Eastern Champion Knights Stride Toward More Races
By Jack Danilewicz
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There is, indeed, strength in numbers - at least when it comes to cross country, Castle High School coach Martin Hee figures.
“Your competitors are your helpers,“Hee said.“We tell our kids to stay with the pack, the so-called leaders. The closer we stay together as a pack, the better off we’ll be.”
The pace has been to the Knights’ liking this fall. The Castle boys cross country team recently secured a first-place regular-season finish in the OIA Eastern Division. The Knights have the OIA’s individual and team championships this Saturday at Central Oahu Regional Park where the best 65 OIA runners can qualify for the Nov. 2 state championships on Maui.
The Knights figure to more than hold their own as a unit this weekend with the trio of junior Bryson Calkins and sophomores Eric Pak and Dylan Lee. Calkins is a third-year varsity player and the team’s acknowledged leader, while Pak and Lee are moving up to the varsity following the recent completion of their JV season. Pak was the OIA’s JV champion, recording a time of 17:12.69 at Waialua recently.Lee was the runner-up, turning in a time of 15:59.15. Calkins finished fifth overall in the East with 18:15.00.
“They train like a threesome,“Hee said.“Whatever one does, the others follow. They compete so much together that they’re like shadows. They train together, and they stick together. Bryson being older, he’s guided Eric and Dylan along. A lot of credit (for Castle’s success) goes to Bryson because of the way he’s handled the underclassmen.”
With a team of nearly all under-classmen, the Knights also could be a force next year. Alfonso Martinez is the lone senior, while Russell Ige, Yoshitake Ishiwara, Rese Oshiro, Andrew Johnson, Ferlino Carlinio and Devinn Zakohi are all expected to return to the fold.
For the present, Hee sees Leilehua as the favorite this weekend.“In the West (championships), they had a perfect score,” he said, noting that the top five finishers in the West were all Mules.“It is a tough thing to do, and they did it.
“Mililani is always good, and we hope we’ll be up there, too.”
Like their competitors, the Knights began training in July, and they’ve begun to see it pay off.
“I always tell them that preparation is vital, and they’ve bought into our philosophy,“said Hee, who coached Castle’s girls cross country team to an OIA title in 2001. “This team set its goals high. There’s no skill involved. It takes a lot of heart, and it’s a mind game also. When you can put those two together, anyone can run.
“It’s a tough sport - hard mentally and physically. I give credit to anyone who runs cross country.We have dedicated kids, and I’m proud of them.”
The Knights’only team state title came in 1968 when they were led by two-time individual state champion Kurt Mench.
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