LOCK MILLS –- Most sports teams end their season after the state competition, however in alpine and Nordic ski racing, the top state finishers go on to the state selection teams and compete in the TD Bank Eastern High School Championships. And some of the best 14- and 15-year-olds compete in cross-country competition in the TD Bank NENSA J2 Championships and National Invitational.

MTA’s Luce and Luce have done it again placing themselves in the ranks of the Maine Selection Alpine Team. MTA freshman Nordic speedster Sadie James held her own at the J2s held in the beautiful Jackson XC ski resort in Jackson, N.H. last weekend. James is also eligible to compete in the EHSC events next weekend.

James found herself 30th out of 104 eastern freestyle racers in a 5K on Friday. Racers included teams from as far as Washington State and Idaho and some were invited to come down north of the border.

“These kids are fast, and they are getting faster each time they race; at this age it is important to keep offering new challenges,” explains Jackson XC Executive Director Thom Perkins on their Web site. “The last time we held a championship for this age group, the overall winners were Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell, who are now Olympians; I am confident that one or more of the kids racing this weekend will be in the Olympics in 2014 or 2018.”

James improved to 18th in the 5K Classic and 35th in the 1.2K sprint. In the mixed medley relay, she and three other Mainers came in 10th out of 51 teams.

In combined team scores, Maine was second in boys’ racing and third in girls.

Combining scores from the three individual events over the weekend James found herself 18th of the 104 racers which is second best of any Maine skier and a good indication that she’s one to watch ahead. In boys’ racing, MTA’s Trent Rosenberg made it to the impressive Jackson event as an alternate. Here he saw some of the greatest competition in the east if not the country.

In alpine action, MTA made their mark in high school skiing with the eight impressive runs put down by Emily and Erin Luce.

Mt. Abram Ski Resort hosted the event for the best skiers from Class A-C who finished in the top 10 in either slalom or GS at the state events. This made Emily who is the state Class B champion in both slalom and giant slalom and Emily who took a sliver as top prospects.

To qualify for the 12-person girls’ or 12-person boys’ state selection team, racers add their best run in GS followed by their best run in slalom. MTA was racing with the state’s top competitors such as Jay’s Lindsey Jacques, MCI’s Rebekah Kallgren, Margaret Corrigan of Cheverus and Emma Christensen of Rangeley.

But the Luce sisters skied very well with Emily taking a third (2, 5) in GS and Erin grabbing a fifth (7, 4). Jacques won the GS that morning. This may be considered just a slow start for the Luce sisters.

In the more technical slalom event later that day, the Luce sisters delivered a decisive one-two punch. Emily (1, 1) won the event 0.7 seconds ahead of Erin in second place.

With the combined finishes, Emily leads the state selection team in ranking tied with Jacques. Erin is second best in terms of ranking on the state selection team. Kallgren and Christensen are also on their way to Gunstock N.H. for the TD Bank EHSC next weekend.