2014 Wrestling Speculation and Nonsense

[Leftfieldcoachlikeu]

Team title is wrapped up already. Congrats to Lahaina with your 11 placers! You worked hard all summer and earned it for Chanse! The OIA is lead by Campbell with 7 placers...

[halaokolele]

Looking back from the beginning to the week before States:

Looks like it will between Lahaina & Campbell vying for first with Pearl City & Punahou battling it out for third.

106- Kato vs Paguryan: Toss up match and should make for a great final, Paguryan out worked Kato at Officials but that was a long time ago and as a team Punahou has been picking up the pace and it looks like they are buying into Hondas program.
114- Terukina vs Ng: ILH has some touch competition at this weight and Terukina has been pulling it off all year long, if he is anything like his brother he will be at his best during states
120- Balagso vs Natividad: Should be a great battle between the two schools looking to claim their first title. Balagso has been here before and has experience he is a grinder but Natividad is just a little more athletic, I’m looking for the upset with Natividad pulling it off late.
125- Ursua vs Rosen: Ursua has not looked as sharp as I expected however he still has plenty enough to win his second title.
132- Terao vs Diamond: 4x! Terao when serious is untouchable in this part of the Pacific, the young Diamond is a gamer but the Diamond curse lives on!
138- Akeo vs Stevenson: Kind of a toss up between Pascua & Stevenson for the finals on the bottom side however it does not really matter when they get to the finals because
Akeo will be waiting to take his third title home.
145- Jaramillo vs Corbett: Lunas with their first title of the evening! Forget about Corbett beating Jaramillo in practice this is for the title and Jaramillo will not disappoint.
152- Solomon vs Valdez: It looked like a walk in the park for Solomon early on however with the way Punahou is peaking for states Valdez could pull this off. Solomon is the better athlete but Valdez looks primed and does what he does very good. Valdez with the upset
160- Cooper vs Rosen St John: One of the most dominant wrestlers and could pin his way through the whole tournament, Cooper with his third title.
170- Kiehm vs Williams: Two of the dominant wrestlers in this weight class finally get to meet head to head, should be exciting as both of these guys like to score points in the end my money is on Kiehm.
182- Hoshino vs Wiseman: Many thought Hoshino would be in the finals but not this one. He maybe a darkhorse but he should get to the finals and have a chance but Wiseman will be waiting to snatch one for Kapolei.
195- Chan vs Tau: What was Tokioka thinking he looked really dominant at 220lb and beat up #1 seed Furuta before he walked off at Officials, He does not look as strong or quick in this lower class and will be in tough battles throughout. Lots of parity in this weight class with the OIA being pretty stacked I’ll go with Chan
220- Furuta vs Worrell: Furuta will finally get one before he starts his career as a linebacker with UH. Look for Ludazo to make some noise if he is “on” he could reachthe finals.
285- Tia vs Mowat: OIA had two tough ones in Tia and Fuamatu and would not be surprised if they met up in the finals, I do feel Tia has a better route to get there and Mowat will have his hands full with whoever comes out of match#221. Tia reaches the finals again but this time wins it.
MONKEY WRENCHES:
Crimmins
Kamaka
Tau

Everyone has a shot with one lucky move or the best tournament of their life, should be a great tournament and look forward to this weekend.

[WrestlerJudoka]

Hows it going wrestling Judoka. Let's see if I can kinda clarify my selections. (This list was off the top of my head, no Vegas style research went into this!)


Questionable predictions:

Kojima vs. Mauliola?
I simply put my best guess forward. No real idea who takes this one.

Liemsithisak vs. Dilliner?
The Campbell girl just seems to weather the initial storm of every match and prevails. It's probably a whole bunch of luck but who knows?
I'll consider this my underdog pick.

Lee vs. Pacheco?
Both girls are feisty and aggressive. I like Lee because she's physically more proportioned and looks stronger. But it's a close one!!!

Peralta vs. Dudoit Vasquez
I've watched Campbell at a few tournaments and Westerns. Peralta is just a better wrestler. She's bigger, stronger and moves better.
Jaramillo and Peralta would have been a better match. Perhaps next year????

