Despite unfavorable weather conditions, Boothbay Region High School’s cross country teams turned in first place finishes on September 11 in Winthrop.

Winthrop saw record breaking temperatures in the high 80s, humidity approaching 90 percent and a heat index above 100 on Wednesday.

Parent Sarah Morley said the temperature’s effects were apparent as runners struggled along the course. One runner collapsed during the race and another suffered debilitating leg cramps, Morley said.

Not surprisingly, race times were significantly slower than those posted by Seahawk runners a week earlier under seasonably cool temperatures. Coach Lauren Forgues said she was pleased with how well the team performed.

“I was happy with the results especially with the weather conditions,” Forgues said. “The heat made the times slower, and I told the team, don’t stress about your time today because it is not a PR day. Just run your best and try and finish strong.”

In the girls race, the Lady Seahawks posted the team’s first win of the season, scoring 31 points to Monmouth’s 46 points and Winthrop's 49.

Boothbay's Sophia Thayer bested the pack of 31 runners with a time of 23:42. As with the rest of the pack, Thayer's pace of 7:38  was significantly slower than what she can deliver on a good day. But it was enough to finish 16 seconds ahead of Hall-Dale's Emma Watson, in a tough battle for first.

Junior Morgan Crocker and sophomore Hannah Morley finished third at 24:17 and fourth at 24:27, respectively. Freshman Kate Friant sealed the win for Boothbay with her 10th place finish at 26:35.

Junior Ashley Reed, who Coach Lauren Forgues had hoped would be the team's fifth scorer, has dropped off the squad. But junior Genevieve Taylor has stepped up to fill the void. Taylor almost dropped out of the race at Winthrop, but persevered and delivered BRHS's fifth score, finishing 25th at 36:14. Freshman Tori Ratcliffe finished 30th at 40:22.

“We have six girls and we need five to make a scoring team, so we desperately needed everyone to finish to score, and they did,”  Forgues said. “We are getting stronger each week, and I tell the girls, smart training will bring us to a strong championship season.”

In the boys race, the Seahawks’ five scorers finished in the top ten finishers, easily capturing the victory.

Senior Benn Scully finished first for BRHS and second overall at 19:28, followed by freshman Joey Paolillo (3rd, 19:44), Robert Campbell (4th, 19:47), Kyle Alamo (8th, 21:16) and Matt Burnham (10th, 21:35).

In team scoring, BRHS won with 27 points, followed by Monmouth 43, Winthrop 66, Hall-Dale 114, Richmond, 117 and Wiscasset 153.

“Having all five of our varsity guys in the top 10 is great, that sealed the deal for the guys win,” Forgues said. “If we can keep this up, it bodes well for the conference and state meets.”

Forgues said that a home meet has now been confirmed and will be held at BRHS on Wednesday, Sept. 18, beginning at 4 p.m.

Sue Mello can be reached at 207-844-4629 or suemello@boothbayregister.com.