KENT MAKES HISTORY, CRUZ GOES BACK-TO-BACK

By Jay Leon Guerrero

JFK’s Hugh Kent made history on Monday after winning his fourth straight ISA All-Island Cross Country Individual Championship. Kent led from start to finish at his home course at JFK to accomplish something no other athlete has done in the sport.

According to JFK head coach Jay Antonio, the most recent dominant runner was Napu Castro from GW over a decade ago, who won three individual titles. From his freshman season to his senior year, Kent set the bar in local meets, winning the prestigious All-Island race all four years.

“It’s unbelievable to accomplish this. I’m really happy that I’ve stayed consistent throughout the years.”

– JFK champion Hugh Kent

Kent clocked in at 17:01, finishing ahead of the next competitor by over a minute and 20 seconds.

Cruz goes back-to-back

In the girls race, GW’s Robin Cruz won back-to-back individual titles with a time of 23:12.

“Yesterday, I didn’t run because I felt I wasn’t there mentally. But today, I came out and surprised myself,” said Cruz.

The girls race was competitive from the start, with several runners battling in packs to set the pace. Cruz made her move mid-race and held on thanks to words of encouragement from her coaches and teammates.

Cruz finished ahead of Cheyoung Ahn from Southern High, who clocked in at 23:25. Three JFK runners rounded out the top five with Patricia Micla, Gabriella Gogue, and Annika Micla finished third, fourth, and fifth,  respectively.

JFK’s dynasty continues

The Islanders swept the girls’ and boys’ team championships, continuing their dynasty under coach Antonio.

The JFK boys squad had five runners in the top 10 to finish with 24 points. The Southern Dolphins finished in second position with 62 points, and the Simon Sanchez Sharks finished with 90 points to win third place.

Simon Sanchez sophomore phenom Rynier Diramos finished second with a time of 18:25, finishing a second ahead of third place finisher Isaac Valdez from JFK who finished with a time of 18:26.

The JFK girls finished with 27 points, also finishing with five runners in the top 10. Simon Sanchez finished second with 57 points, and the GW Geckos took home the third place trophy with 63 points.

Selina Jacob, a freshman runner at JFK, said her season was a memorable one and that she was happy to gain the experience. “It was such a good season. Everyone on the team is so nice and welcoming,” said Jacob.

“Everyone here pushes us to be the best we can be. I would not be here without them,” said Jacob. The JFK girls celebrated their fifth straight championship.

Asia Pacific Invitational

With the ISA season in the books, the Asia Pacific Invitational (API) Cross Country Championships will take place on Friday.

The two day event will feature high school teams from Guam, including the IIAAG teams and teams from Japan and Korea.  The event will start on Friday morning at JFK. The individual race will take place as well as a relay race on day 2.

The event presents a challenge for Kent, who will be pushed once again to the limit. “In general, the competition speed-wise at the API will be faster because everyone improved. I’m looking forward to competing against schools like American School in Japan (ASIJ), I’m excited to meet them as well as the other schools,” said Kent.

“I know what to expect now. Last year, I was going into the race not knowing how fast they were because of COVID, but now I know what to expect,” said Kent.

Cruz said she is also looking forward to the challenge at the API: “I’m going to push myself even more. But I’m also looking forward to having fun with my teammates,” said Cruz. 

