Cross Country States – held this year at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast – unfolded on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Falmouth boys and Bonny Eagle girls took the team titles in Class A, as did the Greely boys and Greely girls in Class B and the Orono boys and George Stevens girls in Class C.

“I am very proud of Ami Beaumier, Christine Toy, Kayla Raymond, Abbie Nelson, Emma Abbott, Maddi Thompson and Emma Noon,” said Bonny Eagle girls head coach Andrea Johnson. “These young ladies (four sophomores, three freshmen) did a phenomenal job of keeping their nerves from impacting their performances. We knew that Falmouth was going to be a tough team to beat, so each girl had a race plan going in. Our fifth runner, Emma Abbott, had a phenomenal race where she closed the gap on Falmouth’s fifth runner.

“It has been great coaching such talented and determined athletes that are so young. They are very passionate about running, and have a lot of heart when it comes to racing.  I cannot wait to see what they will do in future years.”

Cape Elizabeth head coach Andrew Lupien sounded off on his kids’ efforts: “I was extremely happy with our team and individual performances in the State Meet,” he said. “Both the boys and girls teams finished better in the State Meet than they had in Regionals the week before, which is truly outstanding. That speaks a lot to their focus and dedication over the season and especially over the last few weeks.

“Individually, I was very happy to have two boys and three girls finish in the top 20. Overall, eight of the 14 runners ran their lifetime personal best in this race.  It was great to have Mac (Huffard) and Emma (Shedd) run their best times in their final CEHS cross country race. It is also very exciting that nine of our 14 State Meet runners, including our top boy and girl, will be back next season!”

Class A Complete Boys Team Results
1. Falmouth, 72; 2. Deering, 116; 3. Massabesic, 151; 4. Windham, 155; 5. Mt. Blue, 158; 6. Hampden, 158; 7. Scarborough, 170; 8. Mt. Ararat, 174; 9. Bonny Eagle, 216; 10. Westbrook, 227; 11. Marshwood, 265; 12. Brunswick, 276; 13. Bangor, 286; 14. Lewiston, 319; 15. South Portland, 340

Class A Top 25 Individual Boys Results
1. Tucker Barber, Mt. Blue, 15:47.33; 2. Cameron Meier, Mt. Ararat, 15:51.22; 3. Jeremiah Sands, Falmouth, 15:59.32; 4. Paul Casavant, Hampden, 15:59.41; 5. Wyatt Lord, Hampden, 16:08.39; 6. Jacob Gamache, Edward Little, 16:09.48; 7. Josh Lombardo, Westbrook, 16:12.00; 8. Alexander Swett, Massabesic, 16:19.94; 9. Yahya Nure, Deering, 16:23.80; 10. Lisandro Berry-Gaviria, Mt. Ararat, 16:27.38; 11. John Auer, Falmouth, 16:28.16; 12. Conner Piers, Falmouth, 16:29.76; 13. Zachariah Hoyle, Messalonskee, 16:32.38; 14. Shamus Malia, Scarborough, 16:32.71; 15. Connor Coffin, Scarborough, 16:33.53; 16. William Webb, Hampden, 16:38.25; 17. Ben Breton, Windham, 16:39.09; 18. Ben Wyman, Falmouth, 16:43.31; 19. Donovan Duffy, Massabesic, 16:47.66; 20. Alec Troxell, Deering, 16:51.00; 21. Brody Bate, Marshwood, 16:52.02; 22. Jacob Aboud, Massabesic, 16:54.45; 23. Aiden Willey, Bonny Eagle, 16:58.50; 24. Abbas Muktar, Lewiston, 16:59.51; 25. Eagan Eldridge, Mt. Ararat, 17:01.89

Class A Complete Girls Team Results
1. Bonny Eagle, 77; 2. Falmouth, 83; 3. Massabesic, 143; 4. Brunswick, 147; 5. Marshwood, 167; 6. Biddeford, 180; 7. Westbrook, 185; 8. Kennebunk, 197; 9. Mt. Blue, 197; 10. Scarborough, 198; 11. Cheverus, 227; 12. Mt. Ararat, 235; 13. Cony, 265; 14. Brewer, 285

