Week after week, the girls have been stealing the show. ADVERTISING Week after week, the girls have been stealing the show. Whether it be reigning HHSAA hurdling queen Emma Taylor of Hawaii Prep rattling off another blistering time or Kealakehe’s
Week after week, the girls have been stealing the show.
Whether it be reigning HHSAA hurdling queen Emma Taylor of Hawaii Prep rattling off another blistering time or Kealakehe’s Nicole Cristobal, Hilo’s Mehana Sabado-Halpern and Kamehameha’s Meagan Kualii jumping past the rest off the state in the sand pits.
Want to see a graceful distant runner? Check out Kealakehe’s Keili Dorn.
How about a nuanced event? Look no further than Waiakea’s Darien Calicdan and Monique Apuakehau in the pole vault.
During eight BIIF track and field qualifiers, the star power at the top has been evident. But at BIIFs – the trials are at Konawaena on Friday followed by the championships on Saturday – depth comes to the forefront.
Hilo’s Leilani Thompson probably won’t win the 300 hurdles, but she’s improved enough in her first season to be able to deliver points for the Vikings. Hawaii Prep has a slew of runners who may not be able to catch up to Dorn, but they’ll help keep Ka Makani competitive.
As for a team favorite, no one seems to want the label, least of all Bill McMahon, coach of the two-time defending champion Hilo.
“We are by no means the favorite,” McMahon said.
HPA coach Pat Lau said: “Hilo is pretty good and Kealakehe is pretty good. They would say the same thing about us.”
Between sprinter Alysa Gamache, Cristobal and Dorn and its 400 relay team, Kealakehe has a chance to win seven of the 16 events. But coach Duke Hartfield said a team title wouldn’t “be on the agenda” this weekend. He won’t have Cristobal compete in the maximum six events, keeping the sophomore and Dorn in only their strongest events.
“I don’t know that we have the depth (to win), so I don’t want to risk it,” Hartfield said.
Sabado-Halpern is primed to be a big point-scorer. She’s entered in six events, and she’ll be seeded in the top three in each. The Vikings also have the quality of throwers to earn points along with the favorites, HPA’s Ula Brostek and Kamehameha’s Taylor Sullivan.
“The only reason we’re even in it is because of the throwers,” McMahon said.
Ka Makani was dealt a small blow when Taylor missed the meet last Saturday at Kamehameha and was unable to qualify for the 200 in the finals. The junior still enters with BIIF-best times in both hurdles as well as the 100 dash, where she’s been pushed this season by Gamache and Kamehameha freshman Saydee Aganus.
“Our goal is to score points in each event,” Lau said.
Kaui Taylor, the top seed in the high jump, and Gabbie Ewing will help toward that endeavor. Each will enter six events.
On the boys side, Waiakea has been consistently outscoring the competition.
“They would have to make some mistakes not to win it, while others would have to come through,” McMahon said.
Waiakea junior Louie Ondo is favored to win all three distance events, and he’ll also run in the 1,600 relay.
Coach Moku Pita recruited his football players for track and field, and the result is a healthy roster of 60-plus athletes. Isaiah DeSilva is the top seed in the 100, while Ridge Quitoriano has the best throw in the shot put this season.
The Kamehameha boys likely don’t have enough depth to repeat, but Tre Evans-Dumeran is seeded first in the 100, 110 hurdles and triple jump.
