By David Fierro
Showing speed, passion and persistence on the slopes, Greenwich High School’s boys skiing team has indeed, proven to be one of the premier squads in the state so far this winter.
The Cardinals have already won several of the Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League races it has competed in thus far and have hopes of excelling in the postseason meets and capturing a state championship.
“Going into the season, we knew we had a group of boys that could duel,” said Greenwich captain Thomas Ybarra, who is first on the team’s racing start order. “After a second-place finish last year for Class L, we knew we had to start strong. We had a rocky start, but we have been rounding out to be a pretty strong and consistent team.”
In the Cardinals’ CISL race at Mount Southington on Jan. 22, they finished first in the team standings out of 12 teams. Greenwich registered a combined team time of 286.37 seconds. Rival Fairfield Prep was the runner-up with a team time of 286.71 seconds, followed by Staples (291.31), Fairfield (293.12) and Ridgefield (293.12) to round out the top-five squads.
Ybarra posted Greenwich’s best finish at the Jan. 22 race, finishing his first run in 24.35 seconds, his second run in 21.79, giving him a total time of 46.14 seconds. He placed seventh overall in the race.
Owen Benison had the Cardinals’ next top finish at the race with a time of 46.81 (24.37, 22.44). Benison was 11th overall in the race.
“This is my third year on the team,” said Benison, who is second on Greenwich’s start order. “Given how many seniors we lose next year, most of the team knows that our generation’s best shot at a championship is this season. We aren’t willing to throw that away. We know what it will take, and every member of our team has stood up to the challenge.”
Steven Hartofilis placed 15th at the race on Jan. 22, clocking in at 47.2. He raced his first run in 24.57 and his second in 22.63. Hartofilis knows the Cardinals are looked upon as one of the team’s to contend with for the Class L championship.
“This is a team of skiers,” Hartofilis said. “We transcend the abilities of our rivals and have made it clear we are competitors. When you win 1st in a race, you become the target, you become the standard. It is up to us to continue to push that envelope and set that index higher and higher until no team can compete with the Greenwich Cardinals.”
Ryan Park placed 20th at the Class L race on Jan. 22 (25.43, 22.69 – 48.12) for GHS. Also racing for the Cards were Massimo Risi (48.67), Asher Sisca (49.43), Hayden Winig (51.7), Nicolas Sosa (51.85), Kiko Ivanov (54.67) and William Kruper (62.34).
“This year we had lots of motivation coming into the season and high expectations being that most of our team are returning racers,” Park said. “We haven’t had many practices this year, but we’ve been making the most out of what we have and it’s really been reflected in our races.”
On Jan. 29, Greenwich also won the CISL Class L race at Mount Southington, earning a team time of 285.31 seconds. Fairfield Prep placed second in the 12-team event (286.6) and Staples was third (290.76).
Ybarra skied to a second-place finish with an impressive time of 45.56 (24.16, 21.40).
“I am super proud of how everyone has been able to take to the coaching and extra review,” Ybarra noted. “I see a lot of drive to win and the pursuit of excellence is definitely here.”
Hartofilis finished in ninth place at the Jan. 29 race (46.75 – 24.42, 22.33), while Benison placed 11th in 47.02.
“We put in the extra effort on and off-season, and so far, it’s paid off. I hope it continues to do so,” Hartofilis said.
Park posted a time of 47.81 (25.01, 22.80), good for 17th place and Sisca registered a time of 48.42 for Greenwich’s top-five finishes at the Jan. 29 competition.
“A lot of racers stepped up this year and I couldn’t be more proud,” Park noted. “However, we still have a lot to prove in the last two races and until we reach our goal of a state championship, we’re still out here grinding and getting prepared both physically and mentally.”
At the Class L race on Feb. 7, Greenwich placed third in the team standings (273.17). Fairfield Prep won the race (267.63). Ybarra produced the Cards’ top finish, placing fourth in 42.97 (22.50, 20.47). Benison finished his two runs in 44.28 (11th place) and Park clocked in at 45.7. William Monaco registered a time of 46.34 and Sosa had a time of 46.77 to also pace GHS.
Greenwich was second in the team standings at the CISL Class L event on Jan. 24, with a time of 275.86. Ybarra raced to a fifth-place showing (43.91 – 22.84, 21.07).
“So far the season is going pretty well,” said Ivanov, a team captain. “We have won 3/4 races so far and came third in the one race we didn’t win. We have incredibly high expectations and desires this year for the team and our future.”
“The group of guys we have right now are all exceptionally hard workers and I’m super proud of them,” Ivanov added. “We still have lots of work to do as we still have one more race and then the state open. I can’t wait to see what the near future holds for us.”
