Kamehameha's Kaeo Kruse won the boys' individual title, running the three-mile course in a time of 15 minutes and 38.2 seconds. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kamehameha's Kaeo Kruse won the boys' individual title, running the three-mile course in a time of 15 minutes and 38.2 seconds. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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WAIPIO — After watching his teammate finish atop the podium in each of the past two seasons, Kaeo Kruse was ready to move into the spotlight.

That's just what the Kamehameha junior did Saturday morning by winning the boys' individual title at the Honolulu Marathon/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Cross Country State Championships at Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park. Kruse ran the three-mile course in a time of 15 minutes and 38.2 seconds.

"It feels amazing, actually," said Kruse, who finished second at last year's race. "It feels like all my work paid off."

Kruse, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu titleist, battled Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Makai Clemons, of Kalaheo, for much of the race. Clemons held a 15-yard lead going into the last downhill portion of the course, but Kruse overtook him in the final quarter-mile and further extended his lead to over 100 yards as he approached the finish line.

"Makai is an awesome runner — he was hurting me so bad — and then two miles in it was like, 'I'm five seconds away from him. I can do this. Let's just roll this downhill like coach (Steve) Jenness said and kick that last part and I know i can do this,' " Kruse said. "I just had to keep telling myself that."

Kruse said he used everything he had in that final kick past Clemons.

"Digging deep and listening to my coaches and just applying my training, but that was harder than I expected it to be," said Kruse, who has had his share of battles against Clemons over the years.

"Ever since my sophomore year we've been going back and forth: this past track season, cross country season last year and this cross country season," Kruse said. "Congratulations to him. It was an awesome race."

Clemons finished in 15:55, while Waiakea's Louie Ondo was third in 16:19.7.

Kruse felt confident in himself coming into the day and managed to overcome some pre-race jitters.

"You have to tell yourself that you can win, because you know that you've put in all the work, you know that you've beaten these guys before so you can do it again, but there's also that nervousness that plays in, but I tried to pump more positive into it," Kruse said.

A tactical decision by Kruse the night before proved to be a smart decision.

"It's typical CORP weather (Saturday); a little hot, but there was some nice breeze so that was good and then it rained the night before so it was kind of muddy, so that's why I picked spikes," Kruse said. "I feel like that gave me a little more traction on the muddy spots, but I liked these course conditions. It feels to me like real cross country."

Kruse credited Davis Kaahanui, who won consecutive state titles in his junior and senior seasons for Kamehameha in 2012 and 2013, respectively, as a pivotal part of his success this year.

"He really helped me a lot," Kruse said. "He pushed me in practices and he helped me get to where I am today.

The win was even sweeter for Kruse as the Warriors took home the team title for the third straight season and the fifth time in six years. It was their 15th state championship in school history.

"It feels amazing, because we've only lost once in the past five years and I've won since my freshman year," Kruse said. "My freshman year was kind of a surprise to us, so this really means a lot to me."

Kainalu Asam placed fourth in a time of 16:20.6 and Race Oshiro (17:09.7) and Grant Kam (17:10.7) added 14th- and 15th-place finishes for Kamehameha.