Any head - head preseason matches with these girls?

Not that I'm aware of. It may happen this weekend!

Head-head Dilliner beat Liemsithisak at Paani 9-5. Kojima and Mauliola have yet to meet.

[eastside]

Parguryuan(Kap) will need to get past both Watase(Iol) and Cabanban(St. Louis). It won't be easy....

Ng(Iol) will also have a battle with Wigzell (Lah) or Gallarde(Camp) although he did beat both.

Natividad(Camp) will need to get past Saribay(King K) and I have him with the upset

I don't think Rosen will be there.... He will have a tough qrters against Tabiola (Moa). Akina(Bal) is my pick but will come up short against Ursua(PC)

Valdez(Pun) will have to get past Kamaka(Lei) or Campos(Lah) and I'll take one of them for the win and into the finals

Williams(Cast) beat Khiem(Iol) by 3 or 4 points and should again pull out the victory.

Heavyweights will be a war with four kids that will have a legit shot for the title

[Kama]

WRESTLING Athletes of the week

» Josh Terao, Mid-Pacific: Pinned Punahou's Joshua Crimmins in the first round to win the fourth ILH championship of his career.

» Zoe Hernandez, Punahou: Beat Kamehameha's Taj Vierra 11-3 to wrap up her fourth ILH championship.

» Blake Cooper, Pearl City: Beat Campbell's Francis Taua for his third OIA title.

» Brayden Akeo, Mililani: Beat Waianae's Jacob Naosusuga for his third OIA title.

» Shandon Iabon Totten, Kapolei: Beat Kaiser's Chance Ikei 14-13 in a thrilling match to win his first OIA title.

» Angela Peralta, Campbell: Pinned Kapolei's Taysia Kano to win the OIA title as a freshman and help the Sabers to their first team title.

[Leftfieldcoachlikeu]

Very interesting gamble, Campbell. With both Lahaina and Campbell fighting for the team title, they decide not to fight for the 2nd or 3rd seed in the girls 135. This means Peralta will meet Vasquez in semis and not finals. Someone's semifinal advancement points are going to get Blocked! Very sly guy, Buehler.

[Leftfieldcoachlikeu]

Looking back from the beginning to the week before States:

Looks like it will between Lahaina & Campbell vying for first with Pearl City & Punahou battling it out for third.

106- Kato vs Paguryan: Toss up match and should make for a great final, Paguryan out worked Kato at Officials but that was a long time ago and as a team Punahou has been picking up the pace and it looks like they are buying into Hondas program.
114- Terukina vs Ng: ILH has some touch competition at this weight and Terukina has been pulling it off all year long, if he is anything like his brother he will be at his best during states
120- Balagso vs Natividad: Should be a great battle between the two schools looking to claim their first title. Balagso has been here before and has experience he is a grinder but Natividad is just a little more athletic, I’m looking for the upset with Natividad pulling it off late.
125- Ursua vs Rosen: Ursua has not looked as sharp as I expected however he still has plenty enough to win his second title.
132- Terao vs Diamond: 4x! Terao when serious is untouchable in this part of the Pacific, the young Diamond is a gamer but the Diamond curse lives on!
138- Akeo vs Stevenson: Kind of a toss up between Pascua & Stevenson for the finals on the bottom side however it does not really matter when they get to the finals because
Akeo will be waiting to take his third title home.
145- Jaramillo vs Corbett: Lunas with their first title of the evening! Forget about Corbett beating Jaramillo in practice this is for the title and Jaramillo will not disappoint.
152- Solomon vs Valdez: It looked like a walk in the park for Solomon early on however with the way Punahou is peaking for states Valdez could pull this off. Solomon is the better athlete but Valdez looks primed and does what he does very good. Valdez with the upset
160- Cooper vs Rosen St John: One of the most dominant wrestlers and could pin his way through the whole tournament, Cooper with his third title.
170- Kiehm vs Williams: Two of the dominant wrestlers in this weight class finally get to meet head to head, should be exciting as both of these guys like to score points in the end my money is on Kiehm.
182- Hoshino vs Wiseman: Many thought Hoshino would be in the finals but not this one. He maybe a darkhorse but he should get to the finals and have a chance but Wiseman will be waiting to snatch one for Kapolei.
195- Chan vs Tau: What was Tokioka thinking he looked really dominant at 220lb and beat up #1 seed Furuta before he walked off at Officials, He does not look as strong or quick in this lower class and will be in tough battles throughout. Lots of parity in this weight class with the OIA being pretty stacked I’ll go with Chan
220- Furuta vs Worrell: Furuta will finally get one before he starts his career as a linebacker with UH. Look for Ludazo to make some noise if he is “on” he could reachthe finals.
285- Tia vs Mowat: OIA had two tough ones in Tia and Fuamatu and would not be surprised if they met up in the finals, I do feel Tia has a better route to get there and Mowat will have his hands full with whoever comes out of match#221. Tia reaches the finals again but this time wins it.
MONKEY WRENCHES:
Crimmins
Kamaka
Tau

