SALEM—
On
Sunday,
June
14,
the
Galena
Growlers
traveled
to
Salem,
New
York,
in
the
northeastern
corner
of
the
state
for
their
fourth
and
final
race
of
the
season—the
Crazy
Uncle’s
New
York
State
Championship
Race
at
Franhofer
Farm.
The
weather
could
not
have
been
better
for
racing.
Riders
were
greeted
with
sunny
skies,
warm
temperatures,
and
a
refreshing
breeze
across
the
open
sections
of
the
course.
Once
racers
entered
the
woods,
the
tree
canopy
provided
welcome
shade
from
the
summer
heat.
The
championship
venue
featured
two
race
courses:
a
1.7-mile
loop
for
middle
school
riders
and
a
challenging
2.8-mile
course
for
high
school
athletes.
The
trails
were
dry
and
fast,
featuring
technical
switchbacks,
a
sustained
climb
to
the
top
of
the
mountain,
and
plenty
of
flowing
berms
that
allowed
riders
to
carry
speed
and
race
aggressively.
The
Growlers
embraced
the
challenge
and
delivered
an
outstanding
day
of
racing.
Middle
School
Results
The
Growlers
fielded
three
middle
school
racers
at
the
State
Championship.
5th
Grade
Boys
Story Continues Below Adverts
Elliot
Mondics
capped
off
a
tremendous
season
with
a
13th-place
finish
out
of
35
riders
in
the
State
Championship
race.
Elliot
completed
the
two-lap
event
in
30:27
with
lap
times
of
14:48
and
15:38.
His
strong
performance
secured
13th
place
overall
in
the
season
standings.
Elliot
showed
consistent
improvement
throughout
the
year
and
should
be
proud
of
an
excellent
season.
5th
Grade
Girls
Adeline
Vazquez
continued
her
remarkable
growth
as
a
rider,
finishing
11th
in
the
State
Championship
race.
Addie
completed
the
two-lap
event
in
53:32
with
lap
times
of
25:24
and
28:07.
After
joining
the
Growlers
just
two
months
ago,
Addie
made
tremendous
strides
in
her
riding
ability
and
confidence,
finishing
the
season
ranked
11th
overall.
Middle
School
Advanced
Boys
Elijah
Mondics
delivered
one
of
the
team’s
top
performances
of
the
day,
earning
a
fourth-place
podium
finish
in
the
highly
competitive
Middle
School
Advanced
category.
Eli
completed
three
laps
in
37:14
with
remarkably
consistent
lap
times
of
12:14,
12:35,
and
12:24.
His
performance
at
States
capped
off
a
season
in
which
he
achieved
one
of
his
primary
goals—earning
a
podium
finish
in
the
Advanced
Middle
School
division.
Eli
finished
third
overall
in
the
season
standings
and
demonstrated
what
dedication
and
hard
work
can
accomplish.
High
School
Results
The
Growlers
brought
five
high
school
racers
to
the
State
Championship
and
continued
to
prove
they
can
compete
with
the
largest
programs
in
New
York.
Freshman
Girls
Margaret
Kemnah
raced
to
an
impressive
second-place
podium
finish
at
States,
completing
three
laps
in
59:19
with
lap
times
of
18:52,
20:39,
and
19:47.
Story Continues Below Adverts
Throughout
the
season,
Margaret
engaged
in
an
exciting
back-and-forth
battle
with
McKenzie
Empie
of
the
Otsego
team.
One
week
Margaret
would
claim
the
top
spot,
and
the
next
McKenzie
would
answer
back.
The
competition
pushed
both
riders
to
new
heights
and
made
for
one
of
the
most
exciting
rivalries
in
the
league.
Margaret
finished
the
season
ranked
second
overall
in
New
York
State.
Freshman
Boys
John
Gracey
turned
in
one
of
his
strongest
rides
of
the
season,
battling
through
a
field
of
27
riders
to
earn
an
outstanding
eighth-place
finish
at
States.
John
completed
the
three-lap
race
in
53:11
with
lap
times
of
17:36,
18:11,
and
17:24.
His
effort
secured
an
11th-place
finish
in
the
season
standings
and
demonstrated
the
steady
progress
he
made
throughout
the
year.
