DOVER-FOXCROFT – For any ordinary Eastern Maine championship meet, Orono High pole vaulter Ellen Vollmers might have gone in wanting to smash her own state record of 9 feet, 6 inches.

This week, because of a nagging back injury, Vollmers’ strategy for Saturday’s Class C title meet at the Foxcroft Academy complex was much simpler.

Vault. Qualify for states. And don’t push the injury, which she aggravated in practice Wednesday.

Easy enough: Vollmers vaulted, qualifying for states, winning the event and tying her state record. But after a few minutes of thought, the Orono senior decided that it wasn’t enough. With her back holding up, Vollmers couldn’t resist a setting a state mark, despite the two events she had yet to do.

“All I really wanted to do was take a jump, qualify, and then call it good,” Vollmers said. “When I was jumping [my back] felt OK. It didn’t hurt during the jump, so I figured I’d just keep trying.”

With a loud “Yes!” before she even hit the landing mat, Vollmers cleared 10 feet on her third try to set the state record.

Vollmers’ victory in the pole vault, in addition to wins in the javelin and a leg of the Red Riots’ 400 relay, helped Orono garner 115.8 points en route to the regional crown. PVC champ Narraguagus of Harrington finished in second place with 105 points and Foxcroft Academy earned 65.3 points for third place. Hall-Dale of Hallowell was fourth (62) and John Bapst of Bangor finished fifth (59).

The John Bapst boys racked up 104 points to win their second straight Eastern Maine title while Narraguagus was the runner-up with 73.3 points. Limestone/Maine School of Science and Mathematics took third with 48, Penquis of Milo and Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln tied for fourth place (42).

The top six finishers in each event advanced to Saturday’s state championship meet, which will be held at the University of Maine in Orono at 9 a.m.

For Vollmers there was the pull of a title that made her focus on the meet and not her sore back. Last week the Red Riots seemed on the verge of winning the Penobscot Valley Conference championship, but weather washed out the meet early and Narraguagus was declared the winner. That didn’t sit well with the Orono squad.

“We definitely felt some pressure,” said Vollmers, who will vault for Tulane next year. “Everyone had to step up today. … We really wanted it because we haven’t won a championship in so long.”

Orono took many of the top spots – the Riots had two other double-event winners (Theresa Alvarez cruised to wins in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, while Maria Millard took the 300 hurdles and the high jump).

Erin Lynn won the 100 hurdles, earned a third place in the pole vault and ran on the winning 400 and 1,600 relays.

“We’re such a small team but we’ve got so many quality athletes,” Vollmers said of the nine-girl squad. “We go home with more first places than we have athletes. I’m really proud of this team. Everyone likes each other and everyone works hard in practice.”

Meanwhile, the Knights stayed close but Orono wins in the final events of the day, the 3,200 and the 1,600 relay, put the meet out of reach.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight with Orono,” Narraguagus coach Jim Sawyer said. “They got us this time.”

Carole Perry led the Knights with a first in the 200 dash, a second in the 400 and a third in the 100, while senior Brittany Howe was second in the 300 hurdles, the triple jump and the high jump. Anne Favolise won the racewalk and took third in the 3,200.

Perry, who as a sophomore has become one of the top Class C sprinters in the state, wasn’t happy with her time in the 100.

“But it’s OK,” she said with a smile. “I [had a personal best] in my 200.”

Foxcroft’s Dana Frasz was a double-event winner, taking first in the 400 and the 800. Stearns of Millinocket’s Ashley Boynton won the triple jump and the long jump.

In the boys meet, John Bapst swept the three relays and won two other events, and relied mainly on overall team depth to win the title.

“A bunch of people really stepped up,” said Bapst senior Regan LeBlanc, who was first in the javelin, third in the 400 and ran on the 1,600 relay. “Pretty much we had people in all the running events do well.”

Matt Jameson was the only other individual winner for John Bapst. He was first in the 300 hurdles, placed fourth in the 110 hurdles and ran on two relays.

The Crusaders were boosted with 2-6 finishes in the 800 (Ian Hunt and Ian Connole, respectively) and the 200 (Doug Russell and Tucker Hill). Sean Lena jumped up from the eighth seed in the 3,200 to finish fifth. Russell anchored two of the three relays.

LeBlanc was happy with his day except for one event – the long jump. He said he logged a jump of 18 feet, 2 inches on one of his attempts, which would have given him fifth place, but the official wrote down 17-2, which knocked LeBlanc out of contention.

“They said they couldn’t change it after the official wrote down the jumps,” he said. “The other guys there went to talk to the official about it, but [the official] couldn’t go back and change it, which I agree with. But it still kind of stinks.”

Sawyer was especially pleased with his boys team’s finish, including fourth-seeded Matt Pounder’s school record and first place in the shot put. He was also fourth in the javelin and the discus.

Zeb Strout qualified for states in four events, taking second in the pole vault, second in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the triple jump and sixth in the 300 hurdles. Caleb Paul placed second in the 1,600, fourth in the 800 and fourth in the 3,200.

“This is a first for our boys program,” Sawyer said. “This year they won their first meet ever. I’m just as proud as can be of them. They’ve done a great, great job.”

Piscataquis of Guilford’s Keith Dawson won the 800 and 400. Robbie Gomez of Limestone also won two events, the 1,600 and 3,200.