Everyone has a shot with one lucky move or the best tournament of their life, should be a great tournament and look forward to this weekend.

145- Corbett would beat Jaramillo in practice? I bet Corbett wishes this was a Greco or freestyle championship. It's gonna tough for him to best Jaramillo in folkstyle

[halaokolele]

Girls Predictions:

With talent spread throughout the field, the race for the title will fall to Lahaina and Kamehameha. Lahaina is loaded again and should finally pull this off.

97- Phant Hadara vs Chaves: Maia has been simply dominant all year long and is perhaps one of the better skilled girls we have seen for awhile. Chaves has been tough in Maui but they have definitely not seen the likes of Maia. Maia and its not even close, should win all matches by FALL

101- Gonsalves vs Pundyke: Gonsalves and her Waianae team has taken judo/wrestling to a new level this year coupled with her aggressiveness she has been pulling out wins ever since she decided 97 was to much of a weigh cut. Pundyke has been close at times and at others looks to be “spooked”. Should be another tight one but the experience will pull it out for Gonsalves.

105- Enos vs Kaulili: Enos has a great path to the finals and if she does not get frustrated will be able to pull it out but history has shown that to get to Enos just get into her mind and her frustration quickly takes over. Kaulili has more than enough to give it a go but has former state champions Takaesu on the block. Enos seems to be putting it together and will pull it off late in the match

109- Freitas vs Lee: Freitas who is part of the Maui Machine has not faced an opponent like Lee, which will make for a great match up in a low scoring affair. In the end Freitas should pull this off but don’t count out Lee

113- Mauliola vs Kojima: Both girls have a shot here in perhaps the division that is up for grabs.

117- Dilliner vs Liemsithisak: Dilliner has been impressive all year long and cake walked her way through her league title, she will be facing a very game Liemsithisak who had a great performance in the OIA championship to stake her claim at this weight class. Both wrestlers posses offensive know how so who will blink first. Toss up

121- Pacheco vs Lee: ** Clearly the match of the evening on the girls side: Two returning state champions giving it a go. It will be Pacheco’s double legs vs Lee’s Head & Arm both have been extremely successful. All of Lee’s matches seem to end with a head & arm and girls continue to walk right into it like the fly and the purple shocking light. Pacheco brings a little more skills to the table but Lee shows the drive and athletic ability that cant be coached. I think Pacheco will pull it out if she does not get caught also got to give her credit for slimming down to beat a champion.

125- Paaaina vs Torres Umi: Paaina dropped a couple of weight classes and learned some valuable lessons of last year, she has been look good in her last couple of matches. Torres Umi seems to be on a quest to bring one home for the Farmers, Umi with the upset.

130- Alo vs ?: Whoever comes out of the bottom side of the bracket gets to meet Alo. There is no such thing as an automatic in wrestling but if there was Alo as champion would be first in line. Not sure if she had a total of a 1:30 seconds in last years tournament. Unbelievable talent and fun to watch as she goes for the FALL! Heard the over/under is 1:35 this year.

