Waiakea’s Brookelyn Mandaloniz was well on her way to another loss against Hilo’s Lillianna Campbell when she made her move.
Mandaloniz provided one of the defining moments Saturday during another Warriors runaway at the BIIF team judo championships when she threw Campbell while trailing midway through their match, an ippon victory that avenged a pair of losses during the regular season.
“I was happy for her,” teammate Samantha Yamamoto said. “When she came back in, we were all so excited.”
The team pride that was on full display last weekend at Kealakehe will inevitably dissipate some this Saturday when individual glory is on the line at Waiakea’s gym. Mandaloniz will compete in the 98-pound division along with Yamamoto, a sophomore defending champion and one of 10 top-seeded judoka for the Warriors, who aim to be respectful on the mat first, and controlling second.
“It’s more about sportsmanship,” assistant coach Erik Onishi said Wednesday during practice in the school cafeteria. “We try to instill it. How they walk on the mat and how they walk off the mat.”
At Kealakehe, Waiakea walked away with girls and boys titles, beating Hilo in both finals to become the first BIIF school to sweep the crowns two years in a row. The boys beat Kealakehe 80-20 then Waiakea 70-10 “doing what they needed to do,” Onishi said. The girls, who beat Konawaena 90-10 and Hilo 70-27, got a strong contribution at 220 from Chirisivon Salle, who defeated the Vikings’ Karlee-Rose Delos Reyes.
“She was key,” Onishi said. “That should be (another) exciting match (Saturday). They’ve been up and up this season.”
Waiakea senior LiAnn Yamamoto (109) takes center stage as she vies to become a four-time champion – joining Keaau’s Ivory Ayers (2017) and Kamehameha’s Megan (2012) and Jenna Aina (2010) – while Waiakea junior Katie Lee (122) goes for her third title.
A judoka since she was 7, Samantha Yamamoto may well be on that trajectory as well. She finished second at the 2017 HHSAA championships, losing in the final to Waipahu’s Precious Tampos, now a junior.
“I try just to concentrate on BIIFs, because you can’t make it to states if you don’t qualify,” Samantha Yamamoto said.
Salle is a top seed along with Hilo’s Auie Madiam (103) and Ashley Lavarias (115), Keaau’s Cappi Winters (129) and Hula Kahoʻokaulana (139), Kamehameha’s Anela Manuia (154) and Konawaena’s Kapoina Bailey (172). Winters seeks her third crown, Kahoʻokaulana goes for a repeat and Bailey will try to break through after previously running into Ayers. The Wildcats’ junior is the reigning state wrestling champ.
Another contender at 115 is Waiakea’s Raelyn Ai-Yoneda, a two-time champion.
Caleb Shimaoka (top seed, 132), Waylon Spain (No. 1, 145), Timothy Nakamoto (No. 4, 121), Dean Miura (No. 2, 161) and brothers Ben Vento (No. 3, 114) and Joseph Vento (No. 3, 121) are back on the mat after helping Waiakea’s boys win a BIIF wrestling title in February.
The links between the programs, Shimaoka said, are “hard work, a lot of training and dedication.”
The sophomore won his first wrestling gold in the winter and looks to add one in judo after finishing runner-up last season behind teammate Kilar Fujimoto, who graduated.
“Just trying not to get nervous before the match,” Shimaoka said of his keys to victory. “Stay calm and know that my judo can carry me through.”
Waiakea coach Jason Tanaka said the 121 and 161 divisions, which each have 14 competitors, figure to be the most competitive. Keaau’s Titus Estocado is the top seed at 161, where a new champion will be crowned, while two-time champion Cayden Rillon is seeded second at 121 behind Hilo’s Seth Wilson.
“That should be an exciting match,” Shimaoka said.
The other top seeds are Waiakea’s Aden Leyson (108), Kolby Namnama (114), Isaac Ingall (198) and Kalsey Nacis (220), Kealakehe’s Sanjay Thompson (178) and Konawaena’s Hailama Anakalea (285). Nakamoto and Spain also are looking to defend their titles.
Among the girls weight classes to watch is the 154 division. Shamma Nakama pulled off a shocker last season by throwing Kamehameha’s Kayla Araki in the final, and she’s seeded third this season among nine judoka.
One of Waiakea’s strengths, Samantha Yamamoto said, is discipline.
“We show up to practice early to put the mats down and everyone is involved,” she said. “No one is sitting on the side just watching.”