with other (Mamaroneck) teams that won state championships. Here we are after four years, us three – a super small group skiing – finally making it to the same level as other, more developed teams.”
“We were grinding for it … and working so long. I feel really bad for other sports that didn’t get to have (state championships because of the coronavirus). But it has been so amazing to have it with my team," Roseberry added.
The three were honored with a unique mini-parade that included a police and fire department escort – the boys plunked in the middle with the plaque in a convertible as the tiny procession rolled from I-95 to Mamaroneck Avenue, finishing at their school, where parents and other ski team members greeted them and they piled onto the fire truck for photos.
“We were just running lights and holding up the plaque (on the way),” the Cornell-bound Lovejoy recalled. He noted thatsome people along the way looked confused, but others honked their car horns and/or waved.
“It was really cool,” said Lovejoy, who noted his mom later felt like a celebrity when stopped multiple times in the local supermarket and congratulated on the team’s championship.
Lovejoy noted a sign will go up in front of the school, joining others that celebrate other Mamaroneck state sports titles.
Once engraved with their names, thestate championship plaque he, Lundberg and Roseberry received will be displayed inside.
“It just felt good to bring it back to the school,” Lovejoy said. “Then it was a school accomplishment and included everyone, which was more fun.”
Boys coach of the year
Christine Crowley, Mamaroneck:Years ago, Crowley recognized the potential for Robby Lundberg, Charlie Roseberry and Cole Lovejoy to become the nucleus of Mamaroneck's team. She thought the three could combine to win sectionals and challenge for a state team title and she worked toward helping them do that. This year, they repeated as Section 1 boys team champs, then put Mamaroneck skiing in the record books, winning the boys state skiing title.
The rest of the Westchester/Putnam/
Rockland first team
Max Longhi, Jr., Nyack:— Longhi,who trains with Clarkstown but skis as an independent since Nyack doesn't have a team, is the Rockland boys skier of the year for a third straight year. He made states for the first time after finishing fifth in giant slalom, sixth in slalom and fourth in the competition for the much-sought Section 1 boys skimeister award (lowest combined time of the two slalom and two GS runs). Longhi finished 19th in slalom and 25th in GS at states.
Colgan O’Keefe, Sr., Croton — O’Keefe, who was a second-team all-star last year, finished third at sectionals in the skimeister competitionafter finishing fourth in both slalom and giant slalom. At states, he captured18th in GS.
Second team
Hayden Claussen, Sr., Scarsdale
Ivan Dudjak, 8th grade, Carmel
Matt Hutchings, So., Horace Greeley
Oskar Lombardi, So., John Jay-Cross River/North Salem
Reid Randolph, Sr., Horace Greeley
Luke Spieler, Fr., John Jay-Cross River/North Salem
Honorable mention: Ethan Anthony, Fox Lane; Damian Bednarsky, Clarkstown; Spencer Beran, Horace Greeley; Zach Berman, Scarsdale; Henry Bloss, Brewster; Harry Chadwick, Fox Lane; PJ Clark, Mahopac; Andrew Deakins, Dobbs Ferry; Andrew Dispensa, Suffern; Lucas Eberhardt, John Jay-Cross River/North Salem; Jack Edwards, Mahopac; Ryan Feeley, Fox Lane; Andrew Gershman, Horace Greeley; Joshua Gilden, Clarkstown; Matthew Halperin, Ardsley; Ryan Hamilton, Fox Lane; CJ Hessert, Horace Greeley; Paul Hodulik, Bronxville/New Rochelle; Chris Hunt, Edgemont; Peter Johnson, Ardsley; Kevin Kouril, Yorktown; Henri Lavion, Fox Lane; Matthew Levy, Ardsley; Chris Mancini, John Jay-Cross River/North Salem; Jeremy Mann, Scarsdale; Daniel Mastalerz, Clarkstown; Jack McCluskey, Suffern; Kevin Meyer, Suffern; Dirk Puleo, Horace Greeley; Zachary Purdy, John Jay-Cross River/North Salem;Aiden O’Neil, Blind Brook; Nick Quast, Ossining; Harry Samuels, Horace Greeley; Easton Sayer-McGill, John Jay-Cross River/North Salem; Jack Schlamkowitz, Bronxville/New Rochelle; Eddie Schluter, Yorktown; Spencer Schmidt, Carmel; Spencer Schutz, Yorktown; Owen Scinta, Brewster; Alex Simon, Blind Brook; Anthony Sorice, Suffern; Thomas Sorice, Suffern; Frederick Stok, Croton; Ryan Stuzin, Edgemont; Ray Thompson, Bronxville/New Rochelle; Alessandro Troncosso, North Rockland; Thomas Zosin, Scarsdale
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track &field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at both @HaggertyNancy and at @LoHudHockey.
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