The Mililani girls’ track and field team walked away from Saturday’s Oahu Interscholastic Association championship with their title defense intact—but they’ll have to share the spotlight this year. In a thrilling meet finale, Kahuku’s Red Raiders blazed through the 4×400 meter relay in a scorching 4 minutes, 2.66 seconds, snatching 10 points and forcing a tie with the Trojans at 92 points apiece. Mililani, which held a slim two-point lead heading into the last event, finished second in the relay with a time of 4:06.47, securing eight points but not enough to claim the crown outright.
At the heart of Kahuku’s surge was sophomore sensation Zen Kaopua, who seemed to be everywhere at once inside Mililani’s John D. Kauinana Stadium. Just five minutes after winning the 100 meters in 12.51 seconds, she was already at the long jump pit, leaping 18 feet, ½ inch to take first place there as well. Kaopua added the 200 meters title in 25.40 seconds and anchored the winning 4×100 relay team, capping off a day that showcased her incredible versatility. During spring break, she traded the track for the slopes. “I was on the mainland snowboarding with my mom and dad,” she said with a laugh. “They told me I should have made up a better lie.”
Kaopua wasn’t alone in powering Kahuku’s charge. Faith Mataele swept the hurdles events, providing crucial points to help the Red Raiders keep pace. Meanwhile, Mililani’s girls scratched and clawed for points across the board, but their only victory came early in the day on the track. Jenna Hasegawa, Hailey Taira, Riana Steward, and Sophia Timoshchik edged out Kalaheo in the 4×800 relay by just 0.87 seconds, clocking in at 9:53.08. Timoshchik later added eight points with a second-place finish in the 800 meters, trailing only Moanalua’s Sadie Krueger—the state cross country champion, who also dominated the 1,500 meters.
On the boys’ side, Moanalua’s state champion squad lived up to expectations, cruising to their second consecutive OIA title with a commanding 125 points. Mililani finished a distant second with 117 points. James Millare continues to build one of the most impressive distance running résumés in Hawaii high school history, and he did it again Saturday. He won the 800 meters in 1:57.01 and the 3,000 meters in 9:00.08, but this was far from a solo effort. Jaydon Grevious and Tristen Cole set the tone on Thursday, finishing first and third in the long jump for 16 points. Grevious added 20 more points by winning the 100 and 200 meters on Saturday, while Cole took the triple jump and Hayden Ramiscal cleared the pole vault. Millare, who swept the distance events at both OIA and state championships last year, looked every bit the favorite to repeat. In the 1,500 meters, he ran a deliberately slow pace for the first three and a half laps, daring anyone to challenge him. When the time came, he accelerated on the final turn, pulling away from Radford’s Stephen Kozuma to win in 4:02.53. “He’s very focused on the 800, but he’s even more focused on the 1,500 for states,” said Moanalua boys distance coach Pono Gandeza, who also oversees the cross country program. With performances like these, it’s clear the Red Raiders and Trojans have set the stage for an unforgettable postseason.