Tribune-Herald
Tribune-Herald
Hilo High’s Lia Nakamura and Konawaena’s Aimee Shiraki won judo titles Saturday night at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association championships in Honolulu.
Nakamura, a senior, repeated as the 172-pound champion, while Shiraki conquered the 220 class after sitting out at states last year with an injury. The junior was third two years ago.
Both Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions drew first-round byes Saturday before reeling off three victories via ippon.
Nakamura defeated Kamehameha-Maui’s Keely Lindsey two minutes, 44 seconds into their quarterfinal match, and she reached the final with a win against Campbell’s Taylor Allen (3:48). At 3:08, Nakamura bested Iolani’s Alex Fautanu for the title.
Shiraki, a two-time BIIF wrestling champion, added gold to the wrestling bronze she won at states in March. She started her day by dispatching Doian Cantiller of Farrington (2:26), moved on to beat Pearl City’s Manaia Siania (2:31), then took down Leilehua’s Talia Jones in the final.
The Wildcats were fifth in the team race with the Vikings in eighth. Pearl City won the championship.
Waiakea’s Skye Matsuura finished runner-up at 129, winning three matches before falling in the final against Kamehameha-Kapalama’s Teshaya Alo at 2:00.
In the semifinals, Alo denied Konawaena’s Tanalei Louis of a repeat bid at 2:08. Louis, who’s won seven combined BIIF titles between wrestling and judo, finished her high school career with bronze.
Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Kailey Lapenia took fourth in the 172 division for the second consecutive year, Hilo’s Lahi Kanakanui (139) and Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Kiana Perreira (220) each claimed fifth-place finishes and Konawaena’s Ruby Suarez (139) was sixth.
Keaau’s Haaheo Chan won bronze in the 198 class and was the highest finisher among BIIF boys. Chan won two matches before losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Moanalua’s Chaeden Grace-Reyes. Kamehameha’s-Hawaii’s James Lee was fifth in the class.
Konawaena’s Justin Raymond (114), a four-time BIIF champion, was fourth, as were Waiakea’s Dayton Towata (132) and Alan Ikehara (161) and Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Ikaika Villanueva (145). Raymond and Villanueva were semifinalists.
Finishing sixth were Waiakea’s Kellen Goya (121) and Keaau heavyweight Zephaniah Pavao.
BIIF champion Waiakea placed 12th, while Kamehameha-Kapalama won crown.