Girls Class B Preview

York solidified their favorite status with a win at the South Regional. The race for 2nd, however, has become very interesting, with Lincoln projected for 2nd any of the teams listed from 2nd to 6th is capable of a runner up finish.  If one of those teams has a good day, then they could put themselves in a New England qualifying position. 

Individually, Cary Drake is nearly a lock for the win, but don't be surprised if Amelia Van Dongen is close behind.  She has been looking better and better as the year has gone on, and one extra week of training might be just what she needed to get back to top form.  Also expect Hadley Mahoney to have a clutch race and punch her ticket to New Englands.  It was super exciting to see her back at Regionals and it will be very interesting to see what she can do.

Boys Class B Preview

Freeport is the favorite teamwise, but York has a shot if everything clicks for them. The winner automatically punches their ticket to NEs, but 2nd very well could do so too, and you know both teams will have that in the back of their minds.  There's a gap back to the battle for 3rd, and it could go to any of the rest of our ranked teams.

Despite a couple of losses throughout the year, Sam Laverdiere, is the individual favorite here.  He had a spectacular run at Twin Brook  and will probably be looking to post a fast time to see if it will hold up against Classes A and C.  Alex Gilbert, though, was not far behind at TB and has shown himself to be one of the best runners in the state.  Of course, Carter Libby will be looking to repeat last years magic and take the title after falling short at the Regional. We see the top 7 of this race ending up in the top 25 overall and heading to NEs.

Girls Class C Preview

This might be the most interesting team race of the day.  Orono is a favorite, but they are not deep so one poor performance could really hurt their chances.  Houlton and Waynflete will be there to take advantage if Orono stumbles.  It will likely come down to the 5th runner.  There is probably only 1 advancer to NEs from this race so more than just a state title is on the line.

Individually, the story is to see how fast Ruth White and Teanne Ewings can go.  Everybody would love to see another state record, and based on the projected conditions, it seems possible. Beyond that, we project both Orono and Houlton to have 3 in the top 10.  

Boys Class C Preview

Sumner has had a spectacular year, even better than was projected preseason.  If they run to form, they should take the title this weekend.  After that, Orono appears to be the most likely team to take 2nd, but if it is George Stevens or Bucksport that wouldn't be shocking.  

Kaleb Colson has been the best runner in class C this year, and we expect him to cross the line first.   But don't be surprised if he is tested by Christopher Pottle or William Hileman.  Pottle has 7 wins this year, and Hileman is the defending champ.

Girls Class A Preview

Bonny Eagle is once again the favorite, but the race behind them is very interesting. Camden Hills has had a great pack all year, and if that group runs to its full potential, they just might be able to play spoiler.  Hampden Academy ran excellent at the Regional and also porjects for a top finish.  The last NE qualifying spot will likely come down to Portland and Falmouth, with Portland likely edging out Falmouth by a handful of points.

The individual race got more interesting after the regional, when Addy Thibodeau had by far the best race of her season and almost took down Samantha Moore.  She will get one more crack at her to try to defend her title.  Behind them, any order is possible, but Hannah Keane has run so consistenly that she is the most likely person to finish in the bronze medal position. 

Boys Class A Preview

Portland have been the top dogs all year:  don't expect Saturday to be any different.  They are such a deep team and could probaly afford a bad race or two and still get the win.  After that is a bit more unclear.  Bonny Eagle beat Scarborough at the Regional, but Scarborough got the better of the Scots at FOC last month.  And of course, the defending champs won't be laying over easily.  The Broncos clearly have the capability of being in the top 2, but will they be able to do so?

You can make a case for Blades, Jordan, or Hutchinson to get the win here.  If I were a handicapper I would put it at about 48% Blades, 42% Jordan, and 10% Hutchinson.  No matter what, the drama of the 3rd mile in this race will likely be the best part of the day.  

New England Qualifiers Predictions 

Based on our predicted results, here's our projections of which teams and athletes will advance to next week's New England Championships.