KEAAU, Hawaii - Michael Teves says he isn't very good under pressure. He proved himself wrong Friday.
The King Kekaulike High School senior cleared 14 feet to win the boys pole vault title at the Island Movers Track and Field Championships at Keaau High School Stadium.
"At practice I was doing OK, but usually at the meets I tense up and I panic, but tonight all of a sudden it just clicked and I got it," Teves said.
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MICHAEL TEVES, ‘Tonight all of a sudden it just clicked and I got it.’
He added, "Then the adrenaline started going and the crowd was amazing, so after a while I started to feel comfortable and confident on my jumping."
Maui athletes swept the top three spots. Kihei Charter's Lucas Zarro matched Teves at 14-0, but had more attempts.
Baldwin's Tyler Feiteira, the Maui Interscholastic League champion, was third at 13-6.
Teves had the top height in the state this year, 14-3 at the Punahou Relays last month. Still, he didn't imagine he'd end up on top.
"I really didn't think I would win the state title, but it was good to finally do it," Teves said. "It was a good season, so I had to finish it hard. I worked so hard this season and it felt good winning. It's like all the hard work paid off."
Teves and Zarro were in familiar territory competing against each other on Friday. Both jumped 13-6 at last year's state meet, with Zarro finishing with less jumps to take fifth place.
"We're always kind of close to each other with jumping," Teves said of the friendly competition with Zarro. "It was just really fun, and me and him were having a good time and just having fun tonight. We're both from Maui, and so we just pushed each other, and I'm happy we could both do it."
Baldwin's Pasoni Tasini had the top preliminary throw in the discus, 171-4, and shot put, 54-1.
Nicola Perez-Garreaud of Maui High finished first in boys 3,000-meter qualifying with a time of 9 minutes, 22.6 seconds, while Dakota Grossman of Seabury Hall led the girls 3,000 with 11:19.9.
In Friday's other final, the girls high jump, the MIL's three entrants - St. Anthony's Jill Capistran, Maui High's Jordyn Vega and Kamehameha Maui's Raven Poepoe - did not clear a height.
The other event finals are today.
