The 2016 Chevron Hawaii/HHSAA State Wrestling Championships begin Friday. To get you ready, we will preview the matchups in each weight class for both boys and girls.
FIRST ROUND
Tamang advances with a bye
Rafael def. Sanchez, 3:28
Fernandez def. Morales, 19-17
Balasico def. Lum, 5-4
Hoshino def. Mahoe, 1:18
Higa def. Kauahiwini-Santiago, 1:00
Goo def. Maltezo, 1:14
Navarro def. Gozum, 0:49
QUARTERFINALS
Tamang def. Raven Rafael, 0:26
Fernandez def. Balasico, 11-9
Higa def. Hosino, 9-1
Navarro def. Goo, 3:34
Menjam Tamang, Roosevelt
vs.
Genevieve-Destiny Gozum, Campbell
Rita Morales, Waianae
vs.
Paige Franczyk, Kamehameha
Tamang received the top seed over Hoshino, the reigning state champion, for head-to-head wins over her while taking the bracket at Officials and Paani. Those losses give Tamang a decided advantage until the final, the top overall seed has lost only twice since 2007, once in 2013 and once last year. After that, she would presumably face Kamehameha’s Paige Fraczyk, who Tamang pinned this year at Nanakuli, or Morales. Morales lost to Farrington’s Princess Balasico twice last week.
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Tiana Fernandez, Baldwin
vs.
Raven Rafael, Kamehameha
Princess Balasico, Farrington
vs.
Mia Lum, KS-Hawaii
There are no previous state placers in this quad, so BIIF champion Mia Lum has to be considered the boss even though KS-Hawaii has had only 16 state placers in the tournament’s history and the league hasn’t had a state champ since Megan Aina in this weight class in 2010. Aina won it from the same chair Lum is sitting in. Balasico was fourth at the MIT and got into this bracket by taking fifth in the OIA with two wins over Waianae’s Morales. The Rafael vs. Fernandez matchup is very interesting, Fernandez didn’t place in any of the preseason tournaments while Rafael took fourth at Nanakuli and has been very busy against quality opponents since. Baldwin has placed a girl in the top four every year since 2011, Fernandez can keep that streak alive if she can get through this one.
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Bailey Hoshino, Punahou
vs.
Alicia Mahoe, Kapolei
Alea Kuahini Santiago, Pahoa
vs.
Amanda Higa, Moanalua
Temang’s efforts in the regular season allowed her to avoid this tough quad. Hoshino is the defending state champion but struggled to regain that form after earning the top seed last year. She got that form back by defending her ILH crown over the weekend, but her regular season was marred by two losses to Tamang. Mahoe and Kuahini Santiago are unknowns and in this bracket to rob the crowd of an anticipated second-round matchup between Hoshino and Higa wrestled the early part of the season at 102 pounds before dropping down to beat Tamang before losing to her in the OIA final. Somehow, Hoshino and Higa have avoided each other all year, sharing the same bracket only at Pa’ani where they both lost to Tamang and never met. Hoshino beat both Tamang and Higa in last year’s tournament, destroying Higa 12-1 in the semifinals. Kuahini would become Pahoa’s first state placer since Anechia George took sixth in 2009 and first semifinalist since Lemoe Tautala in 2002 if she can shock this quad.
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Jamille Maltizo, Konawaena
vs.
Ariel Goo, Mililani
Adriana Sanchez, Lanai
vs.
Ira Navarro, Lahainaluna
Maltizo and Goo seem to be in this quad to serve as fodder for the winner on the other side, not much is known about either of them. Lahainaluna has to be counting on some big points from Navarro, who took first in the MIT with Sanchez in the bracket even though they did not wrestle because Sanchez got stuck by Kapolei’s Jordyn Angelo in her first match of the season. Navarro got the second seed over Hoshino because she beat her at the Moanalua Duals, allowing Navarro to avoid Higa until the semis. That match was at 102 pounds, though.
Fodder? Nice choice of words