BAR HARBOR — Every meet, York Coach Ted Hutch tells the girls on his 1,600-meter relay team that they have to run as if the meet depended on it. Well, it did Saturday, and the Wildcats responded.

The relay team of Charlotte Reilly, Audrey Grimes, Laura Kenealy and Morgan Smith ran a 4:11.70 to win the meet’s final race by nearly five seconds and clinch the Class B outdoor track and field state championship at Mt. Desert Island High.

York scored 68 points to win its first state title since 2006 – also on this track – and snap Waterville’s nine-year reign. Belfast was next with 60 points and Greely had 57.

“It’s a really great accomplishment,” said Reilly, the lead runner and only senior on the relay team (who was also celebrating her birthday). “We’re so excited. We always feel it’s all on us and that we have to take first and score 10 points.

“I can’t believe we finally did it. I remember as a freshman always dreaming about it, wanting it to happen. I’m so proud of our entire team. Everyone had to do well today and we did it.”

Foxcroft Academy won its first Class B boys’ outdoor championship, pulling away in the final two events. The Ponies, who moved up from Class C this year, scored 71 points to defeat defending champ York, which scored 64. Waterville was third with 58 points.

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Foxcroft, which won Class C in 2013, and York were tied at 60 points before Hunter Smith won the high jump at 6 feet, 2 inches to give the Ponies a nine-point lead heading into the final race, the 1,600 relay.

“We were seeded pretty well coming into this, but I think the real battle in this type of meet is holding your seeds,” said Foxcroft Coach Rob Weber. “This means an awful lot to this particular group of kids … I keep telling the kids, this is the beginning of a tradition, hopefully. They’re terrific kids and terrific athletes.”

Smith, a senior who suffered a dislocated left hip playing football, also won the 110 hurdles (15.35 seconds), and was second in the long jump and triple jump. He has a full football scholarship from the University of Maine.

Smith said he didn’t know what the score was going into the high jump. “I just did my thing and I ended up winning it,” he said. “I knew we were close. We won it in Class C. To win it here, it’s nuts.”

The Ponies got big performances from several athletes – Nathaniel Church had thirds in the 100 and 200, Cooper Nelson was sixth in the 800 and fourth in the 1,600, and Zachary Caron was third in the pole vault and triple jump.

“The boys have had a great run of success and almost pulled off another one,” said Hutch, the York coach. “Foxcroft was just too much. It was their year.”

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Belfast senior Drew Nealey set a Class B record when he won the pole vault at 14 feet, 7 inches – one-quarter inch higher than Ryan Werner of Scarborough in 1991. Nealey made three attempts at 15 feet, 1/4-inch but couldn’t get over the bar, twice scraping it.

“Since my sophomore year it’s been my goal to set the state record,” said Nealey. “So this year I’m happy I was able to come here, have a good day and set the record.”

Nealey also won the 300 hurdles (41.81 seconds), and was second in the 110 hurdles and javelin.

The girls’ meet was a battle all day between York, Belfast and Greely. The teams swapped points and places seemingly with every event.

Belfast had a couple individual winners – Cassidy Hill in the 100 (12.56 seconds) and Kylie Nelson in the pole vault (9-6) – and also won the 400 relay. Greely had only one individual winner – Siana Emery in the 1,600 racewalk (7:59.80) – but spread points throughout the meet.

York won the 3,200 relay (Malia Cryan, Kathryn Miller, Kenealy and Smith) and got huge points in the jumps. Katherine Bullock won the long jump (17-2) and was fourth in the triple jump while Maddie Amidon took fifth.

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“We had hoped these girls could come close, and it did come down to the relay,” said Hutch. “We’ve had a lot of injuries this season, but the girls all came together.”

Yarmouth finished fourth and had three individual winners: Anneka Murrin in the 1,600 (5:12.59), Emma Egan in the high jump (5-4) and Abby Hamilton in the 3,200 (11:12.14)

Other double winners among the boys were Trever Gray of Waterville (shot put, discus), Luke Laverdiere of Yarmouth (800, 1,600) and Zack Haskell of Gray-New Gloucester (100, 200).

Double winners among the girls were Melissa Kessel of Camden Hills (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and Tahlia Mullen of Lincoln Academy (200, 400).

Robert Sullivan of Gardiner set a state record in the wheelchair shot put with a throw of 12 feet, 33/4 inches.


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