BY JACK VAN GIESON

Sanford High School placed 7th out of 69 teams at the Festival of Champions on Oct. 4, 2025.

Isaac Pelletier had a notable finish; he placed 11th in the entire meet. Jackson Stimmell, Dominic Penley, Gabe Waterman, and Jack Van Gieson were key performers. Each athlete was able to beat their personal record in the 5k in the seeded and unseeded races. 

“Every single one of our top seven boys has been working their butts off all season,” said Captain Gabe Waterman

Sanford came 7th out of 69 scoring teams with a score of 341. Sanford’s top 7 runners were in the top 300 out of 848 participating athletes, and its top 5 runners were in the top 115. Sanford now ranks 2nd in the Southern region.

“We’ve worked really hard for this; A typical week for us can be anywhere from 25-45 miles,” said Captain Isaac Pelletier

Now they look forward to pushing themselves at the regional meet on October 25. They have a chance to place, and they want to take home a plaque.