Kamehameha wrestler Lainey Eckart may use the word “challenge” liberally, but she swears one came for her earlier this season in what was a 13-1 victory.
At least that rout lasted three rounds.
“All the rest were quick pins,” Eckart said.
The real challenge for the junior comes at Warriors practices, where she tangles with the boys.
“It’s the super fun,” she said. “The boys are way more harder because they have more competition. I’m able to be more aggressive without hurting them.”
Does she ever have to remind them not to go easy on her?
“Oh, they know,” not to do that, Eckart said. “It’s head to head a lot.”
A former youth state judo champion who turned wrestler at age 12, Eckart figured to be one of the BIIF’s top pound-for-pound wrestler this season, and that’s exactly how it’s played out.
She picked up two more pins in 134-pound matches last Saturday at Waiakea, barely needing more than two minutes combined to do so.
“I think I’m doing pretty good,” she said. “I could be taking more shots and getting out there. I think because it’s the start of the season, I need to get more comfortable.”
Then again, some of those shots are saved for the Warriors’ wrestling room.
“At practice, I really comfortable being aggressive. I know the strengths and weaknesses of my partner and what I’m able to do,” she said.
Eckart lost once while winning a BIIF title her freshman season, then she made her mark at the HHSAA tournament, reaching the semifinals and finishing fourth overall. That experience, she wrote, brought her “knowledge, moves, counters, and confidence.”
Her sophomore season was a wash because of the pandemic, but Eckart didn’t just stand around and gain rust. A member of Penn wrestling club, she traveled to tournaments in Las Vegas and Arizona, winning the latter.
Those experiences will pay off handsomely when Eckart wrestles again at the state tournament.
Her stated goals seem modest: to win a second BIIF title and place (top six) again on Oahu.
“I don’t want to go backward,” said Eckart, who for now is content to scout her greatest competition form afar.
“I know the caliber of the Oahu girls and they started way before us, but I watched some of (them) YouTube. “I didn’t want to do any Oahu (preseason) tournaments, so early, just in case you do something spontaneous and everybody starts to do it, and you’re one step behind.”
The BIIF wrestling season continues Saturday at Hilo High.
Saturday at Waiakea High
Girls 104
Taylyn Babas-Masuno (Hilo): def. Rylynne Freitas (Kona) by Fall (1:30), def. Raesha Aurelio (Kona) by Fall (1:59)
Seraya Garrido (Hilo): def. Aurelio (Kona) by Fall (1:11)
Kyra Mohundro (Hilo): def. Garrido (Hilo) by Fall (2:45), def. Freitas (Kona) by Fall (2:22)
Girls 114
Jeream Estabillo (Hilo): def. Takushi (HPA) by Fall (4:12), def. Radey-Morgan (HPA) by Major Decision (11-2)
Kawela Takushi (HPA): def. Amy Gushiken (KS-Hawaii) by Fall
Wynt Radey-Morgan (HPA): def. Gushiken (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (5:21)
Girls 129
Zysha Pavao (Keaau): def. Shakira Ortiz (Kona) by Fall (1:09), def. Babas-Yamaguchi (Hilo) by Decision (12-9)
Aliza Leander (Kona): def. Anita Lockwood (HPA) by Fall (5:40), def. Sidney Shumate (HPA) by Fall (1:34)
Rayne Domingo (Kona): def. Lockwood (HPA) by Decision (11-6), def. Shumate (HPA) by Fall (1:03)
Rylia Babas-Yamaguchi (Hilo): def. Kekela (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (1:17)
Jayda Kekela (KS-Hawaii): def. Ortiz (Kona) by Major Decision (17-8)
Girls 134
Lainey Eckart (KS-Hawaii): def. Pat Aliaga-Maza (HPA) by Fall (1:12), def. Luci Conde-Cadena (HPA) by Fall (1:11)
Girls 140
Paige Taasan (Hilo): def. Furstenwerth (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (4:42), def. Key (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (4:39)
Kody Mitchell (Kona); def. Kim (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (2:00)
Luella Key (KS-Hawaii): def. Alden Mazo (HPA) by Fall (3:24)
Trinity-Ann Kim (KS-Hawaii): def. Mazo (HPA) by Fall (1:33)
Taylor Furstenwerth (KS-Hawaii): def. Mitchell (Kona) by Fall (5:06)
Girls 147
Blu Montez (Waiakea): def. Tiare Pieper-Dilcher (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (2:38), def. Abraham (Kealakehe) by Fall (3:54)
