(Cumberland junior Amy Laverty won the girls' race with a PR of 19:01.02)
The Cumberland High boys were minus two of their top five runners at Saturday’s Maine Festival of Champions.
But it still didn’t stop the Clippers from coming home with the goods.
Spurred by a runner-up placement from junior Sean Laverty, the Blue and White won their fourth title at the regional meet, defeating No. 1 seed Scarborough, Me., 135-144. The meet is one of the biggest in Maine, attracting some of the top schools from the Pine Tree State and more than 800 runners each in the boys’ and girls’ races.
“We were missing David Agudela and Harry Travers,” said longtime Cumberland coach Tom Kenwood. “Without them, I thought we had a good chance to finish in the top three. This is our fourth time winning this meet. We always seem to have good luck (here).”
Laverty, one of the state’s best runners, clocked a personal best time for the challenging five-kilometer course. He dipped under 16 minutes for the first time with a fast 15:54.10 clocking. Sam Nish of Hardwood Union, Vt., claimed the individual crown with a time of 15:50.48.
“Sean really looked strong,” Kenwood said. “It wasn’t an easy course. It’s pretty challenging. It was a good job on his part.”
The Clippers, who last captured the meet in 2012, also had strong placements from senior Abdullah Kaba and junior James Haupt. Kaba placed 14th overall with a PR of 16:28.7 and Haupt crossed the line in 16:38.30, also a PR. Rounding out the scoring was senior Matt Fownes (44th, 17:10.81) and junior William Mardo (56th, 17:23.09).
Burrillville, which also made the trek north, had a top finish from junior Zach Durand, who was 46th overall in 17:12.68.
In the girls’ race, Cumberland junior Amy Laverty claimed individual honors with a PR of 19:01.20. Laverty was trailing defending titlist Hannah Steelman in the closing stages of the race.
“She pulled away on a small hill near the finish,” said Clipper coach Joyce Bonner. “We have been doing repeats on hills and I have been telling the girls to go hard, even after they get to the top. I told them their legs might feel like crap but they will come back. The hill (at the Festival of Champions) was 200 yards from the finish. She came up that hill and passed (Steelman) and never looked back.”
Cumberland senior Nichole Barger was an impressive fifth overall with a PR of 19:13.78. She was just ahead of Burrillville senior Betsy Dumais (sixth, 19:15.04). Cumberland’s Meaghan Scullin was 14th in 19:30.43. Julia Dempsey (54th, 20:45.72) and sophomore Colleen Enestvedt (108th, 21:39.10) completed the scoring for the Clippers.
“We are getting better and better every week,” Bonner said. “I am really excited about the season. We don’t have quantity but we have quality. We just got to keep them healthy.”
For results, photos and more, click here.