Class A Top 25 Individual Girls Results
1. Malaika Pasch, Falmouth, 18:22.02; 2. Louise Holway, Kennebunk, 18:22.50; 3. Katherine Leckbee, Mt. Ararat, 18:42.41; 4. Natalie DuBois, Marshwood, 19:22.65; 5. Anne Guadalupi, Cony, 19:23.12; 6. Anna Slager, Gorham, 19:24.85; 7. Quincey Lyden, Westbrook, 19:25.21; 8. Hailey Applebee, Windham, 19:30.17; 9. Ami Beaumier, Bonny Eagle, 19:37.03; 10. Bethany Sholl, Scarborough, 19:42.61; 11. Christine Toy, Bonny Eagle, 19:44.25; 12. Iris Kitchen, Gorham, 19:45.93; 13. Isabella Pols, Brunswick, 20:02.24; 14. Mackenzie Young, Marshwood, 20:05.57; 15. Kayla Raymond, Bonny Eagle, 20:05.81; 16. Kylie Johnson, Massabesic, 20:07.65; 17. Micaela Ashby, Brunswick, 20:11.68; 18. Rosie Train, Cheverus, 20:13.36; 19. Jillian Richardson, Edward Little, 20:16.76; 20. Ally Schimelman, Falmouth, 20:17.60; 21. Caitlin Kelly, Brunswick, 20:20.54; 22. Peyton Arbour, Messalonskee, 20:24.15; 23. Hannah Berzinis, Falmouth, 20:26.77; 24. Simone Withers, Hampden, 20:30.14; 25. Hallie Benton, Massabesic, 20:34.94

Class B Complete Boys Team Results
1. Greely, 66; 2. Wells, 81; 3. Freeport, 100; 4. Yarmouth, 101; 5. Cape Elizabeth, 168; 6. Lincoln, 192; 7. York, 236; 8. Maranacook, 238; 9. Waterville, 244; 10. John Bapst, 247; 11. Camden Hills, 256; 12. Caribou, 269; 13. Mount Desert Island, 274; 14. Erskine, 323; 15. Ellsworth, 338; 16. Presque Isle, 382

Class B Top 25 Individual Boys Results
1. Luke Laverdiere, Yarmouth, 15:49.59; 2. Henry Jaques, Freeport, 15:57.73; 3. Mitch Libby, Wells, 16:44.71; 4. Nicholas Dall, Waterville, 16:47.79; 5. Caleb Love-Webb, Camden Hills, 16:50.28; 6. Luke Marsanskis, Greely, 16:53.86; 7. Sammy Potter, Yarmouth, 16:55.37; 8. Trevor Iltis, Camden Hills, 16:57.81; 9. Wesley Moody, Wells, 17:04.86; 10. Alex Les, Freeport, 17:05.12; 11. Yacob Olins, Freeport, 17:06.37; 12. Griffin Allaire, Wells, 17:11.08; 13. Pat Lyden, Greely, 17:16.34; 14. Matthew Todd, Greely, 17:16.89; 15. Michael Stapleton, Wells, 17:23.16; 16. Max Stickney, Greely, 17:23.60; 17. Alfie Walker, Fryeburg, 17:25.04; 18. Caleb Thurston, Greely, 17:26.33; 19. Jack Bassett, Cape, 17:28.04; 20. Mac Huffard, Cape, 17:31.73; 21. Ruslan Reiter, Maranacook, 17:33.45; 22. Ryan Simpson, York, 17:34.39; 23. Tom Doyle 17:34.96; 24. Ben Wilson, Greely, 17:35.58; 25. Connor Poirier, Old Town, 17:36.93

“Henry came in second, which is really good,” said Freeport head coach Brian Berkemeyer. “We were shooting to get three in the top 10; Alex Les came in 10th and Yacob Olins was in 11th, so that’s pretty close. Our three runners were all ahead of Greely’s second runner, which was good. We had an outside shot. Tom Doyle had a great race; he PR-ed. Actually, all of my boys PR-ed, it’s just, the depth, it wasn’t strong enough. We had a little depth, but not strong enough.”

