New talent will play a large role for the Boothbay Region High School cross country teams this season. In the first race of the season at Medomak on Friday, freshmen were among both team’s top scorers, and Faith Blethen placed herself among the state’s best. Both teams got off to a solid start at Medomak, with BRHS girls and boys teams besting the small field.

This season, it’s the Lady Seahawks who seem most likely to end up in the winner’s circle. 

“On top of the solid cast we have returning (Hannah Morley, Kate Friant, Lincoln Hamblett), we have newcomers Faith Blethen and Loren Gengrich, who are both in great shape,” Coach Nick Scott said before the race. “I think the girls will stack up well against the competition.”

Scott said the team’s one weakness is its lack of depth. With only five runners, the minimum for a team score, there is no cushion for injury or a bad day. “We are still hoping we can get a few more girls to join the team,” Scott said.

On Friday, the short-handed Lady Seahawks needed no cushion. Busline League champion Blethen seized the lead from the start and never looked back. With only Morley in close contention early in the race, Blethen ran a fast, consistent pace that left her competitors far behind.

Blethen’s goal was to break 20 minutes, which she did, finishing first at 19:56. Milesplit reports that Blethen’s race time Friday was the second fastest for a female high school runner in the state this season. 

Morley, whose consistency and speed continues to impress, finished second at 21:11, about 20 seconds off her personal best. Gengrich finished 4th at 24:20, Friant, 5th at 24:28 and Hamblett 10th at 25:42. BRHS won the event with 22 points, followed by Oceanside, 49 and Medomak, 49.

“I was excited at the prospect of what our season could be when the season started and now that the first race is in the books I'm even more pumped,” Scott wrote in an email after the race.

With two top runners graduating last spring (Kyle Alamo and Kyler Carty) and two other runners not signing up this year, the boys team is not as well placed as it has been in recent years.

“The boys, unfortunately, went from being statewide competitive to being ‘cross your fingers and hope’ competitive in the conference. We lost our number one runner (Joey Paolillo) who was a top runner for the state in Class C, and Dan Drummond, who had a very strong first year. We should have had four of our top seven returning and now we are down to just the two (Matt Burnham and Kyle Ames). That being said, because of the depth of the program, we are still a relatively good team,” Scott said.

On Friday, senior Matt Burnham, sophomore Kyle Ames and Medomak’s Daniel Bubar led the race, running in a tight pack for much of the course. Early on, Burnham led the trio; about midway through the course, Ames took the lead, and in the final third, Bubar surged and left the others behind. Bubar won at 18:11, followed by Ames (18:25) and Burnham (18:40).

Freshman Blake Erhard, another newcomer with big promise, finished third for BRHS and fourth overall at 19:30, followed by Bayly Gaughan-Carrasco (8th, 21:15) and Sam Betts (9th, 21:28). Running but not scoring were Will LaBrecque (10th, 21:29), Shane Johnson (11th, 21:31), Morgen Wilson (12th, 21:55), and Sam Burnham (16th, 23:51). BRHS won the event with 26 points, followed by Medomak, 39, and Oceanside, 67.

Scott said he was happy with the boys team’s performance. “The boys race was equally as good, shedding light on where we are currently at as a team. There were three guys well under 20 minutes and a handful more are right on the cusp.”

On Wednesday, the Seahawks travel to Winthrop for their first chance to go head to head against their Mountain Valley Conference competitors.