WESTBROOK – Most coaches go into a state championship track meet with a clear understanding of how their teams should fare, based on the seeds.

John Bapst coach Bruce Pratt prefers not to seed out the meet and instead challenges his athletes to focus on having their best performances of the season – and let the rest take care of itself.

For the sixth time in seven years, the strategy paid off. John Bapst of Bangor had 18 girls score Saturday to win the Class C state championship meet at Westbrook High School.

The Crusaders tallied 109 points to beat 2007 champ Hall-Dale of Farmingdale (84 points) and third-place Orono (81). Lisbon (57.5) placed fourth and North Yarmouth Academy (43) was fifth.

Freshman Kim Spencer helped spark the Crusaders, finishing second in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and running on their first-place 4×800 relay team.

“We’ve just tried always to get as many kids qualified as we can and go from there, Pratt said. “It was a great day. To have won a state championship with a team this young, it’s astonishing.”

In the boys meet, John Bapst junior Chris Fogler stole the show. Fogler set Class C state records in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles and capped his day with a victory in the 200 meters.

“I looked at those two hurdle races and I saw the records and I was just like, I want those,” Fogler said. “I just psyched myself out and went all the way.”

North Yarmouth Academy (74.5 points) won its third straight boys title, holding off Lisbon (63) and John Bapst (58). Freeport took fourth with 51 points and Winthrop (48) was fifth.

Sam Fear propelled coach Chris Mazzurco’s Panthers with runner-up finishes in the shot put and javelin and a third in the high jump.

In the girls meet, John Bapst scored points in 15 of the 19 events to claim the title. Senior Angel Nelligan defended her individual title in the pole vault at 9 feet even and freshman Maggie Bryan ran to victory in the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 28.9 seconds.

Bryan worked her way back after a left leg injury last winter forced her to miss two months of training, including the state meet.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “That was a PR [personal record] by 3 seconds, so I’m pretty happy.”

The Crusaders won the 4×100 relay in 10:16.83 with Jennie Wainer, Spencer, Holly Binette and Bryan, and claimed the 4×100 relay (53.91) behind Amber Weaver, Erin Bousfield, Katelyn Gerow and Morgan Chasse.

“A lot of people moved up places from where they were seeded and are doing better than they’ve ever done before,” Nelligan said. “We’ve really pulled together as a team.”

Chasse took third in the 100 and fifth in the 400. Bousfield was fourth in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump, while Gerow finished fourth in the 100 hurdles. Danielle Leclair was second in the shot put.

“Our team is so deep,” said senior Catherine Lammert, who was seventh in the 400 and competed on the third-place 4×400 unit along with Olivia Simone, Mandy Martin and Brianne Robertson. “Everyone just worked so hard to up their seed, so it was just a great all-around day.”

Sophomore Kate Bulteel of Orono sped to victories in the 400 (1:02.07) and 200 (26.63), outdueling Fort Kent’s Jamie Pelletier, the champion in the 100 (12.81), in both races.

“I won 200 last year and it was really nice to feel like I sort of still had it in me as a sophomore,” Bulteel said. “In both the 200 and the 400 at PVCs, Jamie Pelletier beat me, so it was good motivation.”

Laura Peterson of Hall-Dale had a stellar day, leaping to wins in the high jump (4-10), long jump 17-7 3/4 and triple jump (35-1) for the second year in a row. Teammate Magen Ellis defended her 1,600 crown in 5:25.23 and also won the 3,200 (12:06.98).

Marina Van der Eb of George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill easily won the javelin throw at 110-11.

In the boys meet, Fogler set Class C marks while winning the 110 hurdles in 15.08 seconds and defending his title in the 300 hurdles in 39.59 seconds. He also took the 200 in 22.75 seconds.

“I would have liked to clear a couple heights in the high jump (he was seeded second), but otherwise it was a great day,” said Fogler, whose smooth yet powerful hurdling style enabled him to win by comfortable margins of 0.34 (110) and 2.68 seconds (300).

“To be in the elite ranks, you have to be born with some of it, but it’s his work ethic and his intelligence,” Pratt said. “He can really will himself to do great things.”

Juniors Nate Warren and Dominic Kone of Bucksport each earned two firsts, including the 4×100 relay (45.56) along with Jon Goodin and Vince Tymoczko. Warren outleaned Jared Waite of Schenck in East Millinocket to take the 100 in 11.29 seconds, while Kone overcame a sore left thigh to claim the long jump at 21 feet, 6 inches.

“It’s way faster than I usually run,” said Warren, who also won the 100 as a freshman in 2006.

Junior Blake Ford of a fledgling Calais team burst onto the scene by winning the shot put in his first season of high school competition. The North Carolina native threw 47-8 3/4 in the preliminaries, beating his PR by more than 3 1/2 feet.

“I had to teach myself the technique and stuff,” said Ford, whose father Richard is the Calais coach. “I just thought I’d be an average thrower.”

Defending their titles were Derek Smith of John Bapst in the javelin (165-0) and Matthew Forgues of Boothbay in the 1,600 racewalk (7:16.28), while Alex Kasprzak of Foxcroft Academy won the discus (128-10).

Bapst’s Jeff Sanford took third in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles.

NYA received strong contributions from Henry Sterling (2nd 3200, 3rd 1600, 6th 800), Wyatt Peoples (2nd long jump, 4th 200), Duncan Briggs (3rd high jump, 5th javelin) and Pak Lul (4th 100, 5th 400).

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

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