CARIBOU, Maine — The Houlton/GHCA cross country team traveled to Caribou High School on Saturday for week two of the Penobscot Valley Conference schedule. Caribou’s scenic course winds through rolling hills and forest trails behind the school, and the day provided some excellent running conditions. Thirteen teams had representation at the meet, including Brewer, Caribou, Ellsworth, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, Foxcroft Academy, Hermon, Houlton/GHCA, John Bapst, MSSM, Old Town, Presque Isle and Washburn.
The JV girls kicked off the day with some outstanding performances. April Mazur set the tone early, staying composed in the lead pack before finishing strong for 2nd overall with a time of 25 minutes,14.56 seconds. Teammates Kylah Tuttle (28:12.47) and Dalylah Mincey (28:36.33) weren’t far behind, securing 10th and 11th place respectively. Sandra Quinlan capped off the JV effort by earning a new personal best time of 41:25.01 and 23rd overall. Houlton/GHCA did not field a varsity girls team this week, but with several runners racing JV and others sidelined, the group continues to develop depth and gain experience for the season ahead.
For the second week in a row, the varsity boys delivered a dominant team effort. Six Houlton harriers finished inside the top 10, led by Malachi Witmer’s first career varsity win in 17:12.95. James Brady was right behind in 2nd place with a time of 17:24.16. Freshman standout Wyatt Quint (6th, 17:48.06) and Nathan Brady (7th, 17:48.96) ran stride for stride, with Brayden Drake (9th, 18:16.61) and Logan Witmer (10th, 18:18.20) rounding out the scoring pack. Houlton’s Shawn Coty also ran a heroic race, trying to bounce back from illness, finishing 50th in 26:11.54. The strong front-running left little doubt in the team standings as the Shires would take the team title with the low score of 25.
Team results, boys
1. Houlton/GHCA – 25
2. Caribou – 43
3. John Bapst – 91
4. Presque Isle – 110
5. Brewer – 112
6. Washburn – 136
Other schools in attendance (Ellsworth, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, Foxcroft Academy, Hermon, MSSM, Old Town) did not field enough runners for a team score.
Team results, girls
John Bapst claimed the varsity girls team title. Caribou’s Emma Graves was the individual champion in 20:25.06.
Looking ahead, the middle school squad gets its turn on the Caribou course this Wednesday, while the varsity teams head north on Friday to the University of Maine at Presque Isle for Presque Isle High School’s All-County meet.
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