Monday Morning MIL: Seabury dominates cross country championships, heads to state meet Saturday on Maui

The camaraderie and competition between the Seabury Hall boys and girls cross country teams is clear on the course and in the results. 

Coming off Division II state title and state runner-up team finishes last year, the Spartans were dominant once again in the Central Pacific Bank Maui Interscholastic League championships on Saturday on a rainy morning at Baldwin High School. 

Seabury Hall senior Micah Brighton won his third-straight MIL individual boys title, finishing the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 39.04 seconds to edge teammate Finn Hensley (17:43.45) by four seconds. 

Seabury Hall sophomore Isabella Grossman won her first MIL cross country title after winning a pair of state track and field titles in the spring, claiming the girls individual title in 20:34.95.

The Spartans boys will defend their Division II state team title at the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA state championships on Saturday at Keōpūolani Park while Brighton will attempt to improve on his third-place individual state finish from last year. 

“Finn Hensley was pushing me all the way to the end,” Brighton said. “Struggled a little bit, but I was able to get by him and I’m glad to see how far he’s come.”

This season in Hawai’i, the girls cross country races are first, a plan that changes each year. Brighton said the Seabury Hall boys get pumped up watching and cheering for the girls races.

“We have a correlation between our two teams, we work together a lot, we get super close and I think that just really helps all of us to push each other, cheering each other on when it comes to the races,” Brighton said. 

Brighton, who hopes to run at the NCAA Division I level next year, has had his eye on Maui hosting the state meet since he started running in high school. 

“The goal is always to win it, but those O’ahu guys are fast, so I’m really going to have to push myself if I want to get there,” he said. “I remember hearing about it freshman year and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since. It’s going to be a nice feeling, but sad at the same time, it really is. I’m going to miss everyone.”

Maui High’s Kaito Kina was third (18:28.36) in the boys race, while Seabury Hall’s Kayden Volner (18:30.67) and Jacob Romero (19:02.74) were fourth and fifth. 

The Spartans boys won their third-straight MIL overall team title — and D-II crown — while Maui High won the Division I boys team title. The Sabers’ Braeden Asuncion was sixth (19:23.06), while teammates Makai Lindsey (19:33.62) and Angello Alvarez (19:45.05) were ninth and 10th. Kihei Charter’s Maddox DelleFave (19:26.66) was seventh and King Kekaulike’s Makoa Kapuniai (19:31.90) was eighth.

Grossman led the Seabury Hall girls to the overall D-II team title, the 17th time in the last 18 years the Spartans have done so. Maui High was the D-I team champs for girls.

“Feels really good, this is a difficult course,” Grossman said. “It’s challenging and it challenged me to try my hardest to win. These are some fast girls, so it was good.”

She is unbeaten in MIL races this season and joins older sisters Dakota (four MIL cross country titles) and Hailey (three) as MIL champions in the sport. Dakota Grossman is an assistant coach for the Spartans under her father, Bobby Grossman — Dakota is the all-time MIL leader in state titles, with 10, including four in cross country.

“It means a lot, I realize these are big shoes to fill, really big,” Isabella Grossman said. “And I like the challenge that it gives me to try and fill those shoes, especially since she is my coach, my sister. I really love being out here.”

Seabury Hall’s Kailana Hagan was third (21:30.42), Aspen Carver was sixth (21:56.47) and Freya Carlsen was seventh (22:03.70). Kamehameha Maui’s Keilana Maldonado was second (21:18.85), King Kekaulike’s Emily Kermode was fourth (21:32.04), Kūlanihāko’i’s Lucy James was fifth (21:54.82), Maui High’s Kalia Kaneta was eighth (22:10.63), Kihei Charter’s Layla James was ninth (22:42.79) and Lahainaluna’s Gianna Pogni was 10th (23:10.99).

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FOOTBALL: King Kekaulike’s win over Kamehameha Maui forces Division II title game

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The King Kekaulike High School football team dealt Kamehameha Maui its first loss of the MIL season, 16-14, Friday in front of a packed house on the Warriors’ homecoming night at Kana’iaupuni Stadium.

The result forces a championship playoff between the same two teams for the MIL D-II state tournament berth on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.

Kualii Kimokeo’s 2-yard run with 5:25 left in the first quarter and Keyz Amuro’s 34-yard field goal on the final play of the first half gave Na Ali’i a halftime lead of 10-0.

Kamehameha Maui came back after halftime with Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira’s 11-yard scoring pass to Kaonohi Casco with 5:37 left in the third quarter, and Bransyn Hong scored on a 2-yard run with 8:25 to play.

Na Ali’i’s Kingston Goliday recovered a fumble by Hong on the 4-yard line with 2:46 to play. Kupaa Lewis-Mattos scored on the next play, a 4-yard run that gave King Kekaulike a 16-14 lead with 2:40 left.

King Kekaulike head coach Tyson Valle said it was tough for the team to miss out on its senior night against Moloka’i last week after the shorthanded Farmers had to forfeit. However, it gave Na Ali’i time to prepare to play the Warriors.

“Kamehameha is not an easy team,” Valle said. “They are tough, they’re smart, they’re strong, they’re quick. So, we’re going to have to prepare even better next week.”

Na Ali’i are 5-4 overall and won the MIL D-II second round at 2-0. Kamehameha Maui, the MIL D-II first-round winner, is 6-3 overall.

In the only other game this week, Lahainaluna beat Maui High 43-7. Lahainaluna will play Baldwin for the MIL D-I state berth on Friday at King Kekaulike Stadium.

The state tournaments begin the weekend of Nov. 15-16.

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VOLLEYBALL: Four MIL teams to play in state tournaments this week

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Maui Preparatory Academy clinched its first MIL volleyball title with a thrilling 20-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-22, 15-13 win over defending champion Seabury Hall in the MIL D-II Central Pacific Bank tournament championship on Moloka’i Oct. 18.

Na Pueo are seeded No. 3 and will play in the state tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at Kaimukī against the winner of Wednesday’s Le Jardin-Pearl City match.

Seabury Hall opens state tournament play against Kohala on Wednesday at Kalani High School. A win would put the Spartans into the quarterfinals against No. 1 Hawaii Baptist Academy on Thursday.

MIL D-I champion Baldwin was seeded No. 3 and on Thursday will play the winner of today’s Kamehameha Kapālama-Konawaena match. MIL D-I runner-up Kamehameha Maui will host Kahuku in a first-round match today at 4 p.m. — if they win, the Maui Warriors would advance to play No. 1 ‘Iolani on Thursday.

HJI’s “Monday Morning MIL” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.