By James Sablan
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE boys of Marianas High School emerged as the dominant force in the 1,000m distance, while Mount Carmel School delivered a statement win in the 500m sprint of the NMNPSF Interscholastic Outrigger Race Series SY25-26 at Kilili Beach on Saturday.
In a test of endurance and technical turns, MHS swept both the preliminaries and finals of the 1,000m, clocking a blistering 5:26.10 in the opening heat before returning to post a 5:28.02 finish in the finals. Their consistency earned them 21 points, vaulting them to the top of the 1,000m leaderboard.
Kagman High School put up stiff competition in the preliminaries with a time of 5:28.09 but slipped to third in the finals. Mount Carmel capitalized to claim second place in 5:31.04 and is now overall with 13 points, while KHS settled for third with 11. Saipan Southern High School was disqualified in both heats and finished without points.
While MHS controlled the long distance, the 500m sprint belonged to Mount Carmel. Displaying explosive power, MCS captured first place in both the preliminaries (2:27.70) and finals (2:29.10) to secure a perfect 21-point performance.
The race for second was tight between MHS and KHS. MHS ultimately claimed the runner-up spot in the finals with a time of 2:31.00 for 15 points. KHS, however, was disqualified in the finals, allowing Saipan Southern to move up to third and earn six points, while KHS finished with three.
In the mixed division, MHS again led the 1,000m after winning both the preliminary (5:44.07) and finals (5:49.09) for another 21-point showing. SSHS placed second with 15 points, edging KHS despite both teams recording identical 6:11.09 times in the finals.
The 500m mixed event produced similar results, with MHS topping the field in 2:37.03 for 21 points, followed by SSHS (2:43.09) with 15 points and KHS (2:47.00) with nine.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
