KEAAU – With a one gold and one silver already in hand and the day winding down, it would have been understandable if Konawaena’s Reyson Ching was a little low on energy for the first heat of the 200-meter dash.
Quite the opposite, actually. Ching ran like he was just getting started.
Friday’s second 200 featured the Wildcats’ Hauoli Akau, who had every right to take it a little easy after pocketing a threepeat in the triple jump.
Instead, Akau pulled through to win his heat with a little extra juice, qualifying second only to Ching.
Wildcats finishing 1-2 was one of the themes of the first day of the BIIF track and field championships, and if Konawaena athletes had a bounce in their step, Ching revealed a source of inspiration when he put a shirt on over his green jersey and pointed to an inscription.
“We call it the BIIF challenge,” Ching said. “We have to do the most events we can. We haven’t won the BIIF title as a team in a really long time and we’re trying to get one. We have enough athletes.”
While qualifying was held on Keaau High’s track, Ching and Akau accounted for two of the six golds handed out in field events.
Akau leaped 43 feet, 4.50 inches to win the triple jump for the third year in row, while Ching took time out from the high jump and reached 42-08.25 in his last attempt to take silver.
Akau also qualified third in the 400 and he’ll look to repeat in the long jump Saturday, when he’ll also add the relays to his schedule.
“It’s a peaking process,” Akau said. “Just from my workouts, I’ve gotten stronger. I knew from the beginning of the year I was going to take the BIIF challenge and do six (events).”
The BIIF challenge has an unmistakable Waiakea undertone.
The two-time defending champion Warriors not only relegated Konawaena to second place last season, but also the past two seasons on the basketball court. Ching, Akau, Austin Aukai and Austin Ewing all pull double duty on the track and the hardwood.
“Three times,” Akau said. “It’s kind of a rivalry. We want to get them back.”
Ching has ruled the high jump all season, and the biggest suspense in the final was whether the senior could set another Cougars stadium record. He fell short of that – Ching can try again next week at the HHSAA championships – but he claimed gold at 6-0 with Aukai taking silver.
Forget 1-2. Ching, Akau and Aukai occupy the top three seeds heading to the long jump final.
“We want to go 1-2-3,” Ching said.
Elsewhere:
• There was symmetry for Kealakehe senior Nicole Cristobal. As a freshman in 2014 at Keaau, Cristobal won the long jump final and then pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 200.
A hip injury is limiting Cristobal to just the two jumping events this season, but she won her second career long jump gold with an effort of 17-01.50.
“It means a lot,” she said. “Not only is it my last year, but all four years and the hard work that brought me up to this point, it’s really rewarding.”
She scratched on a jump of 18 feet, which would have been a personal-best, but it gave Cristobal confidence heading to states.
“Now I have the feeling of what I need to do to get that bigger mark,” she said.
She has her work cut out to try and repeat in the triple jump Saturday. Kamehameha freshman Chenoa Frederick is the top seed, and she’s gone 16 inches further than Cristobal this season.
• Hawaii Prep’s Rowan Kotner captured her second pole vaulting gold medal, clearing 10 feet.
• As expected, Hilo’s girls dominated the shot put, with Mele Vaka taking gold as the Vikings claimed the top four spots. Vaka entered as the fourth seed, and she’s the top seed in the the discus Saturday.
• Kamehameha senior Caleb Manuel-Cortez won the discus with a toss of 133-03.
