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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, November 1, 2008

Leilehua boys, Punahou girls take state cross country titles

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Leilehua senior Bryce Jenkins might be the only state champion to ever finish last in a race.

Jenkins capped off a brilliant career by winning his third straight state title at yesterday morning's Honolulu Marathon/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association state cross country championships at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island. Jenkins finished the boys 3-mile race in 17 minutes, 13.00 seconds, helping the Mules defend their state team title with a meet-low 75 points.

King Kekaulike senior Bailey Massenburg won the girls 3-mile race in 20:42.90 and Punahou placed four girls in the top 14 to win its fourth-straight state title with 48 points.

"I didn't know I was going to win until like about the last half-mile," Jenkins said. "I went into the race knowing to give it my all and nothing less. I pretty much figured it out with about a half- mile left."

Out with a stress fracture at the beginning of this season, Jenkins finished last in 222nd place at Sept. 20's Hawai'i Prep Invitational with a 3-mile time of 42:28 because he walked the entire course. But by finishing the race, it made him eligible to compete in postseason races. He came back to win the O'ahu Interscholastic Association West and OIA titles, this time putting a gap between him and the second-place finishers.

Yesterday, he was running in a pack that included Hawai'i Baptist's Matthew Nakamoto and King Kekaulike's Reid Hunter. Nakamoto finished second in 17:34.40 and Hilo's Mark Turner was third in 17:48.75.

"Reid was on me the whole time and all the top guys were in the front," Jenkins said.

The only other three-time state champion was Hawai'i Baptist's Matt Stevens, who won from to 1994 to 1996.

Leilehua's Margarito Martinez placed fourth in 18:01.10 and was one of four Mules to place in the top 21 to help Leilehua defend its team title. Shannon Cosey was 13th in 18:47.40 and Shannon White was 21st in 19:08.15. Members of the winning team include Noel Cabato (51st, 19:54.10), Evan Igarashi (67th, 20:11.80) and Jayson Dumaoal (142nd, 21:15.90).

"We talked about closing the gap and the kids really worked hard at it," Leilehua coach Shawn Nakata said of the lower half of his lineup. "The kids responded during the race."

Tired as they were, Nakata would tell his runners during the race to catch up to a particular runner ahead of them. They nodded and went ahead.

Meanwhile, the Buffanblu girls won behind the same strategy they had in previous state titles — running in a pack that was able to grab high finishes.

The top five runners for each team earn points for the team's point total.

"We had a race plan which was to try to keep our pack together as much as possible and we also had a specific plan for the course," Punahou coach Duncan Macdonald. "The girls executed it perfectly. They had a plan and stuck to it."

Punahou senior Farrah Madanay led the Buffanblu with a seventh-place finish in 21:55.05. She was followed by Brooke Laporte (11th, 22:27.85), Julia Brand (12th, 22:32.15) and Kyleigh Mann (14th, 22:33.00). Also on the winning team were Kaycie Won (28th, 23:00.75), Tama Fukuyama (36th, 23:22.20) and Courtney Choy (60th, 24:03.50).

"I'm just so proud of my team," said Madanay, who has ran on all four state championship teams. "I would not be on any of the teams if not for the team working together as a group. I take no credit whatsoever."

Macdonald said Madanay showed great promise as a freshman, but her progress has been hindered by asthma. Yesterday, she turned in one of her best performances in her four years.

"It's been a long, frustrating course for her," Macdonald said. "She pulled really nice together."

Massenburg took over the lead after the first mile of the race, which was near the end of the first big uphill on the course. Runners had to run that steep hill twice.

"The course is a really tough course, it has a lot of different terrains, which is cool, like a real cross country course," Massenburg said. "The really big hill is the most important part of the race, a lot of runners pull their moves or back down."