Cross country hot MPA topic Coaches pushing for teams to compete in New Englands

High school cross country supporters are running the extra mile in an effort to allow top-finishing teams at the annual state meet to participate in the New England championships.

Brewer High coach Glendon Rand, a liaison to the Maine Principals’ Association cross country committee, is among those working to educate MPA members about the issue through an information sheet that has been developed as well as face-to-face lobbying before the MPA’s fall conference in Portland on Nov. 18-19.

“The big emphasis among us is that we are asking every cross country coach in Maine to talk to their principals, give them our information sheet, and to have coaches and athletes and parents talk to principals and tell them why they think this would be a good thing to do,” Rand said.

While Maine does send top individuals from the state meet to the New Englands, it is one of two New England states that doesn’t send its top teams. Massachusetts doesn’t compete because the meet conflicts with its all-class championship meet.

The MPA’s cross country committee has approved a proposal to allow the state champion boys and girls teams in Classes A, B, C, and D to compete in the New Englands, as well as the next two teams regardless of class.

The proposal was defeated by the MPA full membership in 2002, and last spring it was referred by the full membership to the association’s Interscholastic Management Committee for its consideration.

Given the cross country committee’s support of the proposal, Rand said he believed it would gain the IMC’s support, but that group voted unanimously against the proposal.

“I was shocked when I heard that,” he said.

MPA executive director Dick Durost did not elaborate on reasons behind the IMC’s vote but cited historical reasons against the move, including the cost involved in sending full teams to the event and the possibility it could dilute the impact of winning a state championship.

“Winning the state championship is intended to be the highlight of a season,” Durost said. “While some teams could have success at the New Englands, something less than that could take away from the accomplishment of winning the state championship.”

Despite the IMC vote, Durost expects the issue to be on the agenda for the MPA’s fall conference, though even if it passed, it wouldn’t become effective this year.

Rand believes the financial side of the issue should be determined at the local level.

“If an individual community said we can’t afford to send a team, that would be one thing,” he said. “But a group of principals should not make that decision for every community. It should be local decision as far as the money goes.”

Rand also doesn’t believe sending teams to the New Englands would diminish the accomplishment of winning a state title.

“It’s not just an athletic experience,” he said. “It raises kids’ aspirations, and it’s a confidence booster for them.”

The Council of New England Secondary Schools Principals’ Associations is the governing body for all interscholastic sports competed at the New England high school level. At present, the council sponsors championship events in cross country, golf, gymnastics, indoor track, outdoor track, tennis, and wrestling, but only qualifies full teams to compete in cross country.

Maine participates in all sports except gymnastics. During the 2003-04 school year, several Mainers won individual New England championships, including Chris Remsen of Camden Hills of Rockport and Decota Cotten of Noble of Berwick in wrestling, Laura Stein of Camden Hills in tennis, Brandon Hall of Foxcroft Academy and Ayalew Taye of Portland in outdoor track, and Ben Vail of Deering of Portland and Sam Fletcher of Edward Little of Auburn in indoor track.

Maine has sent individuals to the New Englands in cross country since 1998, when Louie Luchini of Ellsworth won the race. In 2002, when the New Englands were held in Maine, Deering of Portland qualified five individuals for the meet, enough to compile a team score. That team finished ninth among the 25 competing teams.

“I’ve been to three New England meets with individuals who have qualified,” said Rand, “and coaches from the other states would always ask ‘Why don’t you send teams?’ And I really didn’t know what to tell them.”

Turnover breeds few turnovers

The Bangor High football team has had a modest amount of player turnover since the last time it squared off against Brunswick – in the 2003 Eastern Maine Class A final.

But as the Rams prepare to face the Dragons on Friday night in a regional quarterfinal, turnovers – or lack thereof – is one reason coach Mark Hackett’s club has returned to the playoff field with a 7-1 record.

Bangor has committed only 10 turnovers in eight games, with six pass interceptions and four lost fumbles. Bangor’s defense, meanwhile, has forced 19 turnovers, giving the Rams a plus-9 turnover margin, good at any level of the sport.

“We’ve done a good job of limiting our turnovers,” said Hackett, whose No. 5 Rams will play at No. 4 Brunswick (6-2). “We haven’t fumbled the ball much, and when we do, we’ve done a good job of getting it back.”

In Friday’s quarterfinal, Bangor will attempt to avenge last year’s home loss to Brunswick in what figures to be a defensive struggle that may hinge on which team commits the fewer turnovers.

Brunswick ranks second among Pine Tree Conference Class A teams in scoring defense, setting school records with three shutouts in a season and allowing just 67 points. Bangor ranks fourth in scoring defense, yielding just 86 points, and also has posted three shutouts.