Quinn Nagatani – Freestyling in Fargo

 

Freestyling in Fargo

PBA junior Quinn Nagatani takes 2nd in national wrestling tournament

From the Pacific Buddhist Academy Newsletter

While her Pacific Buddhist Academy (PBA) classmates were beach hopping from Makapu‘u to Sandy’s or hanging out in the mall food court, PBA junior Quinn Nagatani spent her summer training on the wrestling mat.  

Between her Pac-5 training and her participation in Team Hawai’i, a team made up of both private and public high school wrestlers from across the state, this summer Quinn attended as many as three practices in a day. “My schedule was: wake up, eat, go running, and then head over to Team Hawai’i practice,” said Quinn.  “After that I would train at Grapplers HI, which is a club that focuses on wrestling, judo and weight lifting. I had practice seven days a week.”

Last year this soft spoken 102-pound sixteen year old was distinguished as a second team all-conference ILH wrestler, a league-wide recognition awarded by ILH coaches for the quality of play.  She compiled a 22-6 record and finished second in her weight class in the state wrestling tournament.  This year she will lead the Pac-5 varsity girls wrestling team as its captain. 

According to PBA humanities instructor and Pac-5 coach Flynn Corson, “Quinn is perhaps the most committed and diligent young person I have ever had the pleasure to coach, teach, or know. She throws herself whole-heartedly into every endeavor and her involvement is always reflective of her unwavering moral character and natural leadership ability.”

In July, Quinn and several other Pac-5 wrestlers were selected to as members of Team Hawai’i to represent the state in the 2010 Junior Nationals Freestyle Tournament in Fargo, North Dakota.  Freestyle wrestling is a more creative and theatrical form of wrestling than the collegiate style that is practiced at the high school level.  “You get points for how high you lift a person when you slam them,” explained Quinn.  “And how nice a throw looks.” 

Quinn said she initially was unsure whether her style and skills were up to par but once she committed to going, decided she would “train as hard as I could and just leave it on the mat.”

The week before the tournament in Fargo, Quinn and her teammates underwent a regimen of three 2-3 hour practices daily.  In the tournament, Quinn competed among twenty girls in her weight class and won all five of her matches in her  bracket the first day of the tournament.  She lost only once that weekend, in the championship match, and took a solid but disappointing second place in her weight class.

That loss was difficult for Quinn.  “When I lost, I felt crushed,” she recalled.  “I didn’t want to call my dad or Coach Flynn to tell them I’d taken second when I was so close to getting first.”  It was not, however, pride or embarrassment that momentarily weighed heavily on her, but rather, her sense of genuine gratitude and the humility that it brings.  She said she thought about her parents constantly as she trained and during the competition in Fargo.  “When I was super tired and felt like giving up, I’d tell myself, ‘Your mom and dad gave up so much just so you could get here for this tournament. Don’t let them down!’”

Quinn remains undeterred.  She says she will return to Fargo next summer and this wrestling season, will “train smarter,” working on the weakness that she’s identified.  “There is always room for improvement so I can always keep practicing and perfecting.”

(Matside Hawaii) – Quinn made many wrestling fans take notice of her and her improvement when she wrestled Macy Yonamine in the 2010 ILH Championships 103 lb. final. Quinn proved a tough draw for the defending State champion and Quinn only trailed 4-2 into the 3rd period before being caught for a pin.

 

(Matside Hawaii) – Quinn continued her momentum into the 2010 HHSAA State Championships by having a great run and upsetting 2nd seeded BIIF Champion Alexandra Aoki of Konawaena 6-4. Quinn made it all the way to the finals before falling to Macy Yonamine and taking 2nd in the state.

2010 Excel Wrestling Summer Camp – Matside Coverage

The 2010 Excel Wrestling Summer Training Camp was held on July 1 (Thursday) through July 3 (Saturday) at Punahou School in the Intermediate wrestling room (Forrest Hall).

