WAILUA — Waimea High School will be sending crews from the varsity boys and varsity mixed, and Kapaa will have crews in the varsity girls to the First Hawaiian Bank Hawaii High School Athletic Association 2017 state paddling championships Saturday
WAILUA — Waimea High School will be sending crews from the varsity boys and varsity mixed, and Kapaa will have crews in the varsity girls to the First Hawaiian Bank Hawaii High School Athletic Association 2017 state paddling championships Saturday at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu.
The results came after Saturday’s Kauai Interscholastic Federation paddling championships, held on the sprints course at the Wailua River.
The Menehune continued to dominate the river, winning top honors in the junior varsity girls, JV mixed and the varsity boys and varsity mixed divisions. Kapaa dominated the varsity girls division, and put on a strong challenge in the varsity boys and varsity mixed.
Previously unchallenged in the JV girls, Kapaa contended with the appearance of a Waimea team who snaked out the lead at the turn, finishing the half-mile course on a paddle that stopped the clocks at 5 minutes, 1.21 seconds.
The Warrior JV wahine crossed at 5:19.47. Despite the 4-point second place finish, the Warriors claimed the division with 24 points followed by Waimea’s 8 points for its only appearance in the season. Kauai JV girls ended the season with four points.
Kapaa answered that sour note when its JV boys crew picked up the win on the home stretch in Lane 3 after both the Waimea and Kapaa teams were strong contenders in the turn, Waimea gaining the edge in Lane 1. Kapaa stopped the clocks at 4:24.04 followed by Waimea at 4:35.73 and Kauai at 4:39.88.
Despite the second place finish, Waimea JV boys finished the season with 24 points followed by Kapaa at 17 points and Kauai at nine points.
Waimea set the pace for the JV mixed race, crossing at 4:39.45 followed by Kapaa at 4:53.81, and Kauai at 4:55.81. The Menehune win puts them in the lead at 16 points followed by Kapaa (17 points) and Kauai (9 points).
Kapaa capitalized on a Kauai disqualification in the preliminary heats of the varsity girls race, meeting the Kauai B team in the finals. The Warrior wahine slipped through the half-mile on a 4:18.32 paddle in the finals with Kauai coming in at 4:54.00 for the eight points.
This put the Warrior wahine at the top with 28 points followed by Kauai (11 points) and Waimea (6 points).
Waimea stayed ahead of Kapaa by nearly a second in the finals of the varsity boys, the Menehune stopping the clocks at 3:46.67, just about a tick ahead of Kapaa (3:47.72) and Kauai (4:00.53). The finals put Waimea at 26 points followed by Kapaa at 16 points and Kauai at five points.
The Menehune broke the four-minute mark in the varsity mixed finals, crossing at 3:58.44 followed by Kapaa (4:01.15) and Kauai (4:11.42). Waimea finished the season with 26 points followed by Kapaa (16 points) and Kauai (7 points).
