BANGOR — When it comes to winning major cross-country meets, a team needs strong performances from all five of its scoring runners to win.

On Saturday, when top runners of both teams ran into trouble, their teammates did what they had to do. The results? Penobscot Valley Conference large schools championships for both the Eagles and the Trojans.

For the Ellsworth boys, senior Corey DeWitt had to settle for third place after suffering an apparent hamstring injury about halfway through the race.

But with four other runners — juniors Logan Will and Alec Phippen and freshmen Ben Chapman and Dakota Hellum — all finishing among the top 20, the Eagles finished with 49 points to nip the runner-up Caribou Vikings by six.

Freshman Jessica Swanson (above) finished seventh and senior Liela Banks was 12th for the Mount Desert Island Trojan girls at Saturday’s Penobscot Valley Conference meet.—STAFF PHOTO BY HUGH BOWDEN

But thanks to efforts of freshmen Jessica Swanson and Mackenzie Curtis and seniors Sue Falt and Liela Banks, the Trojans also put all five scoring runners among the top 20 for 59 points, easily holding off the runner-up John Bapst Crusaders, who finished with 95.

For the Eagles, DeWitt led the way with a time of 16:31.7 over the three-mile course, despite his injury.

Will was fifth in 16:57.3, Chapman was 12th in 17:31.2, Phippen was 13th in 17:36.1 and Hellum finished 20th in 18:12.9.

Rounding things out for Ellsworth were senior Charles Silsby, 58th in 19:14.8, and freshman Ryan Petros, 61st in 19:21.4.

DeWitt had nipped Caribou’s Sam Sheehan by less than a second at the Belfast Festival of Champions two weeks earlier, but the expected sprint-to-the-finish battle was not to be this time around.

Sheehan celebrated his birthday with both the PVC championship win and a new course record of 16:04.6, which broke the mark set by DeWitt’s brother Joey in 2002.

Bangor’s Casey Quaglia passed DeWitt near the finish to place second in 16:24.7.

Corey DeWitt of the Ellsworth Eagles runs on the shoulder of Sam Sheehan of Caribou in the early going of the boys’ race.—STAFF PHOTO BY HUGH BOWDEN

“I planted my left foot to turn around that sharp corner and I twinged it then,” he said. “There was a pretty sharp pain. After that, it hurt but I didn’t really think much of it. But I went a little further, and with each step of my left foot, it kept getting tighter and tighter. And then I knew I was in trouble.”

With the Eastern Maine and state championships still to come, DeWitt was hoping after the race that the injury was only a strain, rather than a pulled muscle.

He said that he and Will helped lead the runners in an impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday” for Sheehan before the start.

“I’d say it was a good birthday for him,” said DeWitt. “He and Casey are both really good guys. It doesn’t hurt that bad to lose to them.”

Ellsworth coach Andy Beardsley had high praise for his Eagles after the trophy presentation.

“They ran like a team and that’s how you win,” he said. “We only won by a few points, and if any one of our guys had slipped up and not had a decent race, we would have lost. And it’s the same with Caribou.

“That’s what makes cross-country so exciting,” said Beardsley. “You really need all five, and number five is just as critical as number one.”

He said his freshman runners — Chapman, Hellum and Petros — have been getting steadily better.

“They’re stepping up to a whole new environment,” said Beardsley. “They’re learning about what it’s like to run high school cross-country, because it’s a little bit different with longer distance and bigger competition.”

It was the same for the MDI girls, who once again took top honors without a runner among the top five finishers.

Swanson led the way, placing seventh in 20:30.4. Spurling was 10th in 20:54.3, Banks was 12th in 20:59.8, Falt was 13th in 21:03.3 and Curtis was 17th in 21:17.

That’s a separation of just 47 seconds, and number six runner Lily Madeira, also a freshman, was 20th, just over four seconds later in 21:22.6, with senior Amanda Ohmeis placing 33rd in 22:18.9.

“We’ve cultivated a big pack,” said Falt after the race. “It’s really one through ten.”

It’s worth noting that the Trojans also won the junior varsity girls’ race, with freshman Jessica Blank and sophomore Addie Maxwell finishing first and second, and sophomore Jessica Rothenheber placing fourth, all with times right around the 22-minute mark.

With that kind of pack, the Trojans can pick up the slack for a runner who may have an off-day.

“Heather had a rough race this time,” said Falt, “and it shows why we’re so lucky we have a bunch of girls who run together. We’re all packed to back her up. All of our times are within a couple of minutes at the most.”

Ellsworth and MDI were the county’s only full teams in the boys’ varsity race.

For the Trojans, who were eighth, Tucker Smith led the way, placing 24th in 18:21.3. He was followed by Nigel Storer, 36th in 18:38.1; Robert Haskell, 64th in 19:32.9; Schuyler Mann, 68th in 19:46.6; Peter Logue, 70th in 19:49.2; Paul Burnell, 72nd in 19:53.8; and Max Timko, 79th in 20:15.7.

For the George Stevens Academy Eagles, Addison Pellerano was 15th in 17:44.3, Keith Fisher was 42nd in 18:53.1 and Ricky Limeburner was 82nd in 20:20.5.

For the Sumner Tigers, Henry Bauer was 26th in 18:22.1, Ben Bricker was 47th in 18:58.5, Levon Tracey was 84th in 20:29.8; and Joey Midura was 106th in 22:24.8.

Other Hancock County runners in the girls race:

For Bucksport, Cathalina Johnston was 22nd in 21:25.9; Angie Johnston was 69th in 24:31.1 and Monica Minson was 75th in 24:48.5.

For Ellsworth, Sabrina Jellison was 64th in 24:01.3, Sarah Luchini was 67th in 24:18.8; Randi Mosely was 78th in 25:02.9 and Susie Fay was 97th in 36:14.3.

For GSA, Allegra Pellerano was 60th in 23:50.8 and Kate Orlofsky was 93rd in 28:32.3.

The Eastern Maine Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast starting at 1 p.m.