One year ago, Aaron Willingham was running cross country in relative anonymity in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Tex. area.

Since moving to Maine four months ago, the Mt. Blue junior has adapted to the cooler temperatures, rolling hills and bigger crowds and is making a name for himself in his new home state.

He’s also enjoying the big crowds and excitement he’s seen at events like the Festival of Champions and Mt. Blue Relays.

“Cross country is definitely emphasized more here than in the football state of Texas,” Willingham said. “The courses have been a big adjustment, the hills especially.”

Willingham turned in the top time at Friday’s Mt. Blue Relays, posting a new event record at 10:32. Teammate Josh Horne, with whom Willingham has formed one of the most formidable duos in the state, finished second in 10:39.

Bangor edged the Cougars for the boys’ team title, while Maranacook won the girls’ race.

Willingham has won or been runner-up in every race he’s run this season, usually trailing only Horne when he isn’t the one breaking the tape. But what he is most pleased with is breaking the 16-minute mark twice, running 15:51.10 to win at Brunswick on Sep. 26, then 15:42.18 to finish second behind Telstar’s record-breaking senior, Josef Holt-Andrews, at the Festival of Champions in Belfast on Oct. 5.

“I was expecting to go low 16’s this season, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to break 16,” he said.

Willingham was battling a foot infection in those races, but got a boost of adrenaline given the opportunity to square off against the state’s elite runners in front of a big crowd at the Festival.

“It was a big race, one of the biggest races I’ve ever run, actually,” Willingham said.

He’ll have another big one on Saturday at the KVAC championships, which are at Cony High School.

Right team, right time

Class C field hockey champion Lisbon (10-2-1) has hit a few snags in its title defense. That’s probably a reflection of the depth and talent of the Mountain Valley Conference more than anything else.

And as you might expect from a championship outfit, the Greyhounds are hitting their stride when it matters most. Since two losses in a three-game stretch in late September, Lisbon has defeated Telstar, Dirigo and Winthrop — all playoff teams — by a combined tally of 13-3.

“As a team I think we’ve grown,” Lisbon coach Julie Wescott said. “At the beginning of the season we had some bumps in the road, but I want them to gel now. It’s a perfect time and they’re really, truly working together, which is awesome.”

Lisbon saved perhaps its finest effort of the season for a huge spot Friday, beating Winthrop 6-1 at home.

The teams know each other well. The Greyhounds won their encounter in the 2012 state final, with the Ramblers posting a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory in the first rematch.

“It’s a good momentum builder. They’re a great team. We had some adversity. We lost to them. It wasn’t really our day,” Wescott said. “I told the girls the last three games, we’re treating every game as a playoff game.”

Lisbon will face undefeated Spruce Mountain in the MVC championship game Thursday at Dirigo.

Proving that it matters

If there’s a term that has crept into our everyday sports vocabulary and needs to be purged before any other, it’s the concept of a “meaningless game.”

Perhaps you’ve heard that terminology applied to a September MLB game or a Christmas week NFL clash. If one or both teams are out of playoff contention, there’s a strong implication that they’re merely playing out of the string.

Just don’t be talking that trash to the Lewiston and Edward Little field hockey teams.

No, there won’t be a playoff appearance awaiting either the Blue Devils or Red Eddies. Their respective seasons will end Monday after the rivals meet at Sherwood Heights in an 11 a.m. holiday matinee.

But if the primary objective of high school sports is improving skills between Point A and Point B and playing hard until the final horn, if this past Thursday was any indication, both programs have hit the mark.

Lewiston (2-11) put together one of its best halves of the season against Oxford Hills, fighting back from a 3-0 deficit to lose 4-2 against one of the top five teams in the mighty KVAC.

“I think we calmed down for a little bit and thought about it,” said Laurianne Murphy, one of six Lewiston seniors. “I felt like we were discouraged after a couple of goals but then we just realized we could do it. We are a good team.”

The Devils had moments of glory this season. They scored with 16 seconds remaining in regulation before losing Hampden in overtime. Lewiston also took Bangor to an extra session in a loss.

Lewiston’s previous encounter with Oxford Hills ended in a 1-0 defeat on a last-minute goal.

“The seniors are leaving a legacy of resilience, of how to come back from disappointment and failure, and the second half (against Oxford Hills) was a great example of that,” Lewiston coach Randy Richardson said. “I only wish we played three halves.”

That same day, after scoring only one previous goal all season, EL (1-12) beat Brunswick on the road, 2-1, in overtime.

Brooke Lever scored for the Red Eddies in regulation and set up Kirsten Lupher’s game-winner. Karli Stubbs made 12 saves to boost EL.