HOULTON, Maine — Our Houlton/GHCA cross country program took on their second meet in a series of three among a 7-day stretch on Sept. 5. Hot off the heels of the Ellsworth Invitational, the Shires took to defending their home trails against Aroostook League rivals Fort Kent and the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. The course was run in a 4-kilometer single track loop around Houlton’s Community park and RSU 29’s Bird Farm Trails. With a smaller field of participants the meet featured one full scoring team in the girls race (our own) and two scoring teams in the boys race (MSSM and us).
In the girls race our ladies ran in dominant fashion, securing the top four places and six in the top ten. Teanne Ewings led the way, crossing the finish line in first place, closely followed by teammate Natalie Johnson in second. Leanne Ross claimed the third spot, with sister Andrea taking fourth. Katie McQuarrie finished sixth rounding out the five scoring positions for us. With no other scoring teams the girls would amass a perfect score to win the meet.
The boys ran with a pack run strategy for the first mile before racing the final 1.49 to the finish. Freshman Malachi Witmer showcased his talent, securing an impressive second-place finish, narrowly trailing behind Fort Kent’s Alden Reardon, who claimed the top spot. Brayden Drake, another freshman, finished strongly in third place, followed by James Brady in fourth. Fort Kent’s Michaud took the fifth spot. Landon Laferriere and Shaw Cody completed the scoring for us securing a perfect team score of 15 points to match the girl’s. MSSM would score the next 44 points and come in as team runners-up.
Full results, girl school time:
1. Teanne Ewings Houlton 15:59
2. Natalie Johnson Houlton 17:09
3. Leanne Ross Houlton 18:18
4. Andrea Ross Houlton 18:55
5. Rowan Tanguay Fort Kent 19:50
6. Katie McQuarrie Houlton 21:43
7. Lily Oliver Fort Kent 22:26
8. Amelia Drake Houlton 23:56
9. Emiko Peck MSSM 25:12
10. Grace Doustou Fort Kent 26:13
11. Dani Espenchied Houlton 26:40
12. Dalylah Mincey Houlton 26:48
13. Ariella Searfoss MSSM 30:31
14. Riley Gagnon Fort Kent 31:41
Team: 1. Houlton 15, FK & MSSM no score
Boys:
1. Alden Reardon Fort Kent 15:05
2. Malachi Whitmer Houlton 15:27
3. Brayden Drake Houlton 16:19
4. James Brady Houlton 16:20
5. Quinn Michaud Fort Kent 16:44
6. Landon Laferriere Houlton 16:51
7. Shawn Cody Houlton 17:58
8. Ben Uhlenhake MSSM 18:22
9. Shayne Grass Houlton 19:58
10. Dominick Plourde MSSM 20:17
11. Dylan Smith MSSM 22:30
12. Gabriel Austin MSSM 22:47
13. Alexander Aizha-Rossy MSSM 24:17
14. Ethan Casale Houlton 27:32
DNS Hadrian Ward MSSM
Team: 1. Houlton 15, 2. MSSM 44, FK no score
