BELFAST, Maine — The Orono girls cross country team entered last year’s regional championship meet as one of the top contenders in Eastern Maine Class C.
But after edging Washburn for both the regional and state championships a year ago and then finishing second among 58 scoring schools at the Maine Cross Country Festival of Champions earlier this month, the expectations may be even greater as the Red Riots approach Saturday’s Eastern Maine championships at the Troy Howard Middle School.
“I thought coming into the season there wasn’t really going to be a chance that we was going to be as good as last year, and I did not think it was possible for us to be even better, but we just have gotten so much better,” said Orono senior Lily Koffman. “But it’s a little bit of pressure to know that we won states last year and that people are looking at us again, and we’re a target for a lot of teams to beat.”
The Class C boys kick off the six-race Eastern Maine meet at 11 a.m., followed by the Class C girls at 11:35 a.m., the Class A boys at 12:10 p.m., Class A girls at 12:45 p.m., Class B boys at 1:20 p.m. and the Class B girls at 1:55 p.m.
The top 50 percent of the scoring teams in each race will qualify for the state meet, slated for Nov. 1 at Belfast, as will the top 30 individual runners in each race.
The Orono girls, second to Washburn at the 2012 state meet, edged the Beavers by six points at last year’s Eastern Maine meet and by two points a week later to capture the team’s first state championship since 1976.
“We knew we were capable last year, but at no point did I think it was in the bag,” said Orono sophomore Kassidy Dill. “After we won Eastern Maines, I thought we weren’t going to be able to beat Washburn two weeks in a row. I was so nervous.”
This year’s team returned four varsity runners in Koffman, Dill, sophomore Hannah Steelman and junior Olivia Fandel, and they have worked throughout the season to bring along seniors Annika Gallandt and Anna Ellis and freshman Liza Gallandt as newcomers to the varsity lineup.
“A lot of our strategy is pack running, and we knew in order to get all seven running at a high level, we’d have to run a lot of our races together, which means some people have to run a lot faster than they’re comfortable with and some people would have to run slower than they’re comfortable with,” said Koffman. “The end result is getting everyone to run as fast as they possibly can.”
Evidence of the success of that approach came at the Festival of Champions, where the Red Riots emerged from a deep field of teams from Maine and beyond second only to Class B Cape Elizabeth.
“It just gave us even more confidence and really proved to us that we’re a good team, and we work well together,” said Steelman, who finished second individually among the 693 girls who completed in the Festival of Champions race, also held in Belfast.
Orono, which last weekend won its sixth consecutive Penobscot Valley Conference small-school title, is expected to be challenged at its regional by PVC runner-up George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill, while top teams from Aroostook County and the Downeast Athletic Conference also will join the field.
“There’s nothing guaranteed,” said Orono coach Lin White. “We just try to make the best of the opportunity we have.”
Class C boys: Defending Eastern Maine champion Orono is back despite having only junior Tristan Butterfield returning from among its top eight in 2013. The Red Riots have been aided by an influx of talented younger runners including sophomores Stephen Nelson, William O’Neil, Lowell Ruck and Matthew Williamson and freshmen Matt Keresey and Jonathan Spencer. Senior Matt Toussaint of Fort Kent is back to defend his individual title, though he could be challenged by Butterfield and PVC champion John Hassett of George Stevens Academy.
Class A girls: A two-team battle looms between defending champion Brunswick and two-time KVAC titlist Hampden Academy. They locked in a duel at last year’s regional that ultimately decided in the Dragons’ favor via sixth-runner tiebreaker. Hampden, paced by Elizabeth Lebun, Simone Withers and Stephanie Walker, edged Brunswick 61-64 at last Saturday’s KVAC meet.
Class A boys: Hampden is coming off a 53-75 victory over Mt. Blue of Farmington at the KVACs. The Broncos placed five runners among the top 18, led by the 3-4 finishes of Paul Casavant and Caleb Lord. Mt. Blue, Messalonskee of Oakland and Lewiston should be the Broncos’ top challengers.
Class B girls: Three-time defending state champion Mount Desert Island appears to be rounding into form just in time for the key postseason races. Led by senior Caroline Driscoll, the Trojans won the PVC large-school title last weekend and edged Orono by a 35-40 score in that combined meet.
Class B boys: Caribou used a six-runner pack differential of 26.76 seconds to win the PVC large-school crown. Other contenders include Camden Hills of Rockport, which featured three freshmen and a sophomore among its top five runners last week while placing second by four points (87-91) to Western Maine’s Maranacook of Readfield at the KVAC Class B meet.
