CJ Caraang | SL

Purchase image 1 of 2

Kalaheo's Avery Torres won the boys division race in a time of 16:47.18 to help the Mustangs claim the team title. CJ Caraang | SL

Purchase image 2 of 2

WAIPIO — Avery Torres could hardly wait to run in Saturday afternoon's Oahu Interscholastic Association cross country championships.

Once the race got started, Torres waited for no one, burning through the field to easily win the three-mile boys' race on an muggy, slightly overcast day at Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park.

"I've been ready to run this since JV (championships) last week when we had a bye," said Torres, a lanky junior. "I've been telling myself I can win this and I need to push myself. I was prepared for today."

Torres' time of 16 minutes, 47.18 seconds was nearly 30 seconds faster than teammate Gillaume Tabary, who was the runner-up in 17:18.76. The Mustangs got a fourth-place finish from Colby Otero (17:22.45), a sixth-place finish from Louis Delcore (19:39.83) and Harry Wallace (18:15.07) placed 20th to help them win the team title with a score of 32 points.

"It feels great because it's been a long time since we won, so we've been saying since the beginning of the season that we're going to win this," Torres said.

It is Kalaheo's third OIA championship and first since 2003.

The Mustangs were followed in the team standings by Pearl City and Kaiser, who tied for second with 128 points. Mililani was fourth with 140 points and last year's winners, McKinley, was fifth with 142 points.

Castle's Hudson Lockett placed third individually in 17 minutes, 19.19 seconds and Radford's Martin Fajardo was fifth in 17:32.58.

Torres was part of a large lead pack early in the race, but held a 30-yard lead after the first mile and stretched it to about 100 yards by the second lap around the park.

"I probably could have went faster if I didn't go so slow out in the first mile, but I think at first I was trying to play it safe," Torres said. "But then, my coaches were yelling at me and stuff — I never even saw those kids in front of me — and I realized that I needed to pick up the pace because I'm going to get a slow time."

Just moments before the start of the race, Torres was getting some extra jogging in before having to be called back to the starting line by officials.

"I was so eager to run when I was warming up; it was so bad today," Torres said. "Today I wasn't even nervous. I woke up and told my mom and called my dad — because he's deployed — and I told them I want to run this race so bad."

Meanwhile, Kaiser's Lisa Tashiro won the girls' race in a time of 19:23.08 to successfully defend her individual league crown.

Tashiro battled neck-and-neck with Mililani's Vanessa Roybal for much of the race before separating in the last half-mile.

"I tried to stay with her and stay up with her as long as possible," said Tashiro, who also won the state championship at the same course a year ago. "That helped me because compared to last year the weather was different. It wasn't as hot. I was prepared to run today because I knew how the course was and when I should take it up for downhill or uphill."

Tashiro said she is the healthiest she has been all season.

"I felt great today compared to all the other races before because I had a knee injury, but ever since I went to the chiropractor it really helped my knees and I felt pretty good today," Tashiro said.

Mililani's Lauren Gibbs took runner-up honors in 19:28.86 and was followed by Roybal, who posted a time of 19:34.51. Radford's Mary Moloney was fourth in 20:01.18 and Kalaheo's Cassandra Frenzel was fifth in 20:23.21.

The Trojans won the team title — their 10th in school history and first since 2010 — with 68 points. Kiana Caranto placed ninth with a time of 20:43.80, Maya Hoeft was 28th (21:58.91) and Brandee Schiller was 29th (22:06.72).

Radford posted 78 points to finish second, Pearl City was third with 105 points, Kalaheo fourth with 131 points and Moanalua and Kaiser tied for fifth with 137 points.

The top 64 runners from the OIA qualified for next week's Honolulu Marathon/Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships, which will be held at the campus of Seabury Hall in Makawao, Maui Saturday.