While it’s hard to really give home course advantage to any one team in a cross country running meet, the fact that the state championship is being held at the same site as the Eastern regional may in fact hurt the Eastern teams.

Tory Howard Middle School in Belfast has a large facility and is fully capable of holding big meets, which is why the Eastern and state championship meets are being held there this season.

It’s also a very flat, fast course.

“This year is very different that last year,” said Mt. Blue coach Kelley Cullenberg. “Last year the Belfast course was a surprise to all of us, and we had trained for a hillier course. This year, where we knew it in advance, hopefully it will make things a little easier.”

Twin Brook in Cumberland, meanwhile, where the West regional went off last week, is almost two minutes slower for many of the top runners, which may prepare them better for the quicker, flatter terrain on which they will run today.

“I hope we run better,” said Lisbon coach Hank Fuller. “We looked at some of the times and it seemed like the times were pretty even despite the difference in the courses.”

Regardless of the course the teams will be running, there are a few teams that seem to be headed for state titles already.

Lisbon High School has gone largely unchallenged in Class C West all season, and there are few teams in the East, even with the faster course, that can match the times put up by Lisbon runners at Twin Brook last weekend.

“It looks like, fingers crossed, all of our runners are going to be healthy,” said Fuller. “We just have to go out there and avoid mistakes.”

In the Class C girls’ race, Freeport will be looking to repeat, while Eastern champion Foxcroft Academy will look to bring the title back to the East with a senior-heavy group of runners.

Another team that has run largely unchallenged all season is the Monmouth girls’ team. Running most of its regular-season schedule against Class C schools, the Mustangs are battle-tested, and set aside perennial nemesis Elan at Twin brook last weekend.

The Class D boys’ race should be another tight race, with Elan from the West and Madawaska from the East.

The tighter races today will come from Classes A and B.

In Class A, Mt. Blue edged Morse for the second time in two weeks at the Eastern regional, and look to have momentum among those Eastern entries.

“It all seems pretty close,” said Cullenberg. “Honestly, I don’t know how convincing a win in cross country unless its 20 or more points. With extra runners now in from the West, it will be interesting which teams’ runners get pushed down a bit.”

From the West, Scarborough is loaded with talent and will likely be out to prove that last year’s title (later stripped from them due to an ineligible runner) was no fluke. The Red Storm won their regional by 46 points.

“It’s almost like they have something to prove,” said Cullenberg of Scarborough. “They only had one senior last year, and they have to be coming in with confidence.”

On the girls’ side of Class A, Mt. Ararat will likely be the favorite after placing three girls in the top three at the East regional. Mt. Blue finished a distant second, and will likely challenge for a spot in the top three.

In Class B, Cape Elizabeth, York, John Bapst and Old Town appear to be the girls’ favorites, while Greely heads a list that includes Falmouth, Hampden Academy, Ellsworth and John Bapst in the boys’ race.

Individually, Ayalew and Sintayehu Taye of Portland are the favorites to place first and second in the Class A boys’ race, with Edward Little’s Nick Kazar also in the mix for a top five finish.

In Class B girls, the states two best runners (Cassie Hintz of Old Town and Elise Moody-Roberts) will square off for the first of four potential meetings in the next two months. Both runners will likely qualify for the New Englands, and both will compete in the Foot Locker Regionals in New York. A solid finish in the latter could send both to San Diego for the Nationals.