The camp was run by Excel Wrestling’s Executive Director and Head Coach, Steve Knight. Coach Knight was an NCAA All American and Big 12 Champion for Iowa State before becoming an assistant coach at ISU and training for the 1992 Olympics. He won the Pan American Championships in 1992 defeating the Cuban Olympic Bronze medallist and travelled as an alternate/training partner to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He has been a member of 2 US Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Coaching Staffs and has worked with USA Wrestling on the Senior Olympic Level for many years.

Accompanying Coach Knight were his sons, Evan, a two-time Iowa Class 3A state champion who will be attending Cornell on a wrestling scholarship, as well as Colby, who just finished his Freshman year at Urbandale High School by taking the runner-up spot at 103 lbs. in the 2010 Iowa Class 3A State Championships.

There were many notable wrestlers there as most of the Team Hawaii contingent attended. However, all of the wrestlers who attended took away from the camp excellent tutelage and coaching by Coach Knight, additional guidance from the local coaches who attended, drilling & live work with other wrestlers, comraderie, and just an overall great wrestling experience.

Is Hawaii Killing High School Wrestling?

A couple weeks ago, The Open Mat ran an interesting article titled “Who is to Blame, the Slow Death of College Wrestling” and it got me thinking: are we slowly killing high school wrestling in Hawaii?

On the surface, things don’t look too bad here. Participation is decent (if uneven), the caliber of wrestling is solid, and there’s a widespread youth program. The popularity of MMA has also helped get new youngsters into the game (not to mention their moms and dads) and that bodes well for future turnout.

But under the surface, there are systemic forces that threaten to undermine the viability of Hawaii’s high school wrestling. At its most basic, the powers that be (HHSAA and the leagues) should have a simple objective: make it as easy as possible for the kids that are interested in wrestling to get on the mat safely. But instead we have a weight monitoring system run amok; a redundant system that burdens already thin coaching staffs and doesn’t necessarily add to the safety of the athletes. We have a governing body that intentionally chooses not to follow NFHS weight classes, and now we’re (proposing) shortening the season once again and worse, moving it almost a month earlier which will make it harder still for football athletes to come out for wrestling, not to mention potentially impacting the safety of the athletes.

There are some things that are certainly beyond our control – most notably, budget cuts and a poor economy which makes it even harder to find coaches able to dedicate the immense amount of time a wrestling program requires. But instead of finding ways to help our wrestling programs, we seem to be trying even harder to find ways to derail wrestling in Hawaii. We find “solutions” to the problems we face by treating them as administrative problems, not as issues that have real impact on real student-athletes.

We need to find ways to help coaches with their workload, not add to it. And we need to make it easier for athletes to wrestle, not harder. I don’t have a solution for our challenges – believe me, I wish I did. But I wanted to raise this issue with our community, to start a dialog (and likely, debate) about finding constructive solutions going forward.

So what do you think?

2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships: Boys Finals – Matside Coverage

Attended the 2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center on May 8, 2010.  Coverage includes Boys Championship matches.

Notes/Observations:

I was hoping that the tournament organizers would hold all championship matches (Boys and Girls) on one mat which would have allowed me to give video coverage of all finals.  But they separated the Boys and Girls finals on back-to-back mats which put me in tough situation as there was no way I could run back and forth to capture all finals, so I had to choose.  With the seemingly more intriguing match-ups on the Boys side, I decided to give that side the coverage.

Note – Finalists are listed in order according to their seeding.  The order for the finalists’ picture from left to right are 6th, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 5th.

108

Brendan Chang (Maryknoll) vs Kelson Onigama (Moanalua)

Chang won by ippon.  Brendan, the top seed and ILH champion, defeated Kelson, the 3rd seed and OIA champion.  Brendan is a freshman and I believe so is Kelson, and that would mean many more years of battles between these two judoka.  Brendan brought home another individual state title for Maryknoll after Cassidy Oshiro brought home Maryknoll’s first title ever in wrestling this past season.

Congratulations to Brendan on your championship and to Kelson for a successful season!

