The Saint Paul Christian School Warriors boys and girls cross-country teams on Tuesday swept the Guam High School Panthers, but it came at a price.

As the boys lead pack made its last turn onto the Guam High track, Saint Paul standout Brandon Miranda was not in sight. Miranda, the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam All-Island champion, had reportedly become ill somewhere on the course and required medical attention.

After medical personal and coaches rushed to his aid, Miranda was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

“We think he was just dehydrated,” said Sherwin Paet, Warriors cross-country head coach. “He is doing OK.”

Even without their top runner, eight of the top 10 finishers were Warriors boys, which aided in Saint Paul’s win, 19-40.

Leading the way for the Warriors, sophomore sensations Kanta Yamazaki and Jacob Miranda placed first and second. respectively. Yamazaki finished in 18 minutes, 0.73 seconds. Miranda, in 18:12.11, finished several strides off the top pace.

In the first few meets, Yamazaki has emerged as one of the island’s top middle-distance runners and credits his summer workout program for his performance.

“I wanted to test myself mentally and try and stay more consistent and focused, faster throughout the entire race,” Yamazaki said.

But, like the rest of his teammates, his mind wasn’t focused on the results. His thoughts were with Brandon Miranda.

“I am thinking about my teammate right now, and praying for him to be OK,” Yamazaki said.

Rounding out the boys podium, in 18:18.17, Guam High’s Ronan Perry claimed the third position. In Guam High’s first three meets, the powerful Panther earned his team’s top spot.

“I just have to keep practicing hard and work on getting stronger for the finish,” Perry said.

For the girls, in front of their home crowd, the Panthers pushed the Warriors. But, with seven of the top 10 spots belonging to the Warriors, Saint Paul came out on top, 26-33.

Representative of the sport’s youth movement, six of the top seven finishers were freshmen.

Guam High’s Hannah Zura, in 20:30.35, posted the top time for the third consecutive meet. The Warriors Shakeera Esma, in 21:52.77, finished a distant second. Saint Paul’s Jazmin Samonte, the only nonfreshman in the top seven, placed fourth.

Zura credits “awesome coaching from coach (Joe) Taitano” and “working hard in practice.”

“She’s for real,” Taitano said. “We have … a lot of good young runners this year.”