It was something to see – and a good crowd saw it: five of the state’s best high school cross country runners, packed together on the Bonny Eagle course, filing towards the school’s track for the last 300 yards.
In a gratifying win for the Scots, Evan Embrey and Eric Favreau pulled away from the Scarborough boys, two-time defending state champs, and battled each other down the final straightaway.
Embrey nosed out his teammate for the individual victory. But the real winner was the Scot team, which avenged last fall’s late-season team loss to the Red Storm.
Bonny Eagle and Scarborough had the top nine finishers in the five-team event, Gorham’s Duncan Allen taking tenth.
In a couple of weeks this race may not mean as much. Next week’s regional race and the following week’s state meet will have trumped it. But for the time being, this victory was sweet for the Scots.
“This was definitely an exciting one for us,” said Embrey. “Right from the beginning of the season, we were looking forward to it. Everybody worked hard. We knew this was a big meet and that we would have to push it.”
Favreau, right after crossing the line, said, “I’ve never been in a race this good. I opened it up the first mile, then I opened it up the second mile, then I stayed on it the third mile. My goal was 17 minutes. I hope I made it.”
He did. Favreau was just a second off Embrey’s winning time of 16:42. Scarborough’s Travis Griffin was third (16:46), Ben Talbot was fourth (16:48) and Chris Harmon was fifth (16:54).
Westbrook’s top finisher John Davis said he was just thrilled to be in a race like this and was impressed with the top finishers.
“They were battling and I tried to get into it, but I couldn’t break the pack,” said Davis, who finished 20th.
Bonny Eagle coach Greg Wilkinson was pleased his boys rose to the occasion.
“That was nice,” he said, noting that it was even nicer considering how rare a home course meet has been for his runners, the majority of them seniors.
“These guys have had only two races here in four years,” said Wilkinson, his team using Gorham’s course while Bonny Eagle’s athletic fields have been under renovation. “It’s a special day. And it’s a big advantage running at home with senior leadership.”
Wilkinson, who likes to keep his athletes under the radar until the big meets, might have seen that strategy go out the window with this win. He says Scarborough “is still the odds-on favorite to win the state.” But Scarborough’s guys aren’t buying into Bonny Eagle’s underdog status any more.
“We’ve always known Bonny Eagle was one of the most underrated teams in the state,” said Red Storm runner Harmon. “And they ran really well today.”
Scarborough coach Jim Harmon was quick to give the Scots credit.
“Our guys ran hard,” said the Scarborough coach. “They gave 100 percent. But Bonny Eagle was a better team than us today. It’s their home course and they were psyched.”
Both coaches say they can put this thriller behind them, with next week’s regional race approaching.
“It makes it more interesting,” said Coach Harmon, of the upcoming meets. “I think it will be a battle between us, them and Portland, which is also underrated.”
Portland’s boys lost a meet to Scarborough, but tied Bonny Eagle in a pair of early-season meets, then won every other team competition this fall.
PAGANO BEATS WINDHAM FRESHMAN IN GIRLS EVENT
Bonny Eagle’s Kat Pagano, who said she has “kicked it up” this season, made Friday afternoon’s cross country meet her own, running a comfortable 20:51 over the three-mile course. Her win was pretty much expected, Pagano having run this course as fast as 19:34.
But a pleasant surprise was the second-place finish of the freshman from Windham, Kayla Phinney, who crossed in 21:23.
She’s surprised her coach, Jeff Riddle, and even herself this season.
“I didn’t think I’d be this fast,” she said, smiling after Friday’s race, “but I guess I am. I thought I’d be finishing like tenth (in races this year), but I’ve been getting firsts and seconds.”
Phinney was mostly a soccer player last season, but ran a week of track and middle school coaches passed word onto Riddle that there was some talent on the way. Right away this season she showed her potential, winning a freshman meet in a big field at Thornton Academy earlier this season.
“We didn’t know about her,” said Riddle. “But she has been one of the most coach-able athletes I’ve had in the seven years I’ve been at Windham. She has a lot of natural ability, but she also has a tremendous heart and a dedication to running. This is a great day for her.”
Gorham’s Sarah Popovics continued her outstanding season, taking third at the Bonny Eagle home meet, clocking in at 21:40.
“I felt pretty good,” she said. “We’ve all done pretty well this season on our team. A lot of girls have improved like a minute (since early fall.)”
Scarborough’s girls took fourth, fifth and sixth in the meet – Erica Jesseman, Kaitlynn Saldanha and Victoria Joyce filling in those positions – Bonny Eagle’s Jillian Dupuis was seventh and Westbrook’s Keelin O’Connor was eighth.
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