PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High’s Sean Gray and Allie Kaull won their respective races for the second week in a row during a cross-country meet at Barrington High’s 5K course on Monday.

PHS swept the boys’ competition, beating Barrington and Tolman/Shea by scores of 27-29 and 15-50, respectively.

Barrington’s girls beat Portsmouth, 24-34, and the Tolman/Shea co-op team forfeited. 

Top seven scoring members for the PHS boys were: Sean Gray, first, 16:24.2; Patrick Orbon, fourth, 17:48.3; Chris Vachon, fifth, 17:51.1; Jack Marston, sixth, 17:52.6; Gavin Braman, 11th, 18:19.0; Caiden McHale, 12th, 18:24.5; and Drew Forch, 17th, 19:05.5.

“Essentially, and surprisingly, the meet was settled within the first mile,” said Evan Denard, the boys’ coach. “I haven’t been a part of a race where positions were essentially settled that early in a three-mile race. At mile one, Sean had about a seven-second lead on Myles and Connor. About 10 seconds behind them were Chris, Patrick, and Jack, who were solidly fourth, fifth, and sixth. When they all came through the two-mile mark in the same order, I started doing the math and realized that there was the potential to win.”

Denard said Marston ran a smart race. “He was aggressive from the start and grouped up with Chris and Patrick. His maturity and realization mid-race helped keep Chris and Patrick to keep pushing. He had the wherewithal to realize that the three of them were slowing up around mile two, but Jack spoke up and encouraged them to build towards the finish. His sixth-place finish helped solidify the team win.”

Last week, the boys beat La Salle by one point in another ultra-competitive contest. “When they go against great teams, it tends to bring the best out in them. Coach Barrass of Barrington and coach Skelly and coach Myers of La Salle always produce amazing athletes and competitors,” said Denard.

Here are the top seven for the PHS girls: Allie Kaull, first, 20:35.9; Eleni Drosinos, fourth, 21:57.0; Hanalei Strueli, seventh, 23:01.3; Riley Porado, 10th, 23:48.9; Marin Cooney, 15th, 25:05.9; Addie Dalton, 18th, 26:00.4; and Anneliesen Halvorsen, 22nd, 28:14.6.

“Allie ran a very smart and strategic race,” said Rebecca Braman, coach of the girls’ team. “She went out well and set her own pace on what proved to be a technical and challenging course due to the conditions. She said that she felt strong through the race and continues to work on staying focused and relaxed. Eleni, Hanalei, and Reilly continue to work on closing the gap between them and running as a pack.”

Braman said the girls are focusing on qualifying for the state championship as a team. “We have some great opportunities to compete out of state at upcoming Invitationals which will provide novel opportunities to see varied competition and courses,” she said.