The area’s high school snowboarders raced to alpine state championship medals last week during two days of competition at Northstar California Resort.

Student-athletes from Truckee and North Tahoe went up against the best riders from the California-Nevada Interscholastic Ski and Snowboard Federation’s snowboard leagues, and captured individual and team titles in giant slalom and slalom.

Truckee won the combined team state title, which is a total of all giant slalom and slalom scores from boys and girls’ racing. The Wolverines amassed 1,272 points during the two days to edge Oak Ridge by three points.

North Tahoe finished the championships with 956 points to take 12th out of 23 teams.

Individually, Lakers senior Nina Burt captured the combined title behind a first-place finish in Wednesday’s giant slalom event and a second-place finish the following day in slalom. Burt finished with 239 points, topping Oak Ridge’s Skylar Gray by two points.

In Wednesday’s giant slalom race, which was held on Hornet’s Nest, Burt sat in first place after her second run with only one rider, Mount Shasta senior Tate Harkness, yet to go. Harkness scorched the course on her first run, holding more than a 5 second lead on the field and posting the fastest time of any rider, regardless of gender. Unfortunately, she’d crash near the bottom of her second run, leaving Burt in first place and with a giant slalom state title.

“I feel bad,” said Burt. “She’s really good. (Harkness) definitely deserved it more than I did.”

Burt went on to place second the following day in slalom with a total time of 1 minute, 45.51 seconds. Harkness took the title against a field of 73 other riders with a combined time of 1:39.92.

North Tahoe also had junior Bailey Haas take ninth in slalom. Haas finished the two days seventh in combined with 226 points.

As a team, the Lady Lakers two-day point total landed them in third place with 637 points. The Foothill snowboard team won the title with 657 points.

Also in slalom, the Truckee girls had senior Morgan Just (1:56.24) take fifth place, and senior Ashley Parisi (1:58.54) take seventh place. Just and Parisi’s performances earned the two all-state honors for placing in the top 10 in combined. Just finished in fourth place with 232 points. Parisi was fifth with 231 points.

As a team the Truckee girls finished the two days in fourth place with 635 points.

Truckee boys finish third overall

Colfax junior Tyler Suddjian wrapped up a sweep of the two events by winning Thursday’s slalom race by more than 2 seconds, finishing with a combined time of 1:40.91. Suddjian’s giant slalom and slalom state championships earned him the combined title with a perfect score of 240 points. Suddjian also led a Colfax boys’ squad that captured the team title with 656 points.

Truckee junior Zac Kuch followed a third-place finish in giant slalom by placing fourth in slalom with a total time of 1:45.99. Kuch finished third place in combined with 235 points.

Truckee also had senior George Skaff land on the all-state list, finishing sixth in combined with 226 points.

As a team, the Wolverines finished in third place with 637 points.

North Tahoe senior Cali Vail led the Lakers in slalom with a total time of 1:51.40 to claim 10th place. Vail finished ninth place in combined to earn all-state honors.

As a team, the Lakers boys finished in 19th with 319 points. In the combined boys and girls’ team scores, North Tahoe finished in 12 place with 956 points.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.