(L to R) Justin Raymond (Konawaena), Zachary Kido (Campbell), Kelson Onigama (Moanalua), Brendan Chang (Maryknoll), Kevin Miyamasu (Moanalua), Jacob Arakaki (Kamehameha-Kapalama)

114

Jacob Palimo’o (Moanalua) vs Jordan Ng (Punahou)

Ng won by ippon.  Jordan, the 4th seed and ILH champion, defeated Jacob, the 2nd seed and OIA champion.  Jordan, a senior, ends his high school career with back-to-back state titles in wrestling and judo.  Jordan also won the state title last season at 108.  Jacob had a huge win in the quarterfinals over Cassidy Oshiro.

Congratulations to Jordan on your championship and to Jacob for a successful season!

(L to R) Cody Fernandez (Roosevelt) (stand-in shown), Skye Yonamine (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Jacob Palimo’o (Moanalua), Jordan Ng (Punahou), Cassidy Oshiro (Maryknoll), Logan Yamamoto (Iolani)

121

Logan Bucsit (Farrington) vs David Terao (MPI)

Terao won by ippon.  David, the 3rd seed and ILH champion, defeated Logan, the top seed and OIA champion.  These two know each other very well having battled in wrestling and judo for numerous years.  This was also a repeat of last season’s 114 final also won by David.  David has proven so dominant and with his 3rd state title under his belt, he will be gunning for a distinguished 4th next season.

Congratulations to David on your championship and to Logan for a successful season!

(L to R) Cody Uyejo (Mililani), Blaine Bolibol (Punahou), Logan Bucsit (Farrington), David Terao (MPI), Ryan Oda (Punahou), Brant Tsuda (Moanalua)

132

Brady Lafortune (Moanalua) vs Tyler Kono (Kapolei)

Lafortune won by ippon.  Brady, the 4th seed and OIA champion, defeated Tyler, the 7th seed and OIA runner-up.  Tyler is so tough and he scored a huge win over Sean Tachibana in the quarterfinals.  Brady was the talk of the tournament as he became the 4th judoka to win 4 state titles joining Taylor Iberra of Farrington, Lianne Tomishima of McKinley, and Christian Pavo of Pearl City.  But Brady became the first judoka in Hawaii history to win 4 state titles in 4 different weight classes.  Quite an accomplishment and something for all of the Hawaii judo community to be proud of!

Congratulations to Brady on your championship and to Tyler for a successful season!

(L to R) Koan Kojima (Roosevelt), Trevor Kalawaia (Kahuku), Tyler Kono (Kapolei), Brady Lafortune (Moanalua), Sean Tachibana (Maryknoll), Evan Uehara (Punahou)

145

Tyler Yonemori (Waiakea) vs Jordan Ogata (Mililani)

Yonemori won by wazari.  Tyler, the top seed and BIIF champion, defeated Jordan, the 7th seed and OIA runner-up.  Tyler improved on his 5th place finish last season at 145.  There was an early buzz this season about Tyler and he proved the hype was correct and he was the only neighbor island state champion this tournament.  Jordan scored an upset in the quarterfinals against Jacob Luning-Hoshino and he was the runner-up last season at 132.

Congratulations to Tyler on your championship and to Jordan for a successful season!

(L to R) Royce Mori (Damien), Jacob Luning-Hoshino (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Jordan Ogata (Mililani), Tyler Yonemori (Waiakea), Chaeden Grace-Reyes (Farrington), Cody Kagawa (University)

161

Kainalu Matthews (Kamehameha-Kapalama) vs Damon Hom Jr. (McKinley)

Hom won by ippon.  Damon, the 3rd seed and OIA champion, defeated Kainalu, the top seed and ILH champion.  This match gets my vote for the Best Winning Reaction, narrowly edging out Lafortune’s match, and also the Fastest Finals Ippon (8 seconds).  Damon was so ecstatic after his win that he literally leaped into the arms of Kainalu in a big bear hug, then he ran to bow and then ran off the mat… probably ran into the back somewhere to scream in happiness.  Damon finished 5th in the state last season at 161 and he finally captured his first state title in his senior year.  Kainalu has been so dominant all season and his height presented major problems for his opponents.

Congratulations to Damon on your championship and to Kainalu for a successful season!