Lanna Abraham (Kealakehe): def. Pieper-Dilcher (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (0:25)
Girls 157
Rayden Kukahiwa (Hilo): def. Iolana Sanchez (Honoka’a) by Fall (0:50), def. Vickery-Mafi (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (3:23)
Maile Vickery-Mafi (KS-Hawaii): def. Sanchez (Honoka’a) by Fall (4:51)
Girls 170
Kealohi Grace (KS-Hawaii): def. Mele Nau (Hilo) by Fall (2:17), def. Ally Rose (HPA) by Fall (1:23)
Celeste Bowman (Hilo): def. Rose (HPA) by Fall (1:24), Amaral (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (2:56)
Siddalee Amaral (KS-Hawaii): def. Nau (Hilo) by Fall (1:29)
Girls 227
Lilliane Toledo (Hilo): def. Warren (Kealakehe) by Decision (5-3)
Elizabeth Warren (Kealakehe): def. Kiana Kaneshiro (Hilo) by Fall (4:26)
Boys 115
Noah Vento (Waiakea): def. James Sina (Kona) by Tech Fall, def. Gantala (Kona) by Tech Fall
Rudy Pajimola (Hilo): def. J. Sina. (Kona) by Fall (1:41), def. Lawrence Sina (Kona) by Fall (4:29)
Ikuhaiakala Akina (KS-Hawaii): def. L. Sina by Fall (3:43)
Andre Gantala (Kona): def. Akina (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (1:07)
Boys 128
Tyler Yoshiyama (Hilo): def. Jhai Moses (Kona) by Decision (9-2), def. Jordan Nakamoto (Waiakea) by Decision (9-7)
Lance Thornton (Kona): def. Rowan Miller (Hilo) by Fall (1:25), def. Rin Motoki (HPA) by Fall (1:17)
Zackary Lapenia (KS-Hawaii): def. Mateo (Hilo) by Decision (9-3), def. Higashi (Kona) by Fall
Keau Higashi (Kona): def. Motoki (HPA) by Fall (1:31)
Jordan Nakamoto (Waiakea): def. Kai Carvalho (Kona) by Fall (5:01)
Kaizeyah Mateo (Hilo): def. Carvalho (Kona) by Decision (5-2)
Boys 134
Luke Klask (KS-Hawaii): def. Miyahara (Hilo) by Fall (1:25), def. Dayson Castillo (Hilo) by Fall (4:27)
Keanu Hamaha (Hilo): def. Brensen Cortez (Hilo) by Major Decision (12-1)
Jet Miyahara (Hilo): def. Hamada (Hilo) by Decision (15-9)
Boys 140
Jeremiah Borce (HPA): def Pa’ahana (Kona) by Fall (2:58), def. Cedric Mateo (Keaau) by Fall (3:45)
Raizen Aina (KS-Hawaii): def Ryder Garcia (HPA) by Tech Fall, def. Boromeo (Waiakea) by Fall (3:45)
Rylan Boromeo (Waiakea): def. Mateo (Keaau) by Fall (1:43)
Ashtin Pa’ahana (Kona): def. Garcia (HPA) by Fall (3:49)
Boys 147
Akea Cariaga (Keaau): def. Kaleo Jardine (Lapahoehoe) by Fall (1:40), def. Rocha (Waiakea) by Decision (6-4)
Noah Brown (HPA): def. Jaeden Arellano (Keaau) by Fall (1:35), def. Jardine (Lapahoehoe) by Fall (2:30)
Ricky Morita (Hilo): def. Jones (Kealakehe) by Decision (14-8)
Cody Jones (Kealakehe): def. Arellano (Keaau) by Fall (4:58)
Bradley Rocha (Waiakea): def. Morita (Hilo) by Decision (3-2)
Boys 154
Legend Rasay (Hilo): def. Ortiz (Kona) by Fall (3:57), def. Doi (HPA) by Fall (3:32)
Justin Doi (HPA): def. Bradly Kijiner (Honokaa) by Fall (3:12)
David Ortiz (Kona): def. Kijiner (Honokaa) by Fall (3:39)
Boys 162
Zaeah Flores (Hilo): def. Caysen Guillermo (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (1:52), def. Guillermo (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (1:39)
Keenan Coupens (Kona): def. Martin Ellazar (Keaau) by Fall (2:44), def. Maesaka (KS-Hawaii) by Fall
Kieran Maesaka (KS-Hawaii): def. Kaden Chong (Hilo) by Fall (1:05)
Reno Domingo (Kona): def. Chong (Hilo) by Fall (1:27)
Boys 172
Hector Magana (Kona): def. Zacchaeus Naha (Honokaa) by Fall (1:28), def. Honda (HPA) by Fall (0:46)
Seth Kim (Hilo): def. Naha (Honokaa) by Fall (3:27), def. Owen Frydenlund (Kona) by Fall (1:02)
Jakob Honda (HPA): def. Frydenlund (Kona) by Fall (4:24)
Boys 184
Chance Tulang (Hilo): def. Darius Bedan (Kona) by Decision (9-7), def. Archie Nitura (Lapahoehoe) by Fall (3:25)
Brennan Alcos (Hilo): def. Nitura (Lapahoehoe) by Fall, def. Bedan (Kona) by Fall (0:38)
Alek Caban (Hilo): def. Kala Pai (Kona) by (3:32), def. Goo (Keaau) by Fall (4:28)
Goo (Keaau): def. Nawai Freeman (Hilo) by Fall (5:20)
Boys 222
Ekela Livingston (HPA): def. Robert Gamble (Keaau) by Fall (1:28), def. Pearson (Kealakehe) by Decision (4–0)
Jha Person (Kealakehe): def. Gamble (Keaau) by Decision (9-4)
Boys 287
Jay Apisala (Kealakehe): def. Riley Silva (Keaau) by Fall (1:20), deff. Josh Nihoa (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (3:54)
Gabby Aiona (HPA): def. Nihoa (KS-Hawaii) by Fall (1:15), def. Liufau (Kealakehe) by Decision (12-9)
Filipo Liufau (Kealakehe): def. Silva (Keaau) by Fall (2:06)