By BILL O’REAR
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
KEAAU — As Keaau High School’s Alex Engdahl walked off the track, extremely proud athletic director Iris McGuire reached out and hugged the fleet-footed senior who just captured the gold medal in the boys 300-meter hurdles at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association track & field championships on Saturday.
It wasn’t an easy victory for the gritty Engdahl who had to outsprint Baldwin’s Tyler Feiteira to the finish line, stretching at the end to seal the hard-earned victory and giving the host Cougars a second gold medal in the highly competitive event before hundreds of appreciative fans at the Keaau track.
The intense finish just underlined the type of pressurized day it was with athletes from around the state battling down to the wire for top individual and team honors. The Baldwin boys and Punahou girls claimed team titles with impressive performances, but the day belonged to a series of hotly contested finishes in the individual and relay events.
“The state championships are about the best of the best doing their best,” McGuire said. “There are no losers today. Just being in the state championships is a privilege and something each athlete can look back on and say they competed in. No matter where they finish, these athletes are giving their best whether they finish first, second, third or eighth.”
Engdahl ran the 300 hurdles in 40.27 seconds with the streaking Feiteira (40.68) right on his heels. But when the race was over, Engdahl took a deep breath and tried to take in just what happened on the Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys champion Cougars’ home track.
“At first, I thought I might lose but I kept running hard,” Engdahl said. “Then when I found out I won, it was the greatest feeling ever. I almost cried. It was great to win the race before my family and friends, and all the people who came out to support us.”
Engdahl joined teammate Cliff Eriksson, who pocketed a gold medal in the boys high jump, soaring over the bar at 6 feet, 2 inches. The Cougars’ talented 400 relay team also took its best shot in its blistering race, losing a heartbreaker to Baldwin — with both school’s anchors barreling down to a thrilling, razor-close finish. The Bears prevailed in 43.10 with Keaau second in 43.15.
Kealakehe’s Luca Walter also experienced a serious challenge in the 400-meter dash before recording a career-best 49.78 and edging King Kekaulike’s Jake Jacobs (50.02) for the gold medal.
“I’ve been fighting to break the 50-second mark all year,” an exhausted Walter said. “On Friday, I got out of the blocks slow and I knew I had to correct that for the finals. When I woke up today, I felt good and really wanted to break 50 seconds. I knew it was going to be my last 400 meters race and my coach (Scott Orvis) did a great job of getting me ready.
“I got off to a good start and that was the key. I’m ecstatic to break 50 seconds and winning is a bonus. Now, I’m ready to go off to college at Western Oregon.”
Honokaa’s Chayce Moniz also had a gutsy effort in the 1,500 meters. He put everything on the line in sprinting alongside Punahou’s Nikolai Scharer down the stretch, with the speedy Buffanblu holding off the Dragon challenger. Scharer ran 4:10.86; Moniz, 4:11.16.
“I was running as hard as I could,” Moniz said. “I didn’t look at him. I could see the line, but he was just a little faster than me today.”
The fans cheered the exciting stretch run between Scharer and Moniz.
Konawaena junior Ua Ruedy pushed the envelop even further with her determined effort in the 300 hurdles. Ruedy, the BIIF champion, fought Iolani’s Abrianna Johnson-Edward all the way to the finish line before diving to try to pull out the victory. Despite the gutsy finish, Johnson-Edward (45.24) held on to the gold medal with Ruedy (45.30) taking a close second.
Konawaena teammate Emalia Galdeira led the BIIF medal party with two golds (long jump, triple jump) and a bronze (100 hurdles) to go along with a fourth-place finish in the high jump (4-10) and sixth in the 100 dash (12.93).
Kamehameha’s Aukai Akau defended his state long jump championship, earning gold with a leap of 22-01.75. He also had a bronze medal in the 100 dash (11.19).
“I definitely felt pressure today,” Akau said after winning the long jump. “But I told myself to relax and just go for it.”
He will compete in track and football next year at Eastern Washington University.
BIIF executive director Lyle Crozier agreed with McGuire about what the state championships offer the athletes.
“It’s not all about winning — it’s more about all the effort that these athletes put into it to get here and compete,” Crozier said. “Like Iris said, this is when every one of these athletes get a chance to be one of the best and compete against the best. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
This is the second time that Keaau High has hosted the state track & field championships.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to host the state championships,” McGuire said. “We’re proud that other people in the state would consider Keaau as the host site. We’re glad to host it and we’ve had so much support from our parents and the community. There is so much behind-the-scenes work that needs to be done, and we’re fortunate that everyone steps up to help.”
But then McGuire returned her focus to the track where athletes from around the state battled throughout the day.
“It’s all about the athletes — and it’s really exciting to watch the best of the best do their best,” she said.