BIIF track and field season gets a running start on Saturday

     It’s never easy to dethrone a champion and this track & field season won’t be any different as the Big Island Interscholastic Federation defending girls and boys champions look for a repeat.

The Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s girls and Waiakea boys look to defend their team titles when the BIIF gets a running start with dual season openers at Kamehameha and Konawaena on Saturday.

“We return a young, but experienced girls team,” Veteran Ka Makani Coach Pat Lau said.

“Our strength will be with our distance girls in events of 400 meters and above.”

Lau has the luxury of having the entire 2011 girl’s state champion cross country team on the track.

Zoe Sims, last year’s 1500 meter state champion along with Kristiana Van Pernis who placed in both the 1500 and 800 meter events at states, will headline the talented Ka Makani distance squad.

“Besides our distance girls we have two strong finishers in pole vault, Sydney Budde and Taylor Esaki,” Lau said.

Experience is the name of the game with HPA having two hurdlers in Emily Evans and Katie Case which give firepower and depth to Ka Makani track squad.

“In the rest of the events we have a lot of new girls and they should do well,” Lau said.

Lau also has a host of talent to choose from with another large turnout on the track.

“This year we have another big  team with 47 girls and 32 boys, most are still learning,” Lau said.  “Pole vault alone will have 11 athletes with only 4 having experience.”

Lau points to his coaches which are working hard at finding the right events for each of his athletes.

“Our coaches will spend time with each and every one of them to find how they can best contribute to the team,” Lau said.

The HPA boys return state shot put and discus champion Shane Brostek and Lau feels that he will have another great year.

“Our senior leader is Kayden Haleakala in the pole vault and sprints,” Lau said.  “We expect a few surprises in the hurdles and jumps with our young boys.”

Defending boy’s team champions, Waiakea, return most of their squad from last season which have coaches Mary Jane and Lance Tominaga looking for a repeat.

“We’re expecting our returnees to contribute in their events,” MJ Tominaga said.

The Tominaga’s have high expectations for Mauna Palama-Danielson, throws, Jackson Halford, Ian McQuate and Keoni Rice in the mid to long distance races, Michael Morikawa and Kevin Nicolas in the hurdles and jumps and Colton Austria in sprints.

“We have about 40 athletes on the boy’s side and we expect some of our new additions to be key contributors to this year’s team,” Coach Tominaga said.  “We feel the team will be competitive as we have the depth to field athlete in every event except for pole vault.”

Waiakea has a small girl’s team with 15 and the Tominaga’s agree that they lack the depth of the boy’s squad.

Key individuals for the Warrior girls will come from Kelsie Kobayashi in distance, Haley Rasse, mid distance and Teisha Nacis in sprints.

Around the rest of the league:

KEAAU will field a large squad of 77 athletes, but according to Coach Vicky Chai-Guerpo most are young and have raw talent.

“We have a close knit group of kids who are focused on doing their best,” Chai-Guerpo said.  “Our goal is to be a ‘brotherhood’ caring about each other and if we accomplish this, then a win may follow.”

The Cougars will rely on the experience of a sprint core made up of Jesse Huihui, Damien Packer, and Alexander Engdahl. Teammates Cliff Ericksson, jumps and hurdles; Nelson Enos, pole vault; Talon Ota, jumps and 400; Joey Aquino, high jump; Randi Estrada, sprints; and Deann Nishimura-Thornton at distance events.

HILO with veteran coach Bill McMahon has a good turnout of mostly young girls and he is trying to see how they will develop.

“Our girls will bring back Carmen Garson-Shumway at distance, along with Shina Chung at Pole Vault,” McMahon said.

The Viking boys will see Zack Atagi in the discus and shot.

“Our boys had a good turnout but almost all are new guys so we don’t know what we have yet,” McMahon said.  “We are going to try to be competitive.”

HONOKAA – One of the league’s best distance coaches, Josh Abner, brings with him one of the strongest 1500 and 3K runners on the track in Chase Moniz along with brothers Robert and Tony Conners handling the mid distance. 

“I also have high expectations for our 4×400 meter relay team and sprints with the addition of Dylan Oanadasan, Brooks McVey, and Koa Phenice returning,” Abner said.

