WAIMEA — Zoe Sims didn’t care about winning. She just wanted to give her best effort in her final Big Island Interscholastic Federation cross-country race.
No doubt, that’s exactly what she did.
The Hawaii Prep senior repeated her BIIF cross-country individual championship with a time of 21 minutes, 11 seconds on Friday on her home course. She finished 30 seconds ahead of teammate Kristiana Van Pernis, who clocked in at 21:44.05.
Honokaa’s Tony Connors won the boys race in 18:27.10, finishing ahead of Waiakea’s Ian McQuate (18:35.70).
“Since this was my last BIIF race, it was emotional, it was motivational,” Sims said. “I just wanted to do my best and make sure I had no regrets.”
Sims, Van Pernis and third-place Erin Evans (21:56.60) led Ka Makani, also the defending Hawaii High School Athletic Association girls state champion, to the overall girls title. HPA finished with 22 points, ahead of Kamehameha-Hawaii and Hilo, who each scored 76 points. Kamehameha won the tiebreaker by virtue of the Warriors’ sixth-best runner, Makena Wagner, who placed 24th. Hilo’s sixth-best runner, Kaitlyn Funai, finished 36th.
Makua Lani was fourth (120 points).
The top two teams carry their top seven runners into next week’s HHSAA state championships, which also take place at HPA. The third- and fourth-place teams carry their top five runners.
In the boys race, Honokaa (67), Kamehameha (77), Hawaii Prep (88) and Hilo (105) received team entries into the state meet.
Sims broke from the pack after the first mile, with Van Pernis holding within encouraging distance.
“I don’t know if she heard me, but I was yelling encouragement to Kristiana,” Sims said.
“I heard it in my heart,” Van Pernis said.
Van Pernis maintained vision of Sims much of the way, but barely.
“Usually, I could see her turning a corner ahead of me,” she said.
On the boys side, the race was closer. Connors did not pull ahead until the second mile of the three-mile race, and McQuate stayed within striking distance.
Connors won the previous BIIF event on Oct. 6, so he finished the BIIF season on a two-race win streak.
“I felt good out there,” Connors said.
McQuate struggled at the end, saying he “felt bad” for the last part. But he was happy with a second-place finish.
After the awards ceremony, his teammates sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
In addition to the 24 spots awarded to the top runners of the team winners, 13 girls and 14 boys qualified for the Oct. 26 state meet.
The individual girls to qualify were (in order of finish): Kealakehe’s Kari Van Mols (ninth place, 23:19.25), Keaau’s Natalie Hagemann (15th, 24:01.45), Konawaena’s Shayli Nakamoto (16th, 24:01.75), Parker’s Mariko Langevin (17th, 24:06.30), Honokaa’s Kelly Greenwell (18th, 24:06.35), Honokaa’s Hildhang Adona (19th, 24:20.20), Parker’s Marie Jobes (24th, 24:39.15), Waiakea’s Skye Ombac (26th, 24:40.70) and Kiana Baruela (30th, 25:36.15), Kohala’s Leigh-Ann Rivera (31st, 25:42.65), Parker’s Maia Tarnas (33rd, 25:51.85), Kealakehe’s Marissa Bryant-Manago (34th, 26:29.20) and Hilo’s Funai (36th, 27:00.65).
The individual boys were McQuate, Parker’s Paul Gregg (third, 18:39.30), St. Joseph’s Andrew Langtry (fourth, 18:53.90), Kohala’s Josiah Adams (fifth, 18:58.25), Kealakehe’s Thunder Frost (seventh, 19:03.15), Parker’s Tyler McCullough (11th, 19:40.85), Kealakehe’s C.J. Agusen (21st, 20:00.30) and Tyler La Salle (23rd, 20:08.15), Keaau’s Jeffery Ferrell (25th 20:21.15), Kealakehe’s Jeremy Gambing (27th, 20:22.85), Waiakea’s Mark Pacris (28th, 20:23.45) and Matthew Camacho (30th 20:30.45), Hawaii Prep’s Jake Lai (37th, 20:49.55) and Kealakehe’s Gavin Ulman (38th, 20:56.95).
