Posted on: Saturday, November 13, 2004

Kamehameha boys, girls run off with state crowns

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i Prep's Weatherford wins in photo finish

WAI'AKA, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Prep senior Emmett Weatherford captured the state title in a photo finish, winning by 25/100ths of a second to capture the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Boys Cross Country Championships yesterday at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy.

Weatherford caught 2003 champion Jeremy Kamaka'ala of Kamehameha at the finish line, making up almost 10 feet in the final 100 meters and outstriding him at the last moment. Race officials used video to confirm the electronically timed race.

Weatherford broke his own course record by 13 seconds, finishing the 3-mile race in 17 minutes, 21.65 seconds.

"I decided I didn't want him to break the record," said Weatherford, who didn't know he held the previous record, which he set at last week's Big Island Interscholastic Federation championships. "That was part of my motivation for the kick at the finish."

The duo led the race from the early stages, with Kamaka'ala holding a slight 5-yard lead throughout.

"I was letting him set the pace so I could save energy and kick at the finish," said Weatherford, who finished 11th last year.

"I heard from my coaches that I looked like I was shutting down," Kamaka'ala said. "I don't think I had much left."

With Kamaka'ala slowing down as he approached the finish line, it allowed Weatherford's momentum to thrust him over the line first.

"It was too close to tell," Kamaka'ala said. "I broke the tape. I don't mean to take anything away from him."

Kamaka'ala finished in 17:21.90 and Punahou's Peter Deptula came in third at 17:49.20.

Kamaka'ala's second-place finish helped Kamehameha capture the state title with 73 points — its seventh championship in the past eight years.

"We have kind of a legacy with that," Kamaka'ala said. "The team finished second last year and we really wanted it back."

It was an all-Interscholastic League of Honolulu sweep for the top three places, with Punahou in second (107) and Iolani in third (119).

All five of Kamehameha's scoring runners finished in the top 31. They included Jesse Moniz (20th place), Aaron Domingo (24), Jeremy Lota (30) and Mahi Crabbe (31).

"We all collectively ran much better," Kamehameha coach Steve Jenness said. "We tried to bring it in at the end."

Hawai'i Baptist's Ho sets course record in 12:34.95

WAI'AKA, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Baptist junior Lauren Ho capped off a perfect race season with a state title yesterday in the Hono-lulu Marathon/HHSAA Girls Cross Country Championships at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy.

Ho broke her own course record by 12 seconds, finishing in 12 minutes, 34.95 seconds in the 2-mile race.

"It's such a relief, I'm so excited," said Ho, who led the entire race.

Ho set the course record last month at an HPA meet. That experience helped her in yesterday's meet, she said..

"It was really effective," said Ho, who won all seven races she ran in this cross country season. "The last time I came here we stayed in the wrestling room, so I got to run the course the day before. The day after I practiced running downhill, just trying to see how to do that best."

Ho finished 30 seconds ahead of Iolani's Nicole Anderson (13:04.75) and Hawai'i Prep's Lucy Pollard (13:29.60).

Ho took the lead right from the beginning, breaking away from the pack in the first half-mile, which heads up a hill.

The Kamehameha girls squad won its first state title, with all five of their scoring runners finishing in the top 30. Kamehameha finished with 72 points, Iolani was second with 100 and Baldwin followed with 126.

Kamehameha avenged a loss to Iolani in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship meet.

"That was kind of a set-back and so we were hoping to do better, but it totally fueled us," said Kamehameha freshman Emma Broderick, who finished in seventh place and was Kamehameha's first finisher.

The other runners for Kamehameha were Haunani Kane (ninth place), Kira Chong-Tim (18), Maya Coelho (22) and Danna Friedemann (30).

Kamehameha coach Dave Friedemann said the difference in this year's championship was a "strength of the pack" attitude.

"The strength of the individual is in the team, and they really took hold of that this year," he said. "Emma is usually our front-runner, but the strength is in the pack."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.

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