Monday Morning MIL: Kamehameha Maui’s Casco breaks 28-year-old state pole vault record; Warriors beat Bears for third at state baseball tourney

All eyes were focused on the pole vault runway Saturday afternoon at Kealakehe High School Stadium as Nohi Casco was about to make history. On his second attempt, Casco sprinted straight at the pit, planted his pole and made the vault of his career for Kamehameha Schools Maui, easily clearing 15 feet, 4 inches: a Hawaiʻi high school record.

By one inch, Casco broke the 28-year-old state record held by one of his mentors, St. Anthony High School graduate Bubba McLean who set it in 1997. Waiākea High’s Eric Cabais-Fernandez matched the feat in 2019.

Fellow state champion Antone Sanches of Baldwin High School was among those intently watching Casco’s record attempts.

“It just looked so high,” Sanches said.

When Casco made it, there an explosion of cheers from his teammates and the crowd.

“It’s honestly amazing,” Casco said of breaking the record. “In the pole vault community, they kind of called it a curse because it was here for so long. So I’m really glad to finally break that curse.”

Casco’s top mark coming into his senior year had been 14-6, although that would have been good enough to win the state meet. The other best jumps on Saturday were by three vaulters who cleared 13-10, including Baldwin’s Brock Toma who placed second based on fewer misses.

Casco tried to improve on the record, but after three misses at 15-7 he put his poles away — after the record-breaker minutes earlier he was mobbed in the pit by teammates. Immediately after that, Casco backed up and did a backflip after it was suggested by girls state pole vault runner-up Allie Kennedy, a Kamehameha Maui junior.

“When she asked I had to do it,” Casco said. “I had to celebrate with my teammates. They helped me so much. This was as much their’s as it was mine.” 

After breaking the record, Casco said he also knew the tough decision he had made about three weeks ago to forego football to concentrate on the pole vault when he arrives in Missoula in the fall to attend the University of Montana was the right one. That decision was based mostly on his injury history in football — all four of his high school football seasons ended prematurely due to injury or illness.

“Something in me told me that I had just had so much potential at this sport and it’s something that I really enjoy,” Casco said. “Although I love football, too, I know that this will treat me better in college.”

The camaraderie between McLean and Casco is strong — McLean loaned Casco the pole that McLean used on his state record 28 years ago to use in MIL meet No. 3. The decades-old pole snapped on one of Casco’s attempts, but it just strengthened the bond between the record setters.

“As soon as the pole hit the box, I felt that something was off and then it just snapped right on me,” Casco said. “I kind of just did a little front flip into the pit, shook it off.”

Two other Maui Interscholastic League boys athletes left the state track and field meet held as champions: Baldwin’s Sanches won the triple jump, traveling 44-feet, 9 3/4 inches, and Kamehameha Maui’s Cody Gardanier was triumphant in the high jump, soaring 6 feet, 3 inches.

When Sanches won the triple jump, the first person he called was his grandfather Gary Sanches, the legendary Baldwin track coach who served in the Bears’ coaching role for more than three decades before retiring a couple years ago. Gary Sanches hardly ever misses one of his grandson’s meets or football games, but he didn’t make the trip to Hawai’i Island this time.

“That one felt special,” Antone Sanches said. “I finally, finally got it. Took me four years, but getting it done is all that matters.”

Like Casco, injuries have affected Sanches over the years and he, too, has focused on track and field for college. He also was also fifth in the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet. His college choices are down to Western Oregon, Southern Utah and Utah Tech.

The Bears also brought home second-place in the team competition with 53.5 points, but well behind Moanalua’s 102. Saint Louis was third with 52 points.

Baldwin’s other boys points scorers were: Evan Manarpaac, who was second in the triple jump; second place in the 4×100 relay; Landon Ambrocio was sixth in the 200; Makoa Borges was fifth in the discus; Caleb Koko tied for sixth in the high jump; and Casey Talana was second in the long jump and fourth in the high jump.

The only girls state champions from the MIL were Seabury Hall’s 4 x 800-meter relay of Kailana Hagan, Aspen Carver, Freya Carlsen and Isabella Grossman. Their time of 9:38.51 broke their own record set last year, the first time the event was on the docket.

The first person to greet Casco after setting the new record was McLean, who had a standout career at the University of California, Berkeley, after graduating from St. Anthony.

“He said if anyone deserved to break it, it was me,” Casco said.

Both Casco and Sanches celebrated Mother’s Day with their moms on Sunday with the gold-medal presents already given. 

Casco’s mom Jolynn Casco has to cover her eyes when the heights grow to record proportions.

“She’s glad I didn’t die,” Nohi Casco said.

Sanches’ mom Shari Sanches is a former state champion swimmer for Baldwin.

“She’s happy she’s not the only state champion in the family anymore,” Antone Sanches said.

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State baseball: Kamehameha Maui beats Baldwin 7-4 for third-place in “fun day” at Maehara Stadium; Saint Louis wins first state title since 2014

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A day after Baldwin High School and Kamehameha Maui baseball teams ended their runs to the state title game with disappointing losses, they played each other for third place, with the Warriors winning 7-4 in a game that was as much about honoring seniors and having fun as it was for the competition.

All of the teams’ seniors — five Bears and 11 Warriors — met at home plate with coaches Craig Okita and Shane Dudoit to turn in the lineup cards, and all of them played in the game. Each had the chance to be replaced and take a mid-game curtain call in front of the packed stands full of family and friends at Maehara Stadium.

With both teams having a limited number of senior starters — Jevon Raboy at third base, Laakea Ko at shortstop and Kaedyn Miyake-Matsubayashi in the outfield for Baldwin; Duke Aloy at catcher and Bransyn Hong at shortstop for the Warriors — they each appear ready to come back strong next season.

Among the other fun, Kamehameha Maui players Raecen Velez and Kaimi Kamoku and Dudoit each took turns wearing pretend headphones made out of Gatorade cups between innings.

“Fun day, that’s what this game’s all about,” Dudoit said. “We come here to win a state championship and when that doesn’t happen, not that it’s no feeling, but get every kid in the game, get them ready for next year. Seniors get to play their last game and have some fun with their friends.”

Okita said it was the opportunity to pay tribute to the seniors, giving them “recognition for their hard work over the years and then let the younger guys play.”

In the state championship game that followed, Bruin Agbayani led Saint Louis to a 5-0 shutout over Waiākea. The son of former New York Mets major leaguer Benny Agbayani, the Crusaders’ head coach, finished the state tournament 8 for 14 with a double, two triples, a home run, five runs scored and 3 RBIs. Bruin Agbayani also smacked two home runs in the Baldwin preseason tournament in February.

“I love this place,” Bruin Agbayani said after he was named Most Oustanding Player of the tournament.

It was the Crusdaders’ first state title since 2014. On coaching his son, Benny Agbayani said: “He’s one of those players that wants it. He loves the game and wants to be the best player he can be and it’s awesome. To win a state championship … it’s incredible.”

“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.