LIHU‘E — Island School’s Pierce Murphy came in third place statewide at the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country State Championships with a time of 16 minutes, 17.75 seconds. The race was won for the second consecutive year by Leilehua’s Margarito Martinez,
LIHU‘E — Island School’s Pierce Murphy came in third place statewide at the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country State Championships with a time of 16 minutes, 17.75 seconds.
The race was won for the second consecutive year by Leilehua’s Margarito Martinez, a runner who has developed a friendly rivalry with Murphy, as the two have now pushed each other at the front of the pack of a number of state races.
Martinez was the only runner to break the 16-minute mark, finishing with a time of 15:56.65. It was the fifth straight year that a Leilehua runner has won the individual boys title.
“This was a course that I studied many, many times,” Martinez said after the race. “I knew the different angles of this course so well that I could have run this race in my sleep.”
Taking second place was Jordan Thibodeau of Kamehameha-Kapalama with a time of 16:09.55.
“At the end I had just enough energy to win,” Martinez said. “I knew that the two other runners were right behind me. So I knew I had to continue running hard and I give everything I had.”
According to a report from HHSAA, Thibodeau and Murphy took turns battling Martinez in an attempt to wear him down throughout the middle portions of the race, but the defending champion remained consistent for his second straight title.
The Kapalama boys took first place in the team competition with 46 points, while Leilehua (69), Iolani (87), Mililani (128) and Honoka‘a (158) rounded out the top five.
Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation runners finished throughout the top 150 individual runners with Murphy leading the pack in third.
Kaua‘i’s Joshua Herr came in 12th place overall with a time of 17:25.90. The Red Raiders’ Mason Vegas was 79th with a time of 19:09.10.
Kapa‘a High School’s Brycen Phillips crossed the tape in 55th place, stopping the clock at 18:36.05. Fellow Warriors Gabe Ball (123rd, 20:02.35), Micah Domingcil (146th, 20:45.95) and Joshua Cram (148th, 20:47.05) all cracked the top 150, as well.
Murphy’s running mate at Island School, Ryan Perez, came in 88th place with a time of 19:17.25.
The girls race was won by Seabury Hall’s Dakota Grossman in a time of 19:25.50.
“I’ve been really competitive all of this season, so I came over here to Honolulu with great confidence that I could win,” Grossman, just a freshman, said after the race.
“I knew that if I got out to a big lead that it would be hard for anyone to catch me,” she said. “That’s how I raced all of the time. Just go out there and try to stay in front.”
Punahou took the girls team title with a point total of 48, followed by Hawai‘i Prep (70), Kamehameha-Kapalama (118), Seabury (130) and Mililani (148) in the top five.
Waimea’s Kaycee San Agustin was the top KIF finisher, coming in 49th place with a time 22:07.95.
Island School’s Joy Claypoole came in 56th place at 22:18.45.
Kaua‘i’s Raisa Gil Carlos took 59th place individually with a time of 22:21.10. Fellow Red Raiders Ashley Schnackenbe (70th, 22:37.85), Heidi Herr (94th, 23:03.05) and Kyren Ishikawa (120th, 23:39.60) all made the top 150.
Kapa‘a’s Cassie Wilson came in 72nd with a time of 22:42.95.
Runner quotes and final results provided by HHSAA.
