York’s Cary Drake crosses the finish line to win the 2022 Class B South cross country meet. Drake went on to win the individual title at the state meet and lead the Wildcats to the Class B state championship. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
GIRLS
1. Bonny Eagle: The Scots are poised to seize a fifth straight Class A state title and ninth since 2012. Seniors Addy Thibodeau, Allie Hesler and Kallie Warner and sophomore Marina Violette are back after finishing 1-3-6-9 at the state meet. Senior Avelyn Walker and sophomore Bailey Shaw also return from the top seven and sophomore Juliette Semenchuk is in the scoring mix as well.
2. York: The Wildcats return their top three runners – seniors Cary Drake and Molly Kenealy and sophomore Madelyn Hutchins, who went 1-4-12 at the state meet – as they look to defend their Class B state title. Sophomores Karianna Hultstrom and Madelyn Herman are also back from the top six. Beginning with outdoor track in 2022, the York girls have won four straight state titles (including indoor track and cross country).
3. Cape Elizabeth: The Capers have everyone back from the squad that won a second straight Class B South regional title in a squeaker over Lincoln Academy and York. Seniors Hadley Mahoney (runner-up at regionals but sidelined for states), Emma Young, Ellie Mainville and Maddie McEvoy, junior Jane Curtis and sophomores Avery Palmore, Addison Young and Addie Mazzeo are joined by another talented sophomore, Hannah Frothingham.
4. Portland: The Bulldogs are young but on the rise. They return their top four runners from a squad that placed fourth in Class A last fall. Junior Samantha Moore was the individual runner-up and classmates Ava Chadbourne and Maia Endicott finished 10th and 15th, respectively. Junior Ella Sobol and sophomores Alice Anderson, Ella Vinkemulder and Sylvie Holmes lend depth and experience. Kate Morrison won the freshman race at the SMAA Relays.
5. Falmouth: The Navigators return five of their top seven from a squad that placed third in Class A. Seniors Sydney Young and Bella Koepsell, juniors Maeve Ginevan and Elise Tardiff and sophomore Hannah Martin lead the way. Sophomores Sara Tennent and Haley Barrett and freshman Georgia Moon join the scoring mix and provide even more promise for a tightly bunched pack of five runners.
Freeport High returns five of its top seven scorers from the 2022 Class B championship team, including Will Spaulding and two other seniors. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald
BOYS
1. Freeport: The Falcons are seeking a third consecutive Class B state crown and return five of their top seven runners. Seniors Will Spaulding, Teo Steverlynck-Horne and Porter Towne provide leadership for a veteran group that includes junior Conner Smith and sophomore Alex Gilbert. Look for junior Owen Dawson to join the scoring mix. Freshmen Mungu Tussing, Ian Guzman and Marsden Shetterly are brimming with potential.
2. Portland: The Bulldogs last won a state title in 1978. Two-time defending Class A champ Hampden Academy will be tough to dethrone but Portland is deep and experienced. Seniors Nathan Blades, Ben Prestes, Jason Hargesheimer and Elias Coleman and junior Charlie Jacques posted five of the 15 fastest times in the recent SMAA Relays. Junior Aran Johnson and sophomore Owen Blades return from the Class A runner-up squad.
3. Camden Hills: The Windjammers return their top seven runners from the team that placed third in Class A last fall. Seniors Zach Clement, Henry McDevitt and Colin Wright, juniors Walker Hedrich and Ben Pike and sophomores Sam Tooley and Mickey Nowell head up a deep and balanced roster of more than two dozen boys.
4. York: The Wildcats return their top five runners and six of seven from the squad that placed second to Freeport in Class B last fall. Seniors Ken Hermawan, Will Gear, Will Gardoqui and Charlie Newton, juniors Aidan Ring and Hans Bakke and sophomore Hayden Atkinson logged substantial summer miles. Further bolstering the veteran squad is senior Landon Morrison, a former soccer player who excelled in outdoor track.
5. Bonny Eagle: Everyone returns from the lineup that placed fifth in Class A last fall. Seniors Xavier Lemieux (fourth overall), Tyler Gilbert and Rowan McDonald and juniors Harrison Dunne, Brodie Warner, Devon Cannon and Andrew Catalano lead the quest for the program’s first state title. Newcomer Peyton Lee, a junior, also could break into the scoring mix.
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