The ConVal boys’ Alpine ski team had a strong showing on its home course Monday, taking third place at the NHIAA Division II championships at Crotched Mountain in Bennington.

“I’m really proud of them,” ConVal head coach Holly Wilson said Monday evening, explaining that her team is not made up of the typical ski racers who compete outside of interscholastic racing. “We have kids from all walks of life, and they really are very good skiers – and they make great ski racers.”

The Cougars raced against the teams from Souhegan, Bow, Hollis-Brookline, Goffstown, Windham, Pembroke, Timberlane, Kingswood, Kennett, Hanover, Oyster River and Plymouth. With multiple schools that have close proximity to ski mountains, DII is perhaps the steepest competition in the state, Wilson said.

The Cougars have their own backyard mountain, Crotched, although after the weekend’s snowstorm, it wasn’t the same groomed corduroy and icy patches that “Ice Coast” skiers are used to, and the powder surplus was enough to slow down the racers’ times a bit.

“It’s not really optimal racing conditions when you get that much snow the day before a race,” Wilson said. “We’re used to our ice; we love that hard ice!”

Whether it was the unusual conditions or simply the realities of championship ski racing, the Cougars took a couple spills that cost them some points, but for the most part, they were able to power through. Senior Garret Rousseau, one of the team’s top skiers, had a disappointing day, finishing 29th in the slalom; he’d have a better finish in the giant slalom, where he was ConVal’s best at 14th place.

“He’s a very consistent racer, but it just wasn’t his day,” Wilson said.

Ben Fraley took a fall that hurt his slalom finish, but he still managed a good enough time in the giant slalom (1:21 combined, seventh place) to earn a spot in the Meet of Champions, set for Tuesday at Cannon Mountain.

“I love that we’ve had one kid make it to the Meet of Champions every year that I’ve been coaching, which is awesome,” Wilson said.

ConVal also got good performances from Cole Dexter (20th GS, 20th slalom), first-year racer Kai Reitnauer (24th GS, 26th slalom), Ben Carrara (43rd GS) Kellen Steere and Logan Montano, who was 25th in giant slalom. Montano crashed during the slalom race but was able to hike back to the gate and ultimately finish 50th to help his team reach the podium.

“That’s the beauty of this high school racing,” Wilson said. “If you finish, your score matters, even if it’s a poor finish, and the team with the most scorers, that’s how you get points. So I always tell them ‘Finish, no matter what. Even if you have to hike, it’s OK. And that’s great, because you’re taking a really individualized sport and you’re making it a team sport, and that’s what I love.”

Hanover took first place as a team with Kennett second and ConVal third. Hanover’s Peak Temple won the giant slalom in a combined 1:18.71, and Hanover’s Hayden Clapp took first in the slalom in 1:12.21.

The ConVal girls got their chance on Tuesday at Cranmore Mountain at their own Division II championship race, where Zoey Lazzaro raced to a ninth-place finish in the slalom (1:20.69), earning a spot in the Meet of Champions. Also racing for ConVal were Eliza Bull (38th, 1:46.51), Izzy Jobin (37th, 1:46.40), Regan Kirin (48th, 1:56.45), Kate Fraley (45th, 1:55) and Lucy Kandilakis (40th, 1:50.58).

Myra Johnston of Kennett won the slalom in 1:14.49.