Berkemeyer continued, “Henry’s come in second twice in a row, and that’s phenomenal. Luke (Laverdiere, first-place finisher) switched gears at mile one – I asked Henry about it – and Henry just didn’t have the gear to switch into. He thought he might, and then Luke just gradually pulled away.”

Berkemeyer’s boys won back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015. After a solid 2016, he expects 2017 will be more of a rebuilding season. “On the way home yesterday, I crossed out all the seniors and did some looking. Yarmouth and Lincoln aren’t losing anybody from their top seven. Greely loses three of seven. We lose three out of our seven that we ran. It’s definitely going to be rough next year.

“We still have some talent though, on the team, and all the boys are really eager to get back to it. I think the team was a bit disappointed with the result. Which is expected. You lose a close soccer game, you’re disappointed. You lose a close cross country meet, you’re disappointed. But they all put in some really great results. I’m pretty sure they all PR-ed on the year.”

Jaques will be the only Falcon this time around advancing to New Englands, to be held at Ponaganset High School in North Scituate, R.I. this coming Saturday, Nov. 12. The top 25 individuals in Maine – that is, the top 25 individuals among all three classes combined – earn a slot on the larger stage. The top six teams also make the cut, a mark the Freeport boys barely missed.

“The boys came in eighth (among all teams) in the State,” Berkemeyer said, “which is really good. Eighth in the entire State, among all classes? That’s respectable.”

Class B Complete Girls Team Results
1. Greely, 71; 2. Yarmouth, 82; 3. York, 84; 4. Cape, 118; 5. MDI, 149; 6. Maranacook, 156; 7. Camden Hills, 189; 8. Fryeburg, 213; 9. Caribou, 214; 10. Freeport, 251; 11. Ellsworth, 281; 12. Waterville, 287; 13. Wells, 312

Class B Top 25 Individual Girls Results
1. Abigail Hamilton, Yarmouth, 18:05.31; 2. Tia Tardy, MDI, 18:14.48; 3. Katherine Leggat-Barr, Greely, 18:14.61; 4. Carolyn Todd, Greely, 18:39.71; 5. Anneka Murrin, Yarmouth, 18:46.09; 6. Kathryn Miller, York, 18:57.67; 7. Emily Carty, Fryeburg, 19:29.58; 8. Grace Reynolds, York, 19:39.18; 9. Emma Trapani, Camden Hills, 19:42.96; 10. Grace Iltis, Camden Hills, 19:43.05; 11. Grace Cowles, Yarmouth, 19:48.52; 12. Kate Curran, Greely, 19:52.70; 13. Camilla Grosso, Cape, 19:53.35; 14. Lily Horne, Freeport, 19:53.81; 15. Emma Shedd, Cape, 19:57.57; 16. Trinity Motigny, Ellsworth, 19:59.09; 17. Cecilia Morin, Waterville, 20:03.85; 18. Molly McGrail, Maranacook, 20:05.09; 19. Kelsey Kennedy, Cape Elizabeth, 20:09.92; 20. Lauran Parent, Maranacook, 20:10.64; 21. Maddie Taylor, Maranacook, 20:12.39; 22. Grace Gear, York, 20:13.74; 23. Malia Cryan, York, 20:16.64; 24. Sara Hunt, John Bapst, 20:16.97; 25. Chloe Waldrep, Greely, 20:17.56

“The girls were hoping not to get last,” Berkemeyer said. That statement may sound pessimistic at first blush, but the team barely squeaked into the meet. “We got the last seed in Class B, from the South. We were No. 8; we were really pushing to get in. Poland, I think, put five girls on the line at the last second (at Regionals), and that allowed one extra team to get in – so, we were the last team to qualify for States. But the girls came in 10th (at States), out of, I think they beat three teams. A lot of PRs; all of them PR-ed on the year.”

Berkemeyer offered additional thoughts on Freeport’s impending rebuilding year. “Lily Horne, she’s the fastest runner I’ve ever coached, on the girls’ side. So I have Lily, and I have Alex on the boys’ side. They’re both sophomores. Alex came in second on the team, this last meet. We build a team around those two runners on the boys’ and girls’ sides, we could vie again … That’s my goal, with Lily and Alex. Build the team around them; I think those two have the possibility to be No. 1 runners in the State, as seniors. Lily’s top 30 in the State right now, as a sophomore, and Alex has got to be top 40, I would think. At least top 50. I’m very hopeful for next year.”