135- Peralta vs Ching: Peralta was the reason behind so much of the ILH elite in this weight class to leave as no one wanted to face the upcoming freshman. Although she does not carry a intimidator factor she has been dominant. Ching has a nice path to the finals and will edge out a victory over the freshman

140- ** Jaramillo vs Hernandez: This ones old school! The bulls of each island meeting at the park and going at it! Two returning state champions making the claim to who is the “Bull” Both are very physical wrestlers who do not step backwards and wont let each other intimidate them. Both also have state champion brothers so its in their blood. If I had to choose ….sorry just watching this one.

155- Tabion vs Kanakanui: I think its time for Kapolei to add another state champion to their showcase. Tabion should pull this one off with her aggression and will to win

175- Fautanu vs Alo: Call it instinct but I’m going with the last name on this one.

220- Mataafa vs ?: She is so far ahead of anybody in her weight class in regards to athleticism and skill set its almost not fair. This is another one of those automatics! The real competition will be to see who has less time on the mat Alo or Mataafa both will destroy their opponents but who will get the fastest FALL(s)

[wrestling808]

Just a chance to read the star advertiser article on Zoe Hernandez and Josh Terao. It was nice of them to point out Hernandez has a bad ankle and bum shoulder. Great scouting report.

[Kama]

Girls Predictions:

With talent spread throughout the field, the race for the title will fall to Lahaina and Kamehameha. Lahaina is loaded again and should finally pull this off.

97- Phant Hadara vs Chaves: Maia has been simply dominant all year long and is perhaps one of the better skilled girls we have seen for awhile. Chaves has been tough in Maui but they have definitely not seen the likes of Maia. Maia and its not even close, should win all matches by FALL

101- Gonsalves vs Pundyke: Gonsalves and her Waianae team has taken judo/wrestling to a new level this year coupled with her aggressiveness she has been pulling out wins ever since she decided 97 was to much of a weigh cut. Pundyke has been close at times and at others looks to be “spooked”. Should be another tight one but the experience will pull it out for Gonsalves.

105- Enos vs Kaulili: Enos has a great path to the finals and if she does not get frustrated will be able to pull it out but history has shown that to get to Enos just get into her mind and her frustration quickly takes over. Kaulili has more than enough to give it a go but has former state champions Takaesu on the block. Enos seems to be putting it together and will pull it off late in the match

109- Freitas vs Lee: Freitas who is part of the Maui Machine has not faced an opponent like Lee, which will make for a great match up in a low scoring affair. In the end Freitas should pull this off but don’t count out Lee

113- Mauliola vs Kojima: Both girls have a shot here in perhaps the division that is up for grabs.

117- Dilliner vs Liemsithisak: Dilliner has been impressive all year long and cake walked her way through her league title, she will be facing a very game Liemsithisak who had a great performance in the OIA championship to stake her claim at this weight class. Both wrestlers posses offensive know how so who will blink first. Toss up

121- Pacheco vs Lee: ** Clearly the match of the evening on the girls side: Two returning state champions giving it a go. It will be Pacheco’s double legs vs Lee’s Head & Arm both have been extremely successful. All of Lee’s matches seem to end with a head & arm and girls continue to walk right into it like the fly and the purple shocking light. Pacheco brings a little more skills to the table but Lee shows the drive and athletic ability that cant be coached. I think Pacheco will pull it out if she does not get caught also got to give her credit for slimming down to beat a champion.

125- Paaaina vs Torres Umi: Paaina dropped a couple of weight classes and learned some valuable lessons of last year, she has been look good in her last couple of matches. Torres Umi seems to be on a quest to bring one home for the Farmers, Umi with the upset.

130- Alo vs ?: Whoever comes out of the bottom side of the bracket gets to meet Alo. There is no such thing as an automatic in wrestling but if there was Alo as champion would be first in line. Not sure if she had a total of a 1:30 seconds in last years tournament. Unbelievable talent and fun to watch as she goes for the FALL! Heard the over/under is 1:35 this year.

