KAPAA — The inaugural Kapaa Open wrestling tournament took place Saturday at the Bernice Hundley Gym at Kapaa High School.
Thirty-five high school wrestlers — 24 boys and 11 girls — competed in the single bracketed tournament, most of which are from the Kauai Interscholastic Federation.
“As you saw, we were nonstop action all day long,” said Mac Pigott, KIF wrestling tournament director. “We never had a single break. We had excellent staff running the tournament. … Four solid hours of wrestling here at Kapaa High School. So, it was great.”
Among the boys wrestlers, Molokai High School senior Hau’oli Caparida won the 145-pound boys division. He went 3-0 in his matches, pinning two of his opponents.
“I’m not in shape right now, so it was kind of like bogging out there,” Caparida said. “It’s tough. They gave me a lot of good looks. … I like to just feel out my opponent when we start wrestling. From there, just work moves.”
Caparida was the only competitor from one of the Neighbor Islands.
“That gave a chance for some of our wrestlers to feel early in the season high-level competition that they’re going to meet up in Maui and Oahu,” Pigott said. “That’s what they’re going to see if they get past the first couple of rounds.”
Among the wrestlers of the host school, Kapaa junior Ini Marshall won the 138-pound girls division, going 2-0 in competition.
“I did alright. I feel like I could have done better technique-wise,” Marshall said. “(Looking forward), maybe work on my technique and conditioning more.”
The Kapaa Open was the first of a handful of preseason tournaments KIF wrestlers will compete in.
“Every weekend in December, there’s preseason events,” Pigott said. “The (Garner Ivey) Maui Invitational tournament, there’s the Officials tournament on Oahu, there’s the Moanalua Duals on Oahu and finally there’s the Paani all-girls (tournament) at Punahou. Pretty much every week, some KIF wrestlers will be traveling and wrestling.”
The KIF wrestling season will begin in Jan. 6 at Island School.
Tournament results
Girls 127 pounds: 1. Anna Malia Santos, Kapaa; 2. Danielle Santos, Kapaa; 3. Janessa Llegofinney, Kauai
Girls 138 pounds: 1. Ini Marshall, Kapaa; 2. Tessa Jansen, Kapaa
Girls 155 pounds: 1. Inana Lowry, Kapaa; 2. Alana Takata, Kauai; 3. Halle Sakai, Kauai
Boys 113 pounds: 1. Marcus Charles, Island School; 2. Cody Lawrence, Kauai; 3. Kylen Aana, Waimea
Boys 120 pounds: 1. Mason Stoll-Tolentino, Kauai, 2. Kaz Espina, Kapaa
Boys 132 pounds: 1. Michael John Anderson, Kapaa; 2. Zekiah Hunt, Kauai; 3. Nyx Manansala, Kauai
Boys 145 pounds: 1. Hau’oli Caparida, Molokai; 2. Corey Agena, Waimea; 3. Jaiden Ogata, Kauai
Boys 160 pounds: 1. Bryan Ingeniero, Waimea; 2. Yong Kang, Kauai; 3. Makena Holt, Kauai
Boys 182 pounds: 1. Akio Tolena, Kapaa; 2. Kalama Fernandez, Waimea; 3. Zayden Sarmiento, Waimea
Boys 220 pounds: 1. Levi Eulalio, Kapaa; 2. Malachi Sacramento, Kapaa; 3. Cody Artaho, Waimea
