TURNER -- Mt. Blue sophomore and first-year cross country runner Silver Hunt is just beginning to tap her potential.

Hunt continued her banner inaugural season by winning the Class A state championship title Saturday. Mt. Blue senior Eric Marceau also turned in a big race for the Cougars, finishing second to Lewiston flash Mohamed Noor.

Hunt negotiated the muddy, rain-soaked course at Leavitt High in 20 minutes, 6 seconds -- 19 seconds ahead of runner-up Katherine Pierce of Massabesic.

"I was five feet in front of her, she was five feet in front of me, it was like that the whole entire race," Hunt said. "I got her on the hill."

The hill occurs just over the two-mile mark of the 3.1-mile course and is long and steep.

"I'm pretty good on hills," Hunt said.

Hunt, a transfer from Oak Hill High School, took up cross country to get in shape. She spent most of her summer biking instead of running, but caught up quickly once the season began.

"She's a tough girl, she really is," Mt. Blue coach Kelley Cullenberg said. "She called me, I didn't even know who she was because she just moved here."

Marceau ran stride for stride with Noor.

"We were actually right next to each other for most of the race," said Marceau, who finished fourth at the Eastern Regionals last week. "We were really close all the way up the hill ... and it was all out until the finish."

Marceau called the race his best of the season after finishing the course in 17:08.30.

"I'm so happy," he said. "I don't mind getting beat if I go all out, and there really isn't anything else I could have done today that would have beaten him."

Both Hunt and Marceau qualified for the New England high school meet scheduled for Nov. 10 at Twin Brooks Recreation Center in Cumberland. The winners in each class automatically qualified for the meet, followed by the next 22-best times in all three classes combined. Mt. Blue sophomore Kelton Cullenberg qualified based on his sixth-place finish.

The Mt. Blue boys finished fifth while the girls placed eighth after one of their runners fell on the hill and didn't complete the race.

The course gradually deteriorated throughout the day and was especially slick and muddy by the time the Class A boys and girls ran in the final two of six races.

Paced by Sarah Kirkwood and Danielle Hebert, the Madison girls finished seventh in Class C.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com