Six Team and Six Individual Titles Awarded in Belfast

Around 1:45 in the afternoon the heavy fat raindrops that had begun to pelt runners at the start of the day's last race turned to snow on the windshields of cars making their way out of the Troy Howard Middle School Parking lot to head home from Belfast. The State's best high school cross-country runners had again assembled for the State Meet.

In the end the Scarborough boys and Bonny Eagle girls teams claimed the Class A Team Championships. Junior Lisandro Berry-Gaviria of Mt. Ararat repeated as the boys individual Champion, with a new personal best, while sophomore Sofie Matson of Falmouth also repeated, claiming her second title.

In Class B the Ellsworth, with a shade more breathing room than they had in the regional meet last weekend, took top team honors, while Cape Elizabeth sophomore Lila Gaudrault used a strong second mile to storm to the individual championship. On the boy's side a first time champion, Alfie Walker (16:18.84) of Fryeburg brought home the individual title.  A huge kick in the last 150 meters to moved Walker from third to first. York collected team honors for Class B.

As the Class C races got underway the predicted bad weather that led the Maine Principals Association to move the start time up an hour moved in. The boys race was run under threatening skies and temperatures dropped noticeably. Maine Coast Waldorf School took command to claim the boy's team title. Henry Spritz (17:03.07) of Waynflete raced to his second consecutive individual title.

Minutes before the gun for the girls race a cold ran began to pelt an already muddy course but Olivia Reynolds laughed it off, noting after the race that "we're from Maine." Reynolds matched the Maine Coast boys team by collecting an individual title for herselfl. The girl's team title however went to the Orono. It was the Red Riot's second title in as many years and their fifth in six years.

Although the rain didn't start in earnest until the sixth and final race of the day, the weather did impact the race. In addition to starting early, the time allotted to each race was compressed from the typical forty-five minutes to thirty-five minutes in an effort to get the event completed by early afternoon. The weather over the past week made the course at Belfast wet and muddy. By the end of the first race the area between the official's shed and the starting area had been so trodden upon by spectators that the walking was greasy and treacherous. For the most part though runners reacted by adjusting their routes, running tangents, as Lila Gaudrault told Milesplit, adding layers, gloves, or hats.

Full Stories:

Scarborough Storms to Boys Class A Championship

Matson Repeats, While Bonny Eagle Takes Team Title

Ellsworth Wins Class B Team Title, Gaudrault Wins Race

York Wins Class B Boys Title: Walker of Fryeburg is Champion

Dynasty: Orono Takes Fifth Girls Title in Six Years