Boothbay Region High School made a strong impression at UMaine Augusta during its mid-season cross country race Sept. 27. The girls won their team event by a wide margin, the boys team placed second barely behind the winners, and Karen Higgins again was the top female runner. Overall, around 80 boys and 50 girls from eight schools competed in the meet, representing the entire conference.  

“It's one of our favorite meets of the year just because it's a great litmus test to see where we stack up, head-to-head, against the rest of the conference,” Coach Nick Scott Said. Scott said the girls had a dominant performance, even with some athletes recovering from illness. He added the boys, many of whom are underclassmen, are surpassing his expectations.  

The Boothbay girls team won against six others with a 22:39-minute average and 34 Points, a 36-point lead over second place. The boys placed second out of eight with a 20-minute average and 66 points. That was only five points behind Lisbon, who won the boys team event with 61 points and a 19:39-minute average.  

“The teams are doing absolutely amazing. And what we're seeing come to fruition in races is a direct result of them being really focused and dedicated and working exceptionally hard,” Scott said. He added that even on hard practice days, or difficult courses like this one, the athletes have good attitudes and bring determination, which is paying off.  

For the girls, Higgins won the individuals event in 19:32.06 minutes, keeping her sub-20-minute streak for the season. Other results were Laura Chapman, fifth, 22:21.59; Maddie Orchard, eighth, 23:14.46; Olivia Rittall, ninth, 23:15.49; Sophia Mansfield, 15th, 24:53.42; Maddie Andreasen, 17th, 25:22.11; Lexi Hughes, 38th, 32:20.59; and Bella Orr, 41st, 34:09.46.   

AJ Crocker led the Seahawk boys in fifth place with an 18:31.78-minute finish. Other results were Cleyton Splaine, 12th, 19:48.90; Ethan Clark, 13th, 19:50.50; Lysander Lefevre, 22nd, 20.34.09; Thomas Hennessy, 25th, 21:08.72; Ross Gaffney, 32nd, 21:37.40; Jackson Zehm, 37th, 22:10.21; Alex Ross, 40th, 22:50.52; Ben Gapski, 52nd, 25:12.46; Nathan Percival, 60th; 26:38.62; and Neal Baldwin, 76th, 33:49.98.   

The Seahawks’ next race is the Festival of Champions Oct. 5, where around 85 schools compete in the season’s largest race. However, Scott said the goal isn't to win or even place towards the top. “It's to go in there, build some confidence because it's a fast course with an electric atmosphere for individuals, and then pull those results out and look at 'How do we compare against schools of our similar size?'” he said. "Really what we're looking for is ‘How are we standing up against these other schools in class C when we race same day, same course?"