Abner also noted that Josh Tobias will join the team, after a fantastic soccer season.

For the Dragon girls Abner has high hopes for Hildhang Adona and Kelly Greenwell in the distance races along with Nahe Lau and Yvonne Daniels in the sprint events.

KAU – has a new coach, but a familiar face on campus, Kapua Lapera returns to her alma mater after graduating and running cross country for the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

The Trojans return one of the islands fastest sprinter and jumper in junior Christina Padrigo. 

Marley Stand-Nicolaisen, triple jump and hurdles along with teammate Alika Kaopua, the BIIF triple jump champion will also be a highlight for Kau.

KAMEHAMEHA – Under head coach Kimo Weaver always produces outstanding hurdlers who have gone on to win state titles.  Weaver is a master coach in the hurdles as that is his area of expertise.

The Warriors will carry between 20 and 30 boys and another 20 to 30 girls, according to Weaver.

Outstanding returnees include Kaenen Aukai Akau in the long jump and sprints along with Chelsea Poe in sprints and relays and Alyssa Lehua McGuire in the hurdles, pole vault and relays.

“Our strengths are in the jumps, but we are a young and inexperienced team,” Weaver said. “Our main goal is to simple get better every week and having fun doing it.”

KONAWAENA –  Wildcat coaches Kuulei Saole and Kuulika Taveras return some super star power in Ua Ruedy, the defending state champion in the 300 hurdles and Lita Taomoefalau who placed third in the BIIF throws.

The big question was whether or not basketball great Lia Galderia will compete as she was questionable going into the preseason while she was still working on preparing for college, according to a school source.

Galderia, a muli talented athlete will appear in action on the BIIF track scene, as her presence will add a boost to the Wildcat program according to sources within the BIIF.

The BIIF regular track and field season gets a leaping start this Saturday as West side schools head to Kona with East side running on the Kamehameha Keaau track.

Both venues start with field events at 9 am and running events commencing at 10 am.

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BIIF Cross Country Girls Top 50 Results from Hawaii Prep

click to enlarge

BIIF Cross Country Meet                            

                                September 3, 2011                                

                        Host:  Hawaii Preparatory Academy                       

                              Last Completed Event                              

Event 2  Girls 3 Mile Run        Name                    Year School                  Finals  Points          
          

