KEAAU – Hawaii Prep’s Dean Connors doesn’t want to be that guy, but come Friday he could be the man.
If form holds, Connors will be crowned as a BIIF champion in the high jump, an event he first got into by watching YouTube.
“I YouTube a lot of things, so I watched the high jump, because I really didn’t have a coach,” Connors, a sophomore, said. “High jump is a cool event to watch, it looked fun and I wanted to try it, and I was kind of good.”
That much was evident when he cleared a 6 feet, 2 inches during the BIIF track and field season opener March 2 in Waimea, tying a course record. Because of spring break, Connors didn’t jump again until April 6 at Waiakea, where he cleared 6-3.25, which still stands as the second-best effort in the state this season. Next he tried clearing 6-4.25 in attempt to break the BIIF record of 6-4, which is shared by Kohala’s Kelson Kawai and Ethan Meikle.
“I was pretty close, I don’t want to talk about it,” Connors said with a smile last Saturday in his final tuneup at Kamehameha’s Paiea Stadium. “I’ve done it before in practice, so I know it’s in me, it’s just doing it in a meet.”
That brings us to Friday at Paiea, when the boys high jump will be one of six field event finals held during the running trials. The remainder of the gold medals will be handed out Saturday.
The final could prove to be a YouTube-worthy moment for Connors, the defending champion, who figures to be able to practically get out of bed and clear 6 feet. No other athlete has gone higher than 5-8 this season.
“I want to win BIIFs, and I don’t want to be that guy, but I want the record,” he said. “It’s always in sight.”
As he was being interviewed – as if on cue – a BIIF official came from behind Connors and said, “He’s the man right here.”
Kealakehe wave?
The Waveriders aren’t only out to defend their boys titles, but they’re also a prime contender in the girls team race as well.
“(We’re) in position to win both,” Kealakehe coach Duke Hartfield said. “It’s going to be really close. Waiakea, they’ve really come on strong the last couple of weeks.”
The Waveriders boys check most of the boxes, with front-end performers such as Calvin McHone and depth as well.
Last Saturday, McHone PR’d in the 100-meter dash (10.99 seconds) and 200 (22.72), 2019 BIIF-best times that rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the state. His win in the 100 came against one of his prime competitors, Hilo’s Riley Patterson, and the sub-11 100 is thought to only one of only a handful ever recorded in BIIF competition.
“It helps,” Hartfield said of Patterson’s presence in the 100. “I think to run that fast, you have to have somebody pushing you, otherwise you don’t work that hard through it.”
Between Alec Ankrum and Jahren Simpliciano, Kealakehe will pick up plenty of points in the distance races, though the Warriors can counter with Magnus Namohala-Roloos in the 800, and they are poised to pick up more points in the pole vault and throwing events.
“They are going to have their stars and we’ll have ours,” Hartfield said, “but I really think it’s going to be the depth of the teams that ends up making the difference.”
His girls team got a boost when Myra Liufau PR’d in the discus with a toss of 108-7, a BIIF-high this season.
The Chenoa Show
Two-time defending girls champion Kamehameha likely won’t have enough depth to contend in the team race, though junior dynamo Chenoa Frederick should outscore many teams all by herself.
Frederick has recorded BIIF-best efforts this season in six this events (100, 200, 400, long jump, triple jump and high jump), and last Saturday she increased her state-best distances in the long jump (18-1.25) and triple (39-3).
Frederick claimed six BIIF gold medals last season and three at the HHSAA championships, and she’ll get things started off Friday in the long jump final.
Hilo happenings
It’s been a bit of a grind this season for the Vikings.
Patterson will defend his title in the 100 and look to improve on silver last season in the 200, and coach Bill McMahon said the senior should be good to go after nursing an ankle injury earlier in the season.
Kealakahe’s Leann Hamilton is bidding to sweep the three distance races, though she’ll find stiff competition from Vikings freshman Xoch Gervais, who PR’d in the 1,500 (5:04.21) and the 3,000 (11:08.98) with a pair of top 10 state times.
Hamilton’s best in the 1,500 was a 4:57.91 last season at the HHSAA trials, but she’s never beaten 11:30 in the 3,000, an event that was owned three times previously by Honokaa Sophia Cash, who is not competing this season.
Beyond digging for gold medals, McMahon said he’s enjoyed working with a pair of track and field newcomers who excel in other sports, Guyson Ogata (football, basketball) and Glory Medeiros (soccer). Ogata went 21.05 in the long jump, while Medeiros tosses the discus 105-7.
“They’re just learning but hard-working and just bust it,” McMahon said.
Underclassmen exploits
Hawaii Prep sophomore Isabelle Police had herself a day at the Frosh/Soph Invitational, which ran concurrently with an open meet Saturday, setting four records at the annual underclassmen competition.
Police anchored Ka Makani’s 4×400 relay team – Marieke Renz, Regan Riley and Jordan Perry also ran – which not only won its race but also posted a new 2019 BIIF standard of 4:19.21. In the 4×100, Riley, Madison Hughes, Kaiulani Bento and Police won in 51.91, the third-best time in the league.
Police also won the 100 (12.91) and 200 (26.23), and she trails only Frederick in 200 this season.
Also setting Frosh/Soph Invitational marks were Kealakehe’s Kayli Gaspar (long jump, 16-09.25) as well as Connors and Gervais (3,000).