135- Peralta vs Ching: Peralta was the reason behind so much of the ILH elite in this weight class to leave as no one wanted to face the upcoming freshman. Although she does not carry a intimidator factor she has been dominant. Ching has a nice path to the finals and will edge out a victory over the freshman

140- ** Jaramillo vs Hernandez: This ones old school! The bulls of each island meeting at the park and going at it! Two returning state champions making the claim to who is the “Bull” Both are very physical wrestlers who do not step backwards and wont let each other intimidate them. Both also have state champion brothers so its in their blood. If I had to choose ….sorry just watching this one.

155- Tabion vs Kanakanui: I think its time for Kapolei to add another state champion to their showcase. Tabion should pull this one off with her aggression and will to win

175- Fautanu vs Alo: Call it instinct but I’m going with the last name on this one.

220- Mataafa vs ?: She is so far ahead of anybody in her weight class in regards to athleticism and skill set its almost not fair. This is another one of those automatics! The real competition will be to see who has less time on the mat Alo or Mataafa both will destroy their opponents but who will get the fastest FALL(s)

Nice list Halaokolele. Looks like it took some time to put together. I agree with most everything and we'll see how well yours and all of the predictions that were made turned out in a few days!

I'd like to thank all of the major contributors to the discussion, Tallola25, Halaokolele, blooded, leftfieldcoachlikeu, low-key, just wrestle, wrestling808 and of course Flexbuffchest.

I look forward to all of the updates during states and the fury and surprises thats sure to follow! Mahalo!

[Leftfieldcoachlikeu]

Darkhorse
Boys- Josten Saribay King K 120
Girls- Donavyn Futa Kam 113

[Leftfieldcoachlikeu]

Change for the boys for Darkhorse
126- Josh Rosen Punahou
Still got Futa for the girls.

[halaokolele]

Lahaina looks like they are on a mission! Most impressive team in the tournament both boys and girls.

The boys have it locked up, the girls are very close

[bloodred]

Posted from scoring live
The Neal S. Blaisdell Arena could be a sea of red Saturday night.

After the first day of the Chevron/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Championships Friday, Lahainaluna is atop both the boys' and girls' team standings.

The Lunas, who have never won a state title in either the boys' or the girls' tournaments, could change all that come Saturday.

"It would be great for these kids, the coaches and just the whole community of Lahaina," Lahainaluna coach Todd Hayase said. "It would be a great thing. We're a little tired of second- and third-place finishes, so the coaching staff definitely has gotten this team ready and believing and now it's just a matter of making it happen tomorrow."

The Lunas' boys have separated slightly from the rest of the pack. They have racked up 81 points after four rounds of wrestling. Reigning state-champ Kamehameha is second with 64 points, Pearl City third with 63.5, Campbell fourth with 61.5, Punahou fifth with 53.5 and Kapolei sixth with 52.5.

Christian Balangso is one of six Lunas in the semifinals Saturday. Balangso, the top seed at 120 pounds, won both of his first-day matches by pin. He needed just 50 seconds to beat Kapolei's Andre Pagurayan in the preliminary round and defeated Waianae's Alika Agustin in five minutes and 43 seconds.

"It feels good to still be in it and on the front side and know that you still have a chance at the state title," said Balangso, who earned his team four extra points by winning by falls. "It's very important because every point is going to count. Our coaches always say that teams lose the team title by half a point, one point, so we're trying to get every point that we can."

Lahainaluna's other semifinalists are Zach Wigzell (113 pounds), Jansen Panlasigui Domingo (126), Wyatt Chism (138), Bubba Jaramillo (145) and Connor Mowat (285). Jaramillo won the state title at 140 pounds a year ago and moved up to 145 this season, where he is the top seed in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Lunas' girls have accumulated 82 points to hold a slight lead over second-place Kamehameha, which has 77 points. Campbell is third with 67 points, defending-champion Pearl City fourth with 58 and McKinley fifth with 46.5.

Lahainaluna also has six girls in the semifinals, led by the trio of Brenna Dudoit Vasquez, Carly Jaramillo and Lalelei Mataafa. Dudoit Vasquez, the No. 1 seed at 135, pinned both of her opponents Friday in Punahou's Sophia Straton and Waiakea's Skye Matsuura. Jaramillo, who won at 135 pounds last year, is the top seed at 140. She also won both of her matches Friday by pin over Abigail Riley, of Hawaii Prep, and Taj Vierra, of Kamehameha.