  1 Van Pernis, Kristiana        Hawaii Prep           22:34.02    1            

  2 Kobayashi, Kelsie            Waiakea               23:04.35    2            

  3 Haight, Mariah               Hawaii Prep           23:16.93    3            

  4 Garson-Shumway, Carmen       Hilo                  23:26.05    4            

  5 Cooke, Kirrah                Hilo                  23:46.66    5            

  6 Choe, Joy                    Makua Lani            23:48.88    6            

  7 Kim, Corin                   Kamehameha            23:53.70    7            

  8 Rasse, Haley                 Waiakea               23:55.52    8            

  9 Van Mols, Kari               Kealakehe             24:08.89    9            

10 Evans, Emily                 Hawaii Prep           24:14.23   10            

11 Ulrich, Kelly                Hawaii Prep           24:15.24   11            

12 Lawrence, Karina             Hilo                  24:24.67   12            

13 Ladwig, Veronica             Hawaii Prep           24:32.30   13            

14 De Bourmont, Shalila         Hilo                  24:36.15   14            

15 Carvalho, Erin               Kamehameha            24:38.74   15            

16 Grenwell, Kelly              Honokaa               24:44.11   16            

17 Rapoza, Kaylee               Hilo                  24:46.66   17            

18 Croonquist, Mia              Hawaii Prep           24:53.05   18            

19 Ray, Satya                   Hilo                  24:59.32   19            

20 Nishimura-Thorton, Deann     Kea’au                25:11.12   20            

21 Nakamoto, Shayli             Konawaena             25:14.35                 

22 Choe, Grace                  Makua Lani            25:15.27   21            

23 Nakamura, Tiffany            Makua Lani            25:27.19   22            

24 Bettencourt, Mika            Kealakehe             25:34.92   23            

25 Iwata, Tiana                 Kamehameha            25:41.94   24            

26 Kirkhill, Sydney             Kealakehe             25:53.62   25            

27 Hagemann, Natalie            Kea’au                25:56.46   26            

28 Dorn, Keili                  Makua Lani            25:59.00   27            

29 Olinaka, Vandey              Waiakea               26:07.54   28            

30 Shiraki, Allie               Honokaa               26:22.24   29            

31 Adona, Hilghang              Honokaa               26:24.57   30            

32 Cosma, Shani                 Kea’au                26:37.26   31            

33 Busek, Jessica               Waiakea               26:39.77   32            

34 Ombac, Skye                  Waiakea               26:46.25   33            

35 Alterman, Allison            Kealakehe             26:51.86   34            

36 Iwata, Shayla                Kamehameha            26:52.59   35            

37 Breitbarth, Jordyn           Hilo                  26:54.28   36            

38 Pitoy, Shea                  Hilo                  26:54.63                 

39 Hemalon, Mahina              Kea’au                26:55.77   37            

40 Hughes, Jillian              Waiakea               27:02.20   38            

41 Akai, Tsukasa                Hawaii Prep           27:05.32   39            

42 Trainer, Hannah              Kamehameha            27:09.89   40            

43 Ignacio, Vanessa             Waiakea               27:10.17   41            

44 Bianchi, Rachael             Kealakehe             27:12.83   42            

45 Jobes, Marie                 Parker School         27:13.57                 

46 Cabel, Mikela                Kamehameha            27:15.85   43            

47 Fojas, Jazz                  Hawaii Prep           27:30.29                 

48 Enos, Nina                   Hawaii Prep           27:30.77                 

49 Ayoso-Purdy, Jah’nae         Hawaii Prep           27:31.05                 

50 Sohriakoff, Jade             Hawaii Prep           27:35.03    

Warrior pairs take season opener at Canefire Conditioner – BIIF cross country

Girls winners, Rasse with baton and Kobayashi

KEAAU-Warrior pairs took center stage on the opening day of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation cross country season on the campus of Christian Liberty Academy.

“This is the sixth year that we’ve hosted the BIIF season opener with the Canefire Conditioner,” CLA Coach Frank Grotenhuis said.

Grotenhuis format requires schools to pair their runners, with each doing three alternating one mile legs.

Each pair completed a total of six miles with each runner doing three miles.  Canefire officials took the top four scoring pairs from each school to calculate who won the team title.

“Each year we’ve hosted the race the course has been changed slightly to accomadate our growing campus,” Grotenhuis said.

A total of nine BIIF schools participated at CLA, zigzagging their way around the open expanse this past Saturday.

“We have 89 pairs of boys and one individual entered in today’s race,” Grotenhuis said.  “It is the largest field we have ever had.”

Jackson & Rice

Two pairs of Warrior boys claimed top honors with Waiakea’s Jackson Halford and Keoni Rice taking first and Kamehameha’s Shawn Correa Doll and Maka’ala Cruz second.

In the early going the lead exchanged hand with Honokaa’s Robert Conners and Chayce Moniz, along with Parkers Jesse Tarnas and Paul Gregg going out fast while Kamehameha chased in third and Waiakea in fourth.

“We decided to run relaxed in the first leg of the race as we knew everyone else would be going out quickly,” Rice said.  “We had a strategy and were just happy we could be in the top 10 after the first mile.”

“The idea was for us to run our last mile hard and see if we could finish in the top 5 overall,” Jackson said.  “Things worked out better than we had hoped.”

Correa Doll & Cruz

The other Warriors, Kamehameha’s Correa Doll and Cruz were equally happy with their overall finish.

“We just wanted to do our best today,” Correa Doll said.  “I was a little afraid of Honokaa because they have the reputation of winning, but I know this is about being mentally strong and running as a team.”

Cruz was also hoping for a top five finish.

“I was trying for good placing after the first mile and didn’t want to hold anything back at the end,” he said.  “I kind of held back in my running last year and want this to be a better year for me.”

Langtry

The only boy choosing to run the entire 6 miles by himself was St. Joseph’s Andrew Langtry  who is the lone Cardinal representative in the league.

“I could have teamed with someone from a different school, but I decided that I would try it alone,” Langtry said.

