Kamehameha’s Kaeo Kruse toed the line at the ILH cross country championships with a plan in mind; do what works.

Kruse, the defending ILH and state champion, led from the the gun and never relented. As expected Kruse’s only contender was the clock, as the senior Warrior crossed the line in a time of 15:43.58 at Mid-Pacific on Saturday. ‘Iolani earned its first team crown since 2008 with 36 points to Punahou’s 42.

Leading the pack through the first mile, Kruse began to break away from his competition a third of the way through the race and never looked back in the 3-mile run.

Last season, Kruse showcased his prowess against the nation’s best prep competition as the fastest Hawaii competitor at the Foot Locker South Regional Championships, clocking a 16:25.7 to finish 33rd. The top 10 finishers in each regional qualify for the national meet.

The Honolulu Marathon state championships are on Maui on Saturday.

The race for the girls individual title was a bit more hotly contested as the eventual winner, ‘Iolani’s senior Amanda Beaman, was forced to fight her way through the lead pack before eventually overtaking as the race leader midway through. Beaman took a slightly more conservative approach compared to Kruse, drafting off her competition before making a definitive move to the front. Known to stay back and let her opponents carry her before capitalizing on her opportunities, Beaman overtook Pac-5’s Jordan Jones to lead the field, the last time she would see the back of a competitor’s jersey.

Beaman’s efforts earned an 18:40.40 performance to beat Punahou’s junior Noe Obermeyer in the 3-mile race.

Punahou earned the team title with 32 points to beat ‘Iolani, which had 47 points. The Buffanblu have won in nine of the past 11 years.