Boys: When Lewiston coach Ray Putnam says his team will, overall, be more talented than it was last year, there’s some cause for concern in the KVAC. The Blue Devils have lost their top two runners, though, with the graduation of Mohammed Noor and the relocation of Saddam Abdi. And still Putnam was ready to make that statement. He’s banking on Robbie Leeman and Matt Driscoll to lead a group of talented but young runners along this season.

Brunswick has come a long way in recent years and should give Lewiston some trouble, as should a ridiculously deep Mt. Blue squad, which finished second to the Blue Devils at KVACs and regionals last year.

Don’t count out Edward Little, either, as the Eddies are only a step or two away from returning to the top of the heap. Oxford Hills has shown some signs of growth this year, and should continue to grow under new coach Luc Roy.

In Class B, Leavitt lost some key runners, but the program has such solid roots that the foundation is already there for a solid season.

Girls: On the girls’ side, there is little doubt that the Cougars of Mt. Blue will be the team to chase in conference this season, even with the loss of state champion Silver Hunt. The team is again loaded with depth, with the addition of some solid talent from the track and cross country ski teams.

Edward Little is on its way back into the mix, too, with an influx of young, fresh talent, while Lewiston will do its best to hang around as it tries to build the girls’ program to the same prominence as the boys. Oxford Hills has some encouraging numbers this year, too. Look for Brewer and Brunswick to also be strong contenders this season.

In Class B, Leavitt will “make some heads turn,” according to coach Dustin Williamson. It’s easy to see why, despite graduating five runners. Depth is a plus for the Hornets.

MVC

Boys: Lisbon is easily the favorite to make it six in a row in the MVC, though, top to bottom, they’ll have to fight through what many coaches feel is the deepest field in the state. The Greyhounds will be looking to take that final step this time, and follow an MVC crown with a regional and state crown, too, after finished second at both last fall.

Standing in the ‘Hounds way is Winthrop, which returns four of its top seven runners from a year ago and is gunning to stop Lisbon’s streak. Also there is Monmouth, which returns all seven of its varsity level runners from a year ago, when it finished fourth at the state meet.

Hall-Dale will likely see some time at the top this year, too, and could make things interesting, as could Telstar, which has some better numbers this year and some seasoned veterans at the top.

Girls: Speaking of Monmouth, the girls here have been tops in the MVC for six consecutive seasons, and are the favorites to again take home the title, with five of the top seven from last season returning.

Lisbon has crept into the girls’ mix this season, too, with a few key additions, and Madison and Hall-Dale will be extremely tough, too.

Winthrop’s success on the boys’ side hasn’t translated to the girls yet. Telstar needs a few more runners to field a full squad.

WMC

Boys: The traditional powers along the coast will have the upper hand in this conference again this year, though several local schools will at least attempt to put a good scare into them. Poland has the best chance, with a good core group of solid runners who are dead set on reaching the top of the conference.

Gray-New Gloucester has 11 runners on its team, eight of which are freshman. This is great experience-building for the Patriots this season. In Fryeburg, the talent is there, while the depth, not so much, and at St. Dom’s, the team will be as good as its younger runners allow it to be.

Girls: The coastal schools tend to dominate this conference every year, with Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Freeport all perennial contenders.

But this year, watch out for Fryeburg. The Raiders return a very deep and experienced group of runners under a coach who knows the sport well. They should be in the mix in the big meets.

Poland also boasts a pretty strong team, and should factor in with the traditional powers, while relative newcomer St. Dom’s has three state meet qualifiers back with a good base of new talent. Gray-New Gloucester will be young and not very deep, but the youth there is talented.