Results
With the regular season winding down, the state's top athletes and teams are making every attempt to distance themselves from competitors in their respective conferences.
On a sunny but breezy Friday at Old Town High School, the Hampden Academy girls and Brewer boys took important steps toward PVC supremacy.
Paced by distance ace Helen Shearer's two individual wins - and she also anchored a winning 4x800 relay - the Broncos tabulated 135 points to outdistance Brewer, which tallied 119.
Old Town took third with 97 points, while John Bapst (40) and Bangor Christian (2) rounded out the field.
Shearer, a sophomore, keeps establishing herself as the distance runner to beat in the PVC, cruising to victories in the 1600 and 3200.
Shearer broke the tape in 5:21.53 in the 1600 and 11:40.57 in the 3200.
Eliza Parker, a freshman, contributed to Hampden's distance dominance with a win in the 800 (2:30.59), perhaps giving Broncos' followers flashbacks to the days of the likes of Oriana Farley.
Hampden's prowess wasn't limited to the distance events, with Christie Woodside earning second-place finishes in the high and triple jumps and winning the long jump with a mark of 16-4 and the 100 hurdles in 16.11.
The Broncos' other individual winners were Moxie Flanagan's 8:27.27 finish in the 1600 race walk and Bella Soucy's 1:03.54 effort in the 400.
Old Town's Oliviah Damboise was the meet's other double-winner, taking the triple jump (34-7.50) and pole vault (9 feet).
In the boys' meet, Brewer's 1-2 throwing punch of Jacob McCluskey and Garrett Graham continued their superb seasons, as the Witches compiled 134 points to easily outdistance Hampden's 96.
Old Town and John Bapst each tallied 70 and Bangor Christian 19.
McCluskey, enjoying a storybook campaign after suffering an injury, was second in the shot put to Graham while winning the javelin (146-1) and discus (151-0).
Graham's winning effort in the shot put was measured at 52-5 while he was fourth in the discus and second in the javelin.
Andrew Gillette also continued a fine pole vault campaign for the Witches, clearing 11 feet to claim first place there, while Brewer went 1-2-4-6 in that event.
Brewer's other double-winner was Coleman Gary, who swept the 110 and 300 hurdles.
The distance races, similar to the girls' meet, were dominated by Hampden, as Connor Glowa led a 1-2-3 Broncos' finish in the 1600.
Wyatt Lord and Brewer's Jon Donnelly put on a dazzling display in the 800, with Lord edging out Donnelly, clocking in at 1:59.14, a Hampden facility record, while Donnelly was timed in 2:00.04.
Ben Cotton of John Bapst also set a facility benchmark with his 22.84 finish in the 200, along with a 20-7.50 mark in the long jump.
Hampden's Jason Mathies posted a strong 10:16.99 in winning the 3200.