Maine Festival of Champions Team Preview

On the girls side the top ten ranked teams in our most recent MileSplit Maine team rankings will square off on Saturday. The anticipated showdown between top ranked Portland and second ranked Bonny Eagle should be a good one as it appears not much separates these two teams on paper if all athletes for each team competes. With the New England Championship happening on the Troy Howard Middle School course in November there are several out of state teams competing. The top ranked team in Connecticut Glastonbury is making the trip north to get a course preview, while two ranked New Hampshire teams Bedford (#4) and Winnacunnet (#6) are also entered hoping to make an impact along #5 ranked Harwood, VT. Coming into the meet we usually have a better idea of where teams stand but with the cancelation of the Southern Maine Classic two weeks ago things are still up in the air, we should have a much better idea of how all the teams across the state stack up after Saturday.

Bonny Eagle is the two time defending Festival of Champions winner, they will be ready to win there third title in a row but it won't be easy. Last week at Massabesic they ran without their #4 and #5 runners an Portland was able to handle then 26-43. However it is still difficult to gauge the results as it is still possible the Scots weren't going all out due to the nature of the course. With the loss the Scots likely have some extra motivation to prove last week was a fluke and they are still the team to beat. Portland likely gained some confidence with last week's win but Saturday is another chance with hopefully both teams at 100 percent. Glastonbury is on par with both teams and likely will be in the conversation for the top team on Saturday as well. Below is a breakdown of the top seven from those three teams.

Team Breakdown

Bedford, NH is our fastest team for 5k this fall with a 19:42 average. Bonny Eagle the two-time defending FOC champion comes in with a strong 20:11, while top ranked Connecticut team Glastonbury has a 20:15. Cumberland, RI is another squad to watch for with there 20:19 average.

Falmouth is the only team entered in the meet with a pack time under one minute, they lead the way with a 50 second pack time.