Class C South Boys  (8 teams will advance)

In the Mix: Lisbon, Carrabec, Boothbay/Wiscassett, Winthrop, Dirigo, Old Orchard Beach, Waynflete, Maranacook, Richmond, North Yarmouth Academy

This is the first race of the day and I truthfully have no idea who will will win this race or advance to next weekend.  All of these teams are projected for more than 100 points but less than 200 points.  Any of these teams could take home the trophy if they have a good day, or could be eliminated if they don't run to potential. 

Individuals to Watch: Pi Crosby, Desmond Robinson, Alfie Cognata, Evan Schneider, William Morris

Crosby is the top returner from last year as he was runner-up in 2023.  He's the clear favorite now that Chris Pottle has graduated.  Schneider was 3rd last year and will hope to match or exceed that finish this year.  Of those chasing Crosby, Morris has the fastest PR.  

Class C South Girls (6-7 teams will advance)

Fighting for the Win: #11 Waynflete, #18 Boothbay/Wiscassett

Waynflete has yet to have a race with all 3 of their top runners on the line at the same time.  If they are at full strength on Saturday, they are a strong favorite to win.  If not, Karen Higgins will hope to lead her squad to the win.

Likely to Advance: Maine Coast, Dirigo, Madison Area, NYA, Traip

Maine Coast looks locked for third, but the order for 4th through 7th looks unclear.  Of those squads, Dirigo looks the strongest with the others a step behind.  If one or more of these teams falters, Maranacook might take advange and grab the final spot.

Individuals to Watch: #2 Soren Stark-Chessa, #9 Karen Higgins, #18 Paige Alexander, Leah Harper, Lucy Olson, Laura Chapman, Elise Abbott, Grace Alexander

Stark-Chessa won last year and will likely take the win again this year.   Karen Higgins has had a breakout season and is the favorite to take the runner-up spot.  Paige Alexander has had a strong season thus far and will likely round out the top three.  Her sister Grace was runner-up last year, but she only raced for the first time this season last week, so it is unclear what she will be capable of at this meet.

Class A South Boys  (8-9 teams will advance)

Fighting for the Win: #1 Portland, #2 Scarborough

Portland has risen to the top throughout the season and will be looking to defend their Regional title from last year.  Don't be surprised if Scarborough isn't right on their heels in this meet.  The Red Storm have been known to leave a little in the tank for the State Championships.

Likely to Advance: #6 South Portland, #15 Deering, #16 Falmouth, #18 Gorham, #21 Cheverus

South Portland is clearly best team of this bunch with a low scorer up front and a stellar pack.  Deering is a similar team to the Red Riots, but lacks a solid 5th runner.  Falmouth and Gorham have no true frontrunner but have a lot of depth.  Cheverus has a nice  group of three up front and a solid 4th and 5th runner to round out the scoring.

Hoping to Advance: Bonny Eagle, Marshwood, Kennebunk, Windham, Thornton Academy

The final one or two spots will come down to a battle of unranked teams.  We expect Bonny Eagle to claim one spot due to their two low scorers up front and Marshwood to claim the other due to their low stick.

Individuals to Watch: #3 Aran Johnson, #4 Ellis Wood, #6 Henri Rivard, #7 Ethan Keller, #8 Atticus Merriam, #13 Charlie Jacques, #15 Evan Small, #16 Harrison Dunne, #18 Finley Knappe, #21 Owen Blades, Henry Morrison, Nicholas Koziell, Andrew Catalano

Up front, you could make a case for any of the athletes ranked in the top 8 to win this race.  The favorite is Aran Johnson, who topped the Class A field in Belfast and then also beat most of these runners two weeks ago at Smiling Hill Farm.  Evan Small is the wild card here, as he has had 2 more weeks of training to improve his fitness after coming off of injury.

Class A South Girls (7-8 teams will advance)

The team race looks to be very competitive with 8 ranked teams, the most of any race this weekend.  There will be an exciting race for the win and it will also be interesting to see which teams come away with the final qualifying spots.  

Fighting for the Win: #4 Falmouth, #5 Portland

It's hard to determine which of these teams is the favorite to win the Regional title.  These teams have clashed twice so far this season, with Portland winning their SMAA home meet and Falmouth topping the Bulldogs in Belfast.  However, the Navigators were short-handed at the SMAA meet and Portland was without top runner Samantha Moore at the Festival of Champions.  With both teams at full strength, it will come down to which squad is deepest.

