2011 HHSAA Cross Country Championship Overview and Boys Team Preview

2011 HHSAA/Honolulu Marathon State Cross Country Championships: Overview and Boys Team Preview

Even while high school football and volleyball are making headlines in the traditional press, there has been a quiet renaissance rising in the Islands.  Fueling this movement are the multitudes of young athletes who compete every Saturday over field, hill and trail for fleet-footed dominance in the most disciplined, painful, and rewarding of sports.  Times have been dropping and interest has been peaking within Hawaii’s running community over the increasingly popular sport of high school cross-country.  These young runners will gather at the Kapalua Village Golf Course on Maui this Saturday for the HHSAA/Honolulu Marathon 2011 Cross Country State Championships.

Oahu has the “BCS” leagues of Hawaii running, with OIA Boys powerhouse Leilehua, led by Coach Shawn Nakata, and the perennial Girls State Champion, Punahou of the ILH, led by Coach Duncan MacDonald.  However, the “BCS Busters” are out there and hungry to do some busting.  In the rural, spacious and less populated islands of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai, running mecca’s have arisen at such schools as Seabury Hall (Maui), Honoka’a (Big Island), Island School (Kauai), Hawaii Pacific Academy (Big Island), and Maui High.  With a devoted following, these outer-island “David’s” are ready to do battle this Saturday with Oahu’s “Goliath’s”.

The Top Boys Team Contenders (In Alphabetical Order)

·         Hawaii Baptist Academy (ILH)

·         Honoka’a (BIIF)

·         I’olani (ILH)

·         Kamehameha-Kapalama (ILH)

·         Leilehua (OIA)

·         Maui High (MIL)

·         Punahou (ILH)

 

Boys Team Preview: “A dogfight…is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence.”  (Wikipedia)  In the ILH, the entire season has been a series of “dogfights” between four teams: Hawaii Baptist Academy, I’olani, Kamehameha-Kapalama and Punahou.  The schools have repeatedly traded places in each week’s race results, with Punahou eeking out a victory by the narrowest of margins over I’olani in last Saturday’s ILH Championships.  However, none of these schools can claim dominance over the others and each has a chance to win on Maui this Saturday. 

 

Then, add to this fight the Mules of Leilehua.  The last time that all these teams met was in September at the I’olani Invitational.  The Mules knocked off all their ILH rivals in addition to several Mainland teams to win the meet.  However, remember the dogfighting:  Could the repeated confrontations within the ILH since the I’olani Invite help to generate one or more teams that can challenge Leilehua for the Championship? 

Next, add to this mix a team like the Maui High Sabers.  This team has not competed head-to-head with any of Oahu’s Dominators, and it is impossible to compare times from different courses and race conditions.  However, in a measure of team depth (time difference between the first and fifth runners), the Maui High boys are very deep!  At the MIL Championships last week, all Saber runners finished with less than a minute of spread between their first and fifth – Favorably comparable to Leilehua and the ILH dogfighters.  Additionally, the Sabers hold the home field advantage, so the dogfight gets bigger.

 

 Finally, the Honoka’a Dragons train and race on the Big Island’s traditional and difficult cross-country courses, so they will be well prepared for this year’s challenging State Championship course.  Like Maui High, Honoka’a has a surprisingly deep roster, and like Leilehua, their first runner is blazingly fast.  So, add the Dragons to the dogfight.

 

Coach Shawn Nakata’s Leilehua Mules are the favorites to win their sixth consecutive State title, but it is by no means a sure thing.  This season’s biggest, most entertaining and final “dogfight” begins at 9:00 AM this Saturday at the Kapalua Village Golf Course on Maui.

 

Next Article: Girls Team and Individual Previews