Martinez, Jenkins Head Mules’ Pack Of Running Talent
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usHistory has a way of repeating itself, and that can only be a good thing for the Leilehua boys cross country team. The Mules’ recent history, after all, has been all about performing their best at the biggest events.
Leilehua seeks a fifth straight OIA team title at 3 p.m. Saturday at Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park when the league holds its team and individual championships. The Mules also are the two-time defending Honolulu Marathon state champions. The top 48 finishers at Saturday’s OIA Championships advance to the state championships Oct. 31 at a site still to be determined.
As in past years, coach Shawn Nakata has condensed his team’s workouts in the last few weeks to ensure the Mules are in premium shape for both competitions.
“We’re running less miles right now, but the workouts are faster and more intense,” said Nakata.“In the beginning (of the fall), we averaged 50 miles a week with the better runners doing up to 70. We want to make sure each kid peaks at the right time, so we’re cutting back now and tapering off.”
On paper, the Mules have their youngest team in awhile with Evan Igarashi the only senior to crack the top 10 in the OIA’s Red West Division, which was won by the Mules. On the positive, the Mules have their share of runners who are competing beyond their years.
Junior Margarito Martinez leads the way. As a sophomore, he finished fourth in the state behind then-team-mate Bryce Jenkins, HBA’s Matthew Baptist and Hilo High’s Mark Turner. Those three all have completed their eligibility, making Martinez the odds-on choice in 2009. To date, he’s lived up to all preseason hype, taking first in the West recently.
“Bryce was a great runner, and he got a lot of attention, but Margarito might actually be a better runner. He beat his record at Campbell. Margarito is very dedicated. He runs on his own in the morning, and then he comes to practice after school. He usually runs over 70 miles a week.”
Fellow junior Micah Velasco also had a solid fall, taking third in the West. He’s also taken on the role of team leader, according to his coach. “He’s always first to practice, and he always leads our exercises,” Nakata said of Velasco, who is one of the team’s captains along with Martinez. “He knows what I want, and he gets the team ready.”
Igarashi is only in his second season of varsity cross country but joined Velasco and Martinez as a West Division First Team All-Star in finishing eighth during the regular season.
“He’s quiet, but a great competitor,” Nakata said of Igarashi, who is also a soccer standout at the school. “To make the First Team in only his second year is pretty impressive.”
Nakata also has high hopes for sophomore Branden Miya and freshman Dylan Martinez, who is the younger brother of Margarito.
“I think Branden had a chance to win the JV (OIA) title, but we moved him up, so he made a sacrifice for us.
He’s the kind of kid who runs hard every practice. If you tell him to do something, he just does it.
“Dylan is class president and an honors student, but he’s still able to run at the varsity level,” he added. “He’s a good kid, real dedicated.”
Nakata plans on taking Leilehua to the Foot Locker Cross Country Regional Championships in Walnut, Calif. in early December. The event draws runners from all states west of Utah. In 2008, Margarito Martinez finished fifth in his class.
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