Small MIL Schools Come Up Big in State Meet

By Fred Guzman

The little guys – in the form of smaller schools from the MIL – came up big during the state high school championship events that concluded over the weekend on Maui.

Topping the list of big performances was the Seabury Hall girls, who came close to pulling off a monumental upset by nearly upsetting Punahou for the track and field team title.

Spurred on by a large and loud crowd at War Memorial Stadium, the Spartans capped a gutsy effort by winning the meet-ending 4×400 relay.

But Punahou needed to finish no worse than third in in the final race to beat out Seabury for team honors, and the Buffanblu went one better by finishing second to claim their seventh straight state title. Punahou finished with 66 1/3 points compared to the Spartans’ 64. Seabury’s roster numbered only seven runners, and six scored points.

Kailea Tracey-Visintainer anchored Seabury’s victorious relay team after earlier winning the 200 and 400. Teammate Dakota Grossman won the 3,000 and finished second in the 1,500. Dylan Ross and Lea Lundblad finished 2-3 in the 800 and also were members of the gold-medal relay team,.

Two athletes from other small schools also performed well, Molokai’s Kalei Adolpho, won the high jump with a mark of 5-2. Adolpho, an all-state performer in volleyball and basketball, has accepted a scholarship and intends to play both sports for the Rainbow Wahine.

On Friday, Baldwin teammates Kristine Felix and Amber Kozaki finished one-two in the pole vault with both breaking Felix’s former state record of 11-6. Felkix cleared 12-6 and Kozaki went 12-even.

The boy’s championships were highlighted by by Kapolei junior Devin Jenkins, who swept the sprint events. His 10.46 clocking in the 100 will not count as a state record because it was wind-aided. That will keep St. Anthony’s Shane Victorino in the books with his legal clocking of 10.8 registered in 1999. Jenkins’ 21.09 clocking in the 200 also was above the allowable wind, but his 21..45 legal during Friday’s trials qualify as a state-best.

In Friday’s other final, St. Anthony’s Mark Thayer cleared 6-4 in the high jump, winning on fewer attempta. On Saturday, Thayer added a third place in the pole vault, finishing right behind teammate Ethan Kim, who cleared 14-6. Thayer went 14.

Punahou won its fourth state title in five years with 76 points. Kamehameha was second with 41 and Saint Louis third with 37. It was Punahou’s 32nd state boys title.