The Houlton/GHCA boys cross country team continued their remarkable season with a dominant performance at the 2025 Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC) Championships, held Saturday, October 18, at Saxl Park in Bangor.
Running in near-perfect conditions with cool temperatures, sunshine, and almost no wind, the Shiretowners delivered a commanding display to claim the Small School boys title, finishing well ahead of their rivals.
Malachi Witmer led the charge with an impressive runner-up finish, before a tightly packed group of teammates crossed the line just seconds apart. Brayden Drake, James Brady, Logan Witmer, Nathan Brady, and Wyatt Quint all finished in rapid succession, with less than five seconds separating the six scoring runners. Their tight team running sealed the championship with a remarkably low score of 20 points, far ahead of Orono and George Stevens Academy, who tied for second with 65 points (Orono taking the tiebreaker).
The victory keeps Houlton’s streak alive, as the team aims for a seventh consecutive appearance at the State Championships. They now turn their focus to the Northern Maine Regional Championships on October 25 at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast, where the top teams will qualify for the state finals in Augusta on November 1.
It was also a day of celebration for Aroostook County cross country. Caribou High School captured the Large School boys title and produced the individual champion, Peirce Gorneault, while Houlton’s Chris Rines and Caribou’s PJ Gorneault were both named Coach of the Year for their respective divisions.
With another strong performance and a united team effort, Houlton/GHCA continue to show why they remain one of the most successful small-school programs in Maine cross country.
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