By Eric Mace and Meghan Kincheloe
Special to Larson Newspapers
The Sedona and Mingus School Mountain Bike Club’s season finale race for the Arizona Cycling Association series was held at McDowell Mountain Regional Park outside of Fountain Hills on Oct. 18 and 19.
The flowy singletrack trails were in great condition after recent rains. This was a special race weekend, with medals awarded for the individual races as well as the season awards. These overall season rankings determine which riders will continue to the State Championships, so a lot was on the line for the competitors.
Sedona and Mingus athletes and coaches rode the race courses on Saturday afternoon before the race, giving them a feel for the trails and an opportunity to strategize for the next day’s event. Athletes then gathered around the campfire for a meal designed to provide the right nutrition for optimal race performance.
Once the sun had set, the team headed out on a night ride to ramp up the stoke and calm the nerves. This night ride has become a team tradition each year at the McDowell race.
North Conference teams raced on Sunday, and middle school riders started the day off with two laps of their 3-mile loop. Seventh-grader Jackson Campbell maintained his 10th place position and Hunter Brady worked hard for 33rd place. In the sixth-grade boys category, Korbin Nelson took 13th place, Max Holton nabbed the 15th spot and Theo Wilkins finished strong in 28th place. Rowyn Mandeville returned to the track after missing the last race, earning 13th position in the seventh-grade girls category.
High school riders were on a different course that included a steep climbing section. Boys Varsity rider Greyson Stevens completed four laps of the 5.6-mile course at a scorching pace for his best result of the season, finishing in third place. Junior Varsity 1 boys rode three laps of the high school course, with Quincy Mabery taking seventh place and Logan Jankowski finishing in 11th. Junior Varsity 2 rider Talon Manderville was finally able to snag a first place finish after holding the second spot all season after completing two laps of the course. Fellow JV2 rider Tyne Brady moved up in the ranks, getting closer to the top 10 with an 11th-place finish. In the girls Junior Varsity 2 race, Danae Dearden held on to a top spot after two laps, finishing in fifth place.
Sedona and Mingus freshmen boys continued to dominate the podium after their two laps of the course, with Cormac Kincheloe finishing in second place, Noah Nelson taking third and Vincent Pugliano back on the podium in fifth place. Joseph Weiss had his best finish of the season, moving up three positions to crack the top 10 with an eighth place finish. The Mingus branch of the team once again took second place in the team competition among all north conference Division 2 schools.
State rankings for the end of season brought lots of smiles for the team. Overall North conference series results for the high schoolers are: Danae Dearden, sixth; Greyson Stevens, fifth; Quincy Mabery, sixth; Logan Jankowski, 12th; Braxton Malapanes, 17th; Talon Mandeville, second; Tyne Brady, 16th; Cormac Kincheloe, second; Noah Nelson, third; Vincent Pugliano, fifth; Joseph Weiss, 11th. Middle school overall series results are: Jaxson Campbell, 10th; Hunter Brady, 29th; Max Holton, 10th; Korbin Nelson, 13th; Theo Wilkins, 25th; Anish Ali, 35th; Rowyn Mandeville, 14th.
The State Championship race were held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1 and 2, at Fort Huachuca, near Sierra Vista. The top 50 riders from each category in the North and South conferences finally have the chance to face off and crown the state champions. All Sedona and Mingus team riders made the cut to compete at this epic showdown.
Eric Mace and Meghan Kincheloe are coaches of the Sedona and Mingus School Mountain Bike Club.