Sophomore
Girls
McKenzie
Hagenbuch
showed
incredible
determination
in
overcoming
adversity
during
her
race.
After
suffering
a
chain
issue
on
the
opening
lap
that
cost
her
at
least
two
minutes,
McKenzie
fought
her
way
back
through
the
field
to
claim
a
third-place
podium
finish
at
the
State
Championship.
She
completed
the
race
in
1:04:10
with
lap
times
of
23:18,
20:51,
and
19:59.
McKenzie
finished
the
season
ranked
fourth
overall
in
the
state.
Both
Margaret
and
McKenzie
represented
the
Growlers
with
outstanding
performances
throughout
the
year.
Growing
girls’
participation
in
mountain
biking
remains
a
major
focus
of
our
team,
and
we
hope
to
welcome
even
more
female
riders
to
the
Growlers
next
season.
Sophomore
Boys
Malakai
“Kai”
Hagenbuch
raced
to
an
eighh-place
finish
at
States,
completing
the
three-lap
race
in
54:17
with
lap
times
of
17:20,
18:46,
and
18:10.
Kai’s
consistency
throughout
the
year
earned
him
an
eighth-place
overall
finish
in
the
season
standings,
matching
his
State
Championship
result.
Varsity
Boys
The
Growlers’
lone
varsity
rider,
Amon
Oliver,
continued
his
strong
season
with
a
seventh-place
finish
at
States.
Racing
four
laps
totaling
approximately
11.2
miles,
Amon
completed
the
course
in
1:10:13
with
lap
times
of
16:47,
17:53,
17:48,
and
17:43.
As
a
junior,
Amon
still
has
another
year
of
racing
ahead
of
him,
and
his
seventh-place
finish
both
at
States
and
in
the
season
standings
provides
a
strong
foundation
heading
into
2027.
Team
Results
Entering
the
State
Championship,
the
Galena
Growlers
were
ranked
sixth
overall
in
New
York.
The
team
scored
1,935
points
at
States,
finishing
just
15
points
ahead
of
Rochester
Youth
Cycling
and
only
56
points
behind
the
Niskayuna
Mountain
Goats.
Point-scoring
riders
for
the
Growlers
were
Amon
Oliver,
Margaret
Kemnah,
McKenzie
Hagenbuch,
and
John
Gracey.
Story Continues Below Adverts
When
the
final
season
standings
were
tabulated,
the
Growlers
finished
sixth
overall
in
New
York
State
with
7,728
points.
The
team
finished
only
270
points
behind
the
fifth-place
Grey
Ghost
Composite
Team
and
84
points
ahead
of
Rochester
Youth
Cycling.
The
four
teams
ahead
of
the
Growlers
were
large
programs
from
Saratoga,
Albany,
Syracuse,
and
Niskayuna.
Throughout
the
championship
weekend,
many
teams
and
coaches
stopped
by
to
tell
the
Growlers
they
were
rooting
for
the
small
but
mighty
squad
as
they
battled
programs
with
significantly
larger
rosters.
For
a
team
that
brought
just
five
high
school
racers
to
the
State
Championship,
finishing
sixth
in
the
state
is
an
accomplishment
everyone
associated
with
the
program
can
be
proud
of.
Looking
Ahead
to
2027
The
2027
season
will
bring
significant
changes
to
New
York
NICA
racing.
The
New
York
league
will
transition
from
its
traditional
spring
season
schedule
(December
through
June)
to
a
fall
racing
calendar
running
from
July
through
October.
Riders
will
compete
in
a
three-race
spring
series
followed
by
a
three-race
fall
championship
season.
The
Growlers
are
excited
about
the
change
and
hopeful
that
warmer
weather,
longer
daylight
hours,
and
improved
riding
conditions
will
help
attract
even
more
young
athletes
to
the
sport.
The
future
is
bright
for
the
Galena
Growlers,
and
we
are
already
looking
forward
to
the
2027
season.
#MoreKidsOnBikes
Congratulations
to
the
Galena
Growlers
on
an
outstanding
season
and
a
sixth-place
finish
in
New
York
State.
For
a
small
team
competing
against
some
of
the
largest
programs
in
the
league,
that’s
an
impressive
accomplishment.
-Information
from
the
Galena
Growlers