PUHI — Kapaa High School girls cross country team was just two points better than Island School’s team on Saturday during the Kauai Interscholastic Federation cross country races hosted by Kauai High School at the Kauai Community College course that was described as “very hilly.”
Kauai High School’s Aileah Villatora set the pace for the 46-runner field by crossing first overall on a run that stopped the clocks at 22 minutes, 33.56 seconds. However, with the next Red Raider, Laney Carvalho, crossing the line in eighth and ninth places, the Kauai girls finished third overall with 57 points.
The battle for first and second place started early when Kapaa’s lead runner, Ashlyn Worley crossed second overall (22:46.56), and Island School’s lead runner, Eva-Rose Rapp (23:40.22) crossing third, overall.
Those finishes gave Kapaa the one point advantage that disappeared when Island School runners Cora Rosenthal (24:01.16) and Zoe Dorow Mochary (24:05.34) crossed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Kapaa’s Lucy Smith (24:12.69) and Naja Nelson (24:23.21) crossed sixth and seventh, respectively, and Kapaa was chasing the lead, 14 points to Island School’s 12 points.
Trinity Pananganan (26:39.99) and Alena Abell (26:46.90) crossing the line in 12th and 13th places, respectively, made the difference for Kapaa as Island School’s Hallie Gill (27:01.60) crossed in 17th place, and Jessie Young (27:32.65) followed in 16th place.
Waimea girls, whose lead runners, Fayliz Domingues and Seija Carter crossed the lines in 10th and 11th places finished in fourth with 87 points.
Mikhaila DeRoos crossed the line first for Kauai Christian Academy who did not have enough runners for team competition. DeRoos stopped the clock at 31:08.16.
On the boys’ course, with 71 runner competing, Kauai High School placed its five scoring runners in the Top 10 to capture gold with 34 points. The Raiders’ top runner, Tai Ito-Fernandez, cross in third, overall on a 19:32.24 run with fellow Raider, Liam Juvan taking the fourth berth at 19:44.79.
Cedric Crampton-Nabaa set the pace for the field by crossing first overall on a 19:09.46 run to help Waimea High School take second place with 54 points.
Colten Nagahisa announced Kapaa High School by crossing fifth overall at 20:28.39. The Warriors finished in third place with 66 points, just three points better than Island School’s fourth place at 69 points. The Voyagers’ lead runner, Kyler Greenleaf, finished second overall on a 19:23.51 run.
The next KIF cross country meet takes place on Saturday with the first race starting at 7:30 a.m. at Kapaa High School.
Boy’s Top 20
Cedric Crampton-Nabaa (Wai) 19:05.46, Kyler Greenleaf (IS) 19:23.51, Tai Ito-Fernandez (Kau) 19:32.24, Liam Juvan (Kau) 19:44.79, Colten Nagahisa (Kap) 20:28.39, Jayden Welsh (IS) 26:36.43, Hezekiah Salazar (Wai) 20:40.04, Wyatt Ballard (Kau) 20:46.82, Daniel Lau (Kau) 21:13.93, Maximus Israelsen (Kau) 21:24.19, Hali Tom (Kap) 21:19.58, Kali Pananganan (Kap) 21:20.54, Dane Jensen (Kap) 21:28.72, Blevin Hale (Wai) 21:31.92, Zach White Tzeng (Wai) 21:40.46, Callum Raine (IS) 21:43.29, Noah De La Pena (Wai) 21:49.75, Andrew Gregorius (Kau) 21:51.63, Chase Bolyard (Wai) 21:53.37, Luke Alfiler (Kau) 21:54 .67.
Girl’s Top 20
Aileah Villatora (Kau) 22:33.56, Ashlyn Worley (Kap) 22:46.56; Eva-Rose Rapp (IS) 23:40.22, Cora Rosenthal (IS) 24:01.16, Zoe Dorow Mochary (IS) 24:05.34, Lucy Smith (Kap) 24:12.69, Naja Nelson (Kap) 24:23.21, Laney Carvalho (Kau) 24:46.76, Jules Eyler (Kau) 25:35.10, Faylis Domingues (Wai) 25:44.03, Seija Carter (Wai) 25:45.18, Trinity Pananganan (Kap) 26:39.99, Alena Abell (Kap) 26:46.90, Hallie Gill (IS) 27:01.60, Jayna Sams (Wai) 27:08.35, Jessie Young (IS) 27:32. 65, Saebrie Pageder (IS) 27:37.77, Orah McGee (Kau) 27:53.87, Ju Rosales O’Shaughnessy (Kap) 28:08.52, Emma Hadley (IS) 28:37.91.
Source: The Garden Island