(L to R) Tyler Vaughn (Hilo), Ken Kobayashi (Punahou), Kainalu Matthews (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Damon Hom Jr. (McKinley), Gaston Carr (Kahuku), Lindsey Nelson (Roosevelt)

178

Punahele Soriano (Kahuku) vs Robby Ostovich (Moanalua)

Soriano won by ippon.  Punahele, the 2nd seed and OIA champion, defeated Robby, the 5th seed and OIA runner-up.  Punahele has had quite a senior year capturing his first state title in wrestling and now another state title in judo.  Robby has been an accomplished wrestler and judoka and closes out his high school career as well.

Congratulations to Punahele on your championship and to Robby for a successful season!

(L to R) Taylor Sakanashi (McKinley), LJ Remillard (Punahou) (stand-in shown), Robby Ostovich (Moanalua), Punahele Soriano (Kahuku), Tevin Miyahara (Leilehua), Randy Ishitani (Roosevelt)

198

Myer Alokoa (Hawaii Center for the Deaf & Blind) vs Tyler Hayashi (Roosevelt)

Alokoa won by ippon.  Myer, the top seed and OIA champion, defeated Tyler, the 6th seed and OIA runner-up.  Quite a story for Myer who has learned to overcome his disability and capture his first state title after finishing 3rd in the state last season at 198.  Myer competed for Kalani in the regular season.  Tyler finished 3rd in the state last season at 178 and also had a runner-up finish in wrestling this past season.

Congratulations to Myer on your championship and to Tyler for a successful season!

(L to R) Kawika Scott (Konawaena), Warren Mamizuka (Kahuku), Tyler Hayashi (Roosevelt), Myer Alokoa (Hawaii Center for the Deaf & Blind), Diego Meyers (Campbell), Makale’a Medeiros (Baldwin)

220

Dane Paihi Pestano (Kamehameha-Kapalama) vs Kyle Tsubota (Lutheran)

Pestano won by yuko.  Paihi, the 3rd seed and ILH champion, defeated Kyle, the 8th seed and ILH runner-up.  This was Round 4 for these two top judoka.  During the ILH season, Paihi won twice and Kyle won once, and all were great, close battles… like a chess match, one unable to truly dominate the other.  Paihi, a freshman, is a national caliber judoka with Hawaii Tenri Judo Club and he will be setting his sights on a repeat title next season.  Kyle was the returning state champion at 220 and scored a big win over Jheryl Makaiau in the quarterfinals.

Congratulations to Paihi on your championship and to Kyle for a successful season!

(L to R) Demetrius Roby (Saint Louis), James Lloyd (Kaimuki) (stand-in shown), Kyle Tsubota (Lutheran), Paihi Pestano (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Jheryl Makaiau (Kahuku), Weston Akamine (Roosevelt)

275

Alex Kozuma (Moanalua) vs Keith Chargulaf-Tuilepa (Farrington)

Chargulaf-Tuilepa won by ippon.  Keith, the 4th seed and OIA champion, defeated Alex, the 3rd seed and OIA runner-up.  Keith was the runner-up last season at 275 and this was a sweet victory as Keith lost an OT battle with Jheryl Makaiau in the 285 state wrestling final.

Congratulations to Keith on your championship and to Alex for a successful season!

(L to R) Simeon Vierra (Kahuku), Iokepa Alcantra (Pearl City), Alex Kozuma (Moanalua), Keith Chargulaf-Tuilepa (Farrington), Kaulana Buchanan (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Abraham Hall (Saint Louis)

Team Runner-up

KAMEHAMEHA-KAPALAMA

The Warriors bested their rival Punahou (who finished 4th) after Punahou edged them out by 5 points at the ILH Championships.  This team has a talented, young nucleus returning and with Paihi Pestano anchoring the team for 3 more years, they will be aiming for a team title in the coming years.

Note – I didn’t manage to get a picture as Kainalu Matthews received the team trophy and left a little too fast for my camera.

Congratulations to Kamehameha-Kapalama on your success and to the Kamehameha-Kapalama coaching staff!

