Ask any of the coaches in Class A which school they think has the best chance on Saturday at the state meet, and the answer will vary. How much it varies is the bigger story.

Looking at last weekend’s regional meets, the Class A boys’ cross country state final at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast has the potential to be the most exciting, nail-biting race in several years.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a race that has the potential to be so close in 20 years,” said Edward Little coach Dan Campbell. “There are seven teams in the field, maybe even eight, that have a legitimate claim to the top spot.”

Edward Little is one of those teams, behind a solid lineup that finished second at the Eastern Class A meet last week behind contender No. 2, Mt. Blue.

“Last week was a bit deceiving because we had a runner out,” said Campbell. “That’s not to take away from Mt. Blue. They ran a solid race and they deserved to win, but that’s just going to make this weekend that much more interesting.”

EL’s Sam Fletcher and Mt. Blue’s Matt Dunlap finished 1-2 at the East regional last weekend and could be a 2-3 threat Saturday as South Portland’s Eric Giddings is expected to run away with his second consecutive individual title.

“The biggest thing that will determine who will win Saturday is the fifth runner,” said Campbell. “Every team that has a chance has a very solid first through fourth, and the fifth runner is a week-to-week thing. And then there’s always the potential that the sixth runner determines the winner, too.”

Joining East powers Mt. Blue and Edward Little on the list of potential winners are Deering, last week’s surprise Western champion that ran a complete team for the first time, Scarborough and Bonny Eagle, the two favorites last weekend in the West, and Portland, who nearly caught Deering and took second last week.

A sleeper team from the East could be Morse, which finished third last week at Belfast.

The intangible factor on Saturday will be the course. Due to unsafe race conditions, the state meet has been moved to Belfast from Augusta. Belfast is where the East held its meet last week, but Augusta is the site the teams have been preparing for all season.

“In a way, it’s an advantage, because we know the course,” said Campbell, “but in a way it’s not. The teams in the West run primarily flat courses, like the one in Belfast. We and the rest of the teams have been training all year for the course at Augusta. Everyone is in that same boat, and that will add a dimension to the race.”

On the girls’ side, Mt. Ararat, thanks to a lineup that is at least all present again, should be in position to walk away with the Class A crown. Jessie and Beth Wilcox ran first and third last week at the East Regional meet, and the Eagles took home the title with 67 points. This week, Krystal Douglass returns to the lineup and should subtract nearly 20 points from Mt. Ararat’s score.

Mt. Blue, in a bigger meet, will probably struggle to keep up with the likes of Mt. Ararat and Western teams Deering and Sanford, but they have the top runners to make some noise and finish in the top

five.

Edward Little squeaked into the state meet last week and will vie for a top-10 finish.

Class C

Lisbon coach Hank Fuller didn’t want to make a big deal out of his team’s win last week at the Class C Western regional.

“There’s too much at stake … to think that the other teams won’t be ready and retooled,” said Fuller. “Our biggest challenge is going to be letting (the regional victory) go and looking at the state meet without being too confident.”

The Greyhounds turned heads last week in upending state champion NYA by more than 25 points to win their first regional crown in more than 10 years and will have their hands full this weekend as NYA reloads and a strong Sumner team challenges from the East. Sumner won the East last week by 62 points over Fort Kent on the Belfast course.

On the girls’ side, Sumner, George Stevens and Foxcroft all have solid teams from the East, while Freeport should be the team to beat from the West. Boothbay and Wiscasset both had solid races last week in the West, as well.

Class D

Elan and Monmouth have waged some incredible cross country battles over the years at the state championship, and this year’s Class D girls’ race should be no different.

“We will be there and we will be strong,” said Elan coach Peter E. Rowe. “We’re going to be there to win it.”

The Buccaneers are the three-time defending state champions, but had their three-year post-season winning streak stopped last week at the Western Regional by, you guessed it, Monmouth.

“I know next week is a bit more important,” said Monmouth coach Rick Amero, “but the win feels good just the same.”

Elan has dominated on the Augusta course in the past, but with the race now in Belfast, which is a course more like the Twin Brook (Cumberland) course last week, the wheels may be spinning at Elan.

In the East, Shead topped the field and could challenge.

On the boys’ side, Monmouth has a clear path without Elan in the mix this year, although Waynflete nearly pulled off the upset at the Western Regional. New to the West, Valley also qualified and has been traditionally strong at the state meet.

Last year, Elan won the boys’ race over Monmouth after Monmouth captured the regional crown.

Class B

Ellsworth and MDI will both be running on a course with which they are familiar in the Class B boys’ race on Saturday, but York and Greely have two of the best teams in the state regardless of class. Those four schools should make for an exciting race.

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth has the ability to place three runners in the top 10, while Ellsworth put four in the top 10 at the Eastern Regional meet. John Bapst is a traditional power from the East, while Greely could make some waves from the West.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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