HONOLULU — Waimea High School junior Skyelynn Ripley grappled to a fifth-place finish during the 20th Officials Scholarship Tournament at Leilehua High School on O‘ahu last weekend, said Coach Mac Pigott, the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation wrestling tournament director.
HONOLULU — Waimea High School junior Skyelynn Ripley grappled to a fifth-place finish during the 20th Officials Scholarship Tournament at Leilehua High School on O‘ahu last weekend, said Coach Mac Pigott, the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation wrestling tournament director.
Pigott said the tournament drew more than 600 wrestlers representing 38 high schools from the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association. Waimea High School, with Ripley, De’andrei Gonzales and Shawn Parraga, represented the KIF at the two-day tournament.
Gonzales and Parraga each finished 2-2.
“Gonzales, who also wrestled with Ripley in the 52nd annual Garner Ivey Maui Invitational Tournament, set the pace and made a statement when he battled to a 10-9 triple-overtime win over Pearl City in his first round at the tournament,” Pigott said. “If anyone has ever wrestled a regulation six-minute match, they know how hard it is. To wrestle for seven minutes and 30 seconds is intense!”
Pigott said Parraga answered the challenge of his first major tournament to finish 2-2, a respectable performance in the very tough 160-pound class.
Ripley and other KIF wahine grapplers will travel to Punahou School for the Pa‘ani Challenge, an all-girls tournament that runs Dec. 22 and 23.
The KIF boys have the week off, and will wrap up the preseason at the Moanalua Duals that contests Dec. 29 and 30.
The KIF season opener will open on Jan. 14 at Kaua‘i High School, with wrestlers weighing in from 8 a.m. and the first matches expected to start at 10 a.m. This year marks the 10th anniversary since high school wrestling was sanctioned on Kaua‘i.
