KAPA‘A — Athletes grappled history Saturday when the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation hosted its first wrestling matches at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a. “This is so exciting,” said Diane Nitta, executive secretary for the KIF. “I can just feel the
KAPA‘A — Athletes grappled history Saturday when the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation hosted its first wrestling matches at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a.
“This is so exciting,” said Diane Nitta, executive secretary for the KIF. “I can just feel the excitement of everyone here. It has been a long trip over many years to get here and at the head of the many people involved, Coach Mac Pigott has been dedicated and committed.”
With Pigott of Westside Kaua‘i Wrestling serving as tournament director, the program got underway when Rep. Derek Kawakami, earlier presenting the KIF with a huge contribution through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation administering the NF Kawakami, HS Kawakami and M. Furugen Funds, gave the signals for the matches to start.
“This is a significant moment,” said William “Bill” Arakaki, the Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendent, who opened the day by leading everyone with a “Choo-hoo!” whoop. “In addition to opening a new sport, this is yet another opportunity where our young people can compete at the state level and earn scholarships.”
During the opening tournament, the crowd which filled one side of the Bernice Hundley Gym to capacity enjoyed five rounds of tournament action, or 49 bouts unfolding in round robin, double elimination brackets.
KIF wrestlers from four schools: Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i, Island School and Waimea high schools competed in National Federation of High School weight classes ranging from 109 pounds to 285 pounds.
As the action unfolded, Waimea took the early lead with five wins, followed by Kaua‘i with four, Kapa‘a getting three and Island School looking for its first win through the first 12 bouts.
“Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i and Waimea remained very close in the win category,” Pigott said in an email. “Following five rounds and 49 matches, this first wrestling tournament demonstrated that the league may be evenly matched this season with no real dominant team emerging.”
Kaua‘i High School, with coach Matt Ballard, finished with three gold medals followed by Kapa‘a and Waimea earning two gold medals apiece.
Kaua‘i boys also topped the silver medal count with three followed by Waimea and Kapa‘a each getting two.
Island School, with just seven wrestlers, finished with three bronze medals in the boys division, Waimea and Kapa‘a boys earning a bronze medal each.
The girls division saw only two sanctioned matches with Waimea’s Marissa Hesapene, a member of the state champion cheer squad, taking gold over Kaua‘i’s Courtney Brock in the 109 pounds class. Kaua‘i’s Sanoe Kalama defeated Kapa‘a’s Kaumalani Leger for gold in the 130-pound class.
Ballard told Pigott he was generally pleased with his squad’s first tournament, but said they still have a lot to work on.
“We experienced the usual aches and pains, but sustained no serious injuries,” Ballard said in his report to Pigott. “Kaua‘i expects to see different match-ups Saturday as more Raider grapplers make their weight classes and brackets get seeded differently.”
The Gabriel brothers, Mike at 160 pounds, and Nick at 152 pounds were joined by Bryson Yoro at 130 pounds to earn gold medals for the Red Raiders.
Coach Rich Capellino of Waimea told Pigott that the Menehune wrestlers’ performance was “excellent” and said every one of the wrestlers exceeded his expectations.
Of coure, Capellino added that Waimea still has a lot of work to improve and has its work cut out for them on Saturday.
He said they suffered no serious injuries in Kapa‘a and are ready for the rest of the season. He said there is no reason why Waimea cannot be a contender for the KIF league championship.
According Capellino’s report to Pigott, some of the wrestlers to keep an eye on are gold medalists Charlie Kahepu‘u and Nicholas Cariffe who dominated the 140-pound bracket.
Hesapene took the 109-pound class, but Pigott said the most exciting match was a scratch weight exhibition match between Waimea’s Kapili Akana and Courtney Brock of Kaua‘i.
“The girls had the crowd on its feet for three full rounds of back and forth action, leaving the scored tied 8-8 at the end of regulation,” Pigott said. “Kapili got the takedown in front of the Waimea section which erupted in cheers as she won the sudden death overtime.
Coach Andrew Smith of Kapa‘a said overall, the Kapa‘a wrestlers did very well, noting the Warrior stable has wrestlers who are “Just naturals” and others who are developing their skills.
Smith admitted to some bracketing errors which he will correct by Saturday’s matches, errors due, in part, to Kapa‘a hosting the inaugural matches.
Storm Haire at 145 pounds and Jeremiah Obrero at 189 pounds were the gold medalists for the Kapa‘a boys, and Ronnie Perono’s hard-earned silver is a testament to his improvement from the start of the season.
Kapa‘a team captain Elijah Koga was not on the floor due to an injury, but Smith said when he recovers, the KIF lower weight rankings are going to get mixed up.
The Leger sisters, Kaumalani and Shiori, have proven themselves in the preseason tournaments on O‘ahu and currently are the frontrunners of the Kapa‘a girls’ stable.
With these leaders, Smith feels Kapa‘a is in a good position to be a contender for the first KIF Wrestling Championships and have these individuals place at the state level — if they continue to improve.
A listing of leaders in the various weight classes can be found on the Scoreboard.
“As you move on through high school, college and eventually careers, you will look back to this day and say ‘I was the first!’” Arakaki told the wrestlers. “This is why ‘Choo-hoo!’ is very appropriate.”
KIF wrestling continues Saturday at the Island School gym starting at 10 a.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
