HHSAA boys Cross Country all-time top 10s

Punahou’s Connor Lehl is on the verge of joining a very special list.

Lehl, the favorite in the boys race at the Honolulu Marathon Hawaii State Cross Country championships on the Big Island, is one of the very few runners in state history who has been elite since the moment he laced his shoes up as a freshman.

If Lehl can finish in the top 10 on the Hawaii Prep campus, he would become just the fifth boy to finish that high four years in a row. The others are:

Matt Stevens, Hawaii Baptist: Without a doubt the most accomplished high school cross country runner in state history, he won the race the last three times he ran it and finished third as a freshman, almost always a step ahead of future soccer star Brian Ching of Kamehameha. The only boys who can boast of beating him at states are Robert Olson of Hawaii Prep and …

Shawn Nixon, Kalaheo: Nixon was a senior when he beat Stevens, finishing up his career with his second straight dominating win in 1993. Nixon finished second to Damien Potts of Lahainaluna by five seconds as a sophomore and never worried about being outkicked after that, winning by more than 20 seconds as a junior and 45 seconds as a senior. Nixon entered the prep cross country scene in 1990 with a sixth-place finish at Hawaii Prep just three seconds off a top four finish.

Troy Esaki, Iolani: Esaki is the last runner to garner four straight top 10 finishes, he began his career at the height of Bryce Jenkins of Leilehua’s dominance in 2008 and finished ninth as a freshman just behind senior teammate Tyler Mulloy. He got better every year, taking fourth as a sophomore and a junior behind Margarito Martinez of Leilehua, Kamehameha’s Jordan Thibodeau and Pierce Murphy of Island School both years. Once those guys graduated, Esaki cruised to the state title as a senior at Kapalua and bridged the gap between Leilehua’s reign and Kamehameha’s current run at the top.

Joey Bunch, Radford: The cross country portion of the Bunch legend began quietly with a 17-minute jaunt around Waiehu Golf Course, good for 10th place as a freshman. He improved to third as a sophomore before winning by less than a second over Punahou’s Todd Goode as a junior and taking his second title relatively easily as a senior. Bunch’s Radford squad won three team titles in his four years and the Rams have not won a title since. Bunch is the only runner on this elite list to pitch in to a team title, Lehl is going for his first as well.

The below chart is the top 10 finishers in each boys state race along with a search box to find individual names. Please post any corrections in the comments.