Wrestling

The wrestling season will start with a bang in the 52nd annual Garner Ivey MIT at Lahaina Civic Center on Saturday. Three-time state champion Nanea Estrella is not easing into her senior year, registering for the 132-pound class at the tournament where her rival and cousin, Waipuialani Estrella-Beauchamp of Baldwin, resides.  The Luna is Hawaii Prep World’s top-ranked female wrestler in its pound for pound, the Bear is right behind her at No. 2. Estrella is the reigning queen at […]

Kamehameha’s Kanai Tapia did his best Terukina impression at the elite Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament in Ohio. Tapia entered the tournament when teammate Kysen Terukina was invited and won his first match at the elite event. Terukina opted not to compete. The unseeded Tapia had a bye in the first round and faced No. 11 seed Travis Ragland of New Kent, who won his first match in only 52 seconds, in the second. After a scoreless first period, Tapia put […]

If the season goes right, Lahainaluna legend Lalelei Mataafa won’t be alone for much longer. Mataafa is the only Maui girl to earn a grand slam, but fellow Luna Nanea Estrella is one state championship away from joining her. Estrella takes Kelani Corbett of Leilehua’s spot at the top of the pound-for-pound, an achievement not even Mataafa accomplished. Mataafa shared a class with Kamehameha’s Teshya Alo and never rose higher than No. 2 because of it. While Mataafa ran pretty […]

The Hawaii high school wrestling season begins in earnest this weekend with the Annual Garner Ivey MIT on Maui, but it won’t be the only place to catch the state’s elite. Three-time state champion Kysen Terukina of Kamehameha will not begin his season this week, but he starts the year in the same place he left off last year: In the top spot of Hawaii Prep World’s pound-for-pound. Terukina took over the top spot from Corey Cabanban of Saint Louis […]

Moanalua’s Boltyn Taam and Kamehameha’s Kanai Tapia are going to the mainland to participate in a heavy-duty national wrestling event — the Walsh Jesuit Ironman — Dec. 13-14 in Cuyahoga, Ohio. “It’s a great tournament with a high level of competition,” Kamehameha coach Rob Hesia said. “Almost every number one high school wrestler attends. The amount of ranked wrestlers in the tournament is crazy. Every match is like a state final match. It’s great for Hawaii kids to get invited […]

Victoria Lee was the ultimate difference Saturday night. The Mililani wrestler stepped up in the final match of the night with the score tied and got it done. It was only an exhibition, but Lee delivered with a dominant 12-1, major-decision victory over Moanalua’a Codi-Jane Kamaka in a 122-pound match. The win was worth four points for the combined Kapolei/Mililani team and it broke a tie for the final count of 46-42 over Na Menehune in the girls dual meet […]

Dual-meet spotlight exhibition matches Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in front of a packed Moanalua gym. The girls match is complete and results are at the bottom of the post RUNNING BOYS TEAM MATCH FINAL SCORE: KAPOLEI 29, MOANALUA 24 BOYS MATCHES 106: LJ Oka (Kapolei) vs. Nalu Salvador (Moanalua) Oka gets the first takedown. He’s up 2-0. Salvador scores with an escape to make it 2-1, but Oka gets another takedown for a 4-1 count. Oka takes a commanding 6-2 […]

It’s wrestling time again. Some grapplers are grappling with weight. Others are aiming for league and state crowns come February. Still others are just trying to do the best they can in grueling practices and meets for the next few months. To get things going in high-profile fashion, Moanalua has a special dual meet planned for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. called the Motown Showdown. It will put the spotlight on all competitors — literally. The Moanalua bleachers will be lighted […]