The Hopkinton High School boys ski team put together a strong season driven by numerous consistent performers. And the best news of all for the Hillers, most of their top talent is slated to return for not one, but two more winters.
“We have a consistent lineup with three boys who will be in or near the top 10 every week and the team has consistently been around fourth or fifth place in the races,” said coach Andrew Carlucci. “We have a lot of sophomores who have been stepping up and learning and doing well.”
Leading the way for Hopkinton is a junior, Barry O’Brien, who Carlucci calls the top boys skier.
“He has been in the top five most of the season.” Carlucci said, referring to O’Brien’s usual spot in the weekly meets. The veteran has brought more to the team than just his position on the slopes.
“He will help coach others and, because he has been doing this for a long time, he can help out other people to make the team a little bit better here and there,” the coach said. “He has a great personality. He is funny and very coachable.”
The rest of Hopkinton’s contributors are sophomores. Patrick Meehan is routinely in the top 10 and sometimes top five individually. Carlucci praised Meehan for his drive.
“He always wants to do well,” Carlucci said. “He wants to find the small things that can make him better.”
Meehan also is typically the first Hiller down the slopes, Carlucci added, and has taken to giving the rest of the team a bit of a scouting report before they compete.
Sophomore Ethan Boghosian is another strong skier who is on the cusp of being a regular top-10 finisher. Carlucci said he and the other younger athletes lift each other up.
“They have a good dynamic,” he said. “They are competitive, but in the right way. It’s not about disparaging one another, it’s trying to push one another. They want people to do well, and they have done well.”
Two more sophomores, Ryan Dow and James Kirkwood, are similar in ability and the “glue” of the team, according to Carlucci.
“They have great attitudes,” he said. “They are having fun and bringing people into the team and making it into a nice little team community.”
In the short term, Carlucci is hoping to see two or three of his skiers qualify for the MIAA state competition. Going forward, the tight-knit nature of the team and the plethora of young skiers bodes well for the program’s future.
“With those kinds of numbers and the makeup of the team, it’s likely the guys team will be good,” Carlucci said. “They are building that foundation.”
HCAM streams the alpine Ski races live each week on their channel and YouTube. Watch from the comfort (and warmth!) of home.