     ISA XC ALL-ISLAND MEET  – 10/16/2023 6:34:19 PM        
                             JFK, ,                              

                  Varsity Girls 5000 Meter Run                  
=================================================================
    Name                  Yr Team                      Time   Pts
—————————————————————–
  1 Robin Cruz            12 George Washington Hi 23:12.21      1
  2 Cheyoung Ahn             Southern High School 23:25.88      2
  3 Patricia Cerise Micla 11 John F Kennedy High  24:07.49      3
  4 Gabriella Gogue       11 John F Kennedy High  24:19.07      4
  5 Annika Luis Miclat    12 John F Kennedy High  24:19.32      5
  6 Nova Pagan             9 Simon Sanchez High S 24:36.66      6
  7 Jaelyn Han               John F Kennedy High  24:47.91      7
  8 Mia Chloe Decano       9 John F Kennedy High  24:53.56      8
  9 Marin Fukui           11 Simon Sanchez High S 25:57.96      9
 10 Ehvalene Marques      10 Simon Sanchez High S 25:58.21     10
 11 Selena Jacob           9 John F Kennedy High  26:14.45     11
 12 Rhylaieh Taitano      11 George Washington Hi 26:28.49     12
 13 Ariana Cruz            9 Tiyan High School    27:10.23     13
 14 Jaychelle Taitano     12 George Washington Hi 27:34.43     14
 15 Emani Villegas         9 Simon Sanchez High S 27:41.77     15
 16 Zoiejean Techaira      9 George Washington Hi 29:50.66     16
 17 Princess Almasol      10 Simon Sanchez High S 30:11.82     17
 18 Nichelle Torcelino    11 John F Kennedy High  30:57.18     18
 19 Callie Wong           10 Tiyan High School    31:57.73     19
 20 Renee Aflague         10 George Washington Hi 32:41.37     20
 21 Juanetta Santos          George Washington Hi 32:41.94     21
 22 Mariana Clement       10 George Washington Hi 33:11.91     22
 23 Valerie Wong           9 Tiyan High School    35:24.99     23
 24 Lucia Lowe             9 Tiyan High School    35:51.92     24
 25 Natalie Fernandez        Southern High School 38:31.81     25
 26 Danielle Ford            Southern High School 39:25.90     26
 27 Katelynn Cruz            Southern High School 42:05.22     27
 28 Andria Leon Guerrero     Southern High School 43:33.15     28
 29 Gyra Solivar           9 Tiyan High School    45:01.24     29

            Varsity Girls 5000 Meter Run Team Scores            
=================================================================
    Team                   Pts     1    2    3    4    5   (6)  (7)
=================================================================
  1 John F Kennedy High    27      3    4    5    7    8   11   18  
      Total Time: 2:02:28      Average: 24:29.47      1-5 Split: 47
  2 Simon Sanchez High S   57      6    9   10   15   17    –    –  
      Total Time: 2:14:27      Average: 26:53.29      1-5 Split: 5:36
  3 George Washington Hi   63      1   12   14   16   20   21   22  
      Total Time: 2:19:48      Average: 27:57.44      1-5 Split: 9:30
  4 Southern High School   108     2   25   26   27   28    –    –  
      Total Time: 3:07:02      Average: 37:24.40      1-5 Split: 20:08
  4 Tiyan High School      108    13   19   23   24   29    –    –  
      Total Time: 2:55:27      Average: 35:05.23      1-5 Split: 17:52