"We really need team points," Jaramillo said. "Our team has been fighting for the title for a couple of years now and we needed that pin more than ever, so I had to finish it."

Mataafa, the defending champion and No. 1 seed at 220 pounds, saw just 33 seconds of mat time Friday with pins over Hawaii Prep's Kayla Johnson and Aiea's Avei Lualemaga.

"I don't know what the points are, but it really doesn't matter because that semifinal round tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. is going to be huge," Hayase said. "We've got a lot of tough matches, but we're really excited on how the boys and girls teams are doing so far."

The Lunas other semifinalists are 97-pounder Iverly Navarro, 105-pounder Anika Pascual and 155-pounder Karina Arroyo Haro.

Meanwhile, the quest for four individual state championships is alive and well for Mid-Pacific's Josh Terao, the No. 1 seed at 132 pounds. Terao, who is seeking to become just the sixth person in state history to win four state titles, started his day with an opening-round pin of Kapolei's Skylar Albright in 1:53 then followed that up with an 18-0 technical fall over Kaiser's Alika Durham in a quarterfinal.

"It's nice, but I've got to keep focused," Terao said. "The tournament is still going, so I've got to stay mentally strong, physically strong and keep my weight on point. This is kind of good to just have two more wins left, but I've got to make sure I don't make mistakes, be perfect when I wrestle and just relax."

Two others — Mililani's Braydon Akeo and Pearl City's Blake Cooper — are both trying for their third consecutive state title.

Akeo, the top seed at 138, won both of his first-day matches by technical fall over Moanalua's Eugene Chung, 16-1, and Kamehameha's Dayton Dano, 18-2. Cooper pinned both of his opponents — Kahuku's Cody Phillip in 1:18 and Damien's Steven Chan — to reach the semifinal round.

Just one No. 1 seed in the boys' tournament lost on Friday: Keaau's Zephaniah Pavao at 285 pounds. He lost to unseeded Maake Muti, of Leilehua, 7-6 in the quarterfinal round.

Among the girls looking to defend their individual state titles is Kahuku's Aarica Barcina, who won at 109 last season. Barcina, who finished third in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championships last week and is unseeded at states, scored a 2-0 upset of top-seeded Diamond Freitas in a quarterfinal match Friday.

"I wrestled her before at the Paani Challenge and I lost to her, 2-0," said Barcina, who will meet Leilehua's Nakia James in a semifinal Saturday morning. "I knew what I had to do for this match and I just went in wanting to win, not just going in not wanting to lose. I think I just had the right mentality going in and my eyes on defending my title."

Barcina was the last seed in the 109-pound bracket last year, when she also upset the top seed en route to her state title.

"I'm just taking every match as the same, thinking everyone is tough even though I may have beat them before," Barcina said. "I go in thinking that they're a lot tougher than they are and it just makes me a lot mentally stronger. That's what helps me get through the matches and just the willpower to win."

Mid-Pacific's Shannon Paaaina won the 125-pound state title back in 2012 before finishing second at 135 last year. She dropped back down to 125 this season and is the top seed in the bracket. She had a bye in the first round before defeating Leilehua's Ashley Mercado, 17-1, in the quarterfinal round.

"Having a bye in the first round, I knew I would have to come out hard and get that little warm-up in for tomorrow for semifinal match," Paaaina said. "I'm going to out hard tomorrow and try to win back that state title that I lost last year."

Freitas was one of two girls' top seeds to lose on day one. The other was King Kekaulike's Jenna Mauliola, who suffered a 5-2 loss to Castle's Alsie Bahilot in the quarterfinals at 113 pounds.

The tournament resumes with the semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday. The championship and consolation finals will begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. First-place matches will be televised live statewide on OC16.

[kapakahi]

Darkhorse
Girls- Donavyn Futa Kam 113

Still got Futa for the girls.

Good call on Futa!

Heard that will probably be moving up in weight next year to 117.