Team Champion

MOANALUA

Moanalua has always had a solid judo program, but Punahou has stood in their way the past 3 years.  Their team is very young and very talented and they will be shooting for no less than a repeat team championship next season.

Congratulations to Moanalua on your championship and to Coach Brandon Maki, Coach Scott Pak, and their staff!

Join the forum discussion on this post

2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships: Girls Finals – Matside Coverage

Attended the 2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center on May 8, 2010.  Coverage includes Girls Championship matches.

Notes/Observations:

I was hoping that the tournament organizers would hold all championship matches (Boys and Girls) on one mat which would have allowed me to give video coverage of all finals.  But they separated the Boys and Girls finals on back-to-back mats which put me in tough situation as there was no way I could run back and forth to capture all finals, so I had to choose.  With the seemingly more intriguing match-ups on the Boys side, I decided to give that side the coverage.  However, I did manage to get pictures of the awards ceremony for the Girls and they are shown under each final capsule.

Note – Finalists are listed in order according to their seeding.  The order for the finalists’ picture from left to right are 6th, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 5th.

98

Erin Uehara (Punahou) vs Marina Higa (McKinley)

Uehara won by wazari.  Erin, the top seed and ILH champion, defeated the 3rd seed and OIA champion Marina.  Erin placed 4th in the state last season at 98 and the senior has been on a mission this season.

Congratulations to Erin on your championship and to Marina for a successful season!

(L to R) Mary Jane Garcia (Waipahu), Taylor Vidad (Pearl City), Marina Higa (McKinley), Erin Uehara (Punahou), Meagan Aina (Kamehameha-Hawaii), Victoria Meno (Moanalua)

103

Marissa Rogers (McKinley) vs Shayla Pang-Kee (Castle)

Rogers won by ippon.  There were big upsets in this bracket as Marissa, the 9th seed, defeated Shayla, the 14th seed.  Marissa placed 3rd in the OIAs and 4th in the state last season at 103.

Congratulations to Marissa on your championship and to Shayla for a successful season!

(L to R) Shanelle Ramelb (Kapolei), Jamie Kakugawa (Campbell), Shayla Pang-Kee (Castle), Marissa Rogers (McKinley), Kimmi Lum (University), Toni Uyehara (Pearl City)

109

Brittnay Balanay (McKinley) vs Kayla Martin (Kahuku)

Balanay won by wazari.  Brittany, the top seed and OIA champion, defeated Kayla, the 10th seed.  Brittany also took home the 109 title last season and has been the cornerstone for a very successful McKinley Girls team this season.  Kayla had a nice run to reach the finals and she placed 3rd in the OIAs and was the runner-up at 109 in the state last season as well.

Congratulations to Brittany on your championship and to Kayla for a successful season!

(L to R) Mary Coroando (Kaimuki), Taylor Castro (Pearl City), Kayla Martin (Kahuku), Brittany Balanay (McKinley), Nicole Taniguchi (Punahou), Diane Mikuni (Kapolei)

115

Bree Rapoza (Kamehameha-Kapalama) vs Megan Yamaguchi (Kalani)

Rapoza won by ippon.  Bree, the 3rd seed and ILH champion, defeated Marisa, the 4th seed and OIA champion.  This was also a battle between two current state champion wrestlers.  Bree, a freshman, has proven dominant this season and it is likely that she could become a 4-time state champion in both sports.  Megan placed 3rd in the state last season.

Congratulations to Bree on your championship and to Megan for a successful season!

(L to R) Ilisha Badua (Kapolei), Ayame Higa (McKinley), Megan Yamaguchi (Kalani), Bree Rapoza (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Marisa Fukunaga (Roosevelt), Jenna Aina (Kamehameha-Hawaii)

122

Tiare Mashima (Kamehameha-Kapalama) vs Brittney Shinsato (Kalani)

Shinsato won by wazari.  Brittney, the 8th seed, upset the 2nd seed and ILH champion Tiare.  Brittney was the runner-up in the OIAs.

Congratulations to Brittney on your championship and to Tiare for a successful season!

