PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Patriots cross-country team is having one of its best seasons in years, following a strong showing at an event in Maine in late September and a close win over Moses Brown at the Glen Monday.

The boys currently stand at 8-2, third in the Metropolitan division. It’s the team’s best division placement since 2019  and qualifies the Patriots for the state championships.

The girls still have a chance to qualify for states at the Class Championship on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Ponaganset High School.

Athletes from both the boys' and girls' teams have been putting up good performances of late. Five male and one female team members had a strong showing in the New England Cross Country Championships in Belfast, Maine on Saturday, Sept. 30, where the boys finished 14th out of 71 male teams.

They were the fastest Rhode Island team, slower only than East Greenwich, and every athlete ran personal bests in the meet. Among Portsmouth athletes:

•  Allie Kaull (19:22:42) finished 15th overall out of 703 female competitors);

•  Sean Gray (15:49:35) finished seventh overall, earning the ‘Fastest Sophomore Boy’ award;

•  Chris Vachon (17:38:39) finished 95th;

•  Jack Marston (17:51:58) finished 119th;

•  Drew Forch (17:51:66) finished 120th;

•  And Gavin Braman (18:24:96) finished 15th in the Freshman race, and 196th overall.

The boys followed up that performance by concluding their dual meet season with a Senior Day race at the Glen against Moses Brown on Monday, wining in a nail-biter, 28 to 29, against a tough MB team.

Half of the team ran personal record paces, including Scott Evan Pakenham, Patrick Orbon, Caiden McHale, Jack Niewohner, Ben Norris, Henry Schmidt, Mark Hurst, Levi Shepard and Ben Katin.

Said Evan Denard: “This was a fantastic way to give our seniors a proper send-off in their final meet at the Glen.”

The girls outscored Lincoln School, 15-49, and Bay View, 20-40, and lost to Moses Brown, 31-26. They finished the regular season at 8-4.