Likely to Advance: #8 Thornton Academy, #13 Cheverus, #14 Scarborough, #15 Kennebunk

All of these teams are built similarly, with a low stick likely to finish in the top five to seven runners  and a solid pack to round out the scoring.  Thornton is likely to be the best amongst these teams, as they have the smallest 1-5 gap.

Hoping to Advance: #19 Marshwood, #21 Massabesic, South Portland, Bonny Eagle, Windham, Gorham, Deering

We expect Marshwood and Massabesic to take home the final qualifying spots, but the other unranked teams mentioned all are close behind and will be ready to pounce if the opportunity presents itself.  The gap from 7th to 13th could be only a handful of points.

Individuals to Watch: #5 Samantha Moore, #10 Allie Schmitt, #11 Laurel Driscoll, #16 Marina Violette, #17 Georgia Moon, #19 Mackenzie Shields, Maeve Ginevan, Parker Fox, Julia Tompkins, Bailey Shaw, Maya Sanzone, Hannah Keene

Moore is the defending champ and is undefeated thus far this year.  This is, however, her first big meet of the year after running an abbreviated schedule this season after returning from injury, so it will be interesting to see if she is ready to rise to the occasion.  Expect Laurel Driscoll to run hard from the gun and push Moore if not lead the race in the early going.  Allie Schmitt and Georgia Moon will be in the mix, as will Marina Violette and Mackenzie Shields, who ran very quick times two weeks ago and will be hoping that translates to a good showing at Twin Brook.

Class B South Boys  (7 teams will advance)

The Favorite: #3 Freeport

The Falcons have been the best team in Class B all year, and tomorrow will only cement that they are the favorite to win the state title in this division.

Battling for Second: #12 York, #17 Yarmouth, #19 Greely

Of these teams, York has been the most consistent, but the Clippers and Rangers have never been far behind.  Yarmouth has the best pack and will likely be the first team with five across the finish line.  York and Greely will hope that their frontrunners give them enough buffer to hold Yarmouth off.  

Fighting to Advance: Morse, Wells, Grey New Gloucester, Cape Elizabeth, Lake Region, Lincoln Academy, Poland

These seven teams will be competing for only three spots, and its hard to say who will claim them.  By PRs, Morse is the strongest, but many of those times were run on the suspiciously fast Brunswick course.  On the other hand, Poland looks the weakest on paper, but just had a strong run on a tough St. Joseph's course.  The headline is that these teams could finish in any order.

Individuals to Watch: #1 Aidan Ring, #2 Sam Laverdiere, #5 Alex Gilbert, #11 Conner Smith, #17 Aidan Roberts, William Coull, Levi Riggs, Owen Dawson, Hayden Atkinson, Tait Harvey

This is an exciting race up front! Aidan Ring had his big win at the beginning of the year at the Southern Maine Classic to rise to #1 and he recently won the WMC Invite to reclaim that spot.  Sam Laverdiere was the top Maine finisher at FOC and recently ran a very quick time at a meet out of the state.  Alex Gilbert also has a claim to be the favorite after beating Ring a few weeks ago.  

Class B South Girls (7 teams will advance)

Fighting for the Win: #2 Freeport, #3 York

Freeport won in dominant fashion at the WMC Invite last week, putting 4 runners n the top 8. York was able to get their 5th across the line first, but it didn't matter.  As such, Freeport is the favorite here, but an upset isn't out of the question.  

Likely to Advance: #9 Cape Elizabeth, #10 Yarmouth, #12 Greely, #16 Morse, Lincoln Academy

This one is pretty clear cut.  The Capers, Clippers, and Rangers will battle it out for third, while Morse and Lincoln are virtual locks for 6th and seventh.  While anything can happen at Regionals, we'd be surprised if any other teams manage to sneak into an advancing spot.  

Individuals to Watch: #3 Zoe Carroll, #7 Olivia Wentworth, #8 Lucy Huggett, #12 Rowan Barry, #20 Haley Marston, Ella Oshetski, Madelyn Hutchins, Dylan Burmeister, Madeleine Jones, Lilah Hall

The individual race is likely to be fast up front but also very deep. Olivia Wentworth is a real wild card here, as she has only raced twice all season, and not since September 20th.   She is listed as one of the entrants for Yarmouth, so she could be running.  If so, expect her to battle with Zoe Carroll for the win.  Huggett, Barry and Marston will fight for third.  Behind them is maybe the deepest field of all of the regionals.  Everyone listed above has been ranked at some point this year.