
Preparation Pays Off as Janczarek Caps Lake Orion Career with Best Finals Finish
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 13, 2025
The recent stretch of warm weather might have melted snow and ice and indicated ski season is over, but don’t tell that to Broden Janczarek.
Since he left the Division 1 Finals on Feb. 24 at Nub’s Nob, the senior from Lake Orion has been his usual busy self.
He has been to training and racing sessions in Oregon, Colorado, and Canada, adding to his world skiing travels.
Janczarek said the highlight came last summer, when he traveled to Chile (during its winter) to enjoy two weeks of breathtaking scenery, food that was cooked by chefs each day and skiing.
“We were staying right at the base of the mountain,” he said. “We were walking out of our little condo, skiing open to close and then starting right back over the next day.”
While his experiences skiing around the world and on junior circuits are near and dear to him, so is his experience skiing for the high school team, which was beyond fruitful.
During his time in high school, Janczarek:
- Won the Southeast Michigan Ski League giant slalom and slalom titles last year, and the slalom this year. He was second in giant slalom this season.
- Qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Finals all four years. (This season the Dragons qualified as a team as well.)
- Posted three top-10 finishes at the Finals, including a runner-up in giant slalom this season.
- Accumulated a 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom.
Then again, competing as a skier from Southeast Michigan and nearly beating elite skiers from the Upper Peninsula and the northern part of the Lower Peninsula shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, since he has done it for years at weekend junior competitions.
“It was nice to kind of show them what’s going on in Southeast Michigan,” Janczarek said.
Janczarek said his love for skiing started early in life, beginning when his dad taught him the sport at age 3. He got serious into racing when he was 7, and by the time he got into high school he was already accomplished, having trained with Pinnacle Alpine Racing based out of Pine Knob.
He said there were two big components that drew him most to the sport.
“Partially the adrenaline rush of racing, but also the community,” he said. “You wouldn’t realize it with skiing because it’s more of a solo sport. But the team bonding you make and the close friendships you have, it can make or break your experiences in the sport. I was fortunate to have some good teammates, some good friends and even better coaches along the way.”
Lake Orion head coach Karl Basigkow said the biggest thing that has separated Janczarek from the rest is the way he prepares for different tracks, gate placement and terrains each course has presented.
“He’s a student of the sport,” Basigkow said. “His technique is excellent. Every race course and venue is different, and with that in mind the tactical side is always in development.”
What also has complemented Janczarek on the slopes has been his time on the pitch as a soccer player.
He played soccer at Lake Orion for all four years of high school primary as a center back, which he said gave him extra cardiovascular endurance for ski races. In turn, he said skiing and all the concentration that sport forces an athlete to develop have helped him be a better soccer player.
“If I had just done one over the other, I wouldn’t have been a better athlete for it,” he said.
At the Finals, while the biggest accomplishment was finishing second in the giant slalom — which was his best finish at a high school state meet — the biggest compliment to him might have been how he handled one mishap in the slalom.
Janczarek had a straddle on the first run of slalom that pretty much took him out of the competition, but he didn’t hesitate to go up for his second run and finish.
“I know there is a lot of people in the sport of ski racing that if they have a bad run, they’ll just not take their second run or just leave and go home,” he said. “I think it’s important you give your all every time you’re on the ski hill.”
Janczarek will continue to give it his all in college, as he plans to ski for Northern Michigan University.
He said he wants to stick with skiing “as far as it will take him,” whether it’s something beyond college competitively, or just as a coach to influence others.
Basigkow said Janczarek was generous with his time all season in the way he counseled younger skiers on Lake Orion’s team, and saw firsthand how coaching could be in his future.
“Just to get other people the same love for the sport I have,” Janczarek said.
PHOTOS (Top) Lake Orion's Broden Janczarek cuts past a gate during a slalom run at the Division 1 Finals at Nub's Nob. (Middle) Janczarek comes to a stop after a giant slalom run. (Click for more by Tori Burley.)

Dehlin's Title Sweep Leads Marquette Boys' Return to Top Spot in Division 1
By
Nick Cooper
Special for MHSAA.com
February 25, 2025
HARBOR SPRINGS – Sam Dehlin’s final high school ski runs can undoubtedly be declared a success.
The reigning Division 1 Finals champion in the slalom once again took home the crown in that event and added another accolade to his resume with a first place in the giant slalom on a warm Monday at Nub’s Nob.
Dehlin also propelled the Marquette boys to the team championship as the Sentinels scored a combined 50.4 points, 13.5 fewer than second-place Traverse City West.
“Overall, I think it was a really good. I think all the people on our team skied to the best of their ability,” said Dehlin.
His first-place finish in the slalom clocked in at a combined time of 70.16 seconds, with Marquette teammates Conner Henry taking second place with a time of 72.99, Brady Audette finishing fourth (75.63) and Ben Kuhl sixth (76.52) solidifying an outstanding showing by the Sentinels as each earned first-team all-state honors.
Marquette’s team championship was its first since completing a run of eight straight in 2020. The Sentinels had finished third the last two seasons.
Not to be outdone, the Traverse City West and Central boys both finished among the top three. West finished in second place with a score of 64 points, and Central was third with a score of 103 points including the meet’s best giant slalom score of 25 points. Finishing fourth through ninth respectively were Clarkston (155), Lake Orion (203), Detroit Catholic Central (210), Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (256.5), Milford (261) and Northville (262).
Also earning first-team all-state in the slalom were Central third-place finisher Jace Rowell (74.27), West’s fifth-place finisher Cam Lewandowski (76.48), West’s Dane Lewandowski (76.56) in seventh, Central’s Trevor Suttle (77.02) in eighth, West’s Grady Ellis (77.28) in ninth and Brighton’s John Popov (78.37) in 10th.
“Overall, (we were) pretty consistent and stayed in the top 10 in both events, so that was good. The snow conditions weren’t ideal, but they worked, and we managed to get second overall,” said TC West’s Dane Lewandowski.
In the giant slalom, Dehlin secured the victory with a combined time of 52.88. Taking second was Broden Janczarek of Lake Orion with a time of 53.55. In third place, Traverse City Central’s Emerson Elkins clocked in at 53.91.
Giant slalom first-team all-state honors also went to Rowell in fourth, Kuhl in fifth, Cam Lewandowski in sixth, Ellis in seventh, Central’s Cooper Gerber in eighth, Dane Lewandowski in ninth, and Suttle in 10th.
As Dehlin’s career came to a close, the decorated slope star said he hopes to continue a passion that started long before high school.
“I've been skiing since I was 5 and then obviously racing high school all four years. (I’ve had) a lot of fun with high school racing. I’m kind of sad to see it come to a close. But I’m going to go to the University of Michigan (and) they have a club team that I’m going to try and join,” said Dehlin.
Click for full results. Click to watch NFHS Network broadcasts: Slalom | Giant Slalom
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Haven’s Maverick Hardebeck carves through a turn during the slalom Monday at Nub’s Nob. (Middle) Brighton’s Erik DeKeyser breaks past a gate during a slalom run. (Below) Lake Orion’s Raffael Anders finishes a giant slalom run. (Click for more from Tori Burley – photos to be added throughout this week.)