CUMBERLAND —Georgia Moon’s game plan Saturday was to stay with the pack until she felt ready to kick, and then just go for it.
Moon timed her move perfectly as was able to hold off Portland’s Nora Schmidt by just over a second to win the Class A girls race in the Southern Maine regionals at Twin Brook Recreation Area.
Moon, a senior at Falmouth, finished in 18 minutes, 11.51 seconds, while Schmidt’s time was 18:12.63.
“(My strategy) just ended up being challenging,” Moon said. “But it works out in the end. Down the stretch, I just kept thinking ‘I know I have (strength) in my legs.’ I’ve done the workouts, I’ve done the physical work. I know it’s there. I just had to trust that I know it’s there.”
Allie Schmitt of Cheverus (19:00.38) finished third. The results were a swap from last year’s regional final, when Schmidt held off Moon, with Schmitt rounding out the top three.
Moon also won the girls race at the Festival of Champions in Belfast last month.
Portland once again swept the Class A South boys and girls titles. In the girls race, the Bulldogs scored 63 points, followed by Thornton Academy (70) and Falmouth (71). Portland (47 points) cruised to the boys title, beating out Thornton (64) and Bonny Eagle (117). The Bulldogs had four boys in the top 10, led by Ambrose Clarke (17:12.41), who was sixth.
Scarborough senior Atticus Merriam, the winner at the Festival of Champions, had a strong finishing kick to hold off Falmouth’s Mateo Diaz (16:32.94) and win the Class A boys crown with a time of 16:21.36.
“I was trying to be a little conservative today, try to save myself for states a little bit,” Merriam said. “I ended up fighting pretty hard. Mateo and Ryan both gave me pretty good races. But I felt strong enough that I could make a move, and it worked out … I’m feeling good (for states). I’ve gotten some quality training in. My coaches have helped me out a lot. I’m just doing my workouts and feeling great.”
Ryan Bolduc (16:48.49) of Thornton was third.
Lincoln Academy’s Karen Higgins had the most dominant race of the day, winning the Class B title in 19:14.29. She was more than a minute faster than Freeport teammates Ella Oshteski (20:17.99) and Stella Kryzak (20:18.04).
“This race has been one I’ve wanted to win for a while,” Higgins said. “It was good to do it, and it was fun. (The trail) wasn’t muddy. The only issue I had (with the course) was the pebbles weren’t pebbles. They were pretty big rocks. That was a little difficult to navigate, but I just stayed on the trail.”
Freeport (50 points) repeated as B South girls champion, followed by Yarmouth (63) and Cape Elizabeth (67).
Yarmouth junior Bowen Mitchell (16:38.98) held off teammate Jackie Chalmers (16:47.06) for the individual boys title.
“There’s no better feeling than a win,” Mitchell said.
The duo led a dominant day for the Clippers, who placed four runners in the top five. Eli Chalmers (16:52.01) finished third.
“From day one of summer training, Jackie and I have been saying we’re going to go 1-2 at states,” Mitchell said. “Our team was so great (today), and I definitely think it’s a possibility.”
Yarmouth scored 23 points, finishing well in front of Freeport (78). The Falcons were led by fourth-place finisher Mungu Tussing (16:54.70). Cape Elizabeth (92) was third.
Dirigo senior William Morris, who won the Mountain Valley Conference championship last weekend, continued a strong postseason by winning the Class C boys race with a time of 16:19.81. James Vaillancourt (16:42.79) of North Yarmouth Academy was the runner-up and Winthrop freshman Sawyer Wess (16:43.66) was third.
Winthrop (44 points) repeated as team champion, with Maranacook (106) the runner-up. Carrabec (124) was third.
Reagan Mattson of Maranacook (19:52.98) won the Class C girls race and celebrated the victory with a cartwheel as she crossed the finish line. McKenzie Boyle (20:36.89) of Dirigo finished second and Kylie Van Tassel (20:46.30) of Winthrop placed third.
Maine Coast Waldorf (60 points) won the C girls crown, followed by Boothbay/Wiscasset (91) and Maranacook (101).
Temperatures were ideal for running, in the high 50s with blue skies and little cloud coverage.