                   Varsity Boys 5000 Meter Run                  
=================================================================
    Name                  Yr Team                      Time   Pts
—————————————————————–
  1 Hugh Kent             12 John F Kennedy High  17:01.75      1
  2 Rynier DiRamos        10 Simon Sanchez High S 18:25.17      2
  3 Isaac Valdez          12 John F Kennedy High  18:26.75      3
  4 Gabriel Hollingsworth    Southern High School 18:29.27      4
  5 Kaito Sakaguchi       11 John F Kennedy High  18:31.34      5
  6 Javan Naputi             Southern High School 18:49.97      6
  7 Evan Tydingco         11 John F Kennedy High  19:04.23      7
  8 Stephen Medrano       10 John F Kennedy High  19:14.98      8
  9 Anthony Lee           10 Guam Adventist Acade 19:28.55      9
 10 Shynez Alcairo        10 Simon Sanchez High S 19:31.14     10
 11 Arby Carpo             9 John F Kennedy High  19:32.69     11
 12 Christian Hautea      10 John F Kennedy High  19:39.95     12
 13 Matthew Quinata          Southern High School 19:52.86     13
 14 Aiden Unchangco       11 George Washington Hi 20:04.58     14
 15 Blue Pareja            9 Guam Adventist Acade 20:07.23     15
 16 Gabriel Duenas        10 Guam Adventist Acade 20:16.93     16
 17 Jordan Balicha        10 Okkodo High School   20:32.45     17
 18 Noah Taitague            Southern High School 20:32.94     18
 19 Kyle Garcia           12 George Washington Hi 20:33.51     19
 20 Bryzon Teodoro        10 Okkodo High School   20:48.26     20
 21 Patrick Sumbo            Southern High School 20:55.00     21
 22 Sean Echang           11 George Washington Hi 20:59.25     22
 23 Michael Certeza          Southern High School 21:02.62     23
 24 Noah Park             10 Simon Sanchez High S 21:08.56     24
 25 Thomas Caimlim           Southern High School 21:10.51     25
 26 Ivan Pamplona         10 Simon Sanchez High S 21:16.17     26
 27 Joseph Cruz           10 George Washington Hi 21:17.89     27
 28 Gabriel Calanayan      9 Simon Sanchez High S 21:30.03     28
 29 Joshua Elidok         10 Guam Adventist Acade 21:53.62     29
 30 Joshua Gatbonton      12 Simon Sanchez High S 22:03.94     30
 31 Caden Poblete         12 George Washington Hi 22:34.54     31
 32 Ryan William          11 George Washington Hi 22:47.33     32
 33 Benedict Tabunar      11 George Washington Hi 22:50.32     33
 34 Joshua Jung            9 Guam Adventist Acade 22:53.72     34
 35 Miguel Guerrero       10 Okkodo High School   22:54.86     35
 36 Kody Siguenza         11 Okkodo High School   23:27.56     36
 37 Lyle Delos Santos      9 Guam Adventist Acade 23:53.49     37
 38 Jake Hoya             10 Simon Sanchez High S 24:16.17     38
 39 Jared Santos          10 Okkodo High School   24:43.56     39
 40 Gabriel Ladonga       12 Okkodo High School   25:20.48     40
 41 William Flores        12 Guam Adventist Acade 25:21.48     41
 42 Genoel Asuncion       12 Okkodo High School   25:31.11     42
 43 Andrew Rojo           11 Tiyan High School    26:01.66      
 44 Aiden Topasna         10 Tiyan High School    26:33.59      
 45 Sebastian Hocog       10 Tiyan High School    26:41.76      
 46 Dane Santos           10 Tiyan High School    34:14.90      

             Varsity Boys 5000 Meter Run Team Scores            
=================================================================
    Team                   Pts     1    2    3    4    5   (6)  (7)
=================================================================
  1 John F Kennedy High    24      1    3    5    7    8   11   12  
      Total Time: 1:32:20      Average: 18:27.81      1-5 Split: 2:14
  2 Southern High School   62      4    6   13   18   21   23   25  
      Total Time: 1:38:41      Average: 19:44.01      1-5 Split: 2:26
  3 Simon Sanchez High S   90      2   10   24   26   28   30   38  
      Total Time: 1:41:52      Average: 20:22.22      1-5 Split: 3:05
  4 Guam Adventist Acade   103     9   15   16   29   34   37   41  
      Total Time: 1:44:41      Average: 20:56.01      1-5 Split: 3:26
  5 George Washington Hi   113    14   19   22   27   31   32   33  
      Total Time: 1:45:30      Average: 21:05.96      1-5 Split: 2:30
  6 Okkodo High School     147    17   20   35   36   39   40   42  
      Total Time: 1:52:27      Average: 22:29.34      1-5 Split: 4:12

