ORONO – Bangor High School’s hopes of an undefeated boys indoor track season danced out of reach before the Rams even arrived at the University of Maine field house Saturday night.

Literally.

The Rams were missing 32 boys and girls from a 52-person roster because the athletes opted to attend a dance instead, and the Brewer boys took advantage of that attrition to knock Bangor from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The Witches absorbed a 112-point thumping from the Rams in December – Brewer coach Dave Jeffrey’s worst margin of defeat ever. But on Saturday night, the Witches downed Bangor 126-106 in a six-team meet.

Brewer improved to 19-1, while the Rams dropped to 18-1.

Just be sure you put a huge asterisk next to this one. The Rams will be much better when they hang up their dancing shoes.

Brewer’s Jeffrey said the fact the Rams were missing most of their roster – 18 boys – not only affected the final score, but also could have inspired his team, which put together several season-bests in the win.

“I think our kids were ready to run fast, but I think [not being involved in a blowout] helped,” Jeffrey said. “Not having some guy who’s 30 yards in front of you running a 1:58 [800 meters]. When you could win a heat, it makes a heck of a difference.”

Bangor coach Maynard Walton said that though he doesn’t like the annual conflict with the dance, he has learned to work around it.

This year, he made sure the Rams at least got in a full week of tough practices, and that those who didn’t race on Saturday didn’t get an easy day on Friday.

“If you were there Friday, [you would have seen] they are gonna have a hard time dancing,” Walton said.

In all, the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League simultaneously staged three boys and three girls meets involving 15 teams.

The winners: the Brewer, Old Town and Bucksport boys, and the Brewer, John Bapst and Hermon girls.

The Brewer girls moved their league-best record to a perfect 20-0.

Orono’s Sarah Taylor and Bucksport’s Pete Saunders turned in the performances of the night, as each established a league record.

Taylor churned her way to a time of 2 minutes, 25.46 seconds in the 800-meter run, while Saunders chugged 200 meters in 23.64 seconds, besting his own mark.

Hermon’s Rhonda Day, Brewer’s Jen Puiia and Ellsworth’s Louie Luchini won three individual events each.

In the `B’ boys meet, Foxcroft Academy Kris Rolleston continued his transformation from solid distance runner to sprint ace.

Rolleston, who has run cross country for three years and formerly ran the 800, mile and two mile, has qualified for the EMITL championships in every event from 60 yards to the two mile.

Last week he set a league standard in the 400 meters. And on Saturday, he finished second in the 200 after returning to his distance roots for a win in the 800.

His coach and father, George Rolleston, said last week’s record run was a surprise.

“I looked at my watch and didn’t believe it,” he said. “Then I looked at the assistant coach and said, `Wow.’ ”

Kris Rolleston said he’s leaning toward running the 200 and 400, along with the relay at the EMITL championship meet.

“I like sprinting,” he said. “I ran the two mile last week, and I did horrible. I don’t think I’ll do the two mile again.”

Still, he admits that he’s got some built-in bias to get rid of. When he was a distance man, for instance, he thought he had sprinters figured out. Now he’s one of them.

“I thought they had it pretty easy,” he said.

The Brewer girls rolled by a Hampden squad that was missing star sprinter Danielle McCabe, who ran the 60 before being sidelined by illness.

But despite the win, the Witches were a bit subdued.

That’s because senior Michelle McLaughlin, one of the state’s top pole vaulters and a team leader, broke two bones in her leg on Tuesday and underwent surgery immediately after that.

“It’s devastating, without a doubt, but we’re going to find out how it affects everybody else – whether everybody else is going to have the ability to get better,” Jeffrey said.