PUHI — Both of Kaua‘i High School lead cross-country runners finished in the top 10 finishers of their respective classes on Saturday during the Honolulu Marathon Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state cross-country championships for Division I and Division II at the Island School campus.
Kaua‘i High School, the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation title holder for both girls and boys cross-country, saw Emma Burgess, the top KIF female finisher, finish eighth overall in the 200-runner field to lead the Kaua‘i High School girls team to a Division II third place finish with 71 points, just three points shy of second place that was taken by Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy with 68 points.
The top D2 team belonged to Hawai‘i Baptist School, who pushed four of its five scoring runners across the line in the top 10 for 29 points. By comparison, the Kaua‘i girls had three of its five scoring runners finish in the top 10, but its fourth and fifth runners coming in 25th and 30th.
Burgess, as an individual runner, tripped the clocks at 20 minutes, 1.33 seconds over the 5,000 meter course in an eighth place finish.
Isabella Ford of Punahou set the pace for the 200-runner field and was challenged by Mililani’s Zola O’Donnell through most of the course.
O’Donnell ignited the after burners in the final 200 yards to overtake Ford and claim top finisher honors on a run of 19:07.92 followed by Ford at 19:21.02.
Despite the second place overall finish in the girls’ race, Punahou claimed top honor in the D1 races with 38 points, followed by Iolani School getting second place on 78 points, and Kalaheo High School at 118 points. Mililani, with O’Donnell leading, finished in fourth place with 157 points.
Corregedore, the KIF’s leading boys’ runner, was limited to a seventh place overall finish in the 200-runner field that was taken by Keane Palmer of Iolani setting the pace with a 16:29.09 run.
Palmer was challenged a second back by Yuta Cole of Kalani High School on a 16:30.06 run. Corregedore stopped the clocks at 17:01.28.
Corregedore’s run earned two points to set the pace for the Kaua‘i High School boys, who finished fourth in the D2 team standings with 104 points after the Red Raiders’ second runner, Tyler Everett was notched at 12 points.
Hawai‘i Baptist School earned top D2 team honors with 41 points, followed by Seabury Hall at 45 points and Hanalani School at 91 points.
Palmer set the pace for Iolani boys, who topped the D1 team scoring with 57 points. That score was followed by Punahou School getting 77 points, and Kealakehe High School getting 115 points and third place.
Cole’s second place finish earned Kalani High School boys 2 points, but with its next runner, Christopher Kanemori finishing with 33 points, the Falcons finished seventh in D1 team scoring at 168 points.
