Logan Will of the Ellsworth Eagles finished second with a time of 16:40.3 at Saturday’s Penobscot Valley Conference Cross-country Championships in Bangor. Will led the Eagle boys’ team to the large schools championship.—STAFF PHOTO BY HUGH BOWDEN

But it was more than enough to help lead the Eagle boys to PVC large schools championship in a tough 32-44 win over the runner-up Caribou Vikings.

Junior Heather Spurling of the Mount Desert Island Trojans was in much the same situation.

Spurling finished second to frequent rival Hilary Maxim of Old Town in the individual competition.

Maxim completed the three-mile course in 19:12.9 and Spurling was about 12 seconds back in 19:24.6.

But again, Spurling’s second place helped lead the Trojans to the large schools team championship as MDI finished with 46 points to runner-up Caribou’s 60 with John Bapst a close third at 61.

The competition actually was two races in one with times recorded separately for large schools (Class B) and small schools (Class C).

In the boys’ race, Will said he was happy with his second place finish, given his continuing recovery from tears to both achilles tendons last winter.

“This was my first time to beat a time I had last year,” he said.

Park took the lead early in the race and held it the rest of the way.

“Once he went ahead of me, I was just shadowing him,” said Will. “I wanted to work off him for my pace.”

The girls’ race was much the same as Maxim jumped in front early on and maintained her lead over Spurling the rest of the way.

In the large schools boys’ race, Ellsworth got solid performances across the board, with the top five runners finishing among the top 15 in the combined field of 82 runners.

Behind Will were Akihisa Ishida, fifth in 17:19.8; Ben Chapman sixth in 17:27; Alec Phippen, eighth in 17:39; and Dakota Hellum, 12th in 17:52.4.

Behind them were Jeremiah Roper, 16th in 17:58.8, and Brian Batson, 20th in 18:18.4.

And look out next year.

Ishida, a foreign student, is the team’s only senior. Will, Phippen and Roper are juniors, Chapman and Batson are sophomores, and Hellum is a freshman.

For the fourth place MDI Trojans, Tucker Smith led the way, placing ninth in 17:41.1.

Nigel Storer was 10th in 17:47.3, Paul Hewes was 13th in 17:54.3,  Alex Woychik was 27th in 19:04; Paul Burnell was 28th in 19:20.5; and Cameron Klausky was 33rd in 19:44.5.

Large school team scores were Ellsworth 32, Caribou 44, Presque Isle 74, MDI 84, John Bapst 137 and Hermon 163.

In the boys’ small schools competition, Foxcroft Academy took top honors with 42 points, followed by Mattanawcook 59, Orono 75, George Stevens Academy 92, Schenck 101 and Lee Academy 108.

For GSA, Cole Larson-Whittaker was seventh n 18:15.8, followed by Keith Fisher, 14th in 18:44.2; Gavin Willow, 17th in 19:07.5; Mikos Christ, 30th in 20:49.5; and Jonathan Hayes, 39th in 22:27.4.

Ben Bricker of the Sumner Tigers was 10th in the small schools competition in 18:27.6.

In the girls’ large schools race, MDI’s Trojans showed the same solid pack they’ve displayed for most of the season with six of their seven runners among the top 20.

Behind Spurling were Kailyn Russell, 10th in 20:53.2; Jessica Swanson, 11th in 20:59; Frances Blank, 14th in 21:14.9; Mackenzie Curtis, 17th in 21:20.9; Lily Madeira, 19th in 21:33.4; and Jessica Rothenheber 26th in 22:18.9.

And like the Ellsworth boys, they’ll be back.

Not one of the seven is a senior. Spurling and Rothenheber are juniors, Swanson, Blank, Curtis and Madeira are sophomores; and Russell is a freshman.

The Ellsworth Eagles, with a missing runner, were one short of having enough for the team competition.

But two of the four freshmen placed among the top 10.

Katy Schrader was sixth in 20:19.5 and Brianne Dunn was seventh in 20:23.5, with Hayley White 29th in 22:48.5 and Corinne Powell 37th in 24:45.6.

In the small schools race, Mattanawcook Academy was the winner with 24 points, followed by Lee Academy with 58, Orono with 65, GSA with 75 and Searsport with 108.

For GSA, Allegra Pellerano led the way in 10th in 22:44.7. She was followed by Courtney Hally, 16th in 23:34.2; Tierney Hally, 22nd in 24:31.5; Lucy Wanning, 23rd in 24:50.8; and Mindy Carter, 25th in 24:55.5.

Bucksport’s Angie Johnston placed eighth in 22:16.9.

And in yet another sign of things to come, MDI junior Robert Haskell, in 18:08.1, and freshman Sam Swann, in 18:11, finished first and second in the boys’ junior varsity competition.

And the Ellsworth boys won the team competition, putting five runners among the top 10.

Freshman Lyle Stephenson was fourth in 18:54.8, followed by sophomore Matt Walton, fifth in 19:12.4; sophomore Kris Kohut, sixth in 19:27.8; senior James Doe, seventh in 19:29.1; and junior Matt Carter, ninth in 19:35.3.

Runners in all classes will be competing Saturday at the Troy Howard School in Belfast.

The event will begin with the Class B girls at 11 a.m., followed by the Class B boys at 11:35.

The Class C girls will follow at 12:10 p.m. and the Class C boys at 12:45.

Class A runners are the last to go with the girls at 1:20 and the boys at 1:55.