The 2016 Chevron Hawaii/HHSAA State Wrestling Championships begin Friday. To get you ready, we will preview the matchups in each weight class for both boys and girls.
FIRST ROUND
Diamond def. Ganoot 2:32
Murakami def. Yoro, 4:24
Johnson Eugenio def. Uemura, 2:48
Reyes def. Holi, 2:37
Suzuki Scott def. Desantos, 14-6
Gallarde def. Kaaumoana, :48
Pagaduan def. Bettencourt, 1:28
Kalilikane Delos Reyes def. Hishinuma, 15-1
QUARTERFINALS
Diamond def. Murakami, 2:43
Reyes def. Johnson Eugenio, 13-7
Gallarde def. Suzuki Scott, 7-1
Kalilikane Delos Reyes def. Pagaduan, 4-2
Zack Diamond, Mililani
vs.
Ronin Ganoot, Farrington
Bryson Yoro, Kauai
vs.
Aston Murakami, Damien
Could this be the end of the Diamond curse? Everything seems set up for Zack, a three-time state placer who has been to two finals and missed out last year only because an injury put him against top seed Joshua Crimmins. He fought back to nearly take third but got hurt again. He started this year off strong, looking like one of the state’s best for all of the 41 seconds it took to pin Thaddeus O’Claray in his first match at Officials, but Diamond got hurt and didn’t wrestle again until the new year. He returned in time to win the OIA West championship and looked good in his OIA title match against Gallarde that earned him his second OIA crown. Nobody in this quad should give him much of a test, Ganoot is No. 2 in the weaker OIA East, Yoro won a match at states last year and Murakami stepped up in January but none of them wrestled in preseason.
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Shandon Johnson Eugenio, KS-Maui
vs.
Christian Uemura, Saint Louis
Caleb Reyes, Moanalua
vs.
Holi Teris, Waiakea
There are no state placers in this quad and Reyes is the only one who placed at Officials, taking fifth. Reyes lost to Diamond and Pagduan last week but looked tough against both and gets the unknown BIIF champion for his efforts. Uemura and Johnson Eugenio should provide a good match but this quad probably belongs to Reyes who might be set up for the semifinals if some annual craziness happens to Diamond. Reyes got stuck by Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Kaau Estrella to end his run last year.
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Kamaehu Suzuki Scott, Kamehameha
vs.
David Desantos, Leilehua
Everett Bettencourt, Konawaena
vs.
Joshua Roy Gallarde, Campbell
Gallarde is the unquestioned boss of this quad and Bettencourt should be no problem but this is wrestling. Gallarde went into last year’s tournament as the top seed after his first OIA championship but got pinned by Iolani’s Kaysen Takenaka in the second round. He showed his mettle by coming back to take third, but it had to be a disappointment. Gallarde is a classic No. 2 with all of the chops to be No. 1, he finished second at Officials, OIA West and the OIA championships. He can’t look ahead to the semis, though, as Desantos has been busy and all of the Mules seem to be peaking for states but beating the ILH champion might be too much to ask.
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Kyle Ortiz, Hilo
vs.
Jaron Pagaduan, Castle
Nathan Hishinuma, Hawaii Baptist
vs.
Alexander Kalilikane Delos Reyes, Baldwin
Pagaduan went from fourth at Officials to one of the best at the weight class, taking the OIA East before coming in third last week with his only loss a 5-4 heartbreaker to Gallarde. Things only get tougher if he gets past Ortiz, though, because Delos Reyes looms if he can get past HBA’s tough Nathan Hishinuma. Delos Reyes is the only state placer in this quad, taking fifth last year, his only losses a 1-0 job to Josh Crimmins and a 5-4 decision to Waianae’s Sheldon Bailey. The MIL champ took second at the Garner Ivey this year.
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