(L to R) Liko Fukumoto (Moanalua), Tiare Mashima (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Brittney Shinsato (Kalani), Julia Afuso (Iolani), Rochelle Pagaduan (Waipahu)
Note – the organizers failed to call out 6th place finisher Shayla Rivera of King Kekaulike, but did call her up later.

129

Chrissy Chow (Punahou) vs Tanalei Louis (Konawaena)

Chow won by ippon.  Chrissy, the top seed and ILH champion, defeated Tanalei, the 3rd seed and BIIF champion.  Chrissy is a national caliber judoka with Hawaii Tenri Judo Club.  This is her 3rd state title in as many years and she will be shooting for a 4th next season.

Congratulations to Chrissy on your championship and to Tanalei for a successful season!

(L to R) Lindsay Villarmia (Aiea), Tara Srirangarajan (Iolani), Tanalei Louis (Konawaena), Chrissy Chow (Punahou), Kiana Borengasser (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Abigail Helenihi (Kapolei)

139

Morgan Yamaguchi (Kalani) vs Mindy Chow (Punahou)

Chow won by han soku make.  Mindy, the 4th seed and ILH champion, defeated Morgan, the 2nd seed and OIA champion.  Mindy is a national caliber judoka with Hawaii Tenri Judo Club.  This is her 2nd state title in as many years and she will be shooting for a 3rd next season.  Morgan placed 3rd in the state last season at 129.

Congratulations to Mindy on your championship and to Morgan for a successful season!

(L to R) Lacey Katakura-Enos (Pearl City), Rachel Factora (Campbell), Morgan Yamaguchi (Kalani), Mindy Chow (Punahou), Kayla Mishima (HBA), Kalena Shiroma (Kamehameha-Hawaii)

154

Amber Ah Sue (Kahuku) vs Kaimana Lundquist (Punahou)

Lundquist won by ippon.  Kaimana, the 3rd seed and ILH champion, defeated Amber, the top seed and OIA champion.  Kaimana is a national caliber judoka with Hawaii Tenri Judo Club.  This is her 2nd state title in as many years and she will be shooting for a 3rd next season.  Amber was the runner-up in the state last season at 154.

Congratulations to Kaimana on your championship and to Amber for a successful season!

(L to R) Tiffany Kotani (Moanalua), Jayna Koko (Roosevelt), Amber Ah Sue (Kahuku), Kaimana Lundquist (Punahou), Kasie Kashimoto (Iolani), Meridian Burrhus (Aiea)

172

Tiara Kaye (Punahou) vs Mei Ling Keiki (Pearl City)

Keiki won by ippon.  Mei Ling, the 4th seed and OIA champion, defeated Tiara, the 2nd seed and ILH champion.  This has been a great school year for Mei Ling as she also recently brought home a state title in wrestling.  Mei Ling was the runner-up in the state last season at 172.  Tiara placed 5th in the state last season at 139.

Congratulations to Mei Ling on your championship and to Tiara for a successful season!

(L to R) Joo Yeon Kang (Moanalua), Aja Gample (St. Francis) (stand-in shown), Tiara Kaye (Punahou), Mei Ling Keiki (Pearl City), Makana Borden (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Erika Bareng (Waipahu)

220

Patrice Yamane (Castle) vs Sanoe Spencer (Pearl City)

Spencer won by ippon.  Sanoe, the 12th see, upset the 3rd seed and OIA champion Patrice.  This has been a great school year for Sanoe as she also recently brought home a state title in wrestling.  Sanoe was the runner-up in the state last season at 220.  Patrice placed 3rd in the state last season at 220.

Congratulations to Sanoe on your championship and to Patrice for a successful season!

(L to R) Sade Hendricks (Leilehua), Patrice Yamane (Castle), Sanoe Spencer (Pearl City), Jamilyn Chur (Pearl City), Angela Kim (University)

Team Runner-up

PEARL CITY

This has been a great season for the Pearl City Girls.  They narrowly beat McKinley for the OIA team title by 1 point, and edged McKinley yet again by 3 points to capture the runner-up trophy.

Congratulations to Pearl City on your success and to Coach Rob Puahala and his staff!

