Maui runner chases down defending champion to claim boys cross-country race

RODNEY S. YAP / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Maui junior Hunter Shields, right, used a strong finishing kick to pull away from defending champion Adam Harder of Hanalani School en route to winning the boys individual title at the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country State Championships on Saturday at the Seabury Hall campus on Maui.

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Maui High’s Hunter Shields knew who his main competition was and planned his race carefully.

Now, Shields is a state champion. Having recently won the MIL title, Shields followed it up with a victory in the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Seabury Hall.

Shields, who placed second to Hanalani’s Adam Harder a year ago, finished just ahead of Harder this time in the 5-kilometer race. Shields crossed the finish line in 16 minutes, 15.60 seconds. Harder, a senior, followed in 16:19. 47.

>> Click here to see photos of the cross country championships.

“The whole race, I stayed right behind Adam until the finish,” Shields, a junior, said. “Right as we turned the last corner, I started going and passed him. Last year, I didn’t have the strength for the whole race. Adam was better and more experienced than me and knew how to win. I ran a lot of miles over the summer, 400 miles about. And practice every day with teammates Damon (Wakefield) and Adam (Hakola) really helped me.”

Wakefield and Hakola finished third and fourth, but the Sabers — who came into the race as defending champions — finished in second place in Division I as a team behind Punahou.

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“We’re really disappointed we didn’t win it,” Shields said.

The champion Buffanblu (41 points), coached by Duncan Macdonald, were led by Cade Lehl (10th place), Caden Lombard (12th), Jordan Furuta (13th), Cooper Baines (14th) and Nicholas Pugliese (19th). It’s the school’s 12th D-I state championship in the 55 years of the race and first since 1996.

The second-place Sabers scored 57 points, 16 behind Punahou. Kalani took third with 129.

Seabury Hall (47 points) ran to the D-II team title with Hawaii Baptist (51) in second place. Kaeo Keomaka (24th place), Cole Davidson (26th) and Kai Merrill (27th) led the way for the champion Spartans.

Dean Frampton (Seabury Hall, 1989) and Damian Potts (Lahainaluna, 1991) are the only other Maui runners to win a state cross country D-I individual championship.

“It’s really cool, coming from Maui,” Shields said. “It’s pretty cool to be one of three who have done it and I’m the first from my school.”