LEWISTON — Sarah Moore’s two event wins spurred the Lisbon/Oak Hill girls track and field team to a dominating performance and the Class C state championship Saturday at Lewiston High School.
Moore launched herself 17 feet, 2 inches to win the long jump, and she added another state championship by running the 100-meter dash in 12.81 seconds.
The Greyhounds racked up 119 points to claim their second straight Class C title and second in program history. Orono (82.5) and Maine Central Institute (73) were distant second and third, respectively.
Winslow won the boys title with 86 points. Orono was again the runner-up, with 74.5 points, and the Lisbon/Oak Hill boys placed third with 70.
First-year Lisbon/Oak Hill coach Nicole Sautter, who replaced longtime coach Dean Hall, said that entering the season she figured the girls team had an outside chance of repeating as state champion.
“We only have 13 girls, and not many competed in states today,” Sautter said. “Dean Hall certainly left us a great foundation but at the beginning of the season, looking at our numbers, we thought it would be tough. When you have girls like Sarah, Gabby, Kayla, Kiana, who show up and compete, it’s hard to beat that.”
Moore, who also placed second in the triple jump (34-02), was one of many Lisbon/Oak Hill girls with standout performances Saturday.
Kiana Goldberg won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.81 and placed second in the 300 hurdles. She also ran a leg of the Greyhounds’ winning 4×100-meter relay, along with Emily Westland, Kayla Cooper and Gabby Chessie.
Chessie’s day also included a second-place showing in the 200-meter dash and third-place finishes in the long jump and the triple jump.
Moore and Chessie have gone back and fourth in the jumps, each getting the better of each other throughout the spring.
“I knew she would push me to go farther,” Moore said.
“I really don’t mind if she beats me,” Chessie said. “As long as only she is beating me, I don’t mind.”
Cooper won the 400-meter in 1:01.56 and placed third in the 200 and 100. She said she was anxious heading into her state championship-winning 400 run.
“I was nervous. I just knew I was seeded first, but I knew the girl would be right behind me,” Cooper said. “I needed to push hard and hope for the best. It feels great.”
Amelia Mooney of Lisbon won the girls 1,600-meter race walk a time of 8:44.62. Monmouth’s Allyson Lewis finished second (8:56.91).
In the field events, Hall-Dale’s Iris Ireland started the day with a win in the javelin by heaving a throw of 123-04, a school record.
Ireland said she immediately noticed that her winning throw was exceptional.
“It felt different seeing it in the air,” Ireland said. “I could feel the difference from my first throw to that throw, and I knew it would be a good one. I’ve done it before in practice. I feel amazing. It’s overwhelming in the best way, and I am just so happy I could make my coaches and team happy because they really care about me.”
Carrabec’s Cheyenne Cahill won the shot put with a top toss of 34-04, saying afterwards that the winning throw felt “effortless.” George Stevens’ Maranda Pert threw the discus 104-04 to claim the state title.
The distance events were kicked off with a battle in the 1,600-meter run between Houlton’s Teanne Ewings and Orono’s Ruth White, the two runners’ third showdown of the season.
Ewings bettered White by 63 hundredths of seconds, winning with a time of 5:02.47 to White’s 5:03.10.
“I thought it was a great race,” White said. “Teanne is a great runner and competitor. I had raced against her twice before, and I PR’d in both of those races, so I think that shows the competitiveness.”
Ewings also won the 800, clocking in at 2:24.77.
White played a crucial role in the Orono girls’ second-place team finish. She won the 3,200 by running a Class C state meet-record time of 10:46.38 and helped the Red Riots take first in the 4×800 relay (10:26.59).
“The crowd was there, and they pushed me, too,” White said. “Every single second I could hear them cheering, and that was pretty amazing. Whenever I passed someone they said good job, so it was great support. My plan was to race as well as I could and get a PR. I was a little off of that, but that’s OK, it was fun.”
Other girls state title winners are Rose Jenkins of Kents Hill, who won the high jump (5-02), and Samantha Martin of Maine Central, who took first in the pole vault (9-0).
WINSLOW BOYS WIN
In the boys competition, Winslow’s Joseph Richards won the 400 (51.88) and finished in third in the 800 (2:06). Richards said he felt added pressure because his teammate dropped back during the 400 due to injury, but he came up clutch.
“At first I wasn’t planning on winning that race to be honest,” Richards said. “Levi (Olin) was seeded first, and we needed the points, but he had to drop out, so I had to take it into my own hands. He had done something to his hamstring. I felt strong in the first 200. There was a little headwind on the first straight away, but after the second turn I was locked in and ready to go.”
Owen Conner Self had a big day for the Orono boys. He won the 110 hurdles (16.14), finished second in the 300 hurdles (42.42) and third in the pole vault (11-0).
Sumner’s Kaleb Colson won two distance events, the 1,600 (4:35.96) and the 800 in (1:59.53).
“I was running to win, but I know (Bucksport’s) Will (Hileman), and he was keeping me posted during the meet and he was saying he didn’t feel great and was sick,” Colson said. “During the race I just saw he was coughing. I feel bad about how the race went down because he wasn’t feeling great.”
The 800 was close with Bobby Turner of Gould Academy finishing runner-up (2:00.03) and forcing Colson to run his best.
“I was shaking in my boots during the first lap, and in the second lap I was able to push enough for the win,” Colson said. “It was fun.”
Kenori Simmons of Washington Academy pulled out a win in the 100 (11.25). He said he was nervous because he was one of the younger competitors in the final.
“The prelims felt good,” Simmons said. “I was just aiming for a better time. During the final I was thinking about, ‘Was I going to win this?’ I felt very relieved when I won.”
Simmons also finished runner-up in the 200-meter (23.46) behind Winslow’s Evan Watts (23.31).
Mt. Abram’s Carter Butterfield won the boys 1,600-meter race walk with a time of 8:12.54, finishing 33.06 seconds earlier than runner-up Payden Ventry of Lisbon/Oak Hill.
In the throws, Foxcroft’s Jesse Drury won the javelin (157-07).
The discus was won by Boothbay’s Kayden Ames (143-11) with Mountain Valley’s Maing Tang placing second (126-09). In the shot put, Lucas Gustin’s throw of 44-11.5 for Central was enough for the win. Ames (39-11) finished in fifth.
The other boys state champions are Sacopee Valley’s Jonah Naratil (300 hurdles, 41.65), Bucksport’s William Hileman (3,200, 10:05.72), Washington Academy’s Cameron Bowser (triple jump, 43-01), Foxcroft’s Jackson Smith (high jump, 6-0), and Ellis Braga of Searsport (pole vault, 11-06).
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