Langtry finished in 34 minutes and 55 seconds, placing 23^rd overall out of 89 paired teams.

“I wanted to challenge myself and get in a good workout,” Langtry said.  “I ran the entire way hard and it was good to have people around me to make me work.”

In the girls race it was all Warriors from start to finish as the duo of Kelsie Kobayashi and Haley Rasse led from start to finish winning top honors for Waiakea.

“I just wanted to run my own race and get in a zone,” Kobayashi said.  “I took the early lead, but I really wasn’t paying any attention to anyone else.”

Rasse was in the anchor position and felt some pressure to maintain the lead given to her.

“I didn’t want to let Kelsie down,” she said.  “I wanted to keep the lead or even give her a bigger lead.”

Following in second through fifth place were a group of runners from Hawaii Preparatory Academy as Coach Michael Franklin wanted his harrier to learn to pace.

“We’re teaching pacing with our experienced runners showing our new girls how to keep and maintain a desired pace.”

Ka Makani harriers looked to be in charge as they ran in a pack for all six miles, but a pair of Hilo runners decided to mix things up and challenged during the final mile.

Lawrence & Shumway

Viking runners Karina Lawrence and Carmen Garson-Shumway stayed within striking distance in the early going, moving up from seventh place to eventually move into second with less than a quarter mile to go.

“Our job was to pace our other runners on the team, so we didn’t go out to hard,” Lawrence said.  “We were hoping we could finish somewhere in the top five by the end of the race.”

After the first two miles the Viking duo were turned loose and made their way to the top of the field.

“I believed I could catch the HPA pack on my final mile,” Garson-Shumway said.  “I wasn’t sure we could do it and we’re sure happy to have finished in second place.”

In overall team scoring for the boys it was Honokaa taking first with 33 points, followed by Waiakea, Kamehameha, HPA, Hilo, Keaau, Parker, Kohala and Hualalai.

The girls team scoring had HPA in first followed by Hilo, Waiakea, Kamehameha, Keaau and Honokaa.

The BIIF cross country season moves to the hills of Waimea on Saturday as HPA plays host to the traditional three mile individual venue with the first race getting under way at 10 am.

