With returning squads mostly intact, and former Boothbay Region High School and UMaine running star and international race walker extraordinaire Lauren Forgues stepping in as coach, the BRHS cross country teams look set for another competitive year.

Coach Nick Scott, who has led a running resurgence at the high school, has chosen to step back this season to focus on family health matters. In the wake of that loss, the teams have Forgues, a dedicated athlete and determined competitor, available to take the helm.

“It was a spur of the moment job opportunity and it was perfect timing for me,” Forgues said. “It's been a whirlwind. I got the job and we had the first practice within three days.”

Forgues said she will be following Scott's detailed workout schedule for the season; and if all goes as planned, she expects Scott to return to coach next year.

In the meantime, both Scott and team members are relieved to have Forgues coaching. “The first day at practice, the kids said they were glad it was me and not someone old or inexperienced with racing,” she said.

“The program is very fortunate to have her,” Scott wrote in an email. “She is a very talented athlete who has lots of experience and knowledge in the world of distance running.”

Forgues is enjoying the challenge and responsibility and said she is pleased with the level of commitment shown by the athletes. “I'm pretty impressed. When I was in high school, I remember kids not caring about cross country. It's nice to have a team that really cares and is invested in all the work,” she said.

Looking at the season, the boys team may have a slight competitive edge over the girls once again this year, but both teams are solid. Derek Veilleux, Maine Track XC/Milesplit, using 2012 cross country times ranked BRHS boys as number one in Class C for 2013, but acknowledged that not a lot separates the top contenders. Veilleux ranked BRHS girls fourth for the state in Class C in 2013, but some newcomers may better Boothbay’s odds this season.

For the boys, although the loss of 2013 graduate and lead runner Alex Owen is substantial, most of last year's top male runners are returning this year and freshman running star Joey Paolillo joins the squad.

Scott said of Paolillo, “Joey P. will make a huge impact on the team as a freshman. He is the real deal and it will be interesting to see how his times compare with Chase Brown's freshman season.”

Forgues said the team ran their first time trial last Friday and the results were impressive. Seniors Benn Scully and Robert Campbell and Paolillo bested the boys field, running a 5:30 mile pace. The three appear poised to be the team's front runners.

The battle for fourth through seventh place on the team will be tight and should be interesting to watch this season. Veteran teammates senior Jack Hasch, juniors Kyle Alamo, Kyler Carty, Trystan Mercier and sophomore Matthew Burnham and newcomer senior Brad Drummond are all in the running for scoring spots.

“Only seconds separate these guys, which is fantastic for the team,” Forgues said.

For the girls, Sophia Thayer, who has dominated girls cross country at BRHS the last three seasons, is expected to end her senior cross country career as she started: at the front of the pack. Thayer won both the girls Mountain Valley Conference and Western Regional Championship races last year, a first for BRHS.

But Thayer may have to dig a little deeper this year to keep the number one slot with sophomore Hannah Morley nipping at her heels. Thayer's best posted 5k time last year was 20:03 and Morley's, in her first year of high school cross country, was 20:48.

Junior Morgan Crocker will undoubtedly join Thayer and Morley as a scorer this year. A strong competitor, Crocker's best 5k time last year was 21:52.

These three are sure to deliver top scores for BRHS this season and Forgues said she is looking to freshman Kate Friant and junior Ashley Reed to round out the scoring pack.

“Friant has amazing potential, she's going to be a great runner,” Forgues said. “I expect huge improvement for her over the season.”

Reed's kick in the final stretch is particularly impressive Forgues said, “I think she will be an solid inclusion in the top five. She can kick and that's what we need. We need someone who can pass other runners at the end of the race. We didn't have that last season and it hurt the team.”

Forgues said both teams are running well in practices and will have their first competition of the season at Medomak on September 6. The home race, a highlight of the season scheduled for September 18, is currently in jeopardy due to tennis court construction on the BRHS campus. Forgues said she is hoping to find a solution so the team can enjoy the home turf advantage.

Sue Mello can be reached at 207-844-4629 or suemello@boothbayregister.com.