Team Champion

PUNAHOU

Despite not placing in 4 weight classes, Punahou still managed to defend their team title by 31 points by having 4 state champions.  The team only loses Erin Uehara to graduation, so they will be shooting to defend their title again next season.

Congratulations to Punahou on your championship and to Coach Greg Chow and his staff!

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2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships – Matside Coverage

Attended the 2010 HHSAA State Judo Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center on May 8, 2010. Coverage includes pictures of selected matches.

Notes/Observations:

It was great to see the number of participants from all the schools and the support for them as well. There were some critics before the start of the season who stated that with the IJF rule changes there would be a big drop in numbers of judoka. From what I saw, judo is alive and well in the islands.

With matches being conducted on six mats simultaneously, it was hectic and impossible to keep track of match details. Therefore, the following coverage includes various pictures of selected matches from non-finals matches (1st round, quarterfinals, semifinals, consolation rounds) with no captions that celebrate the spirit of the State Judo Championships.

Join the forum discussion on this post

2010 ILH Championships – Matside Coverage

 

Attended the ILH Championships at Punahou on April 24, 2010.  Coverage included pictures and video of championship matches.

Notes/Observations:

Congratulations go out to the Pac-Five Boys and the Punahou Girls on their team championships!  Once again, it is too bad that Pac-Five has to disband as a team at States or they would have to be considered among the Boys favorites along with Moanalua and Roosevelt.

The only championship matches without any media was the Girls 220 where Angela Kim of Pac-Five went unopposed, and the Girls 122 where Tiare Mashima of Kamehameha defeated Julia Afuso of Iolani… the pictures taken were not sufficient.

Pictures were taken of the Boys awards ceremony and they are shown under the appropriate weight classes.  Sorry, but I was unable to take pictures for the Girls side.

The State Championships is on May 8 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

98

Erin Uehara (Punahou) vs Lauren Fukuhara (Punahou)

Uehara won by ippon.  The battle of the teammates with Erin pulling out the win.  Erin placed 4th in the state last season and is shooting to take home the title this time in her Senior year. 

108

Brendan Chang (Pac-5) vs Jordon Kondo (Punahou)

Chang won by ippon.  Brendan, a freshman, has been very strong the entire season and with Cassidy Oshiro set now at 114, Brendan has a shot at trying to secure a state title.  Jordon, a freshman, is in his first year of judo.

 

103

Kimmi Lum (Pac-5) vs Kiana Block (Iolani)

Lum won by ippon.

109

Nicole Taniguchi (Punahou) vs Holly Kogachi (Punahou)

Taniguchi won by ippon.  Another battle of the Punahou teammates.  Macy Yonamine from Kamehameha was seen in street clothes and did not compete… not sure of the reason why.

115

Bree Rapoza (Kamehameha) vs Alexandria Carlyle (Iolani)

Rapoza won by ippon.  Bree has been very dominant this season and is looking to take her first state title as a freshman.

129

Chrissy Chow (Punahou) vs Dana Tsuruda (Pac-5)

Chow won by ippon.  Chrissy has been dominant this season and the returning state champion at 115 is aiming to capture another title.

161

Kainalu Matthews (Kamehameha) vs Ethan Sumida (Pac-5)

Matthews won by ippon.  Kainalu has been dominant the entire season.  He is so much taller than his competition that is creates all kinds of problems for them.  Ethan, runner-up last season at 161, was battling back problems today.  There were two times during the match where he slowly got up in pain, but gutted it out and continued.  On the final throw, he was in incredible pain and had to be assisted off the mat.  With 2 weeks off, here’s hoping that Ethan can heal and be at 100% for states.

Anthony Kwon of Pac-5 was on the bracket but did not compete.  Among the top competitors in the state, he has not competed all season due to injury.

 

139

Mindy Chow (Punahou) vs Kayla Mishima (Pac-5)

Chow won by ippon.  Mindy has been dominant this season and the returning state champion at 122 is aiming to capture another title.  Kayla is the sister of former state champion Risha Mishima.

