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READFIELD — The Mountain Valley Conference track and field championships played out exactly as expected.

The boys team championship? The two-way battle that everybody anticipated.

The girls meet? Wide-open, just as it was billed.

The individual events? Top competitors found their ways to the podium, both emphatically and by razor-thin margins.

Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s meet at Maranacook Community High School, the final meet for 10 central, western and coastal Maine teams before Class C state championships on June 7.

LISBON BOYS WIN TWO-TEAM RACE WITH WINTHROP

The seedings had the Ramblers and Greyhounds well ahead of the rest of the pack. Winthrop was a slight favorite to win at 163 projected points, while Lisbon wasn’t far behind at 152.5, 89 points clear of projected third-place Mountain Valley.

The race for the title played out nearly as expected, with Lisbon finishing three points ahead of Winthrop, 143-140. Mountain Valley was third with 51.

The difference? Lisbon’s Demetrius Clark was seeded fourth in the shot put, but won with a throw of 41-8.

“We were down a little bit (seeding-wise) coming into the meet, but the kids have just been really focused and disciplined in their work ethic,” said Lisbon coach Nicole Sautter. “They brought it today, and I’m so proud of them.”

LISBON GIRLS EDGE BOOTHBAY/WISCASSET IN FIVE-WAY BATTLE

The girls team competition, on the other hand, was tight. Lisbon won with 108 points, followed by Boothbay/Wiscasset (98), Winthrop (93.5), Madison (93) and Maranacook (83.5).

Lisbon held a one-point lead over Boothbay/Wiscasset entering the final event, the 1,600-meter relay. Needing just to outperform the Seahawks to clinch the title, the quartet of Addy Burkhardt, Riley Hoyle, Tayen Smith and Ambrielle Wallace did even better by winning the event in 4:30.36.

It was the perfect ending to the day for Lisbon, especially for Burkhardt. Prior to running the final leg of the 1,600 relay, she set a school record in the 400 (1:02.07), breaking the record set by Coach Sautter’s daughter, Bree, in 2016.

“(Bree) was one of the first people to come over and hug me,” Burkhardt said. “It was just a great day for our team all around. … We were all riding high; we knew what had to be done.”

DISTANCE DUO DUELS IT OUT

Dirigo’s Will Morris entered Thursday as the top seed in the boys 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Yet Winthrop’s Alfie Cognata, the No. 2 seed in all three events, was just 0.80 seconds behind Morris in the 800 and 0.21 seconds in 3,200, setting the stage for a tight battle.

The first of three races between the two, the 1,600, lived up to the hype. Morris won in 4:34.73, holding off a fast-charging Cognata, whose 4:35.79 smashed his personal record by nearly four seconds.

“I knew I just had to give it all I got — if that’s 80 percent, that’s 80 percent —  and hope for the best,” Morris said. “I love racing him because having someone there to push you makes you push harder. It keeps you on edge, you know?”

In the 800, Morris (2:05.14) edged out runner-up Cognata (2:10.22) for his second win of the day. Morris was second in the 3,200 with a time of 10:16.79, behind Carrabec’s Desmond Robinson (10:15.82). Cognata was sixth in 11:04.87.

HIGH JUMP = HIGH EXPECTATIONS 

Despite being one of the state’s smallest conferences, the MVC features three of the Maine’s top-11 high jumpers in Reagan Lockaby (Mt. Abram), Jonah Jenkins (Kents Hill) and Maleek Baaumier (Lisbon).

Jenkins, a senior, won the title Thursday, clearing 6 feet. Lockaby, the 2023 state champ, was second at 5-10 and Beaumier was third (5-8).

“A lot of us didn’t do as well as we expected today, but it’s definitely great preparation for what’s to come,” Jenkins said. “We know we’re going to face off again at states on June 7, so we’ll see what happens there. Maybe our conference can come away with a win.”

OTHER NOTABLE WINNERS

• Spencer Baldwin, Lisbon (boys discus, 129-7)

• Kendra Bor, Maranacook (girls pole vault, 7-6)

• Alfie Cognata, Winthrop (boys 400-meter dash, 54.35)

• Raegan Cowan, Madison (girls 300-meter hurdles, 49.74)

• Jacob Feith, Winthrop (boys javelin, 162-3)

• Karen Higgins, Boothbay/Wiscasset (girls 800, 2:21.96)

• Joseph Lauria, Telstar (boys long jump, 20-4 1/2)

• Ella Rice, Winthrop (girls 100, 13.21; 400, 27.49)

• Evelyn Stevenson, Maranacook (girls 100 hurdles, 17.25; high jump, 4-10)