LEWISTON — The York High boys’ indoor track team produced two unexpected individual champions while several other teammates stepped up Saturday at Bates College, helping the Wildcats beat Foxcroft Academy 56-44 for a fourth Class B state title in five years.

Orono ran away with the girls’ title, holding off Greely, 87-65. Tia Tardy won three individual events, and Lauren Stoops added two firsts and a second.

“Foxcroft was the overwhelming favorite. We were looking for divine intervention. We got it,” York Coach Ted Hutch said. “This is one of the most bizarre state meets.”

York’s upset started when Jack Bouchard went into the long jump seeded eighth but won by seven inches with a jump of 20 feet, 10 inches.

Later, Matt Arsenault went into the triple jump seeded third and walked away as champion with an indoor personal best of 40-3 3/4.

“I couldn’t even tell you how I won that. It came down to a fourth of an inch. I didn’t know who won after I finished,” Arsenault said.

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“I think it helped us not being seeded to win the team title. We came in knowing we can do amazing things.”

Everywhere in between, there were Wildcats who did better than expected, like Alex Brockelman, who was seeded eighth in the mile – out of the scoring – but finished fifth (4:47.26) to add three points. Brockelman also finished seventh in the 2-mile (10:25.69) to score another point.

“When Jack won the long jump, that was pretty inspirational,” Brockelman said. “It was completely unexpected. This is what (Coach) Hutch tells us, to just focus on doing our best.”

Two boys captured multiple individual titles.

Evan Porter of Traip Academy won the 55-meter hurdles (8:05) and 55 dash (6.55). Ryan Bender of Mt. Desert Island earned victories the 200 (23.00) and 400 (51.64).

In the girls’ meet, Tardy dominated, then flashed a huge grin after winning her third event.

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She took the mile with a powerful sprint with 100 meters left to win by four seconds (5 minutes, 10.46 seconds). Then she won the 800 with ease, exercising her mighty kick again to prevail in 2:23.24.

Finally, Tardy hung behind the leaders in the 2-mile until the last lap when, with 100 meters to go, she again pulled away with no trouble for another win (11:30.72) that helped lift the Red Riots to the team title.

“My strategy was to work on placing and to focus on that,” Tardy said.

“I knew if I was going to push myself for time it would be a little harder to win (all) the events. Fortunately, I have a meet at Harvard this weekend and can work on my time in the 800. So I have a few meets left.”

Greely was close for much of the meet. Alyssa Coyne won the shot put (38 feet, 1 inch), and distance training mates Katherine Leggat-Barr and Carolyn Todd ran with Tardy for much of the mile and 2-mile but couldn’t outkick her.

Leggat-Barr finished second in the mile (5:14.30) and 2-mile (11:32.11), and Todd, a freshman, took third in both races (5:16.38 and 11:34.25).

“She’s amazing,” Leggat-Barr said of Tardy. “I knew she had a phenomenal kick. I saw it in the mile. I felt like I was walking when she pulled away. Then in the 2-mile, I tried to put distance between us at the end.”

Orono also had help from Stoops, who won the 200 (26.68) and 55 hurdles (8.70) and finished second in the dash (7.49).

Also, Allison Pickering won the pole vault (10-0) for the Red Riots.


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