14-year-old Pierce Murphy runs unattached, dominates the Boys 3,000 Meter Run by Lanaly Cabalo – The Garden Island Waimea High School’s boys and girls teams won the Mayor’s Invitational Track and Field meet held at Vidinha Stadium and 14-year-old Pierce
14-year-old Pierce Murphy runs unattached, dominates the Boys 3,000 Meter Run
by Lanaly Cabalo – The Garden Island
Waimea High School’s boys and girls teams won the Mayor’s Invitational Track and Field meet held at Vidinha Stadium and 14-year-old Pierce Murphy nearly stole the show by lapping two runners, twice, in the Boys 3,000 Meter Run.
Waimea’s girls team finished with 210 points, capturing 11 first-place finishes in 14 events.
Waimea’s Jayme Jacinto turned in a state-qualifying time in the 300 Meter Hurdles with a time of 51.64, won the Girls High Jump, and was a member of the winning Girls 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays.
Charleen Miguel won the Girls 200 and 400 meter dashes and Caralyn Broyles won the Girls 800, 1,500 and 3,000 meter runs.
In a closer battle, Waimea’s boys edged Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i high schools, finishing with 155 points. Kapa‘a had 175 and Kaua‘i had 145.
Kapa‘a’s Joseph Velasco found himself being chased by Waimea’s Kalani Apilado twice yesterday. Apilado and Velasco went shoulder-to-shoulder, first in the 110 Meter Hurdles when Velasco edged him out, pulling ahead of him on the final set of hurdles. Velasco finished with a time of 16.41 over Apilado’s 16.69.
It came down to the final hurdles and a lean, in the 300 Meter Hurdles with Velasco finishing at 42.78.
Kapa‘a’s Adam Kerlin and Waimea’s Jared Coleman-Stark ran healthy races in the 1,500 meters running side-by-side. Kerlin broke away at the final 200 and finished strongly with a time of 4:51.91.
Coleman-Stark went on to win the Boys 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:15.70. Aaron Vea won the Boys Long Jumps with 19 feet, 10 inches.
But Murphy, who was running unattached to a school, had all his fellow athletes and nearly everyone in the stands cheering for him in the Boys 3,000 Meter Run. Murphy, a Kula School freshman, could not run representing his school because it does not have a track team. Murphy started on the outside lane, then led the pack and didn’t let up his pace. His splits actually seemed to get faster and faster by the lap. Sprinting in the final stretch, Murphy went unchallenged and finished with a time of 10:16.78.
Friends congratulated him on a good race and most said theyr were happy to see him on the track.
“It felt good. It was fun,” Murphy said walking off the track.
The next track meet won’t be until 4 p.m. April 4.
