The Boothbay Region High School cross country program finished up the season on a high note at the state championship meet in Belfast on Saturday, Nov. 5. The BRHS boys team finished fourth overall, with several runners posting personal records. Faith Blethen, the lone Lady Seahawk to make it to the final, crossed the finish line in eighth place at 20:26.

“There were lots of great performances and fast times all the way around. There were lots of PRs, in fact five of the seven boys running turned in their best races to date; one ran a season PR, and another was really close to his previous best. Congrats to Faith who finished in the top ten, not an easy feat to accomplish and less so when you've been battling shin injuries for half the season,” Coach Nick Scott wrote in an email.

Kyle Ames led the Seahawk charge, finishing 13th overall in a scorching 17:29. Blake Erhard crossed the finish line 17th, at 17:44, Will Perkins, 23rd at 18:00, Rowan Kristan, 46th at 18:54, Bayly Gaughan-Carrasco, 50th at 19:06, Sam Betts, 64th at 19:49 and Will LaBrecque, 77th at 20:23. Ames, Perkins, Kristan, Gaughan-Carrasco and Betts all posted new personal records and Erhard and LaBrecque were seconds away from their best.

“Will Perkins almost broke the 18-minute barrier, which is a big deal for anyone, but especially for a freshman. Rowan cracked and Bayly almost broke the 19-minute barrier, while Kyle dipped below 17:30 for the first time. Kyle was the second fastest junior, Blake was the fourth fastest sophomore, and Will Perkins was the fastest finishing freshman in the Class C race,” Scott wrote.

This has been another fine year for Boothbay cross country and with so much young talent on the team, next year is already looking very promising.