The Boothbay Region High School cross country team pushed a speedy pace during a home meet on September 18.

Although the home course had changed due to construction of the new tennis courts, the undefeated boys team showcased its prowess by keeping the gold jerseys toward the front of the pack.

Senior veteran Benn Scully kept a low profile and a steady pace on the flatter and faster 3.1 mile course. He then exploded in the final two straightaways to overtake the leader of the pack, Nicholas Harriman from Lisbon.

Scully finished first with a time of 17:50, followed by a fourth place finish by senior Robert Campbell (18:21), and a fifth place finish from up-and-coming freshman Joey Paolillo (18:41).

Sophomore Matt Burnham (19:18) and junior Kyler Carty (19:28) rounded off the top five finishers for Boothbay as the boys team went on to snag its third consecutive win with 29 points.

“At first there were quite a few kids in front of me so I didn't really expect to win,” Scully said.

Scully maintained a torrid 5:45 minutes per mile pace on the Boothbay course; a better start to his previous three seasons. He said this year's goal is for the boys team to go all the way at state championships.

Scully's goal holds some truth. Currently, the Seahawks sit at the top of the Class C division. Statewide the Seahawks are ranked 18th out of 70 boys teams from all four divisions. If consistency is maintained without serious injuries, Boothbay will be in good shape for the postseason.

In the girls race, the Lady Seahawks were outrun by three of the five visiting teams. Despite a strong finish from Sophia Thayer and Morgan Crocker, Boothbay's competitive edge was stunted in the absence of frontrunner Hannah Morley who fainted halfway through the race.

Morley was reported to have experienced dehydration and inconsistent blood pressure, according to local physician Aquilino Alamo, who assisted Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch during the rescue. Morley was in stable condition when she was assisted off the course.

At the finish line, Thayer (21:23) outdistanced the nearest runner, Emma Wilson (22:10) of Hall-Dale after several lead changes in beginning of the race. Crocker (23:03) took fifth place in a pack of runners, while Kate Friant (24:15), Genevieve Taylor (28:02) and Tori Ratcliff (32:23) completed the course for a fourth place team finish.

Thayer said her team is in good shape with a solid core of runners. However, cross country is a sport that doesn't require full-time membership, so the recruitment of more runners will add some support to its minimal five-person roster as the season progresses, she said.

Last season, Thayer set a personal record with a time of 20:03 at the Festival of Champions in Belfast. This year, she's preparing to set a new PR before the end of the season.

“I really want to break 20. I'm four seconds away, so hopefully that will happen soon,” Thayer said.

The Seahawks will travel to their first all conference meet on September 25 at the University of Augusta. The gun sounds at 4:15 p.m.