Berkemeyer doesn’t know much about the upcoming crop of freshmen, though he’s hopeful another new class will bring with it another influx of talent. Beyond that, he’s looking to expand the presence of running in the community.

“We’re going to try to promote running more in Freeport, and we’re hoping the track comes through,” he said. He mentioned other potentially upcoming, positive developments as well.

Class C Complete Boys Team Results
1. Orono, 56; 2. MCWS, 69; 3. Waynflete, 93; 4. Boothbay, 100; 5. GSA, 106; 6. Saint Dominic, 172; 7. North Yarmouth, 185; 8. Carrabec, 221; 9. Greater Houlton Christian, 233; 10. Narraguagus, 242; 11. Lee, 275; 12. Fort Kent, 294

Class C Top 25 Individual Boys Results
1. John Hassett, GSA, 15:56.12; 2. Jacob Hickey, Winthrop, 16:10.90; 3. Tucker Pierce, MCWS, 16:45.67; 4. Ollie Dillon, GSA, 16:53.98; 5. Brandon Goud, Wiscasset, 16:55.45; 6. Henry Spritz, Waynflete, 16:58.78; 7. Nick Neveu, MCWS, 16:58.79; 8. Willson Moore, Waynflete, 17:02.52; 9. Isaiah Brown, Houlton, 17:03.47; 10. Dylan Wu, MCWS, 17:10.63; 11. Jacob Christiansen, Traip, 17:24.88; 12. Lowell Ruck, Orono, 17:29.01; 13. Kyle Ames, Boothbay, 17:29.25; 14. Matt Keresey, Orono, 17:30.63; 15. Jonathan Steelman, Orono, 17:35.15; 16. Evan Merchant, Jonesport-Beals, 17:43.98; 17. Blake Erhard, Boothbay, 17:44.65; 18. Brendan Penfold, Deer Isle-Stonington, 17:46.98; 19. Troy Hendricks, Sacopee, 17:54.80; 20. Addison Coty, Calasi, 17:56.09; 21. Jonny Spencer, Orono, 17:57.41; 22. William O’Neil, Orono, 17:58.16; 23. Will Perkins, Boothbay, 18:00.85; 24. Stephen Nelson, Orono, 18:06.34; 25. Jacob Godfrey, Machias, 18:07.54

Class C Complete Girls Team Results
1. GSA, 52; 2. Orono, 61; 3. St. Dom, 86; 4. Waynflete, 98; 5. MCWS, 114; 6. Traip, 164; 7. Greater Houlton Christian, 196; 8. Monmouth, 201; 9. Limestone/Maine School of Science and Mathematics; 217; 10. Narraguagus, 220

Class C Top 25 Individual Girls Results
1. Kassidy Dill, Orono, 19:29.97; 2. Eliza Broughton, GSA, 19:44.07; 3. Zeya Lorio, GSA, 19:53.80; 4. Olivia Skillings, MCWS, 20:00.28; 5. Mary Richardson, GSA, 20:05.05; 6. Ellie Chidsey, Waynflete, 20:09.25; 7. Camilla Kohtala, Orono, 20:23.20; 8. Faith Blethen, Boothbay, 20:26.12; 9. Faye Brown Morrison, Narraguagus, 20:27.13; 10. Alexandra Hammerton, St. Dom, 20:30.33; 11. Hannah Steelman, Orono, 20:31.38; 12. Abby Pipkin, Waynflete, 20:33.15; 13. Caroline Gastonguay, St. Dom, 20:36.22; 14. Bridgett Hill, Greater Houlton Christian, 20:37.29; 15. Amelia Lorrey, Traip, 20:39.77; 16. Sydney Sirois, St. Dom, 20:43.64; 17. Liza Gallandt, Orono, 20:50.75; 18. Tegan Ewings, Greater Houlton Christian, 20:53.08; 19. Sophia Mayone, Waynflete, 21:01.36; 20. Dolcie Tanguay, Fort Kent, 21:04.84; 21. Josephine Ek, Traip, 21:06.77; 22. Mary Brenna Catus, GSA, 21:07.19; 23. Louise Ahearne, MCWS, 21:20.38; 24. Tess Williamson, GSA, 21:15.55; 25. Ava Teegarden, MCWS, 21:15.82

The drenching weather on recent weekends wreaked some minor havoc with the Championship-season schedule. Heavy rains forced the bumping of Regionals, originally slated for Oct. 22, to the 29th, which in turn shunted States, initially docketed for the 29th, to the 5th.