178

Garrett Chan (Iolani) vs Bronson Taketa (Damien)

Chan won by ippon (2 wazari).  Garrett has been very strong this season and after finishing 5th last season at 178, he is looking to secure a state title.  Bronson has been solid all season for a very strong Damien team.

 

154

Kaimana Lundquist (Punahou) vs Kasie Kashimoto (Iolani)

Lundquist won.  Kaimana is the returning state champion at 172.

198

Lukela Los Banos (Pac-5) vs Tyler Mizota (Punahou)

Mizota won by ippon.  An upset for Tyler who is like a bulldog on the mat.  Lukela will be even hungrier heading into states.

 

172

Makana Borden (Kamehameha) vs Tiara Kaye (Punahou)

Kaye won.  An upset for Tiara after Makana was given a hansokumake for a leg grab.  Tiara, a sophomore, has been very tough this season.  Makana placed 4th in the state last season and will not make the same mistake again at states.

275

Abraham Hall (Saint Louis) vs Kaulana Buchanan (Kamehameha)

Buchanan won by ippon.  Kaulana placed 6th in the state last season at 220 and is a fiery and spirited competitor.  Abraham has been solid all season and these two will try to tackle the OIA big boys at states.

114

Cassidy Oshiro (Pac-5) vs Jordan Ng (Punahou)

Ng won by ippon (2 wazari).  Jordan, the returning state champion at 108, is seeking another title.  He has not been denied this season and is coming back down to 114 after defeating David Terao at 121 earlier.  Jordan also beat Cassidy in last season’s state final at 108, and if these two meet up again, Cassidy will be hoping that the third time is the charm.

121

David Terao (Pac-5) vs Ryan Oda (Punahou)

Terao won by ippon.  David, the returning state champion at 114, will be going for another title at 121.  He has been so dominant this season and just seems to be a notch above his competition.  Ryan placed 3rd in the state last season at 114.

132

Korey Higa (Damien) vs Sean Tachibana (Pac-5)

Tachibana won by ippon (2 wazari).  Korey has been strong all season and was with Pac-Five last season, so he and Sean are familiar with one another.  Sean placed 3rd in the state last season at 121 and has been very impressive this season.  If the brackets at states play out as anticipated, Sean could see a highly anticipated matchup and final with Moanalua’s Brady Lafortune.

145

Royce Mori (Damien) vs Jacob Luning-Hoshino (Kamehameha)

Luning-Hoshino won.  Royce has been dominant all season, as has Jacob who was earlier competing at 161.  Jacob placed 4th in the state last season at 145 and is shooting to improve on that placing this season.  Royce will bounce back even stronger.

220

Kyle Tsubota (Pac-5) vs Paihi Pestano (Kamehameha)

Pestano won by yuko.  This is the 3rd time this season these two top judoka have met.  The first time around, Paihi won 2 yuko to 1.  The second time, Kyle won due to a hansokumake (leg grab).  They have big boy Jheryl Makaiau of Kahuku and the OIA waiting for them at states, but there’s a good possibility that it will be round 4 for these two in the finals with everything on the line.

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2010 ILH Inter/JV Championships – Matside Coverage

Attended the ILH Intermediate/JV Championships at Punahou on April 23, 2010.  Coverage included various pics.

Notes/Observations:

This was the first time this season being able to attend an ILH Intermediate/JV tournament.  I only stayed for a partial time but managed to get some pics, but no finals results or team results.  Since I am unfamiliar with the players, give or take a few, these are various pics with no captions.  Based on the turnout seen on the teams, the future of the ILH Varsity looks to be in good hands.

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ILH Duals at Kamehameha – Matside Coverage

Attended the ILH Duals at Kamehameha on April 16, 2010.  Coverage included various pics.

Notes/Observations:

This was the final dual meets of the ILH regular season.  Since I have given coverage to many of the notable players and matches previously, and plan to give specific coverage at the ILH Championships next week, I wanted to use this opportunity to give recognition to all the players, teams, and coaches… or as many as I could.  Therefore, the following coverage is various pics with no captions that celebrate all that is ILH judo.

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UC Davis – A Message from Coach Zelesky

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