The indoor track and field season is structured with a purpose.

Your team’s schedule features a meet every weekend, either Friday and Saturday. It is designed to help runners, jumpers and throwers build incrementally throughout the winter and give as many athletes as possible a chance to qualify for the state meet at the end.

It’s no small exaggeration to say that if the second-biggest meet is lost for any reason, everything gets messed up.

That’s precisely what happened to Edward Little and Lewiston, through no fault of their own. And so the Red Eddies and Blue Devils’ boys’ Class A team championship hopes in today’s competition at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, though legitimate, are hard to quantify.

EL’s bid for a third consecutive KVAC title Feb. 9 was derailed by Winter Storm Nemo. The meet could not be rescheduled.

“The boys look like they’re going to be really competitive. Without a KVAC meet it’s hard to tell, because our ranks that were up here in the top 10 are down here because we’re a meet down now,” EL coach Calvin Hunter said. “So unfortunately for the kids they’ve been watching that happen, watching their marks get bumped down.”

Scarborough seeks its third straight championship and fourth in five years. EL’s aspirations of quelling the Red Storm hinge heavily upon four individual competitors and one relay quartet.

Connor Harris is the defending champion and favorite in the high jump and triple jump. He also is ranked top-four in the long jump.

Lucas Bourget is No. 2 and only a few seconds off the school record pace in the two-mile run. He also has a strong chance to place in the mile.

EL is slotted to score points in the 4×200 relay. Bradley Morrissette also could sneak into the top seven with Harris in each jumping event, and Brandon Binette is a contender in pole vault.

“We have definitely a good chance, a competitive chance at it,” Hunter said. “It’ll take a top-out effort. They’re working hard and doing the things they need to do to be prepared.”

Lewiston joins EL in a list of team challengers that also includes Brunswick and Bangor.

The Blue Devils’ strength is distance running. Mohamed Barre is a threat to win the 800 (seeded fifth), mile (second) and two-mile (third). Mohamed Mohamed and Mohamed Awil also should make a push for points in the two longest events. Together, they’ll make a run at the 4×800 relay gold.

Hassan Mohamed (55, 200) and Nasir Abdirahman (55) have scoring potential in the sprints.

Monday’s distance races will have a strong local flavor. Add Mt. Blue’s Justin Tracy to the mile and two-mile mix.

There is expected to be a new girls’ team champion after an eight-year Scarborough reign. Thornton, Bangor and Bonny Eagle enter the meet as the top three.

EL has a shot at the top five, led by Lexi Clavet, Victoria Marquis and Ashley Joyner in the jumps, Avery Chisholm in the 55, Crystal Labonte in the 400 and the 4×200 relay.

“For the girls it’s the same situation. We didn’t have a KVAC meet to get some extra qualifiers in, so it’s going to hurt us there,” Hunter said. “They’re competitors. They’ve always worked hard for us. I think they’ll be successful as individuals. As a team, time will only tell.”

Class B states are at Bates College in Lewiston. Top local competitors are Elijah Locke (high jump, pole vault) and Sandra Ricardi (jumps) of Gray-New Gloucester, Kristina Smith (800) of Poland, and Marley Byrne (jumps) of St. Dom’s.

Both meets begin at 10 a.m.

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