It’s championship weekend for high school cross country runners, as local harriers will compete in the MIAA Division 2 and 3 Championships at Fort Devens on Saturday.

The Division 2 races begin at 12:30 p.m. (girls) and 1:15 p.m. (boys), while the Div. 3 races are slated for 2 p.m. (girls) and 2:45 p.m. (boys). Division 1 races will start the day at 11 a.m.

Hampshire County and the surrounding areas will be well represented at Fort Devens, as five local boys teams and five local girls teams qualified for the state championships after stellar performances a week ago at the divisional qualifiers.

Here’s a closer look at each of the four races involving local competitors:

Division 2

Girls race

Both Amherst and Northampton qualified as teams for Saturday’s race, as the Hurricanes won their state qualifying heat and the Blue Devils weren’t far behind in third place.

Amherst holds the state record for most girls cross country championships won all time (7), tied with Falmouth. That included four titles in a row from 2002-05, though no Hampshire County program has won a state title since the ’Canes last did it in 2005.

If that’s to change on Saturday, Amherst’s pack running will once again need to be on point.

The Hurricanes put seven finishers inside the top 31 last weekend, and they’ll need to put that sort of performance together again to have a shot at a Division 2 title. The ’Canes match up favorably with other expected contenders like Westwood, Walpole, Whitinsville Christian, Newburyport and Medfield, and their fifth-place scorer (Brooke Nedeau) was ahead of each of those other sides a week ago.

“I just love the way they look for each other, and they sort of feel out where each other are on the course,” Amherst co-coach Elena Betke-Brunswick said after last week’s race. “They know if someone is falling back or pushing forward a bit, and they adjust from there. It’s really phenomenal awareness and pack running by the team.”

Genevieve Dole, Marit MacDonald, Skylar Fox, Lilly Pope, Nedeau, Felix Goeckel and Elizabeth Sawicki pace the Amherst contingent looking to score a podium finish.

Northampton should also have a say in the matter on Saturday, as the Blue Devils weren’t far behind Amherst a week ago and boast some top-end talent in sisters Maeve and Mairead O’Neil. Maeve was second overall last week and Mairead took 10th, and Northampton will need big races from that duo again, along with strong showings from Charlotte Shimpach, Tess Geis-Benton, Zea Meerbergen and Eliza LaCroix to have a shot at a podium finish.

Boys race

Amherst is the lone local qualifier in the Division 2 boys race, though the Hurricanes ran to an impressive third-place finish in their state qualifier a week ago.

Like the girls team, Amherst’s top five runners finished close together — all within a minute of one another. That strategy will be important if the team wants to figure into the podium discussion. Runners Calvin Miller, Nico Lisle, Peter Nedeau, Sam Woodruff and Myles Redington are all hoping to save their best for last.

Teams to watch for state title consideration include Marblehead, Plymouth South, Longmeadow, Wakefield and Groton-Dunstable. Amherst last won a state title in 2001 on the boys side. Danvers is the defending state champion.

Division 3

Girls race

After putting together an outstanding regular season that included a Pioneer League South title and a runner-up finish at Western Mass., the Hampshire Regional girls team has its sights on a podium finish at the state meet on Saturday.

The Raiders were second in their heat of the state qualifier a week ago, and could be in the mix for a top six finish at Fort Devens. Kathleen Barry ran to a seventh-place finish in that qualifier, and the sophomore standout will lead the way once again. Charlotte Niswonger, Alexandra Henrichon, Ada Corner and Keegan Butler were the team’s other scoring runners a week ago, though the squad has depth with Natalie Dunlap and Corinne Somes also capable of factoring into the mix.

Hamilton-Wenham looks like the team to beat in Division 3, with defending champion Bromfield, Norwell, Greater Lowell Tech and Mount Greylock expected to be in the mix.

PVCICS and Frontier also qualified as teams for the state meet thanks to strong showings at the qualifier last week. The Dragons put all five of their scorers — Ellery Maier, Sarah Fardal, Eunice Lo, Astrid Knyt, Emma Vasovic — inside the top 50 a week ago to finish sixth in their heat. Frontier won a tiebreaker to advance after finishing eighth in their heat, and they have top-end talent led by senior Sylvie DiBartolomeo.

Easthampton’s Gwen Banz and Granby’s Addison Hill, both eighth graders, also qualified as individual runners for the state meet. Hill was 11th in her heat while Banz took 33rd.

Boys race

The Div. 3 boys race has the makings of a two-team race.

Defending state champion Parker Charter and Hamilton-Wenham should battle for team championship honors, with Weston, Bromfield and Mount Greylock also in the mix for podium finishes.

Hampshire Regional went undefeated during the dual meet season en route to a Pioneer South title, and the Raiders went on to win the Western Mass. Class B championship for the first time in program history. After a second place finish last week in their heat at state qualifying, Hampshire is looking to find its way on the podium this weekend behind top runner Oscar Schiff. Owen Cubi, Aidan Conklin, Sam Plumer and senior captain Jack Laliberte also scored a week ago and will need big runs against the state’s best for the Raiders to fare well.

Frontier is a contender to snag a team podium finish, as sophomore Evan Hedlund and junior Luke Howard were top six finishers a week ago.

Belchertown and PVCICS also qualified for the team competition. Belchertown senior Ben Les is the top runner for the Orioles while sophomore Grafton Tolopko is one to watch for the Dragons.

Granby junior Nathan Hutchinson ran well a week ago and punched his ticket to the state meet as a result, while teammate Trevor Sullivan, an eighth grader, also earned a spot in the field this weekend.