Kamakaala key to
Kamehameha’s
track title hopes

There aren't many high school wrestlers who are also track stars, and there's one fewer this year.

Kamehameha's Jeremy Kamakaala grappled with the interesting double last year, and then this season decided he'd stick to what he does best -- distance running.

"I just felt like I had more of a commitment to running," Kamakaala said yesterday. "I spent the offseason free running, no real workout, just running for at least 45 minutes."

Yesterday at Kamehameha, Kamakaala ran a relatively stress-free 4:17.83 to qualify to defend his Interscholastic League of Honolulu title in the 1,500 meters. But the final in that event looks to be one of the better races in tomorrow's finals.

"It's going to be a great race," said Kamakaala, a junior who was the state cross country champion in 2003.

Mykah Norville of Hoala blasted a 4:15.94 yesterday, and Kamakaala decided not to chase him to the tape in the first heat. Punahou's Peter Deptula won the second heat in 4:21.14 and figures to make it at least a three-man race.

Warriors coach Sam Moku is depending on Kamakaala, especially in the 3,000, in which Kamakaala has run 9:15 this season.

"That's his race," Moku said.

Kamehameha is favored to win the team title a third straight time, but not by much.

"I think it basically will come down to two schools, us and Punahou," Moku said. "I'd like to see a little more (team competition), but the other schools have some individual stars. Going into the season I thought we had an average bunch of guys other than Jeremy."

As they usually do late in the season on the well-established programs, some stars are emerging.

Anthony Taylor gave the Warriors a boost yesterday with a 22-foot, 634-inch long jump that could hold up for first place and the 10 points that go with it tomorrow.

Punahou sprinters Neil Onizuka and Jesse Brown could make up the difference, though, if Kamehameha's Travis Uale and others don't keep pace.

Word of Life's Brashton Satele, the defending state champion, leads the discus with a toss of 172-1. He will take aim at Brandon Ala's 2002 record heave of 196-11. Satele also leads the shot with 52-0.

The girls' meet is up for grabs, with defending league and state champion Punahou, Iolani and Pac-Five in the hunt.

Wolfpack coach Al Wilson tried to downplay the fact that he has perhaps two of the brightest stars of the meet on his team in sprinter/jumper Chantel Franco and distance runner Lauren Ho.

"I think we're going to be battling for second because we lack pole vaulter and throwers," Wilson said.

Ho, the state cross country champion, won the 1,500 and 3,000 in this meet last year, and Franco took the 400.

Yesterday, Franco qualified first in the 100 (13.18) and 400 (1:01.82), and tops in the long jump at 16-4. Ho dominated the 800 (2:20.64), and didn't have to qualify in the other distance events.

"She can do anything, but she prefers to run distance," Wilson said. "She and Chantel are good role models. Their work ethic rubs off on the rest of the team."

Punahou and Iolani don't have spectacular athletes, but both schools qualified competitors in every event yesterday. The Buffanblu go into tomorrow with a big edge in the triple jump since Samantha Cabreros (35-1), defending champion Talitha Liu (35-0) and Kari Chong (34-7) are 1-2-3; the next best leap, by Pac-Five's Kazue Ishihara, was only 32-11.

Defending champion Careena Onosai led both the shot (37-4 1/4) and discus (125-3) yesterday.