PORTSMOUTH — The cross-country season’s just started, but already Portsmouth High’s Sean Gray and Allie Kaull are already proving to be real contenders for the state title this year.

Gray set school and course records as he came in first Monday at Glen Park at the Patriots’ first regular season meet against La Salle Academy, East Providence and Tiverton. Gray, a junior, ran  the 5K course in a blistering time of 15:30.

The boys swept the meet, edging La Salle by a score of 27-28, and beating both East Providence and Tiverton, 15-50.

Besides Gray, the other top six runners on the boys’ side were Patrick Orbon, fourth, 17:09.3; Chris Vachon, fifth, 17:11.8; Jack Marston, eighth, 17:32.9; Gavin Braman, ninthth, 18:01.2; Caiden McHale, 11th, 18:17.3; and Drew Forch, 18:39.5. 

Allie Kaull, a senior, came in first among the girls with a time of 18:45.7. 

The other top six girls among the Patriots were Eleni Drosinos, eighth, 21:11.2; Hanalei Streuli, ninth, 22:33.0; Reilly Parado, 10th, 22:59.8; Marin Cooney, 16th, 24:08.8; Sara Higgins, 24:40.7; and Addie Dalton, 25:20.2.

The girls lost to La Salle, 41-20, but beat East Providence, 15-45, and Tiverton, 15-50.

Gray said he was excited for the new season. “Most people think that last season was a breakout season, but I’m trying to make this one. I want to go to Nike XC Nationals and place well this year and make a name for myself on a national level. Still I am still very excited to race in state though,” he said.

Gray also commented on his rivalry with La Salle’s Marshall Vernon, a very gifted distance runner whom he beat on Monday. Last week, Vernon ran the fastest time of the day at Injury Fund, with Gray’s being the second fastest. Vernon was last year’s indoor 3K state champion, while Gray was the outdoor 3K champ. 

“We’re friends,” said Gray. “That’s something that you don’t hear every day — two rivals and top contenders for states are good friends. Marshall and I ran and roomed together at Camp Bowerman this summer. We also went out and played golf once this summer. But obviously he’s a very talented runner and it’s never a slow race against him. He always has a plan for the race, but I definitely had a hand up on him today racing my home race.”

The Patriots’ win over perennial powerhouse La Salle was the their first since the Metro division was formed in 2010. 

“It just feels so good to do it,” Gray said. “We were close last year, but fell just short but this year we knew we could do it. This is just a great showing for our team. Even though not everyone had their best race of the day, we still showed up when it mattered and clutched up some needed points. I am confident that we can run fast at states and place top three. It’s just amazing to know that we broke school history again.”

Although he’s started the season by running personal records (PRs) in the Injury Fund meet and then on Monday, Gray insisted he could have run even faster in both.

“But that’s not the point of cross-country; it’s placing first,” he said. “So, I am looking to keep that mentality rolling and keep winning. I am still not fully ready to win states and qualify for NXN, but my team and summer training have helped me get close to it. I am just really thankful to my coaches and my teammates for pushing me to my best as a person. Even though I sprained my ankle halfway through the summer and had to take some weeks off, I have still gotten some quality training and races in.”

‘Me against me stopwatch’

Kaull won her race handily, with the second-place finisher about 90 seconds behind her. It can be challenging to run such a fast time without seeing or hearing anyone around you.

“With these dual meets, I just want to feel out my legs and make sure I’m feeling strong and healthy,” she said. “I just strode out there to start, got into a comfortable pace, and once I saw that I could get a PR I just fought for it. It was definitely hard not having anybody near me to push me, but I just treated it like a hard workout since I knew I wasn’t necessarily going to be racing anybody. It was just me against my stopwatch this race.”

Kaull said her goals this season are to break 18:30 and place in the top five in the state. “I’ve proven to myself that I am capable of these goals, so now I just have to have the determination and confidence to peruse them. I expect our team to make it to states this year and I’m super proud and excited to see what we can do with our group of hard working girls,” she said.

Like Gray, Kaull ran two consecutive PRs to start the season. “This summer I was lucky enough to have an amazing group of teammates that have pushed me and motivated me through every single run and workout,” she said. “Much of my training in the past has been solo, so I owe a lot of the strength and growth that I feel right off the bat to them. As I said before, now that I’ve proven to myself what I’m capable of, being mindful of my wellness so that I stay healthy throughout the rest of the season is my top priority. 

“My recovery and the way I take care of my body is just as important to me as the times I’m hitting in workouts. I’m really excited for what this season holds and more motivated than ever to work hard and perform my best.”