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BELFAST – For years, the boys cross country team at Sumner High in East Sullivan has been a source of pride, winning state titles and competing well against much larger schools.
And for years, when the awards have been handed out, the Sumner girls have stood, cheered, and celebrated. And then they’ve gone home. … empty-handed.
At Saturday’s Eastern Maine championship meet, all that changed: The Sumner girls are champs, too.
The Tigers received a 2-4 effort from Elizabeth and Vanessa Brunton and edged Foxcroft Academy 39-45 in the Class C meet. Bucksport scored 80 points and also qualified for next week’s state meet.
Melissa Patten of Bucksport toured the 3.1-mile course in 21 minutes, 3 seconds to win individual honors. The top 20 individuals in each meet also qualify for the state championships.
“The boys have got a lot of banners, and a lot of trophies, but this is really special [for the girls],” coach Becky O’Keefe said. “So I’m really excited.”
Mt. Blue of Farmington’s Erin Archard won the Class A meet in the day’s fastest time – 19:22 – and the Cougars rolled to a big win. Mt. Blue scored 40 while Brunswick had 107. Morse (118), Bangor (122) and Lawrence (129) also advance to the state meet.
Hampden Academy emerged from a tight three-team battle to win Class B with 76 points. Camden Hills scored 83, Ellsworth had 84 and Medomak Valley of Waldoboro finished with 96. John Bapst (150) and Old Town (159) round out the state meet qualifiers.
Freshmen Heather Fogg of Medomak and Lacie Dow of Ellsworth were the top two individuals. Fogg ran a speedy 19:37.
Kristy Albee of Washington Academy in East Machias won the Class D race in 21:22 and helped the Raiders to a 53-54 win over Woodland. Penobscot Valley of Howland (65), Schenck of East Millinocket (97) and Narraguagus of Harrington (116) also advance.
In Class B, Hampden Academy has been successful all year in large part due to its ever-evolving pack. Top runner Oriana Farley finished third on Saturday, and has been No. 1 for the Broncos all year.
But after that, things get confusing. And that’s just the way the Broncos like it.
“We’ve all been in the No. 2 spot,” said sophomore Molly Balentine, who occupied that spot on Saturday and finished 14th.
That’s true: Behind Farley, the next four Broncos have rotated positions over the course of the season.
“It’s good, because we all know that the rest of us will back each other up if we’re having a bad race,” Balentine said.
On Saturday, Balentine ran second while Amelia Potvin (last week’s No. 5 runner) was third and finished 18th. Shelly Estes (20th) and MacKenzie Rawcliffe (21st) rounded out the scorers.
Potvin said that although the Broncos expected Ellsworth to be tough, they also expected a test from Camden Hills.
“We want to be ready for all the teams,” Potvin said, explaining that when you’re out on the course, things seem pretty simple. “Every runner’s a point, no matter what jersey they’re wearing.”
In Class D, Washington Academy met rival Woodland in six Downeast Athletic Conference meets and won five over the course of the season. The problem: The loss was a one-point decision in last week’s league championship meet.
Coach Frank Johnson said the young Raiders (freshmen held down the second through fifth slots on Saturday) have progressed nicely after a rude awakening in the first meet of the year.
“When you’re a freshman coming in and you go to the Ellsworth Invitational and you end up 200th [it’s rough],” Johnson said. “I had one girl this year come up [after that meet] and say, ‘Coach, I can’t do cross country.’ I said, ‘Yes, you can.'”
On Saturday, that freshman proved her coach right: Leila Alciere came in 21st, fourth for the regional champions.
In Class A, the Cougars entered the meet with a string of three straight big-school state championships to their credit, and showed why they’re the favorite to win No. 4 next week.
Archard edged Brunswick’s Anya Davidson to win the individual crown by six seconds, and her teammates began showing up shortly after that.
Elena Yates was fourth, Katie Wells took seventh, Rachel Yates finished eighth and Tammy Rollins was 23rd.
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