PVC XC Championship Meet Preview

Virtual Meets

            As the regular season winds down to a close, championship season knocks on the door. This Saturday, The PVC Championship Meet (Large School and Small School) takes place in Bucksport, with several individuals and teams looking to take the #1 spot.

            For the boys Large Schools, senior Josh Zapsky of Hermon High School looks to leave his mark in his final PVC Championship race, as he enters the contest with the #1 seed time of 17:13.38, which placed him 2^nd in the Sectional XC Invitational meet a couple weeks ago. Chasing him will be a strong pack of Mt. Desert Island High School runners, led by junior Peter Philbrook (17:35.20) who is followed by a trio of seniors: Ralph Magnani (17:38.39), Jordan Harris (17:39.09) and Ethan Craigo (17:51.62), who hold places of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th respectively.

            From a team perspective, MDI should have no problem taking home the team victory if their front pack can work together to help one another to the finish. Caribou High School is certainly a team to watch, as they have a strong pack themselves. Led by senior Mitchell St. Peter (18:05.29) and closely followed by Caleb Hunter (18:05.46) and the freshman duo of Evan Desmond (18:09.33) and Daniel Rudolph (18:09.50), this race could come down to which team’s 5^th runner can step up under pressure.

            The boys Small School competitors possess the top 3 runners in all of PVC. Junior Tristian Butterfield of Orono High School will look to back up his #1 seed time of 16:34.31 that he ran at the XC Sectional Invitational and 16:49.67 performance that earned him a 29^th place finish at Festival of Champions a week ago, by taking 1^st in this race. Senior and #2 seed Matt Toussaint (16:43.40) of Fort Kent Community High School has a great chance at the upset victory, as he is the only other runner in the meet with a seed time under 16:45. #3 seed sophomore John Hassett (16:56.48) of George Stevens Academy has something to prove, losing to Butterfield by less than 7 seconds and only 3 places at Festival of Champions, while beating Toussaint by a single place.

            The Orono High School boys are the team to beat, as freshman Matt Kersey (17:19.22), sophomore Lowell Ruck (18:10.51) and freshman Jonathan Spencer (18:18.23) add depth behind Butterfield, coming in with seed places of 4^th, 5^th, and 8^th respectively. As opposed to the underclassmen-heavy team of Orono High, Fort Kent High will rely on their upperclassmen leadership as sophomore Skyler Bernstein (18:25.15) pulls senior Sam Oullette (18:31.70) and junior Charles Parham (18:35.42) along with him, to assist Toussaint.

 

 

            The girls Large School competitors hold three seed times under the 20-minute barrier. Senior Haley Lawrence of Ellsworth High School is the girl to beat, coming in with the top seed time of 19:26.29 that earned her a 9^th place finish at Festival of Champions. Right on her heels are two seniors from Mt. Desert Island High School; Waylon Henggler (19:27.70) and Caroline Driscoll (19:33.55) who are seeded 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. 

            As for the team win, it would take something just short of a miracle to knock off MDI. Led by Henggler and Driscoll, Lydia DaCorte (20:18.59) sees herself belonging in the top 5, followed by 9^th seed Sakura Sunagawa (21:22.48) and 10^th seed freshman India Janes (21:25.54). Caribou High School will give it their all, as they provide the biggest threat for MDI, led by 8^th seed Robyn Larrabee (21:19.13). If they can’t pull off the upset, we could see a clean sweep of the Large School contests by MDI.

            How about Hannah Steelman of Orono?! The biggest surprise in girls Class C XC so far this year, Steelman, a sophomore, placed 2^nd at Festival of Champions running a time of 19:03.65, which not only seeds her 1^st in the PVC Championship Small Schools and all of the PVC, but 4^th overall in Maine – all classes. Tia Tardy, also a sophomore, of Mattanawcook Academy, enters with the race with the #2 seed time of 19:19.24, which she ran at the Sectional XC Invitational - beating Steelman by almost 10 seconds. Look for Tardy to bounce back from a 26^th place finish at Festival of Champions and contend for the PVC Small School title. Senior Lily Koffman (19:33.68) and sophomore Kassidy Dill (19:45.74) both of Orono High School, enter with the only other sub 20-minute performances, seeded 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

            Much like the Large School team standings, this one looks to be a blowout. Led by Steelman and followed by Koffman and Dill, Orono High is seeded to win by 24 points. George Stevens Academy is their closest competitor, led by freshman and #5 seed Eliza Broughton (20:31.18). She seeks help from 7^th seed Hanna Gutow (20:51.83) and 10^th seed freshman Zeya Lorio (21:55.69). If George Stevens High can’t pull the upset, look for another clean sweep in the team standings, this time from the boys and girls of Orono High School.