Forecaster Country cross country teams certainly made their mark at the regional championships held Saturday at Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland.
First place, barely
Cape Elizabeth’s Hadley Mahoney finishes second in the Class B South girls’ race, helping the Capers take the team title. John Jensenius / For The Forecaster
Cape Elizabeth’s girls won the Class B South title, but it sure didn’t come easily. The Capers wound up with 60 points, as did Lincoln Academy (one point ahead of York), so the champion was determined via tiebreaker by which team had the faster sixth-place runner.
Cape Elizabeth was led by individual runner-up Hadley Mahoney (who finished the five-kilometer course with a time of 19 minutes, 46.58 seconds) and Emma Young (third, 20:17.42). Also scoring were Ellie Mainville (12th, 21:54.41), Avery Palmore (19th, 22:37.95) and Addison Young (24th, 22:56.64). Jane Curtis was 30th and Addie Mazzeo came in 31st and both placed before Lincoln Academy’s sixth-place runner, who was 51st.
“We’ve been hoping for this outcome,” Mahoney said. “Everyone except Emma and me are new to the team this year. It’s been really cool to watch all these girls grow and improve all season.”
“That’s about as exciting as it can get,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Andrew Lupien. “We were going through the scoring and saying when you pass somebody, it’s a point either way, and we talked about how the sixth runner could be the tiebreaker. It doesn’t happen very often, but you never know at a meet like this. Every place counts.”
The Capers have now qualified for states every season since 2001. They’re now seeking their first state title since 2009.
In the Class B South boys’ meet, won by Freeport with 40 points, Cape Elizabeth (143 points) placed fourth and qualified for states for the 20th straight season. The Capers were led by Finn Morris, who came in 16th (18:18.62). Also scoring were Liam Nudd (19th, 18:21.28), Nathan Ashe (33rd, 19:02.97), Sebastian Hesser (37th, 19:16.96) and Ben Colello (38th, 19:17.37).
In the hunt
Scarborough’s Adam Bendetson runs toward a third-place finish in the Class A boys’ meet. The Red Storm were second as a team. John Jensenius / For The Forecaster
Portland won the Class A South boys’ title with 73 points. Scarborough (96) finished runner-up. The Red Storm, who have qualified for states every season since 1999, were led by Adam Bendetson, who was third individually in 16:51.1. Also finishing in the top-10 were Nate Driscoll (eighth, 17:39.83) and Ethan Keller (10th, 17:47.75). Joseph Cotta (36th, 18:52.58) and Benjamin Bouchard (39th, 18:58.77) rounded out the scoring.
South Portland (117 points) was fourth. The Red Riots, who qualified for the state meet for the second consecutive season, were paced by Evan Small (12th, 18:02.77). Also scoring were Kyle Hartford (17th, 18:16.75), Jack Nickerson (18th, 18:20.07), Harrison Jones (30th, 18:40.29) and Emmons Whited (40th, 19:02.5).
In Class A South girls’ action, Bonny Eagle took the top spot with 20 points. Scarborough (257 points) finished ninth, but just seven teams qualified and the Red Storm missed out on the state meet for the second year in a row. Rowan Driscoll (28th, 22:34.56) and Kyleigh Record (29th, 22:35.95) were the top individuals. Also scoring were Camdyn Conant (60th, 24:51.55), Bridget Flannery (62nd, 25:00.77) and Bella Csuka (78th, 27:42.98).
South Portland (281 points) finished 11th and missed the state meet for the sixth straight season. The Red Riots were paced by Anna Brown (50th, 23:57.67). Also scoring were Iris Young (52nd, 24:05.58), Gabbie Archibald (56th, 24:42.22), Elsa Henriksen (57th, 24:43.78) and Eva Cooke (66th, 26:04.57).
The state championship meets are this coming Saturday in Cumberland.
Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan contributed to this story.
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