Cross Country
Girls' cross-country qualifies for New England Championship Meet
By Kevin Higgins
Senior Kevin Higgins races for the boys' cross-country team in Saturday's Maine State Championship Meet in Turner. The boys' team placed ninth, a strong showing for a team that few expected would see a championship race after the loss of many key runners with last year's senior class.
Photo by Stewart Turner
Senior Lacey Cartier captured the third spot in her division at the State Championship Meet when the girls' cross-country team competed last Saturday. Reaha Goyetche and Molly Carl, pictured together, also had strong showings during the meet, which saw the York girls' team qualify for the New England Regional Meet on Nov. 11.
Photo by Stewart Turner
The girls' team finished in third, while the boys team placed ninth.
Not only did the girls finish third in the Class B race, but they finished fifth in the compiled results of the day, qualifying for their second straight New England Championship meet.
Mount Desert Island won the girls' race with 85 points. Cape Elizabeth placed second with 88 points. York, scoring 106 points, outran 10 other teams to place third.
With the signature hill named "Satan's Inferno," runners everywhere dread the Leavitt course. The hill is conveniently located after 2.5 miles of the course have passed, forcing runners to question whether they will even make it to the top. But for the stronger souls, this hill is the place to make a move on the competition, passing them while they are most disheartened.
Senior Lacey Cartier did just that. She approached the hill in a pack of half-dozen other runners, but when she came out of the woods at the end, she was blazing far ahead, capturing third place.
A strong team cannot succeed without depth, which is precisely what the Wildcats feature. Freshman Reaha Goyetche and sophomore Molly Carl crossed the finish line one second apart, securing 20th and 21st places, respectively. A mere nine seconds later, Chelsea Jordan finished as well. After having missed a good chunk of the season due to a stress fracture, the senior came back with a fine last race.
Senior Annie Boardman rounded out the top five, placing 46th. Freshman Monique Boutin placed sixth for York, finishing 55th. Kylie Vallee completed the Wildcat squad, placing 76th.
At the beginning of the year, people wondered if the York boys' cross-country team would be competitive, let alone be able to make it to the state meet. Many thought not, since all of the top five runners from last year's regional and state meets graduated. Only one runner from the 2005 varsity squad returned to run in the 2006 season. However, with help from a very strong freshman class, the Wildcats proved that it is really only about guts and determination.
For the 10th year in a row, the York boys' team ran in the state championship meet. This year, Tom Ciampa led the team, finishing in 40th place. After a mad dash to the bottleneck at the woods 100 yards after the start, the senior ended up hurdling over several runners who slipped on the muddy, hay-covered incline.
Sophomore Nick Lumenello got caught in that initial tangle, but made up time over the course to finish 47th. Close on his heels came senior Nick McMahon and freshman Alex Moser, finishing in 54th and 56th, respectively. Senior Kevin Higgins completed the top five in 69th place, after battling his way up the team rankings from the 18th slot at the beginning of the season. Freshmen Dan Herbein and Tristan Palhof rounded out the Wildcat varsity squad, taking 71st and 76th, respectively.
This Wednesday, Nov. 8, is the Fall Sports Awards Night at York High School. The cross-country teams will gather together to reminisce about the season and watch a slide show. Also, the runners have lost a lot of weight during the vicious speed workouts over the season, so Coach Ted Hutch is advising all the parents to bring decadent deserts to try and put things to right.
For the York girls, the season continues yet one more week. By placing in the top six teams in the combination of the Class A, B and C results, the girls earned a spot at the New England Championship Meet this Saturday, Nov.11, at Ponaganset High School in North Scituate, R. I.
