TURNER – Hank Fuller called it a powwow, and it might have turned the fortunes of his team around.

It was a team critique in early October, a chance for the ebullient Lisbon cross country coach and his runners to clear the air as injuries and depth issues were threatening the most successful run in Class C boys’ history.

“I was pretty firm about some of the things I said to the kids, and they were pretty firm about some of the things they said to me,” Fuller said. “It’s a two-way street. Cross country’s nice that way because we’re small and we’re compact, and we’re family. That’s a little trite, a little hackneyed, but it’s family.”

The family became a dynasty Saturday, winning its fourth straight state championship. In the history of boys’ cross country, only Cheverus (Class A) and Maranacook (Class B) have matched that feat.

Led by the indefatigable Tyler Clark, the Greyhounds dominated what was projected to be a tight three-way battle with Winthrop and Foxcroft Academy.

“Just to have a four-time state championship team and be on all four years is just awesome,” Clark said.

Naturally, as the only Greyhound to have been a part of all four teams, Clark knew Lisbon’s place in history was at stake at Leavitt High School yesterday. But he didn’t think it would be wise for his teammates to concern themselves with the big picture.

“We were excited, but I was trying to make sure everyone stayed focused,” Clark said. “We were definitely not the clear favorite, so I was just making sure everyone paid attention and knew what they had to do.”

What they had to do was what they’ve usually done the last four years – have a couple of guys finish in the top five, then sneak another one into the top 10.

Clark (first, by 49 seconds) and fellow senior Nick Caton (fourth) took care of the first part of the plan. Aaron Cloutier (ninth) took care of the second.

“We usually have a good front-runner,” Clark said. “The first year we won, we didn’t have the first place, but we did have Danny Suthers do very good. Our pack has always been kind of spread apart, but since we have good front-runners, it kind of makes up for it.”

The rest of the field had too much ground to make up thanks to Lisbon’s Triple-C’s (Clark, Caton and Cloutier), but it was the Greyhounds’ depth that allowed them to win by the widest margin of the day, an astounding 51 points.

“The most exciting thing about these last four years is that it hasn’t been the same five kids,” Fuller said. “Each year, we’ve added a couple more to the mix. Like this year, Ethan Maselli (16th) and Nick Jones (34th) moved up from fairly distant sixth and seventh runners to solid four and five runners.”

Fuller would love to know if he’ll even have fifth, sixth or seventh runners next year. With Clark and Caton graduating and a couple of underclassmen expecting to move, the Greyhounds aren’t sure they’ll even have a team to defend their title.

“I’m not really sure what is going to happen with this team next year,” Caton said. “We’re trying to recruit some kids from middle school to run. But we have a football team that wins states a lot, too. Lisbon’s a football school, so it’s kind of hard to get kids to run.”

“Just like you take it one race at a time, you take it one year at a time,” Fuller said.

Besides, Fuller said, maybe the next Lisbon dynasty is closer than anyone thinks.

“Before we had this run with the boys, we started out, I think, finishing seventh (at the 2002 state meet),” Fuller said. “Well, the girls have never been to the states before today, and they finished sixth. I’m hoping, and they’re hoping, that it’s going to be the jumping-off point.”