WAIMEA — Kaua‘i boys finished first and second, but could not overcome the Kapa‘a white surge, and the host Waimea girls spurt out of the pack, but Kaua‘i girls held off the challenge by a single point, Saturday. Kapa‘a boys,
WAIMEA — Kaua‘i boys finished first and second, but could not overcome the Kapa‘a white surge, and the host Waimea girls spurt out of the pack, but Kaua‘i girls held off the challenge by a single point, Saturday.
Kapa‘a boys, sparked the No. 3 finish of its first runner, Micah Domingcil (18:35:50), catapaulted past Kaua‘i and Island School when its third runner, Brycen Phillips (18:57.40), crossed the finish line pushing the Warriors ahead of Kaua‘i whose third runner, Travis Navarro (20:41.00) finished 16th overall, an improvement over his last week’s run, and Island School’s third runner, Dylan Morrison-Fogel (20:10.70) finished 11th overall.
Kapa‘a boys finished with 30 points for first place followed by Kaua‘i getting 53 points, just three points ahead of Island School’s 56 points. Waimea High School rounded out the field with 92 points.
Kaua‘i girls’ first finisher, Ashley Schnackenberg (22:13.20), crossed the line fifth overall, but locked up the race by locking up the race with its third through sixth runners filling in 10th through 13th place, consecutively.
Host Waimea High School placed four girls in the top 10 finishes, but its fifth runner, Bethany Tangalin (24:48.00), crossed 20th overall to slip the Menehune to second place.
Kaua‘i girls finished with 45 points, just a point ahead of Waimea’s 46 points. Island School, who filled in the first and fourth places, overall, ended in third with 70 points, just two points ahead of Kapa‘a, getting the second overall finisher, with 72 points.
Drama highlighted both stages of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation cross country meet at Waimea High School when more than one runner and the field of parents whispered the common question, “Where is Pierce Murphy?”
Murphy, who was participating in an O‘ahu meet, impacted the boys field despite his absence.
Joshua Herr and Mason Vegas, waging a finish line battle last week in Kapa‘a, visualized a first and second place finish, but that never materialized when Vegas became victim to pulled muscles in the second mile, giving first finish honors to Herr (17:39.10). Vegas followed second overall at 18:29.00 followed by Domingcil.
Ryan Perez, the marathon runner at the Kaua‘i Marathon, finished fourth overall at 18:47.80 to claim the first spot for Island School.
Shosho Ogawa (20:35.40) topped the Menehune boys finishers at 14th overall.
Following Domingcil, Kapa‘a locked up the boys’ race by locking in the fifth through sixth berths, consecutively with Cole Pemberton (5th 18:57.00), Phillips (6th), and Gabe Ball (7th 19:27.00).
Joy Claypoole, running in only her third race for Island School, upended the girls’ field by overtaking team mate Lauren Spears for first overall at 21:34.00. Spears finished fourth overall at 22:09.70.
Kapa‘a freshman Cassie Wilson also shook up the order with a second overall finish at 21:52.60 followed by Waimea’s first finisher, Nordmeier San Agustin at 22:05.20.
Jayme Jacinto, coming off the Menehune’s first-round volleyball title, Friday night, filled in sixth at 22:32.70 for Waimea’s second runner.
Raisa Carlos, Kaua‘i’s second runner, followed seventh overall at 22:43.70.
The Menehune still kept coming as Talia Young (22:49.00) and Ember Teter (22:55.60) filled in the eighth and ninth berths, overall before Kaua‘i’s Cinzia Bruno (23:25.90) and Heidi Herr (23:35.60) filled in the 10th and 11th overall spots.
Kyren Ishikawa (12th 23:45.70) and Cascade Mayer (13th 24:01.00) added the insurance for the Kaua‘i girls.
Kapa‘a girls locked up the 16th through 19th spots before Waimea girls filled in the 20th through 23rd spots.
This Saturday’s KIF cross country meet moves to the Island School course starting at 8:30 a.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
