LIHUE — Kauai High School graduate Matthew Tamanaha perhaps doesn’t have as long a wrestling career as those he will be facing at the collegiate level.
He doesn’t see that as a detriment, however, as he prepares for the next phase of his life.
“I was one of those kids that was always trying to have fun in high school,” Tamanaha said Wednesday. “In my earlier days — my freshman, sophomore and junior years — I was trying out all these different sports. Freshman year, I did football, basketball and track. I was just trying to find something to do and have fun.”
He added: “I still feel like I’m a young wrestler. I don’t have many years under my belt, but I don’t think it’s a big problem. I’ve been training with a lot of kids that’s done wrestling for a long time. I’m able to keep up. … There’s still so much more room for improvement. There’s always room for improvement.”
Tamanaha received a partial scholarship and will wrestle for Western State Colorado University, an NCAA Division II school in Gunnison, Colo.
Tamanaha, 18, of Lihue, wrestled for three years for Kauai High School. In addition to wrestling, he played three years of football — one year varsity — and one year of junior varsity basketball.
He went for wrestling during his sophomore year at the suggestion of a football coach at the school.
“At the end of the year (during freshman year), he recommended it to all of us,” Tamanaha said. “He said it would help with balance, strength and aggression, and he said it really helped his son out. So, I got interested. I told my dad, and he said, ‘Let’s go check it out.’”
He was the Kauai Interscholastic Federation winner in the boys 138-pound weight class his senior year.
At the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament, he advanced as far as the quarterfinals on the championship bracket before being eliminated.
He humbly said Wednesday he’s not exactly a blue chip college prospect. But rather than view that negatively, it’s helped him realize how much he has to do to be a better wrestler.
Through a recruiting website, Tamanaha said, he made contact with Western State Colorado University. When he talked with the school’s coaches, Tamanaha said they emphasized potential rather than results.
“When they asked me about my high school career, I was like, ‘I wasn’t great. … My record wasn’t super high.’ They were like, ‘No, we don’t care about that. How do you feel you’ve improved over the years,” he said. “I told them, ‘I came a long way.’ Even comparing myself to junior year, I was way worse than I am (now).”
“They said, ‘When you get to college, it’s a completely another level. When you start out, you got all these freshmen who were two-time state champs, undefeated guys. Then, they just quit because they can’t handle it. … Just know that in your freshman year, you’re going to get handled. They’ve been wrestling for two to three years. They know how to grind it out, and you just got to learn from them. I want you to show me how much you can (do that).’ That’s when I realized I want to wrestle with them.”
He visited the campus in October, and about a month later he signed his letter of intent.
“It was big. You look down. It’s just five pieces of paper, but then as you’re reading it, it feels like it’s so much more than that,” Tamanaha said. “It feels different. It’s kind of hard to explain. It was a really cool experience.”
Tamanaha is a native of Kapiolani, Oahu, and his family settled on Kauai while he was in middle school.
The former Red Raider grappler will leave for Colorado later this month.
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Are you taking your game to the college ranks? Share your story with us. Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
