honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, February 21, 2010

Kamehameha, Punahou prevail


By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kamehameha's Macy Yonamine is a senior and a defending state wrestling champion.

But she had no problem making way for a freshman teammate yesterday.

Yonamine won the 103-pound weight division —one of three Warrior girls to win titles — as Kamehameha edged host Punahou at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Wrestling Championships.

The Kamehameha girls finished with 182.5 points to edge Punahou, which had 179. Pac-Five was third with 81.

"The only way we could have done it is with the whole team," said Kamehameha girls coach Brandon Shimabukuro. "We had good leadership throughout from our seniors and captains."

The Punahou boys won six weight divisions en route to the team title.

Kamehameha's Yonamine pinned Pacific Buddhist Academy's Quinn Nagatani at 57 seconds of the third round to win the 103 title yesterday. Last year, Yonamine won the state title at 108.

"I knew I was going to try and make 103 because it was better for the team," Yonamine said.

The girl she made room for, freshman Bree Rapoza, claimed the 108 title by beating Punahou's Nicole Taniguchi in the final, 11-4.

"We all knew she was capable of doing so much as a freshman," Yonamine said.

Yonamine also has wrestled in the 108 and 114 weight classes this season, but went on a weight-loss plan and reached her target of getting to 103 pounds by Jan. 21.

"It's different; I don't have as much strength when I did when I was heavier," she said. "Everywhere there are people who are still good."

Kamehameha's other girls champion was Eden Fisher, who beat University High's Angela Kim, 12-5, in the 220 final.

Punahou actually had five division winners, but the Warriors had five runner-up finishes and three thirds.

Individual champions earned 14 points for their teams, runners-up scored 10 and third-place finishers six. Teams also scored bonus points: 2 for pin, 1.5 for technical fall (15-point differential) and 1 for a major decision (8 to 14 points). There were 14 boys weight divisions and 11 for girls.

For the boys, Punahou finished with 240.5 points, Kamehameha had 207 and 'Iolani 69.

The Buffanblu had lost to Kamehameha in a meet last week.

"They had a very hard week of practice. I'm very proud of the way they responded to a little bit of adversity we had last week," said Punahou coach Matt Oney.

The Buffanblu's Jordan Ng (114), Todd Murakawa (125), Galen McCleary (140), Zachary Hernandez (152), Patrick Sheehan (171) and Jonathan Fuimaono (285) won their divisions.

"All these guys, they work so hard," said Ng, who beat Kamehameha's Tyson Kuahine, 7-0, for his title. "They push it to their limits. All these coaches are always there like family."

In a matchup of state finalists from last year, 'Iolani's Ian Akamine beat Kamehameha's Isaiah Fonoti, 4-2, in the 145-pound final. Akamine was the state champion at 140 last year; Fonoti was the runner-up at 145.

Akamine trailed 2-1 after the first two-minute period, but tied it in the third on an escape and took the lead with 15 seconds left on a takedown.

"When the third round comes around, you have to take a second to reset yourself again and realize for two minutes you have to bring everything," said Akamine, a junior.

Damien's Marcus Finau beat Punahou's Kolu Buck in the 215-pound final, 7-1. Buck is the defending state champion in the weight division.

"It feels good. I put in just enough work so that I could beat him," said Finau, a senior.

In one of the more hotly contested finals, Kamehameha's Kameona Hokoana beat Punahou's LJ Remillard, 5-3, at 160.

Hokoana led 4-0 entering the third period, but Remillard closed to 4-3 with 20 seconds left on an escape and takedown. Hokoana, a senior, scored on an escape with 15 seconds left to cap the scoring.

"I was just relaxing at the wrong time. That was the wrong thing to do," Hokoana said.