Sam Cadavos of Matthew C. Perry smacks a backhand return against Austen San Nicolas of Guam High during the first-round boys singles match in the 2011 Far East High School Tennis Tournament at Risner Tennis Complex, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Nov. 7, 2011. Cadavos beat San Nicolas 8-2 and advanced to Tuesday's Round of 16 match against Brandon Lumaban of Guam High. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Sam Cadavos of Matthew C. Perry smacks a backhand return against Austen San Nicolas of Guam High during the first-round boys singles match in the 2011 Far East High School Tennis Tournament at Risner Tennis Complex, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Nov. 7, 2011. Cadavos beat San Nicolas 8-2 and advanced to Tuesday's Round of 16 match against Brandon Lumaban of Guam High. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Brandon Lumaban of Guam High serves against Adam Sobieck of E.J. King during the first-round boys singles match in the 2011 Far East High School Tennis Tournament at Risner Tennis Complex, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. Lumaban edged Sobieck 8-6 and advanced to Tuesday's Round of 16 match against DODDS Japan champion Sam Cadavos of Matthew C. Perry. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
DODDS Japan cross-country champion Carydaliz Fontanez of Nile C. Kinnick and Okinawa Activities Council island champion Alle Robles of Kubasaki Dragons pound for the finish line in the Far East High School Cross-Country Meet 3.1-mile individual gold medal at Tama Hills Recreation Center, Tokyo on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. Fontanez took sixth and Robles seventh, just .3 seconds apart, Fontanez in 22 minutes, 8.0 seconds and Robles in 22:08.3. (Lilly Crown/special to Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki Dragons freshman Erik Armes crosses the finish line to win his first Far East High School Cross-Country Meet 3.1-mile individual gold medal on Nov. 7, 2011, at Tama Hills Recreation Center, Tokyo. Armes was clocked in 17 minutes, 42.2 seconds. He helped Kubasaki win the boys team title, the school's first of any kind in a Far East cross-country meet since the boys also won in 2000, also at Tama Hills. Kubasaki after one day of the two-day meet was the leader in the chase for the overall team banner, which would be the first in school history. (Lilly Crown/special to Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American Falcons senior Amanda Henderson crosses the finish line in 20 minutes, 55.5 seconds to capture her second straight Far East High School Cross-Country Meet 3.1-mile individual gold medal on Nov. 7, 2011, at Tama Hills Recreation Center, Tokyo. Henderson finished the last two seasons 40-0 and helped lead the Falcons to their second straight girls team title. (Lilly Crown/special to Stars and Stripes)
Jong Uk Sin of Osan American reaches for a backhand during the first-round play in the 2011 Far East High School Tennis Tournament at Risner Tennis Complex, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Nov. 7, 2011. Sin lost 8-2 to Taishi Misumi of St. Mary's International in the boys singles, then lost with teammate Alec Myers in the boys doubles 8-4 to Alex Daniels and Michael Potts of Kadena. (Geoff Starron/special to Stars and Stripes)
Keagan Hutchins of Osan American lunges for a drop shot during the first-round play in the 2011 Far East High School Tennis Tournament at Risner Tennis Complex, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Nov. 7, 2011. Hutcins and teammate Preston Blakely fell 8-1 to Matthew C. Perry's Sam and Jon Cadavos in the boys doubles, then lost a mixed doubles match 8-1 with teammate Angela Thompson to Zama American's Kenichi Mishler and Mina Fisher. (Geoff Starron/special to Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki's Keila Welky (3) and Stephanie Dowse (2) try to block a spike by Seoul American's Tammy Garman (21) during the pool-play match in the 2011 Far East High School Girls Division I (large schools) Volleyball Tournament at Falcon Gym, Seoul American High School, South Post, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea on Nov. 7, 2011. The host Falcons won in straight sets. (Luke Travis/special to Stars and Stripes)
Nico McGuire (22) of Seisen International tries to spike through the block of Alixes Scott (17) of Academy of Our Lady of Guam during the pool-play match in the 2011 Far East High School Girls Division I (large schools) Volleyball Tournament at Falcon Gym, Seoul American High School, South Post, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea on Nov. 7, 2011. Seisen won in straight sets. (Luke Travis/special to Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry's Courtney Beall tries to send a shot through a double block by Yongsan International-Seoul during the pool-play match in the 2011 Far East High School Girls Division II (small schools) Volleyball Tournament at Warrior Gym, Daegu American School, Camp George, South Korea on Nov. 7, 2011. YIS-S swept the Samurai in three sets. (Danella Golden/special to Stars and Stripes)
TAMA HILLS RECREATION CENTER, Japan – While Amanda Henderson wrapped up her career with her second straight Far East title, Erik Armes made a big splash in his gold-medal debut – putting Kubasaki at the cusp of Pacific cross-country history.
Armes, a freshman, won gold in his first Far East meet 3.1-mile individual race, clocking 17 minutes, 42 seconds, and helped Kubasaki’s boys win the school’s first Far East team title of any kind since the Dragons’ boys won at the 2000 meet, also at Tama Hills. Armes edged training partner Andrew Kilkenny of Kadena by 8.8 seconds.
“They see each other as competition, not enemies,” Dragons coach Paul Campbell said of Armes and Kilkenny, who also swim for Marine Corps Community Services’ Okinawa Dolphins. “They worked together and came through as competitors and pushed each other. You don’t see that often, especially at two rival schools like ours.”
Kubasaki edged St. Mary’s International 33-37 in the team points chase. Coupled with their third-place girls team finish, Kubasaki, which after one day of the two-day meet, led the chase for overall team honors. It would be the first overall meet title for the Dragons in school history.
“It feels great,” Campbell said. “They worked hard together as a team all season.”
“It feels amazing, to win this for Kubasaki. I’m speechless about it,” Armes said.
Armes trailed six other runners after the first mile, but said he felt Kilkenny come up to his right shoulder. The two took off and after two miles began pulling away.
“He’s so supportive,” Armes said of Kilkenny. “His attitude. We swim together, we train together; he’s a great guy. I love racing with him.”
Unlike Armes, Henderson left little to chance, leading from start to finish and pulling away late from Seisen International’s Fumi Kurihara, who trailed Henderson by about six paces at the halfway mark.
She admitted to pre-race nerves due to the depth of competition, including Kanto champion Kurihara, DODDS Japan champion Carydaliz Fontanez of Nile C. Kinnick and Okinawa Activities Council champion Alle Robles. The latter two took sixth and seventh, .3 seconds apart.
“Not only because of the extra competition, but this was my last one,” Henderson said. “I was surprised at how everybody stepped up and I didn’t pull away as much.”
Though she came up short of her personal-best 19:32 in last month’s Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Council meet, “I worked hard all season and I’m proud of my performance,” said Henderson, who finished 40-0 over the past two seasons.
“It’s always nice to have a second straight champion,” Falcons coach Steve Boyd said. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid. In all my years of coaching, seeing her dedication and hard work; she’s the total package.”
