MANCHESTER, Conn. — Three-time Class A cross country state champion Sofie Matson of Falmouth became the first Mainer in 10 years to win the New England high school championship, taking the title Saturday with a time of 17 minutes, 52 seconds on a 5-kilometer course at Wickham Park.
Matson’s time was almost identical to her winning times the previous two weeks at the Southern Maine regionals and the state championships — both at Cumberland’s Twin Brook Recreation Area. On Saturday she was in a group of three runners who broke away from the rest of the field, and eventually defeated Mari Noble of Greenwich, Connecticut, by five seconds.
Matson, a junior, is the first Maine champion since Emily Durgin of Cheverus in 2009. Kennebunk’s Abbey Leonardi won the previous year in a 1-2 Maine finish, with Durgin second.
Lila Gaudrault (19:00) of Cape Elizabeth was second among Maine girls in 17th place. Bonny Eagle was the best Maine team in 10th, led by Delaney Hesler (19:32) in 39th and Emmaline Pendleton (19:37) in 46th.
Edward Little freshman Payton Bell finished 102nd (20:27), coming in one spot ahead of Mt. Blue senior Kahryn Cullenberg (also 20:27). Mt. Blue sophomore Emma Charles (20:43) was 127nd.
Mt. Ararat’s Lisandro Berry-Gaviria was Maine’s first boys’ finisher for the second year in a row, placing fourth in 15:42. Will Shaughnessy finished sixth in 15:45, leading Brunswick to a 15th-place finish — tops among Maine teams — in the team standings.
Berry-Gaviria’s result was the best by a Maine boy since Telstar’s Josef Holt-Andrews placed third in 2013.
FOOTBALL
York 28, Wells 8
YORK — York’s football team has been overlooked for much of the season. The Wildcats proved Saturday afternoon that they’re for real.
Second-seeded York used a ferocious defensive effort and a couple big offensive plays to beat third-seeded Wells 28-8 in a Class C South semifinal, ending the Warriors’ bid for a fourth consecutive state championship.
Wells (7-3) won back-to-back Class D titles in 2017 and 2018 after winning the Class C championship in 2016.
Riley Johnston scored on two long touchdown passes — 57 and 60 yards — and Riley Linn returned an interception 40 yards for another score as York (9-1) defeated Wells for the second time in three weeks.
“For the last three or four years now, we’ve made the plays,” Wells coach Tom Roche said. “Today we didn’t. And they did.”
York will play for the regional title next weekend at top-seeded Leavitt.
Winslow 49, Hermon 7
WINSLOW — Payton Pomeroy passed for four touchdowns to lead the top-seeded Black Raiders (9-1) past the fourth-seeded Hawks (5-5) in a Class C North semifinal.
Cody Ivey caught TD passes of 25 and 36 yards, and Marek Widerynski and Nathan Newgard also had touchdown catches. Evan Bourget led Winslow’s ground attack with 18 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Travis Spell scored for Hermon on a 56-yard run in the first quarter.
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