One team has some of the fastest people in Class B. The other has athletes with the best endurance factor. Both have solid jumping teams, and both Belfast and Leavitt, figure to be in the running for the KVAC Class B championship on Saturday.
“I would think that Belfast will be, along with us, one of the favorites,” said Leavitt coach Tina Meserve. “On the girls’ side, we have quite a few No. 1 seeds.”
Strictly following the seedings unveiled earlier this week, Leavitt would take the girls’ title by about 20 points.
“You really can’t use the seeds, though,” said Meserve. “Everyone runs, throws and jumps differently depending on the day.”
In a meet earlier this week, Belfast edged Leavitt thanks to a strong showing in the pole vault, but that was against a Hornets team missing two of its top athletes.
“It’s really two opposite-strength teams going against each other,” said Meserve. It’s going to depend on who does better in their specialty events.”
Not to be overlooked is Mt. View, which finished just seven points behind Leavitt in a meet this season.
On the boys’ side, Belfast is the traditional power in KVAC Class B, but this season Leavitt went undefeated nearly until the end of the season.
“It’s really going to come down to those two schools again,” said Meserve. “Both teams have done really well so far. This will be a good test in a big meet.”
KVAC Class A peek
It seems more repetitive than a badly scratched vinyl record, but the Mt. Blue girls’ team should again be one of the favorites in the KVAC Class A meet this year.
The Cougars’ distance team, along with Carly Lochala in the racewalk, should account for the majority of the points, although throwing is also a strong suit this season.
Last year’s favorites, the Waterville Purple Panthers, have lost a tremendous amount of scoring punch this year but should still figure into the scoring.
Mt. Ararat will be strong in several events but won’t have as much depth. Still, in a larger meet they should also be a factor near the top.
On the boys’ side, there hasn’t been such a wide-open field in a long time, which bodes well for a darkhorse team such as Oxford Hills.
“It very well could come down to the relay events,” said Oxford Hills coach Craig Jipson. “If certain kids can do what they need to do in certain events, we should be right up there.”
Cony, one of last year’s favorite teams, lost almost its entire sprinting corps and will be hard-pressed to repeat its run this season. Waterville should be in the mix, as should Brunswick.
MVC outlook
For the last four years, Lisbon and Winthrop have been the talk of the MVC on the girls’ side of things. This year, it appears that Winthrop may be on its own at the top.
The Greyhounds, though, seem to have shifted their strength to the boys’ side of things, and should contend with Madison for the top spot.
“By the seeds, we have an edge,” said Lisbon coach Dean Hall. “I don’t know what that really means, though.”
Madison’s George Yodice is a legitimate threat to take 40 points by himself in the meet on Saturday, while Livermore Falls thrower Shawn Demaray should be on track to take points in all three throwing events.
Dirigo and Wiscasset will challenge Winthrop. Dirigo is a deep team, while Wiscasset has been strong in the throws this season.
Lisbon has a few athletes who figure to perform well in Emily Poloquin, Candace Doughty and Narissa Gross, but the depth that existed in recent years is absent this season.
Mountain Valley should also show well in the boys’ meet, and Telstar will perform well in the distance events.
jpelletier@sunjournal.com
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