Seabury Hall’s Micah Brighton crosses the finish line ahead of Kihei Charter’s Cesar Esquivel during the Maui High Relays on Saturday at the Sabers’ campus. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
KAHULUI — It was certainly a low-key Saturday morning on the Maui High School campus for the Maui High Relays cross country meet, but it also felt like a new beginning.
It was the delayed season opener for the Maui Interscholastic League and about 60 runners — 30 or so for each boys and girls — took part.
It was the largest event on opening weekend for MIL sports — the meet was delayed one week and the league also saw seven preseason football games wiped out over the previous two weekends and other season openers delayed by the wildfires in West Maui and Upcountry.
The MIL last week released new schedules for all fall sports that were affected.
“It means a lot, it was just a couple weeks ago this island went through a tragedy,” Seabury Hall coach Bobby Grossman said. “I don’t even know if I was thinking about any sports, but not knowing what was going to happen, we just went through COVID and stuff, so it means a lot actually for them to come out.
Seabury Hall’s Layne Millen bursts from the starting line Saturday.
“I think it’s a stress reliever. The camaraderie and everything that you get through high school sports is very important individually and just as important as teams come together.”
Seabury Hall won the boys and girls A team races that included four runners per team running legs around the 1 1/2-mile course on the Maui High campus, which is scheduled to host the MIL championships on Oct. 28.
The Spartans’ boys four-person team of Jacob Romero, Finn Hensley, Kayden Volner and Micah Brighton won their race minutes before their girls winning team took off, including Bella Grossman, Olivia Aoki, Kailana Hagan and Layne Millen.
Bella Grossman is the freshman daughter of Bobby Grossman. Her two older sisters — Hailey and Dakota — combined to win 13 state titles in cross country and track and field in their careers for the Spartans.
“It was really cool,” Bella Grossman said of her first official event in a Seabury Hall singlet. “And I’m happy to kind of like step into the place of my sisters. It’s cool to hear that people know who I am and know who my family is.”
Kihei Charter assistant coach Stacie James talks with runners.
Bella Grossman admitted there’s some pressure following in her sisters’ footsteps.
“There’s a little bit of pressure because they’re both really good and I kind of want to be better,” Bella Grossman said with a sly smile. She also admitted that before the race “I was excited and I was nervous. I really wanted to do good for my team.”
The B team races were won by the Maui High boys, and a mixed group of girls from Baldwin and Kihei Charter.
The Sabers boys included Kaito Kina, Braeden Ascuncion, Makai Lindsey and Kiptyn Yamazaki. The girls B winners were Paige Asato, Rea Sabado and Dakota Leffler of Baldwin, and Tasanee Cogliandro from Kihei Charter.
Most of all, it was a day to be back to sports and a bit of routine.
Several teams were not at the meet for various reasons — Lahainaluna and King Kekaulike did not have enough practice days in yet to participate, Kulanihako’i will make its all-sports MIL debut next weekend at MIL meet No. 1 at Kahului Community Center, while Molokai and Lanai did not travel for Saturday’s opener.
Hensley, a sophomore, ran the second leg for the Spartans boys.
“It feels amazing to be back out here practicing with the team,” Hensley said. “It was a fun meet today, everyone’s getting used to running again, just starting off good for the season.”
Hensley enjoyed the different team/relay dynamic of the casual meet.
“I think it’s amazing, it’s a great team-building exercise for every single team,” Hensley said. “It really just bonds the team together, stronger than it was.”
Brighton, the defending MIL individual boys champion, is a junior and ran the anchor leg for the Spartans.
“Having everyone here, being able to see everyone again, it was really nice,” Brighton said. “I’m hoping that people that were affected by the fires can hopefully get back to it and hopefully everyone can help each other.”
The Spartans’ boys team leader said that the team aspect added to the fun.
“Normally cross country, like you’re still a team but it’s pretty solo,” Brighton said. “So today was really nice to be able to work as a team and cheering each other on, passing it on to the next person to go.”
Arjei Paet, the lone senior for the Baldwin boys, said that his team was glad be back in action.
“It’s really cool, you’re out here with your friends doing a sport we all signed up for, so overall just a good time,” Paet said.
Paet is looking forward to seeing a full-field meet soon.
“Oh yeah, 100 percent I want to see everyone out here to support the sport of cross country,” Paet said, adding that he was thinking of teams and individuals who were affected by the fires. “Prayers to them, hopefully they’re doing good and hopefully we all get right back to it.”
Kalia Kaneta, a junior, ran the lead-off leg for the Maui High girls.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all week and it’s such a good feeling,” she said. “We don’t have all the schools here, obviously, but even this, with this (small number of) schools here, everyone felt so happy. To hear people just screaming with joy today was great, so I can’t wait for the rest of us to come join.”
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.
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