Thirty-eight wrestlers were split into two teams in a modified dual meet format tournament Saturday at Clem Gomes Gym in Waimea.
The teams — Red and Green — battled to a 73-56 Green win in the tournament leading to the Kauai Interscholastic Federation wrestling championships coming up Saturday at the Clem Gomes Gym, starting at 10 a.m.
Waimea’s Roger Delacruz got the fastest pin of the day, taking just 32 seconds to pin Kapaa freshman Samuel Sapien in the Boys 285-pound class, and Menehune senior Cody Artaho and Kapaa freshman Malachi Sacramento got the crowd excited as they threw and counter-threw each other across the mat.
“Honestly, those 220-pound boys wrestled more like lightweights with quick action and throws you don’t usually see in the light heavyweight bouts,” said Mac Pigott, the KIF wrestling tournament director. “Artaho finally came out on top, but both boys got respectful applause when the match ended with a handshake and hug.”
Island School’s Marcus Charles and Kauai freshman Coby Lawrence put the most combined score on the board for the day, racking up 42 points before Lawrence put away the match with a 25-15 win at the buzzer.
“Kapaa’s Joji Miner-Ho came back to the mat following a week’s rest to heal,” Pigott said. “The Warrior sophomore returned strong, getting two wins on the day. It was not easy, though. During the first bout at 155 pounds, Kauai freshman Alana Takata had Miner-Ho fighting off her back in the first two periods. Takata had a flurry of scores racking up a 9-2 lead when Miner-Ho turned the tide with a reversal and secured the fall.”
Waimea High School will host the league championships Saturday starting at 10 a.m. where KIF wrestlers will battle for both team and individual titles. The boy and girl champion in each weight class will earn a berth in the Texaco Hawaii High School Athletic Association wrestling championships which will contest Feb. 14 and 15 at the Blaisdell Center Arena on Oahu.
Results
Boys 138: Corey Agena (Wai) fall over Matthew Tamanaha (Kau)
Boys 138: Jaiden Ogata (Kau) fall over Kainoa Rivera (Kap)
Girls 117: Janessa Llego-Finney (Kau) fall over Kaya Akana (Wai)
Girls 155: Joji Miner-Ho (Kap) fall over Alana Takata (Kau)
Boys 195: Jaime Mararagan (Wai) fall over Malachi Sacramento (Kap)
Girls 117: Anna Malia Santos (Kap) fall over Jordyn Kahananui (Kau)
Boys 113: Mason Stoll-Tolentino (Kau) tech fall over Marcus Charles (IS)
Boys 113: Coby Lawrence (Kau) fall over Kylen Aana (Wai)
Girls 127: Ini Marshall (Kap) fall over Danielle Santos (Kap)
Boys 120: Kaz Espina (Kap) fall over Jeremiah Fukushima (Kau)
Girls 117: Shaelin Manibog (Kau) fall over Kaya Akana (Wai)
Boys 160: Lowen Matsusaka (Kau) fall over Bryan Ingeniero (Wai)
Boys 160: Makena Holt (Kau) fall over Yong Kan Lin (Kau)
Girls 155: Joji Miner-Ho (Kap) fall over Audrey Warner (IS)
Boys 170: Braeden Jensen (Kap) fall over Kalama Fernandez (Wai)
Girls 138: Tessa Jensen (Kap) fall over Aliana Ho (IS)
Boys 182: Levi Eulalio (Kap) fall over Zydin Sarmiento (Wai)
Boys 285: Roger Delacruz (Wai) fall over Samuel Sapien (Kap)
Boys 138: Jayden Ogata (Kau) fall over Lucas Freitas-Diaz (Kap)
Boys 220: Cody Artaho (Wai) fall over Malachi Sacramento (Kap)
