Festival of Champions Preview

Girls Preview

Team
Cheverus and Massabesic go into the meet ranked 1 and 3 respectively in the latest poll which makes the girl’s race very interesting. Other teams who will want to make a statement this Saturday are Brunswick, John Bapst, Windham, and Falmouth. This will be a big test because we will finally see how the best teams stack up against each other. Will Cheverus run away with it? Will Massabesic finally put together and win? Or will we see an underdog come out on top a la The Mighty Ducks? We will have to wait and see.

Prediction
The Cheverus girls have looked very impressive this year, and they have been really hard to beat over the past couple weeks. The Massabesic girls have a lot of fire power with their top three runners Jocelyn Acheson, Charlotte Pierce, and Mikayla Frazier, but Cheverus has more talent and more depth. Other teams who look to contend for a top five finish will be Brunswick, Windham, John Bapst, and Falmouth. This is how the top five will play out on Saturday:

1. Cheverus
2. Massabesic
3. Brunswick
4. John Bapst
5. Windham

Individual Preview
Abby Leonardi looks like the runaway favorite in this one, and she will be looking to make history on Saturday as she looks to break Cassie Hintz’s record of 17:52.60. The top challengers for Leonardi will be Abby Mace of Maranacock and Cheverus teammates Emily Durgin and Fiona Hendry. Other runners who will be looking to make a splash are Mia Rapolla of Gorham, Kathleen McMahon of Brunswick, Dacie Manion of Old Town, Charlotte Pierce of Massabesic, and Addie Cullenberg of Mt. Blue. There is plenty of fire power in this race, and if the weather is acceptable then we could see some incredibly fast times on Saturday.

Prediction
Abbey Leonardi has to be the favorite. She has run under 18 minutes twice at distances of three miles, a feat that some fifth runners on boy’s teams haven’t even accomplished. The real question is will there be anybody to challenge Leonardi? Both Emily Durgin and Abby Mace have had very impressive seasons so far, and they could challenge Leonardi. Durgin won the New England championships last year so we know how well she can run, and Mace has won every meet so far by a considerable margin. Here is how the top ten will play out on Saturday:

1. Abbey Leonardi Kennebunk
2. Emily Durgin Cheverus
3. Abby Mace Maranacock
4. Fiona Hendry Cheverus
5. Mia Rapolla Gorham
6. Kathleen McMahon Brunswick
7. Charlotte Pierce Massabesic
8. Alecia Palmer Presque Isle
9. Dacie Manion Old Town
10. Addie Cullenberg Mt Blue

Boys Preview

Team Preview
This has the makings of a classic meet. Eight of the top ten teams in my Week 5 Power Rankings will be attending, so the star power will be at a maximum. Scarborough will look to rebound from last week’s performance at the Southwest Classic, and Falmouth should be fully rested for a great run. Gorham won the Southwest Classic last week, so expect them to have a strong performance. Other teams that will be looking to make a splash are Cape, Massabesic, Edward Little, and Mt Blue. Will Scarborough redeem themselves and come out on top? Will Gorham continue to roll? Or will Falmouth ran past everybody with their rested legs?

Prediction
The real key in this meet will be the number five runners. Cortland Dunn of Gorham will need to have a good race if Gorham wants to have a shot of winning. Also Falmouth’s Henry Briggs will have to have a strong race if they want to come out on top. Scarborough’s number five runner Ian Morris will also have to make a big impact if Scarborough wants to win it. Watch out for Edward Little as well. Faisal Noor has had an outstanding year, and he has a very strong supporting cast behind him. Cape Elizabeth will also like to prove why they are a top team. They have had an excellent year so far, and don’t be surprised to see them catch some of the top teams. If everything goes as it should, the top five will look like this:

1. Falmouth
2. Gorham
3. Scarborough
4. Edward Little
5. Cape Elizabeth

Individual Preview
The individual race will be very entertaining to watch on Saturday as there are four possible runners that could come out on top. Jack Terwilliger of Cheverus hasn’t raced in three weeks, but that shouldn’t affect him on Saturday as he will be fully rested. Harlow Ladd of Messalonske is another favorite to watch. He has posted the fastest 5k of all classes so far with a time of 16:08, and he is also undefeated this year. Edward Little’s Faisal Noor will be with the top pack on Saturday. He has the second fastest 5k year with a time of 16:09, so look for him to challenge for the top spot. Another runner who will be looking to challenge will be Mike Tate from JH Gillis in Nova Scotia. He finished 7th at the Festival of Champions last year as freshmen running a time of 16:21.7 so look for him to challenge as well. Other runners to look out for will be Matt McClintock of Madison, Nick Morris of Scarborough, Tim Follo of Falmouth, Bryant Perkins of Sanford, Jeremy Earl of Gorham, Abshir Horor of Wayneflete,and Chase Brown of Boothbay.

Prediction
Jack Terwilliger looks like the early favorite in this one. He hasn’t raced in three weeks, but I don’t think that will affect him. The battle for the two spot between Harlow Ladd, Faisal Noor, and Mike Tate should be very exciting to watch as well. If everything goes the way it should, the top ten will be looking like this on Saturday:

1. Jack Terwilliger Cheverus
2. Harlow Ladd Messalonske
3. Mike Tate JH Gillis-NS
4. Faisal Noor Edward Little
5. Matt McClintock Madison
6. Tim Follo Falmouth
7. Bryant Perkins Sanford
8. Nick Morris Scarborough
9. Abshir Horor Waynefleter
10. Jeremy Earl Gorham