Class C State Meet Preview

Team Preview
That battle for the title in Class C will be very interesting to watch. NYA looks like the early favorite heading into the meet behind Cam Regan and Evan Kendall. Expect them to both have top 15 finishes. Freeport will look to prove why they belong at the top of Class C. The placed second at the Western Regional’s behind Taylor Saucier and Griffin day. Freeport relies on having a tight pack as evidence to their astounding 11 second 1-5 split at the Western Regional’s. So other teams will look to break up that pack on Saturday. Expect Wayneflete to be in the mix as well. They have been a pleasant surprise this year behind the brilliance of Abshir Horor who should contend for the individual title. In the East, look for Bangor Christian to challenge for a top three finish. The put their top five runners in the top 20 overall last Saturday so expect them to be right up there. Don’t count out Orono as well. They are lead by junior Alex Buteel who won the Eastern Regional last Saturday so look for them to contend for a top five finish. Don’t count out Boothbay as well. They are lead by front runner Chase Brown, so don’t be surprised if you see Boothbay crack into the top five.

Prediction
NYA will take the title this year behind top 15 finishes from Cam Regan and Evan Kendall. Their 3-5 pack will have to run great though if NYA wants to win. Following them will be Freeport. Expect Griffin Day and Taylor Saucier to place in the top 20, and Freeport’s tight pack will be broken up a bit. Look for Abshir Horor to have a great race, but Wayneflete’s 2-5 runners will have to step it up on Saturday. Following them will be Boothbay. Chase Brown will lead the way as he will contend for the individual title. One team that could make a splash is Merriconeag. Their number one, Jack Pierce, will contend for a top five finish on Saturday. Here is how the top five will play out on Saturday:

1. NYA
2. Freeport
3. Boothbay
4. Wayneflete
5. Merriconeag

Individual Preview
This is the race that everybody is looking forward too. Matt McClintock of Madison and Chase Brown of Boothbay will face off for the third time this season. McClintock has won two times, once at the Festival of Champions and this past Saturday at the Western Regional’s. Chase Brown beat McClintock at the MVC Championships a few weeks ago, so this has the potential to be a heavyweight fight. Aside from McClintock and Brown, look for Abshir Horor of Wayneflete and Jack Pierce of Merriconeag to contend for top five finishes. Pierce finished third at the Western Regional’s on Saturday with a time of 16:47, and Horor placed fifth. Also look out for freshman Joseph Holt-Andrews of Telstar. He was fourth at the Western Regional’s running to a time of 16:47.7 which is truly remarkable for a freshman on the Twinbrook course. Alex Buteel of Orono should be one to watch as well. He won the Eastern Regional title at Belfast last Saturday running a time of 16:43.80. Other runners who will contend for top ten finishes are Cam Regan of NYA, Matt Guiod of Mattanawcook, Charlie Jones of North Haven, Evan Kendall of NYA, and Nate Schwem of Boothbay.

Prediction
Matt McClintock will win the state title for the second year in a row, and Chase Brown will follow closely for a second place finish. Expect the times to be very fast depending on the weather conditions. The race for third will be very interesting to watch. Abshir Horor, Jack Pierce, and Joseph Holt-Andrews will duke it out for third place. Expect them to be all within ten seconds of each other. Alex Buteel and Matt Guiod will contend for top five finishes as well. Other runners who will look for top ten finishes are Charlie Jones of North Haven, Cam Regan and Evan Kendall of NYA, Nate Schwem of Boothbay, and Griffin Day of Freeport. Here is how the top ten will play out on Saturday:

1. Matt McClintock Madison
2. Chase Brown Boothbay
3. Abshir Horor Wayneflete
4. Joseph Holt-Andrews Telstar
5. Jack Pierce Merriconeag
6. Alex Buteel Orono
7. Matt Guiod Mattananwcook
8. Charlie Jones North Haven
9. Cam Regan NYA
10. Evan Kendall NYA