By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

WESTBROOK – With three straight state crowns already in tow, the John Bapst girls’ track team had some hefty expectations on its shoulders.

“We knew Cape Elizabeth had a very strong team,” said senior Katie Andrle. “Basically, it was us against them.”

That’s exactly what Saturday’s Class C state track championship boiled down to in the girls’ competition, and the John Bapst girls made it four straight, pulling away from the Capers late in the day. John Bapst finished with 101 points while Cape ended with 89. Orono was third with 53 while Livermore Falls and Freeport tied for fourth with 31 each.

“We were on the edge of our toes the entire meet because it was only a few points here or there for almost the entire way,” said Andrle, who helped her team’s cause with a pair of wins in the hurdles.

On the boys’ side, Cape Elizabeth eked out the win in a close battle. The Capers had 98 points while Sacopee Valley finished with 87.50. NYA was third with 63 and Lisbon was fourth with 53.50.

“To be able to watch Tyler (Clark) get a first in the mile, and two mile and to watch my teammates and other people get second and thirds, it’s been a great day for my whole team,” said Lisbon’s Emily Poliquin, who won the triple jump and took sixth in the long jump. “That’s what gets me pumped up, watching Tyler race, that got me ready to go.”

Among the individual highlights was Freeport’s Logan Crane winning the long jump, 200 and 100. As a sophomore, Crane set two state records last year. She bested those with a 12.12 in the 100 and a 25.06 in the 200.

Cape Elizabeth’s Elise Moody-Roberts won three events, the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

Poliquin repeated her victory in the triple jump with a distance of 35-02. Lisbon also had a second-place finish from Mindy Sullivan in the shot.

“I was really hoping to get first,” said Poliquin. “I didn’t want to be a state champion my junior year and not my senior year. I wanted to improve, and I wanted to break 35 feet, which I did.”

Other local highlights in the girls’ meet included Livermore Falls’ Rebecca Leclerc taking second in the 200 and third in the 100. The Andies’ relay team of Biliouris, Marjorie DeBrosky, Helaina Lake and Megan Jackman also won the 4-x-100 relay. Dirigo’s Alexa Kaubris took third in the javelin and fifth in the 400 while Danielle Glover was third in the triple jump. Lisbon’s success on the boys side was aided by strong performances from Clark and Elijah Trefts. Clark didn’t even place in last year’s meet but took first in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Trefts, a junior, won the shot and took third in the discus. Trefts was seeded second in the shot, but the event’s top seed did not compete. Lisbon also got a win from Justin Cornell in the racewalk. Telstar’s Alex Helms was second in the 100.