HHSAA cross-country: Waiakea’s Ondo nabs silver

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When they last competed against each other in HHSAA competition, Kaeo Kruse and Louis Ondo showed signes of forging a rivalry. But on Saturday, Kruse ran a time that was unrivaled.

When they last competed against each other in HHSAA competition, Kaeo Kruse and Louis Ondo showed signes of forging a rivalry. But on Saturday, Kruse ran a time that was unrivaled.

The Kamehameha-Kapalama senior ran the fastest 3 miles in state championship history Saturday in Makawao, Maui, relegating Ondo, a Waiakea senior, to silver.

In winning his second consecutive cross-country title, Kruse’s time of 15:22.23 bested the 15:22.4 that Kamehameha-Kapalama’s Jeremy Kamaka’ala ran in 2005 on Kauai

Ondo added a runner-up finish to the bronze he pocketed last season on on Kauai, and his 16:15.1 was 19 seconds better than the time he recorded last week in winning the BIIF championships.

While Iolani ended Kamehameha-Kapalama’s three-year state reign, Waiakea was fourth, the best finish for a non-ILH school, Hilo was sixth and Hawaii Prep was eighth, the top finisher among Division II schools for the second consecutive season.

Before Ondo’s third-place finish last season, the last BIIF male to finish in the top three at states was Hilo’s Mark Turner in 2008.

It was a strong day for BIIF boys, who had the finish line all to themselves for a nine-second span after the seventh-place runner came in. Konawaena’s Cody Ranfranz was eighth, and he was followed by Kealakehe’s Ziggy Bartholomy, Hilo’s River Brown, Kealakehe Adalberto Malagon and Hawaii Prep’s Nate Ladwig in spots 9-12. Konawaena’s Lawrence Barrett Barrett was 14th.

Rylie Cabalse (19th), Slater Inouye (24), Adrian Larskpur (38th) and Jiem Enji (62nd) all scored points for Waiakea. Hilo was sixth.

Kruse and Ondo likely will run against each other again in the spring. Last May on Maui in the state track and field championships, Ondo won the 1,500, finishing 17 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Kruse. In thr 3,000 Kruse is the two-time state champion and the state record-holder

While Big Island boys secured nine of the top 24 spots Saturday at Seabury, only two isle wahine finished in the top 40. Waiakea Saya Yabe, the league runner-up, was 27th and Hilo’s Sam Marrack was 40th. BIIF champ Sophia Cash of Honokaa was 49th.

Iolani’s Amanda Beaman cruised to her first state crown, but that didn’t stop Punahou from winning its fourth consecutive team title. Dating back to 2005, the only time the Buffanblu failed to win states was when Hawaii Prep won it all in 2011 on Maui.

On Saturday, Ka Makani were eighth, second-best among Division II schools.