In their season opener at Medomak Valley High School on September 6, both Boothbay Region High School cross country teams got off to a fine start.

The Seahawks easily ran away with the boys’ meet with a total score of 29 points.

Lincoln Academy was a distant second at 45 points and Medomak placed third with 78 points. With two top runners absent, the Lady Seahawks could not score as a team.

In the boys race, seniors Benn Scully and Robert Campbell jumped to an early lead, running throughout most of the course in step and slightly in front Gavin Felch (Medomak Valley).

In the last 100 yards, Scully and Felch pulled away from Campbell and dueled to the finish line, neck and neck. In the final 20 yards, Scully pulled slightly ahead, only to be beaten in the last second when Felch dove across the finish line, tumbling end over end.

Although disappointed by the outcome, Scully gave his best performance to date smashing the 18 minute mark and finishing at 17:41.

Boothbay’s other four scorers also delivered outstanding performances. Campbell finished third at 18:05, followed by freshman Joey Paolillo (4th, 18:22), junior Kyler Carty (9th, 19:27), and sophomore Matt Burnham (11th, 19:46).

In the girls race, Oceanside’s Abby Hersom took the lead early and never gave it back. She finished alone a full minute ahead of her nearest competitor, Sophia Thayer, at 20:46.

Boothbay’s Thayer and Morgan Crocker ran side by side most of the race, until Thayer pulled away near the end. Thayer finished second at 21:54 and Crocker finished third at 22:30. In their debut running performances for the Seahawks, freshmen Kate Friant finished sixth at 24:38 and Tori Ratcliff finished 19th at 33:53.

Coach Lauren Forgues was pleased with the team’s performance. “I was very happy with the race, I was excited to set the bar for the rest of the season,” Forgues said. “The freshmen were introduced to high school cross country, and now have a goal time in their minds to work with.

“Ben, Robert and Joey are going to need to work together to secure those top spots as well as a little friendly competition. I think at the end of the season we will have a solid top five in the boys. I think the girls just need to get a little stronger. But it’s the second week of September, we will get there for sure.

“I see big things for both the girls and the guys.”

The teams travel to Winthrop on September 11, where they will face Wiscasset, Monmouth, Lisbon and a top ranked Hall-Dale boys squad. Forgues said the details of a home meet are still being worked out but she is optimistic.

Sue Mello can be reached at 207-844-4629 or suemello@boothbayregister.com.