Times, personal records and learning to race in all conditions have been the cogent points of emphasis to this point in the high school cross country season.

Now, bragging rights and increasingly important pieces of hardware begin calling out from the finish line. Conference, regional, state and New England championships will be awarded over the next four weekends.

League meets impacting the tri-county region begin today, weather permitting, with the Western Maine Conference championship. Races start at 3:30 p.m. at Falmouth Community Park.

Runners will converge upon the capital city for a pair of Saturday morning showcases. The Mountain Valley Conference sounds its pistol at 10 a.m. at the University of Maine at Augusta. An hour later, Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference harriers toe the starting line at Cony High School.

Here’s a closer look at the six boys’ and girls’ meets on the docket:

KVAC boys

Lewiston is looking for its third league crown in the last five years and its first since 2008.

The Blue Devils appear to have all the ingredients in place to make that happen. They have excelled in wet, muddy conditions all season, and in-house competition has helped them hone the skills of six potential scorers while other programs struggle to field the necessary five.

Kevin Lavertu started the year as the Devils’ top returnee, but both Mohamed Barre and Mohamed Awil have given him a run for his money at regular-season meets. The brother tandem of Andrew and Jordan Balsamo and Mohamed Mohamed strengthen Lewiston’s pack.

Mt. Ararat, led by one of the individual favorites in Andy Reifman-Packett, is the defending KVAC champion and probably the greatest threat to Lewiston’s hopes. Mt. Blue has rallied from an injury to top runner Jonah Jones to put itself in position for a potential top-three finish, with Justin Tracy and Sully Jackson leading the way. And don’t count out Edward Little or its leading competitors, Justin Leclair and Luc Bourget.

KVAC girls

Mt. Ararat is the two-time defending champion and a strong favorite. The Eagles posted six of the 12 fastest times in their final tune-up, the Mt. Blue Relays, one week ago. Kelly Lynch, Lauren McNett and Emilia McGrath lead the charge.

Mt. Blue has kept Mt. Ararat and Brunswick in its sights all season and hopes to peak at the season-ending meets. Addie Cullenberg and Louisa Stancioff are the Cougars’ leading runners. Their hopes of springing and upset probably hinge on a pack that includes Katherine Gunther, Maryam Norton and Sarah Wade.

Class B favorites include Maranacook’s Abby Mace and Waterville’s Bethanie Brown in the individual race and defending champion Hampden, Medomak Valley and Maranacook in the team sweepstakes. Leavitt isn’t likely to be a factor in the chase for the overall title, but the Hornets should have plenty to cheer about with Maddie Wiegman and Lucy Knowlton near the front of the pack.

MVC boys

Boothbay is the three-time defending champion. With Alex Owen, Chase Brown, Tom Brown and Robert Campbell setting the pace, the Seahawks will be in the mix again.

They’ll have to fend off a serious bid from a relatively new challenger in Telstar. The Rebels were tough to beat in smaller head-to-head meets this year, and they stated their case for the October push with a top-10 finish at Belfast’s Festival of Champions. Josef Holt-Andrews will be a contender for the individual crown, though Madison‘s Matt McClintock is an odds-on favorite. Ben Lewis and Adam Mahar also are racers to watch for Telstar.

Lisbon, led by Ben Kates, and Monmouth, headlined by Ben Bailey and Dylan Thombs, also are capable of a strong showing.

MVC girls

St. Dom’s sped to the championship in its first year as a member of the conference last season. Rivals hoping to unseat the Saints received notice one week ago that it won’t be an easy task: St. Dom’s (38) edged Lisbon (41) and Monmouth (45) in a sneak preview.

The Saints may not produce the individual winner, but their solid front five of Ellen Tuttle, Sarah Small, Meagan Ring, Callie Greco and Emily Carney will be tough to break.

Meagan Thomas of Lisbon and Monmouth’s Tiffany Pease are among the leading contenders to bring home individual gold.

WMC

Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Greely and York are among the top five Division I teams among both genders, with Falmouth eyeing a sweep.

Poland’s hopes are bolstered by Connor Pinkham on the boys’ side and Kristina Smith and Whisper Waite for the girls.

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