AUGUSTA — After a year away from the top, the Scarborough girls’ outdoor track team returned to the Class A pinnacle Saturday.

The Red Storm, with their depth and skill, held off a furious push from Edward Little to take the championship with 91 points, eight better than the Red Eddies. South Portland had 8 points and tied for 19th.

In the boys’ meet, won by Brunswick with 82 points, Scarborough (24 points) was 11th, while South Portland (22.5) finished 12th.

At the Class B meet in Windham, the Cape Elizabeth girls tied Caribou for 10th place with 20 points. Waterville rolled to the crown with 168 points.

The Capers boys’ team also had 20 points and came in 12th. Falmouth repeated as champion with 104.

Back on top

Scarborough’s girls, as expected, had several sparkling performances.

Sophomore Nicole Kirk won the 200 (26.25 seconds) and was part of a title-clinching 4×400 relay team (along with junior Abby Chick and sophomores Andrea and Emily Tolman, 4 minutes, 3.51 seconds).

“I was seeded first and hoped to win, but last year I was seeded first too and it didn’t turn out the way I hoped,” Kirk said, after winning the 200. “I’m happy. I tried to just focus on the finish line.

“It’s important to get back and win states after last year. We wanted to win it for the seniors.”

Emily Tolman finished runner-up in the 400 (58.97), placed fourth in the long jump (15-10.75) and was fifth in the 200 (27.16). Junior Emilia Scheemaker came in second in the long jump (16-4.5) and third in the triple jump (35-5). Senior Christy Manning finished runner-up in both the javelin (118-11) and the discus (118-8) and placed sixth in the shot put (35-9). Kirk was third in the 100 (12.91). Andrea Tolman had the third-best pole vault (9-3). Sophomore Haela Booth-Howe placed fourth in the javelin (106-7). Senior Jenny Snyder was sixth in the 100 hurdles (16.17).

Snyder, Scheemaker, Andrea Tolman and Kirk placed third in the 400 relay (51.05).

“It’s nice,” said Scarborough coach Ron Kelly. “We did what we had to do. Edward Little had a valiant try. We got big points in the jumps. Manning had a solid day. We picked up on our seed in the 4×1 relay. Kirk was huge, scoring points in the 100. Everybody ran solid today and performed well. I think the girls were driven to get back to the top. Last year, we were second. We knew it would be a dogfight this year.”

Don’t expect the Red Storm to be anything but a favorite again in 2011.

“We only lose Manning and Snyder,” Kelly said. “We’ll be there. Everyone else has kids back, but my sophomore class will only be a year older.”

South Portland was led by dazzling freshman distance runner Nyajock Pan, who was fourth in the mile (5:18.33) and fifth in the two-mile (11:46.34). Pan was also part of a seventh-place 3,200 relay team (along with junior Annelise Donahue, sophomore Shelby Miller and freshman Angela Tirabassi, 10:30.20).

In the boys’ meet, Scarborough got a win from its 4×400 relay (senior Eben Bradley, junior Scott Merrill, sophomore Nick Morris and senior Conor Sullivan, 3:28.97).

Senior Ross Thomas placed fourth in the high jump (6 feet). Bradley finished sixth in the pole vault (12 feet). Sullivan finished seventh in the long jump (19-9.75). Senior William Wahrer was seventh in the shot put (43-1.5). Freshman Kevin Manning finished seventh in the discus (116-7). Junior Orrin James placed seventh in the high jump (5-10).

The Red Storm’s 3,200 relay team (junior Zach Brown, junior Tom Hague, freshman Robert Hall and Morris) came in fourth (8:16.76).

South Portland was paced by its runner-up 400 relay team (seniors Jamison Esquibel, Joseph Michaud, Brian Arsenault and junior Adrian Reid, 44.67). Esquibel came in third in the 300 hurdles (40.72). Senior Nicholas Brown tied for fourth in the pole vault (12 feet). Reid placed sixth in the 200 (23.63). Junior Brian Campbell finished seventh in the 300 hurdles (42.92).

The Red Riots were sixth in the 4×400 relay (sophomore Daniel Grazewski, Arsenault, Esquibel and Michaud, 3:31.89).

20/20

Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ squad was led by juniors Kelsey Barton (second in the two-mile, 12:01.49) and Rachel Nichols, who was runner-up in the 800 (2:24.48). The Capers also got points from their fourth-place 3,200 relay team, as senior Hannah Doss, sophomore Catherine Tierney, Barton and Nichols had a time of 10:08.

On the boys’ side, senior Jon Bass was second in the pole vault (13 feet). Senior Brenden Shields came in third in both the long (19-9.5) and triple (41-9.75) jumps.

New Englands

Select local athletes will take place in the New England championships this coming Saturday in New Britain, Conn.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net

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Scarborough’s Nicole Kirk (far right) hits the finish line to win the 200 in the girls’ Class A meet Saturday. Emily Tolman placed fifth. The Red Storm won the team title for the fourth time in five years.

South Portland’s Joey Michaud hands off to Brian Arsenault during the 400 relay at Saturday’s Class A state championship meet in Augusta. The Red Riots were second in that event.

Cape Elizabeth’s Brenden Shields leaps his way to a third-place finish in the long jump at Saturday’s Class B state meet.