With the 2008 XC season nearly upon us, it is time to look at the contenders for both team and individual glory this fall in the
Teams
Cheverus: Finished 2nd in both the Western Maine Regional and Class A State ChampionshipTaylor Dundas is their top returner, 9th in both the Regional & State meet last fall, along with fellow junior Tim Woods (32nd in 2007) they form a powerful top two. Although he wasn't a varsity runner .jpg)
last fall, freshman sensation, Jack Terwilliger will look to build on his track success from this spring, which saw him run (4:29-1600/10:02-3200). He figures to be in the top 3 for the Stags. Cheverus lost several key athletes to graduation (Bobby Britten, Martin Duval, Danny Downey, Patrick McCann, & Raleigh
Scarborough: Although the Red Storm were dethroned from the top spot last fall, they still had a respectable 4th place finish at the state meet after finishing 5th in the Western regional. The team is hungry to return back to the top spot and have a strong nucleus returning with 6 out of the top 7 back. The Red Storm will be led by Craig Robinson (Sr. 8th in 2007) and Sam Chick (Sr. 13th 2007). Robinson had a strong spring that saw he drop his personal best in the two mile by 18 seconds (9:53). Also returning from last year's top 7 are Joe Prosack (Jr. 40th in 2007), Duncan Scott (Sr. 52nd in 2007), Nick Violette (Jr. 54th in 2007) & Sean Griffin (So. 107th in 2007). In addition to these returners, Scarborough had a deep JV squad last fall. Brad Nakanishi (Sr.), Zach Brown (So.) Jay Vachon (Sr.) will all look to crack into the top seven for the Red Storm. The question that everyone seems to want to know the answer to is whether or not track standout Nate Hathaway is going to switch over from soccer. If he does make the switch, the Red Storm may be the team to beat.
Thornton Academy : Thornton is coming off one of its most successful season’s in school history, the Golden Trojans finished 3rd in the Western Maine Regional and 6th in the state meet. They return 4 of their top 7 from last fall. They will be led by top returner in the Western Maine Regional, Marc Beauchmin (Sr. 6th in 2007). Complimenting him will be Tom Letourneau (Sr. 30th in 2007), Letourneau had an excellent run at the Beach to Beacon (36:31) a couple of weeks ago. Along with Bradley Duqette (Sr. 34th in 2007), & Tom Quentin (Jr. 36th in 2007) gives the Trojans a solid nucleus. Look for the Trojans to continue building on last year’s success.
Massabesic: The Mustangs are coming off a strong 2007 campaign where they finished 7th in the Western Regional & 10th in the state meet, they return 5 out their top 7. Ben Morrison (Jr. 23rd in 2007) is the top returner, he’ll be looking to continue the success he had last fall. Other returners from last years squad are Madison Moody (Sr. 55th in 2007), Ryan Anderson (Jr. 70th in 2007), Peter LePage (So. 61st in 2007), & Nate Cortright (Jr. 68th in 2007). With the experience they return they could leapfrog some of the teams that were in front of them last year, a top 3 finish in the Western Regional is well within reach as is another top ten performance at the state meet.
Other Teams to watch
Bonny Eagle
Gorham
2007 Western Maine Regional Team Results
1 Portland High School
2 Cheverus High School
3 Thornton Academy
4 Marshwood High School
5 Scarborough High School
Top Individuals
Taylor Dundas: (Jr. Cheverus) .jpg)
to improve on last year’s individual performance as well as lead his team to the title.
Tim Woods 
(Jr. Cheverus) Woods is another threat to win the individual state title this fall. In 2007 he ran to 32nd place finish at the Western regional but rebounded at the State meet with a 16th place run. Woods will be looking to make the jump to the next level this fall. Woods had a solid spring season finishing 4th in the 800 at the state meet.
Craig Robinson (Sr. Scarborough) Robinson is a serious threat to capture the Class A western regional title this fall based on his improvement during the outdoor track season. Last year he finished 8th in the regional meet then 20th at the state meet. Robinson had a stellar spring where he improved his 3200 from 10:11 down to 9:53, as well as his 1600 from 4:49 to 4:30.
Marc Beauchmin (
Tim Belanger 
(Jr. Bonny Eagle) Belanger may not be the biggest runner in the field, but more than makes up for that with his toughness and ability. He ran to a 17th place finish at the Western regional in 2007. Belanger continued his success on the track this spring, running 9:55.91 for 3200.
Others to watch
Sam Chick (Sr. Scarborough)
Cole Hutchinson (Jr. Portland)
Ben Morrison (Jr. Massabesic)
Tom Letourneau (
Jack Terwilliger (So. Cheverus)
Team Prediction
Cheverus & Scarborough look to be the top two teams on paper. Cheverus has one of the best top 3’s in the state, and gives them an edge over
1. Cheverus
2.
3. TA
Individual Prediction
The winner here is going to be the athlete that handles the hills at Twin Brook. Beauchmin showed last year that he’s adept on a tough course and shouldn’t be counted out.
1.
2. Robinson
3. Belanger
4. Beauchmin
5. Woods