                  Varsity Mixed 5000 Meter Run                  
=================================================================
    Name                  Yr Team                      Time   Pts
—————————————————————–
                              Girls                              
—————————————————————–
  1 Chelsea Domingo       10 John F Kennedy High  29:50.93      
  2 Himeca Pamintuan       9 John F Kennedy High  30:25.75      
  3 Isabella Unchangco    12 George Washington Hi 31:21.17      
  4 Alyanna Alosima          George Washington Hi 33:20.96      
  5 Maysha Charfauros     10 George Washington Hi 35:26.89      
  6 Shaydan Charfauros    10 George Washington Hi 36:15.83      
  7 Valeen Verango        10 John F Kennedy High  41:07.25      
—————————————————————–
                              Boys                              
—————————————————————–
  1 Jose Unsay            12 John F Kennedy High  21:34.68      1
  2 Kyle Pamintuan        10 John F Kennedy High  22:06.92      2
  3 Aden Guilas            9 John F Kennedy High  22:12.47      3
  4 Victor Sayama            Southern High School 22:14.94      4
  5 Tristin Acfalle          Southern High School 22:54.26      5
  6 Zaiah Santos             Southern High School 23:13.97      6
  7 Joshua Sabejon           Southern High School 23:30.96      7
  8 Dominic Diaz           9 John F Kennedy High  23:34.41      8
  9 Jude Cruz                Southern High School 23:41.31      9
 10 Jaevin Torres         11 George Washington Hi 23:42.97     10
 11 Ty Quinata               Southern High School 23:43.39     11
 12 Rai Raquel            11 John F Kennedy High  23:57.14     12
 13 Trey Quinata             Southern High School 23:58.38     13
 14 Jakob Pillow           9 John F Kennedy High  24:29.74     14
 15 Kaiden Chaco          10 George Washington Hi 24:36.93     15
 16 Kai Solomon           10 John F Kennedy High  24:37.22     16
 17 Ronaldo Chaco            Southern High School 24:38.08      
 18 Christian Apuron      10 Okkodo High School   25:08.05     17
 19 Michael Sanchez          Southern High School 25:19.62      
 20 Jahziah Cruz             Southern High School 25:34.71      
 21 Tristan Murphy           Southern High School 25:42.53      
 22 Sam Wolfe                Southern High School 26:24.03      
 23 Branden Benevidez        Southern High School 26:29.48      
 24 Sean Fabian              George Washington Hi 26:45.64     18
 25 Darius Jano-Edward    10 Guam Adventist Acade 26:57.82      
 26 Damien Caraig         11 Okkodo High School   27:08.20     19
 27 John Paul Lapid       11 John F Kennedy High  27:20.69      
 28 Rick Uy               11 George Washington Hi 27:22.62     20
 29 Kale Centeno          11 Okkodo High School   27:29.42     21
 30 Kent Rosario          10 Okkodo High School   27:50.14     22
 31 Conner Williams       12 Okkodo High School   27:59.08     23
 32 Ethan Lee              9 Guam Adventist Acade 28:16.09      
 33 Aldean David          10 Okkodo High School   29:39.07     24
 34 Unknown Unknown                               29:42.25      
 35 Angelo Armas           9 Okkodo High School   30:56.88     25
 36 Ray Dionisio          12 John F Kennedy High  31:33.48      
 37 Andre Bocatija           Southern High School 34:41.83      
 38 Liam Ong              10 George Washington Hi 35:12.25     26
 39 Jaden Tiamzon         10 John F Kennedy High  35:50.15      
 40 Trevaine Stephen      10 Guam Adventist Acade 38:45.88      
 41 Zacariah Escalona        Southern High School 38:51.22      
 42 Marquise Saloma          Southern High School 41:06.17      
 43 Evan Mendiola          9 Guam Adventist Acade 47:13.22      

          Boys Varsity Mixed 5000 Meter Run Team Scores          
=================================================================
    Team                   Pts     1    2    3    4    5   (6)  (7)
=================================================================
  1 John F Kennedy High    26      1    2    3    8   12   14   16  
      Total Time: 1:53:26      Average: 22:41.13      1-5 Split: 2:23
  2 Southern High School   31      4    5    6    7    9   11   13  
      Total Time: 1:55:36      Average: 23:07.09      1-5 Split: 1:27
  3 George Washington Hi   89     10   15   18   20   26    –    –  
      Total Time: 2:17:41      Average: 27:32.09      1-5 Split: 11:30
  4 Okkodo High School     102    17   19   21   22   23   24   25  
      Total Time: 2:15:35      Average: 27:06.98      1-5 Split: 2:52

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