Canefire Conditioner – Cross Country Girls Race – BIIF results

Girls
School	Finish Place	Runners	Time
WKA	1	Kelsie Kobayashi; Haley Rasse	37:04:65
Hilo	2	Carmen Garson-Shumway; Karina Lawrence	38:35:71
HPA	3	Mariah Haight; Cat Bradley	38:38:84
HPA	4	Kristiana Van Pernis; Jasmine Fojas	38:42:50
HPA	5	Mia Croonquist; Kelly Ulrich	38:43:12
HPA	6	Veronica Ladwig; Emily Evans	38:48:26
Hilo	7	Nina Bean; Kirrah Cooke	38:52:28
Hilo	8	Shalila DeBourmont; Kaylee Rapoza	38:58:49
KAM	9	Corin Kim; Erin Carvalho	39:17:55
WKA	10	Krystina Carvalho; Ivy Conley	40:04:88
Keaau	11	Deann Nishimura-Thornton; Shani Cosma	40:11:18
Honoka’a	12	Kelly Ann Greenwell; Allie Shiraki	40:23:83
Keaau	13	Natalie Hagemann; Avery-Rose Jarvis	40:37:96
Hilo	14	Jordyn Breitbarth; Shea Pitoy	41:16:18
KAM	15	Tiana Iwata; Sara Kim	41:48:82
Hilo	16	Satya Ray; Sydney Romo	41:49:45
KAM	17	Alana Manuia; Mikela Cabel	42:02:51
WKA	18	Vandey Okinaka; Kara Paulachak	42:38:21
KAM	19	Britni Napihaa; Tehani Jones	42:40:63
Honoka’a	20	Monica Carlos; Katie Aguilar	42:51:56
WKA/Keaau	21	Vanessa Ignacio; Mahea Kakazu	43:24:87
KAM	22	Shayla Iwata; Kaelynne Manoha	43:35:08
Hualalai	23	Molly Jacoby; Whitney Pautz	44:35:57
WKA	24	Candice Roddie; Skye Rances	44:52:52
Parker	25	Marie Jobes; Taylyn Boyette	44:58:09
Honoka’a	26	Hildang Adona; Camelia Witt	45:06:16
HPA	27	Melia Cavedoni; Meimei Nakahara	45:06:35
HPA	28	Jah’nae Ayoso-Purdy; Malama Tamasese-Solomon	45:11:18
KAM	29	Kaley Bannister; Alexa Bader	45:16:98
HPA	30	Nina Enos; Mikeala Owen	45:17:51
HPA	31	Leila Morrison; Jade Sohriakoff	45:24:56
Honoka’a	32	Emily Ono; Elezibeth Aguirre	45:37:62
WKA	33	Kylie Andaya; Kiana Baruela	45:47:07
Keaau	34	Desiree Sumaoang; Mahina Homalon	46:00:51
KAM	35	Amanda Lerma; Kalai Grothmann	46:13:11
KAM	36	Hannah Trainer; Gina McGuire	46:16:86
WKA	37	Jessica Busek; Bethany Bisel	47:05:28
WKA	38	Noreen Gonong; Katrina Bath	47:30:62
KAM	39	Kalena Medeiros; Iris Jarvis	47:33:96
Hilo	40	Alohi Chambless; Michelle Martinez	47:43:97
WKA	41	Carly Belcher; Shiho Aoki	47:50:31
WKA	42	Courtney Ip; Jillian Hughes	48:03:02
KAM	43	Namele Naipo-Arsiga; Sara Duvoisin	48:03:80
Keaau	44	Rayline Mae-Adrian; Autumn Miyares-Thompson	48:24:69
Keaau	45	Brittney Ganir; Cristine Belmes	48:28:88
Honoka’a	46	Danielle Warren; J. Mae Quiamas	50:06:39
Kohala	47	Chelsea Ventura; Eloisa Viernes-Obero	50:50:42
KAM	48	Kayla Andrade; Mahealani Taganas	51:21:31
HPA/KAM	49	Mikeala Owen; Saydie Mandaguit-Arakaki	51:52:39
KAM	50	Alyssa McGuire; Michelle Fratinardo	54:01:46
KAM	51	Chrisha Sanoria; Shaniah Yogi	56:57:15
KAM	52	Jaysha Alonzo-Estrada; Sarah Barry	58:05:14
Kohala	53	Cody Geiger; Michelle Sahagun	58:12:56
WKA	54	Angela Ames; Ishael Shaw-Demello	58:28:88
KAM	55	Malia Cruz; Lily Ayau	1:03:44:92

Lady Ka Makani looking to continue BIIF Cross Country Dynasty

Lady harriers from Hawaii Prep

The Hawaii Prep girls cross country program doesn’t don Yankee pinstripes, it doesn’t channel Celtic pride and it’s never celebrated their victories with the Lambeau leap.  But in its own realm, Ka Makani wahine are every bit as dominant.

Since 1980 the ladies from Hawaii Preparatory Academy have dominated the Big Island Interscholastic Federation cross county winning league titles in 27 of the past 31 years, according to Ka Makani athletic director Stephen Perry.

The BIIF cross country season opens this Saturday with the HPA girls team coming in as heavy favorites to win yet another league championship.

Waiakea (1983 & 1991) and Kamehameha (2005 & 2007) were the only other schools to win BIIF girls team titles and HPA looks on track to continue their cross country dominance.

Ka Makani return four of the varsity seven from last year’s league champions with Zoe Sims, Emily Evans, Kristiana Van Pernis and Mariah Haight leading the way.

Head coach Michael Franklin returns at the helm, but down plays his team’s goal of winning another league title.

“Truly, people don’t believe me when I say this, but winning a championship is not one of our goals,” Franklin said.  “Our goals are simple as they come from the basic philosophy that life is more satisfying if one pushes him or herself beyond perceived limits.”

Franklin believes that his harriers need to focus on themselves and their team rather than on trying to win a league championship.

“Focusing on winning a championship would require too much attention on others,” he said.  “We really have a team focus.”

Ka Makani girls finished second in the state last season and this year is considered the team to challenge Punahou again for the Hawaii High School Athletic Association title.

