Cross Country
Cross-country gets ready for regionals
By Kevin Higgins
RACING TO THE FINISH. The Western Maine Conference Meet, held last Friday in Falmouth, marked the end of the JV cross-country season. The varsity teams, however, will compete in the regional meet this weekend. Pictured are Hope Ladd, Liza Cody, Alyssa Hayward and Kendyll Farley in the girls' junior varsity race.
Photo courtesy of Don Littlefield
RUNNING STRONG. Matt Wagner competes against rival Cape Elizabeth in the final York cross-country junior varsity race last Friday during the Western Maine Conference Meet.
Photo courtesy of Don Littlefield
The boys' junior varsity team took second, while the girls' placed fifth.
Cape Elizabeth won the boys' varsity and junior varsity races, with 43 and 21 points, respectively. Greely, 86, took second in the varsity race, followed by Falmouth, 105, York, 166, Yarmouth, 204, and 10 other teams. York scored 45 points in the junior varsity race, far ahead of the other eight teams.
Freeport won the girls' varsity race with 89 points. Cape Elizabeth, 94, Falmouth, 96, and York, 103, will all be fighting for the top spot when Freeport runs in Class C next week. With 36 points, Cape Elizabeth won the junior varsity race. York, 135, placed fifth.
Tom Ciampa, 21st, and Alex Moser, 25th, paced the boys' varsity squad. Moser, a freshman, has moved up on the team from day one to the number two slot he claimed this week. Moser and Ciampa look forward to continuing their performances at the top of the field. Nick McMahon, 31st, placed third for York and Nick Lumenello, 43rd, placed fourth. Both plan to be right up there with Ciampa and Moser in the upcoming races.
Dan Herbein, 46th, came in fifth for the Wildcats. Herbein and Tristan Palhof, 49th, ran together and pushed each other for the whole race. Kevin Higgins, 52nd, completed the varsity squad. Herbein, Palhof and Higgins agree that next week they should be able to move up at least twenty seconds on the competition, giving York an extra edge.
Ryan Means led York in the junior varsity race, crossing the finish line in third place. Jason Roy placed seventh, and Matt Wagner out-sprinted a pack of the competition in the final 200 yards for ninth place. Luke Graziano, 12th, beat out a Greely runner by leaning across the finish line. Right on his heels came Andrew Potter, 14th, one second later.
Nat Freeman, 16th, ousted several runners with a powerful final kick. Brian Farrell, 25th, completed the top seven. Nate Hirst, 27th, just barely beat teammate Jimmy Kennedy, 28th, at the line, and Josh Herbein, 33rd, completed the top 10.
Lacey Cartier placed second in the girls' varsity race. With that incredible kick her fans have come to expect, she passed a Freeport runner in the last 200 yards to beat her by 10 seconds. Annie Boardman also ran a very strong race, finishing eighth.
Freshman Reaha Goyetche had a great race, placing 21st, and her coaches hope she will get spikes soon so she can run even faster. Molly Carl, 34th, and Monique Boutin, 39th, rounded out the top five. Kylie Vallee, 61st, and Cara Cavalieri, 65th, completed the varsity squad.
Ashley Mead, 21st, led York's junior varsity squad. Justine Willey, 23rd, and Glenn Swanson, 27th, were close on her heels.
Kelly Silin, 32nd, placed fourth for the Wildcats, and Frawley Barton and Allyson Johnson crossed the line in 37th and 38th places, respectively. Katie McGuigan, 41st, rounded out the top seven.
For the junior varsity runners, the season is over.
This Saturday, Oct. 21, the boys' and girls' varsity squads will head to Greely for the regional meet. The top six teams at this race qualify for the state meet in Leavitt. Both boys and girls look to be strong contenders and hope to advance.
