Ochi Plans Some Team Building For Trojan Track Stars

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Mililani junior Cameron Daugherty
is the OIA pole-vault champ.
Photo by Byron Lee,
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For the Mililani boys track and field team, keeping distractions to a minimum this week as they prepare for the Island Movers 2007 State Track and Field Championships will be easier because of the event’s location.

As Trojans head coach Marshall Ochi said, “I think we’re able to focus a little bit more being in a hotel.” The team will travel to Maui for Friday and Saturday’s meet. “The kids can be at the hotel between events. It’s a matter of harnessing all the excitement into focusing on our performance. (Rooming together) promotes the kind of team unity that you need to compete at a high level as a team. There are definite advantages (to the Neighbor Island venue). We feel like we’ve accomplished many of the goals we set at the beginning of the season, but I hope the story doesn’t end here.”

The Trojans enter this week-end’s state meet very much on schedule, having captured their second Oahu Interscholastic Association title in three years in impressive fashion May 6. The outcome was never in doubt that day as they rolled up 102-1/3 points to easily best second-place rival Leilehua (40-1/3). Mililani had last week off to prepare for the state meet, which will be held in Maui’s War Memorial Stadium.

“I like to call it the reloading phase,” he said. “We’re at the point in the season when we’re fine-tuning and working more with individuals. We want to make sure the kids have every little advantage that they can get for states, technique-wise, and in our mental preparation.”

Senior D’Andre Benjamin leads the way for the Trojans. At the OIA Finals, he placed first in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles and ran the third leg of the Trojans’ 4x400 championship relay team. He enters the weekend as the defending state champion in the 300.

“One of the things he has is determination,” Ochi said. “He’s a very, very tough competitor, and this brings out the most of his athleticism.”

The Trojans figure to be strong in the running events with junior Kawika Ornellas, senior Ikaika Payamo and sophomore Demetrius Thomas. The trio will join Peter Poentis in forming Mililani’s 4x100 relay team.

Payamo, who will compete in both the 100- and 200-meter dash, has been recovering from a hamstring injury that was further aggravated at the April 26 Punahou Relays.

“When healthy, I think of him as one of the top sprinters in the state,” Ochi said. “Some of the times he put up in pre-season are still standing.”

Ornellas is in his first full season of track and field, but has been “a big, big part of our success,” according to Ochi. “He surprises me every week. He hasn’t lost a 100 in a month.”

Like Ornellas, Thomas also will compete in the 100 and 200 as well as both relay teams. A transfer from Virginia, Thomas “has come a long way” in his coach’s view. “He’s a very hard worker, and I think he still has his best races in him.”

Cameron Daugherty should also be among the favorites in the pole vault for Mililani. He covered 13-6 at the OIA Finals to win the event.

Like Benjamin, Peter Poentis also will compete in the long jump, giving the Trojans “a great one-two punch in the jumping events.”

Senior Nicholas Ogata and sophomore Chris Piadade both will do the 800-meter run. Ogata is in his first year of track, having been a part of the Trojans’ soccer program, while Piadade began the year as a sprinter.

“It was an experiment gone good,” Ochi said.

Ochi downplayed any effect the off week might have on his team. “In terms of peaking, right now our kids are all at the top of their game. I’m just hoping we can continue that through states.”