“This is the strongest team that I have yet coached at HPA,” Franklin said.  “That does not mean that it is the fastest team.  It is the strongest because of its unified spirit and unanimous love for the running lifestyle.  Whether we win or lose races, this team’s attitude makes it exceptional.”

Gunning for the girl’s title will be the Warriors of Kamehameha as Coach Joel Truesdell return five of his top seven girls.

“This is the first time since we last won the BIIF championship that we return this many varsity starters,” Truesdell said.

Kamehameha returns three girls that were in the top 20 at the BIIF championships last season in Tiana Iwata (12^th), Corin Kim (16^th) and Erin Carvalho (20^th).

“We’ve got some depth on our girl’s squad as we have 8 girls running in the lead pack,” Truesdell said.  “Our goals are the same as last year, to get a full team into states.”

Also shooting to get a full team to qualify for the state championship is Hilo’s veteran coach, Bill McMahon.

“Our top two returning girls are Shalila De Bournmont and Carmen Garson-Shumway,” McMahon said.  “Our boy’s team are all young, but I do have a good sized group.”

Waiakea’s  fastest girl is Kelsie Kobayashi and she will be anchored by Haley Rasse, Vanessa Ignacio, Skye Ombac, and Vandey Okinaka, according to Coach Jordan Rosado.

“We have a large team, with 40 boys and 28 girls,” Rosado said.  “I feel we have as good a chance to compete for the boy’s team title as anyone else, since Honokaa lost some of their best runners to graduation.”

Waiakea will be led by Jackson Halford and Keoni Rice with Ian McQuate, Hajime Hiyano and Dyson Sato providing needed support according to Rosado.

Honokaa, returns as the four time defending league champion, but has some holes to fill from last season.

“Chayce Moniz, Clayton Robinson, Pedro Sanches, Robert Conners, Tony Conners, Riston Matias, Koa Phenice, Sean Quinlan, Justin Warren, and Mason Wilkes are our returners,” Coach Joshua Abner said.

Abner lost three of his seven starters from last year, including two time individual BIIF champion Chris Mosch, which leaves the door open for several teams to vie for the team title.

“Every day is an open tryout for us and every one of these boys are hungry,” Abner said.

Last season’s big surprise came from the boys at Parker School as Coach Ceri Whitfield qualified her team for the HHSAA.

“I feel with the hard work these boys put into their training they have as much chance as any of the other schools to come in first,” Whitfield said.  “They are very committed and positive about their chances this year as they work very hard.”

Leading the way for the Bulls is Jesse Tarnas who will brings a solid core of runners which includes Jesse Tarnas, Paul Gregg, Tyler McCullough, Jess Burns and Evan Kasberg.

Kamehameha boys coach, Ryan Cabalse, has four returnees that made it to the state championships last season in Shawn Correa-Doll, Kaulana Ho, Colton Hill, and Jonah Knell.

“Our boy’s squad has never qualified as a team for states yet, (five from the same team need to qualify to score as a team) but we are hoping to contend for one of the automatic team slots this season,” Cabalse said.

St. Joseph returns one of the best BIIF runners in Andrew Langtry who is expected to challenge for the individual league crown.  Langtry ran in various community races during the off season and was often seen in the top leader board.

Keaau brings 41 boys and 15 girls into competition with returnees Deann Nishimura-Thornton and Natalie Hagemann leading the girls while Jhun-Delle Venture, Davin Alviento, Greg Matias, Arman Navarro and Adrian Martinez headline the boy’s squad, according to Coach Donna Wong Yuen.

Though difficult, we always want to try and qualify a team for states,” Wong Yuen said.  “Our goals are to have fun and improve from last year.”

Christian Liberty Academy doesn’t have any girls on their cross country team but will bring 10 boys to the starting line, according to Coach Frank Grotenhuis.

“Caeden Cambra and Keenen Freitas are the two fastest on the team,” Grotenhuis said.  “We’re looking at having the boys push hard so that they can achieve their personal best.”

The BIIF harriers get off to a running start on Saturday with Grotenhuis as his CLA family playing host to the Canefire Conditioner starting at 10 am on the Keaau campus.