Houlton- Houlton High School proudly hosted the Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC) Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 19, 2024, marking the first time the school has been able to hold the prestigious event. With over 25 schools represented and nearly 300 athletes competing, the event brought together teams from across the league, stretching from Caribou to Bar Harbor and Calais to Hermon. Community Park and the RSU29 Bird Farm was the place to be as the weather fully embraced the start of championship season.
Boys’ Race Results
In the boys’ race, Houlton/GHCA secured outstanding individual performances, placing three athletes in the top 10. Malachi Witmer led the Shires, finishing 3rd overall with a time of 17:33.43. He was closely followed by Brayden Drake, who took 5th place at 17:46.50, and Nathan Brady, who claimed 7th place with a time of 18:07.80. James Brady also ran strong, finishing just outside the top 10 in 11th place at 18:36.63. Freshman Jackson Adams smashed his career best time by two minutes to round out the scoring for the Shire boys with a 52nd place.
The overall top 10 for the boys’ Small School Championship were as follows:
- Ben Arsenault – Orono High School – 16:56.89
- Owen Beane – Orono High School – 17:14.34
- Malachi Witmer – Houlton/GHCA – 17:33.43
- Lukas Pounder – Narraguagus High School – 17:37.86
- Brayden Drake – Houlton/GHCA – 17:46.50
- Andrew Barrett – Orono High School – 18:03.69
- Nathan Brady – Houlton/GHCA – 18:07.80
- Robert Berry – Narraguagus High School – 18:15.91
- Camden Brown – Orono High School – 18:24.30
- Brady Cox – Orono High School – 18:34.00
Girls’ Race Results
The Houlton/GHCA girls’ team dominated their race, led by Teanne Ewings who took the individual title with an impressive time of 18:25.75. Teanne was joined by teammate Natalie Johnson who secured 2nd place at 19:05.34, while Andrea Ross and Katie McQuarrie placed 6th and 7th with times of 22:54.87 and 23:07.76 respectively. Additionally, Dalayna Mincey came in 14th at 24:33.76, and Kylah Tuttle and Amelia Drake rounded out strong performances at 22nd and 25th. Houlton’s Dalylah Mincey ran a near personal best time to claim 13th overall among the JV Championship girls race.
The top 10 for the girls’ Small School Championship were as follows:
- Teanne Ewings (12) – Houlton/GHCA – 18:25.75
- Natalie Johnson (12) – Houlton/GHCA – 19:05.34
- Clara White (11) – Orono High School – 19:44.02
- Maya Boyington (11) – Orono High School – 20:09.09
- Bailey Townsend (11) – George Stevens Academy – 22:25.73
- Andrea Ross (11) – Houlton/GHCA – 22:54.87
- Katie McQuarrie (12) – Houlton/GHCA – 23:07.76
- Magpie Rutenbeck (10) – George Stevens Academy – 23:18.94
- Maeve Palazzo (12) – Bucksport High School – 23:50.91
- Mia Mills (11) – Jonesport-Beals High School – 24:16.96
The Houlton/GHCA girls’ team claimed the Small School division team championship with a commanding score of 21 points, defeating second-place George Stevens Academy (35 points) and third-place Narraguagus High School (80 points).
The Large School Championships were also contested in Houlton with two races that had very different outcomes. On the boys side, in the narrowest of margins it was John Bapst and Caribou finishing in a tie with 44 points a piece. The tiebreaker would ultimately be decided in favor of John Bapst. The girl’s side saw the team from Mt. Desert Island storm the field and walk away with a perfect score of 15 to win the championship.
Coach of the Year ballots were also cast and voting was decided at the conclusion of the meet. Four coaches representing both Boys and Girls teams in the Large and Small School divisions were awarded honors and those went to John Bapst’s Tyler Parsons, Presque Isle’s Mandy Draper, Orono’s Lin White, and Houlton’s Chris Rines.
The Shires now look forward to the Northern Maine Regional Championships in Belfast on Saturday, October 26, 2024, where they will compete for a chance to qualify for the State Championships and represent the North proudly.