Caper Mac Huffard rounds a bend in Belfast on Saturday.

Scarborough’s Luke Grover finished in 17:18.13 on Saturday.

Cape freshman Jack Bassett might be young, but he can hang with the State’s top Class B boys. Bassett finished 19th at States in Belfast on Saturday, in 17:28.04.

Caper Kelsey Kennedy breaks round a corner.

Cape senior Emma Shedd finished in 19:57:57.

Caper Camilla Grosso, a sophomore, finished in 19:53.35, good for lucky 13th in the Class B girls race.

Cape’s Arsen Scheindel crossed the line in 17:53.06.

Scarborough’s Bethany Sholl took 10th among Class A girls, in 19:42.61.

Windham’s Hailey Applebee competes at Class A States on Saturday.

Windham’s Ben Breton rounds a bend at last Saturday’s State Meet.

Bonny Eagle’s Kayla Raymond finished 15th among all Class A girls on Saturday.

Ami Beaumier was the first Bonny Eagle girls finisher on Saturday, and thus led her squad to their State title.

Windham’s Wyatt Yost was the Gentlemen Eagles’ fifth scorer on their way to a fourth-place finish at Saturday’s States.

Bonny Eagler Aiden Willey, just a freshman, finished 23rd among all Class A boys on Saturday.

Westbrook’s Josh Lombardo finished seventh at States on Saturday, in 16:12 flat.

Quincey Lyden, just a freshman, finished seventh among all Class A girls on Saturday.

Gorhamite Anthony Chase finished in 17:34.70 on Saturday.

Scarborough’s Ryanne Cox finished in 21:20.98 on Saturday.

South Portland Steven Smith finished his 5K run on Saturday in 18:02.54.

Freeporters Yacob Olins (left) and Alex Les (right) ran the States course shoulder-to-shoulder, and finished almost even.

Maine Coaster Tucker Pierce wends his way among the pack. Pierce finished third among Class C Boys.

Olivia Skillings finished fourth among Class C girls on Saturday.

Maine Coaster Louise Ahearne finished Saturday’s course in 21:10.38, good for 23rd.

Freeport head coach Brian Berkemeyer calls sophomore Lily Horne “the fastest runner I’ve ever coached, on the girls’ side.”

Laura Pierce rounds a bend for Freeport at Saturday’s States.

Dylan Wu (left) and Nick Neveu (right), both Maine Coast students, keep close to one another at States.

Freeporters Emily Sclar (in front) and Olivia Botting (trailing) curl around a bend at States.

Maine Coaster Ava Teegarden, just a freshman, finished 25th among Class C girls on Saturday.

The Gentlemen Falcons pose together at States on Saturday. From left: Assistant coach Matt Greear, Eero Pandora, Heath Cockburn, Henry Jaques, Evan Donald, Tanner Morrison, Tom Doyle, Alex Les, Yacob Olins, head coach BrianBerkemeyer.

Freeport’s Evan Donald charges ahead at States.

Freeporter Heath Cockburn battle a group of opponents at States on Saturday.

Freeporter Tom Doyle ran a personal best at States on Saturday.

Freeporter Henry Jaques leads Yarmouth rival Luke Laverdiere. Laverdiere would eventually pass Jaques and hold on to claim first, with Jaques finishing several seconds back.

The Lady Falcons pose together at States. From left: Lily Horne, Caroline Doyle, Emily Sclar, Laura Pierce, Katie Morrissey, Olivia Botting, Caroline Stairs.

Freeporter Katie Morrissey finished her 5K run in 23:38:67 on Saturday.

Scarborough’s Shamus Malia finished 14th among Class A boys at States on Saturday.

Gorham’s Anna Slager finished sixth in the Class A State race this past Saturday.