SOUTH PARIS – The Lewiston boys’ cross country team made things look far too easy Tuesday.

Despite missing a pair of quality runners and holding back in effort with their biggest race of the year coming up, the Blue Devils took the top four spots in the three-team KVAC cross country meet. Mohamed Noor led the way for Lewiston in defeating Edward Little by a 17-44 margin. Oxford Hills finished with 79 points.

The Lewiston girls’ held off Edward Little by a 28-44 score, with Oxford Hills finishing with 52 points. EL’s Jaime Russell came from behind and overtook Lewiston’s Ashley Morgan to win the girls’ race.

EL’s Tyler Gammon broke to the early lead with Noor and his mates fast behind. At the midway point of the race, Noor and three of his teammates came out of the woods in what resembled a group jog.

When they came back out a few minutes later to sprint for the finish, it was Noor streaking away from the now-dispersed pack. He crossed the finish line in 17 minutes and 37 seconds. Behind him was Sadam Abdi with Robbie Leeman and Matt Driscoll trailing behind. Gammon finished fifth. “This is the first time they ran smart,” said Lewiston coach Ray Putnam of his boys’ team which has been ranked No. 1 in the state all season in the coaches’ poll.

“They were going to go out slower, but Gammon took it out quick. They weren’t going to let anyone go.”

Lewiston is heading to Belfast Saturday for the annual Festival of Champions race which is expected to draw over 50 teams and 1,500 runners from around the state.

For the second race in a row, Noor held back and ran a controlled race.

“He stays with the lead pack,” says Putnam. “When it’s time to go, he just goes. So far, no one’s been able to go with him.”

EL’s Nick Kazar ran most of the race in his stocking feet. After getting lost on the course, he found himself mired in mud. As he made his way out of the quagmire, he left his running shoes deep in the mud and was caked with the slop up to his knees. Somehow, he recovered and finished in sixth place.

The girls’ race was more competitive. Russell trailed Morgan by 17 seconds at just over the halfway point of the 3.1-mile race. As the pair came up the hill and out of the woods to begin the homestretch, Morgan was laboring while Russell looked fresh. The EL junior passed her competitor while climbing the hill and sprinted to the finish. Her winning time of 23:17 was seven seconds ahead of Morgan’s time.

“For a while I couldn’t even see her,” said Russell on her chase of Morgan. “Then I saw a blue blur. We were neck and neck on the hill, then I said, ‘I want to win this.’ I just took off and knew the finish line was right there.”

Russell is a first-year member of the team as a junior. She was a cheerleader last fall and ran during the outdoor season in the spring.

“This was the first time she’s beaten the Morgan girl,” said EL coach Dan Campbell. “That was a big confidence boost for her. She ran all summer, got injured, ran for a week and then was sick. What you saw today was basically someone that’s been running for just two weeks.”

Oxford Hills’ Brittany Turner finished in third place.