Boothbay may not have a reputation as a running town, but it is fast gaining one.

Following last week's first and second place finishes at the Mountain Valley Conference championships, Boothbay teams and individuals picked up more trophies Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Western Regional Championship race at Twin Brooks in Cumberland.

As they have throughout the season, Boothbay boys dominated the front of the pack, winning the Western Regional Class C Championship title easily.

The girls team also ran extremely well, finishing second only to a strong Waynflete team and edging past a tough Monmouth squad.

Boothbay's Sophia Thayer finished third overall for Class C girls; and Matt Malcom, running for North Yarmouth Academy, finished third overall for Class C boys.

Boys race

For the boys, it was the second Western Regional Championship title in school history, and the second in six years.

Saturday's win was another decisive one, with Boothbay finishing 50 points ahead of its nearest competitor and all five Seahawk scorers in the top 16.

Both coaches Nick Scott and Lauren Forgues used the same word to describe the team's performance: impressive.

There were few surprises in the boys race on Saturday. BRHS did what they have done week after week this year: They ran faster than most of their competitors in a close pack.

Benn Scully (6th, 17:51) and Joey Paolillo (9th, 17:57) surged ahead of the rest of the Boothbay boys by mid-race and the two vied for number one spot until the end, when Scully prevailed.

Seniors Jack Hasch (10th, 18:17) and Robert Campbell (11th, 18:24) finished third and fourth, respectively, for BRHS.

For Hasch, who until this year had been among the non-scoring runners, the third place Seahawk team finish was a first. “I really started improving after Festival of Champions and it's been getting better every week,” Hasch said after the race.

Matt Burnham (16th, 18:48) was the the fifth scorer for BRHS. Burnham barreled the last hundred yards to the finish line, passing other runners and moving up the ranks, with his face in a tight grimace.

Asked about his dramatic finish, Burnham replied, “I don't like to lose.”

Kyler Carty (22nd, 19:11) and Kyle Alamo (33rd, 19:39) finish sixth and seventh (non-scoring) for BRHS.

The Seahawks will face the team’s toughest competition of the season at the state championship meet in Twin Brooks on November 2. Orono, the Eastern Regional Champs, also boasts an extremely strong squad and will pose the first real threat to BRHS this season.

Based on regional times, Orono, with three finishers under 18 minutes and all scorers under 19, has a slight edge for the title. George Stevens Academy also promises to be competitive. The state championship title is within the Seahawks’ reach, but it is by no means assured.

Telstar's Josef Holt stole the Western Regional Class C race with a jaw-dropping 15:54 finish time and the appearance of ease.

BRHS won the Class C western title with 47 points, followed by Merriconeag, 97, Monmouth, 98, Winthrop, 100, Hall-Dale 124, North Yarmouth Academy 130, Madison 211, Waynflete 212, Dirigo, 214, St. Dom's 248, Richmond, 253, Mountain Valley 305, Carrabec 372 and Traip 376.

The top seven teams and top 30 runners progress to the state meet.

Girls race

The Lady Seahawks' second place regional finish is their second in BRHS history. Interestingly, Coach Nick Scott reported that the other BRHS regional runner-up team included current coach Lauren Forgues.

In the girls race, Thayer quickly moved to the front of the pack with front runners Sophia Canning (Waynflete) and Hannah Austin (NYA) but was unable to maintain their pace. Canning and the diminutive Austin ran neck and neck to the finish line, where Canning prevailed by two seconds at 20:37.

Thayer ran alone through most of the race, finishing third overall at 21:16.

Morgan Crocker (13th, 22:34) and Hannah Morley (14th, 22:41) both delivered their best performances on the Twin Brooks course in their running careers on Saturday.

Finishing fourth and fifth for the Lady Seahawks were Kate Friant (42nd, 24:14) and a breath behind her, Tori Schmid (43rd, 24:14).

Schmid has only been running for the squad since MVC, and her finish beside Friant was a boost up from her last race. Schmid said she credited her improvement with the fact that she had actually been practicing with the team the previous week.

Shaw Pinkham (45th, 24:32) and Brooke Alley (61st, 25:53) finished sixth and seventh (non-scoring).

Waynflete won the meet easily with 37 points, followed by Boothbay, 101, Monmouth, 103, St. Dom's, 120, Merriconeag, 124, North Yarmouth Academy, 148, Winthrop, 166, Telstar, 181, Dirigo, 200, Sacopee, 263, Traip, 284, and McAuley, 302.

The top six teams and 30 runners continue to the state finals.

In addition to tough Waynflete and Monmouth teams, the Lady Seahawks will be facing very strong Orono and Washburn teams at the state meet on November 2.

Twin Brooks in Cumberland will become the Maine high school cross country mecca next Saturday, Nov. 2, when the top teams and runners in Class A, B and C gather to vie for top state cross country honors.

The Class C state championship races are scheduled to begin at 12:30.