For the last seven years, it’s been Lisbon and then everybody else at the Mountain Valley Conference track and field championships.

The Greyhounds have met and conquered all would-be challengers during this time. This season, Hall-Dale will try to play the role of spoiler at the MVC championship at 2 p.m. Thursday at Cony High School.

“It’s going to be a hell of a battle,” Hall-Dale coach Jarod Richmond said. “We’ve had this date circled for awhile. We’re really excited to see what happens when we put everything together. To win seven in a row is impressive. It’s a tall task for us, but we’re excited to be in the conversation again. We’re excited to see what we can do.”

Both Lisbon teams again enter as favorites because of their depth. The Greyhounds can swarm events, particularly the field events, which make them a formidable foe.

For the Lisbon girls, Kayla Angelico is seeded first in the 300-meter hurdles and the javelin. She also anchors two relay teams that are seeded first. The Lisbon boys will rely on a host of race walkers to pick up big points early.

“For the girls, it’s their’s to lose,” Lisbon coach Dean Hall said. “They should win it pretty handily if we follow the seeds. For the boys, it’s going to be a dogfight between the Greyhounds and Bulldogs. It’s going to be very tight. It’s a tossup.”

The Bulldogs, for the first time in a few years, are also well-covered.

Tyler Fitzgerald (100, 200) and Sam Shepherd (high jump) are seeded first in their primary events.

Josh Ringer and Chris Pomerleau are seeded high in the 1,600 as well. Colten Zakrzewski is seeded third in the javelin.

“Lisbon has a ton of depth and it’s going to take a really good day to beat them,” Richmond said. “But we are able to cover a little bit more than what we’ve had in the past.”

Added Hall: “We’ll have to neutralize Tyler Fitzgerald. But at the same time, Madison will take points away from Hall-Dale and Lisbon.”

Ron Helderman leads Madison. He is seeded first in the 110 hurdles and pole vault. He is also seeded third in the 300 hurdles. Chris Hayden (pole vault) and Kaleb Staples (hurdles) should also score well.

The Hall-Dale girls expect a big meet from freshman Maggie Marseglia, who is seeded second in the 100 and 200.

Monmouth, Winthrop and Madison also feature several athletes who are poised to score well.

Marques Houston and Ben Bailey, both Monmouth juniors, are seeded first and second, respectively, in the 400. Monmouth hurdlers Melissa Brassard and Tiffany Pease should score well.

“We’re spread out pretty good,” Monmouth coach Tom Menendez said. “We’ve got some shining spots.”

Winthrop senior Marc Hachey is seeded second in the 3,200. Winthrop senior brothers Zach and Casey Nadeau are seeded first and second, respectively, in the shot put.

Rachel Ingram is also seeded first in the long and triple jumps.

“She is just continuing her great career,” Winthrop coach Ed Van Tassel said. “We’re looking forward to a great meet.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640
bstewart@centralmaine.com

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