LIHU’E — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation wrestling season may be over, but its wrestlers have been busy. Over the weekend, four KIF wrestlers, two from Waimea High School and two from Kaua‘i High School, returned with two gold medals and
LIHU’E — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation wrestling season may be over, but its wrestlers have been busy.
Over the weekend, four KIF wrestlers, two from Waimea High School and two from Kaua‘i High School, returned with two gold medals and two silver medals from the Hawai‘i USA Wrestling Championships at the Lahaina Civic Center on Maui.
More than 600 grapplers representing 26 USAW clubs from across Hawai‘i vyed for gold, silver and bronze medals.
Coach Mac Pigott of the Westside Wrestling Club of Kaua‘i, accompanied by coach CJ Threat, was pleased with the Kaua‘i wrestlers’ performance.
“The wresters scored with moves we have been working on, never gave up, and the matches they lost were very close,” Pigott said in an email. “The wrestlers hate the conditioning drills during practice, but they knew how those drills paid off because they had the conditioning to wrestle hard to the end.”
Andrew Evans, a Waimea Canyon Middle School eighth-grade student, was the fifth member of the Kaua‘i delegation and finished 2 for 3 on the day to earn a silver medal and gain mat experience, which he will take with him as a freshman at Waimea High, Pigott said.
Waimea High grapplers Nicholas Cariffe, a junior, and Marissa Hesapene, earned silver and gold medals, respectively.
“Marissa continues to improve,” Pigott said. “During the USAW championships, she avenged a loss she suffered to a girl from the Leeward Cobra O‘ahu Wrestling Club two weeks ago.”
Kaua‘i High School wrestler Michael Gabriel earned a gold medal , while his brother Nick finished out of the medal run.
“Nick Gabriel’s division was arguably, pound-for-pound, the toughest in the tournament,” Pigott said. “Nick had the most matches on the day, going 2 for 2 to finish fourth.”
Nick was up against an All American from Punahou School in his third match, Pigott said.
“I never wanted to tell Nick who he was ahead of of him because I did not want it to get in his head,” the KIF wrestling tournament director said. Coach Threat said the group would have liked to have gone undefeated, but will learn from its losses and come back stronger.
In the meantime, Pigott said Westside Wrestling Club members are training hard for at least two more tournaments on O‘ahu in June as well as working to qualify for and raise funds for the USAW High School Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, July 12 through 20.
“Fargo is just high school age, but every year, it is the biggest wrestling tournament in the world,” Pigott said. “Fargo is more than a tournament. It’s also like a camp. Wrestlers who qualify for Team Hawai‘i start training together as a Hawai‘i high school all star team in June. They travel to the Mainland together in July, one week before the tournament starts to train with Team Missouri before the action starts in Fargo.”
Pigott said he sees definite improvement in wrestlers who make up Team Hawai‘i and head to Fargo — they come back the next school year, basically, completely different wrestlers.
Coaches Pigott and Threat said the doors to the Westside Wrestling Club is open year-round and encourages KIF wrestlers from any school to come out West and train.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
