Southern Maine XC Regional Recap

Class C Results \ Class A Results \ Class B Results


On Saturday, the Class C girls got things underway in the Southern Maine Cross-Country Regional from Twin Brook Recreation Park. Runners and spectators were treated to spectacular weather conditions a direct 180 from a year ago. Boothbay/Wiscasset sophomore Karen Higgins took the race out fast as she stormed to the front in the opening meters. Higgins was joined by defending Regional champion Soren Stark-Chessa of Maine Coast Waldorf as the duo ran stride for stride through the first mile. Leah Harper of Madison and Paige Alexander of Waynflete trailed behind them with a chase pack of five about ten seconds back.

As the runners emerged out of the woods just after two miles not much had changed at the front as Higgins and Stark-Chessa continued to run side by side. Alexander and Harper continued to battle it out for third and fourth while Alexander's sister Grace led the chase pack. 

Class C Girls Race Video


The final mile would see Stark-Chessa pull away for another regional title as they clocked 19:09.37, a seventeen-second margin of victory over Higgins. The time was the fastest of the day among all class winners. Paige Alexander had a strong final mile as well as she pulled away for third (20:23), and Harper held on for fourth (20:56). Rahel Delaney of Maine Coast emerged from the chase pack for fifth (21:16).

Waynflete ran a smart race as they moved up well after the first mile to pack all seven runners among the top twenty-two finishers to win another regional team title with 51 points. Boothbay/Wiscasset was the runner-up with 72 while Maine Coast Waldorf was third with 96 points. Other teams advancing to the state meet were Madison, Dirigo, and Traip Academy.


Class C Photo Galleries


Old Orchard Beach senior Evan Schneider sped out to the early lead in the Class C boy's race. By the time the pack entered the woods for the first time, Waynflete's Pi Crosby had assumed pacing duties with Dirigo's William Morris and Lisbon's Malachi Ganong in toe. 

As they came to the one-mile mark Crosby and Morris had opened a five-second lead over Alfie Cognata of Winthrop with Ganong a few strides back.

Watch Class C Boys Race

The second mile saw Crosby put the hammer down as he opened up a ten-second lead over Morris with a mile to go. Cognata remained in third, with Ganong in fourth, and Schneider in fifth place.


Crosby crossed the line at 17:21.99 to win the title by thirty-one seconds over Morris. Cognata held off Ganong, and Schneider to round out the top five.

In somewhat of a surprise, Dirigo easily captured the team title with eighty-four points. The Cougars had three of the top fifteen finishers as they held off runner-up Winthrop by fifty-four points. Maranacook and Lisbon finished with 140 points, with the Black Bears edging them on the better sixth runner. Boothbay/Wiscasset was fifth with 144 points.

Class C Results \ Class A Results \ Class B Results

The Class A boy's race lived up to its expectations. Deering's Ellis Wood led a pack with Aran Johnson (Portland), Henri Rivard (Marshwood), Ethan Keller (Scarborough), Harrison Dunne (Bonny Eagle) and Charlie Jacques (Portland).

At the mile mark Wood continued to lead Rivard and Johnson as they opened up a gap over the rest of the chase pack of Keller and Jacques.

Watch Class A Boys Race

Not much changed as the trio emerged out of the woods after two miles, Wood continued to push the train from the front with Johnson and Rivard nipping at his heels. 


After the pain cave, Johnson seized the moment. He moved to the lead and never looked back as he clocked 16:22.98 to win. Wood was second in 16:26.89, while Rivard was third in 16:34.80. Keller closed well for fourth while Evan Small of South Portland had a great last mile to round out the top five.

The top-ranked Portland Bulldogs made a statement with five scorers tucking in the top twelve overall as they won with forty-three points. Second-ranked Scarborough settled for the runner-up finish with seventy points. South Portland was third, followed by state qualifying teams Falmouth, Gorham, Deering, Bonny Eagle, and Windham.

Class A Photo Galleries

In a repeat of 2023, Portland's Samantha Moore asserted her strength on the course at Twin Brook and emerged as a repeat winner. Moore who has raced sparingly this fall after coming off a foot injury during the spring track season. In only her second real race of the fall, Moore took the lead early and never looked back as she clocked 19:16.08, winning by twenty-five seconds over the field.


Scarborough's Laurel Driscoll ran a smart race that saw her in third place through two miles. Driscoll moved well over the final mile to secure the runner-up finish with her 19:41.86 effort. Falmouth sophomore Georgia Moon was strong over the final as well moving up several spots to third with her 19:46.18. Cheverus's Allie Schmitt was fourth with a sub-20-minute effort of 19:57.57. Parker Fox of Falmouth rounded out the top five.

Watch the Class A Girl's Race

The Navigators of Falmouth showed their strength as they placed runners in the top twelve and six in the top twenty-six to tally fifty points to capture the regional team title. Portland was the runner-up as the Bulldogs scored sixty-seven points. Thornton Academy had one of its finest regional finishes in twenty-plus years as the Trojans were third with 112 points. Also advancing to states were Kennebunk, Cheverus, Scarborough, Windham, and Massabesic.

The Class B boy's race featured the top three individuals ranked in our individual rankings. Lake Region senior Sam Laverdiere ranked #1 backed up his top ranking with a top-notch performance that saw him open up a lead at the mile and continue to push the pace to the finish. Laverdiere came through two miles in ten minutes flat a time that not many have ever done in course history, while he was unable to keep up his sub-16-minute pace he did clock the fastest time on the day with his 16:06.51 winning effort. His time is the ninth fastest ever run by a Maine high school boy on the storied course.


Class B Boys Race

York's Aidan Ring and Freeport's Alex Gilbert battled once again with Ring pulling away over the final mile to capture the runner-up finish in 16:36.64 with Gilbert next in 16:41.29. Senior Conner Smith another Freeport Falcon was fourth in 16:51.50, while Morse junior Levi Riggs rounded out the top five.

The top-ranked Class B team Freeport was impressive again as the Falcons had all five scores in the top twenty-five places, including three in the top ten to win another regional title with fifty-seven points. Greely was the runner-up with ninety-seven points. Yarmouth was third, ten points back of the Rangers. York, Morse, Gray New-Gloucester, Wells, and Lincoln Academy were the other teams advancing to states.

Class B Photo Galleries

The Class B girl's race was a good one as well as York's Zoe Carroll, Yarmouth's Olivia Wentworth and Freeport's Lucy Huggett went toe to toe. 

Wentworth did the early pacing leading through the mile and 2 mile as she returned to trails in her first race since September 20th with Huggett and Carroll. breathing down her neck.


Carroll who played in an overtime soccer game on Friday night for the Wildcats wasn't feeling the best but showed her strength over the final mile as the sophomore pulled away for a commanding twenty-seven victory with her 19:14.25. Wentworth was second in 19:41.61 while Huggett was third in 19:48.27. 

Class B Girl's Race

Leavitt senior Haley Marston was fourth with her 20:11.90 effort while Yarmouth's Madeleine Jones rounded out the top five finishers.

Freeport showed their strength as the Falcons placed four in the top eleven finishers to score 51 points to outdistance runner-up York by thirty points. Yarmouth edged Cape Elizabeth on a tie-breaker for third as both tallied 109 points. Other teams advancing to states were Morse, Greely, and Lincoln Academy.