BIIF action continues on Saturday with an East Hawaii meet at Hilo and a West Hawaii meet at Hawaii Prep. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. at both sites. BY WAYNE JOSEPH | STEPHENS MEDIA ADVERTISING Waiakea put on a strong
BY WAYNE JOSEPH | STEPHENS MEDIA
Waiakea put on a strong show Saturday as it hosted the Big Island Interscholastic Federation wrestling meet.
Senior Jordan Maglinti, at 152 pounds, won his opening match against a Pahoa opponent, 11-1, to help the Warriors start the day right.
Also performing well for Waiakea was Alan Ikehara, a 10th grader in his first year of wrestling. Ikehara, 140, won his opening match against a Hawaii Prep opponent by putting him in a half nelson, then pressing his weight down to get the second round pin.
“I took him down in the first period, then put him in a reverse leading into the half,” Ikehara said. “My double leg takedown works well, but I still need to work on the single leg.”
Ikehara, a surfer, goes into every match with a positive attitude, he said. His dad, a former high school wrestler, encouraged him to enter the sport.
Keoni Rice, at 135, adds to the Waiakea firepower and remains undefeated in league competition.
Rice, a junior, ran cross-country during the off season and believes the two sports compliment each other.
“Cross-country has helped me stay in shape and develop more stamina,” he said. “Wrestling also helped my running because of the high intensity of the sport.”
For the Warrior girls, there is no hiding Tanalei Louis, who comes in as the state runner-up at 125 pounds and is undefeated in BIIF competition.
Louis faced stiff opposition in Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Noelle Pohina and used a barbed wire move to secure the pin in the second period to move her league record to 15-0. The two combatants faced each other last season for the BIIF championships, and Louis prevailed.
“Everything is going as planned at this point in the season,” Louis said. “Noelle probably gave me my toughest match so far this season.”
Louis has never been in serious trouble this season. She has fluctuated between the 125- and 130-pound weight divisions.
Waiakea teammate Skye Matsuura, at 120, dropped a match to Kamehameha’s Phoebe Oda, 10-4. The loss dropped the sophomore to a 3-4 season record.
BIIF action continues on Saturday with an East Hawaii meet at Hilo and a West Hawaii meet at Hawaii Prep. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. at both sites.
