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It’s the match many were waiting for Friday — Kamehameha’s Kanai Tapia vs. Moanalua’s Boltyn Taam at 152 pounds. And it was a showcase match for sure. Tapia got by, but barely — 6-4 in overtime to move into the semifinals of the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships on Saturday. Tapia is going for his first state championship while Taam came into the tourney, down from the 160-pound division that he won last year. Tapia is No. 4 in Hawaii Prep […]

Baldwin‘s Coby Ravida is going for his third title Saturday on the second day of the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships. He nearly didn’t get to that point, though. He was down early and midway through his 120-pound quarterfinal match against Waianae’s Branson Magsayo before coming back for a resounding victory 14-4. In Saturday’s semis, he faces Waiakea’s Rylan Smith. “I have to go out with a bang,” Ravida said. “It is really important for me to finish all the way […]

Many eyes are on the boys 152-pound weight class at the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships. The three wrestlers who are in a major quest to take victory there all advanced through to the quarterfinals Friday at Blaisdell Arena. One of them will not make it to Saturday’s championship match. That’s because top-seeded Kanai Tapia of Kamehameha meets Moanalua’s Boltyn Taam (the 160-pound state titleist from 2019 who moved down to where the action is) in the quarterfinals later today. Both […]

McKinley senior Michael Stovall has momentum and he’s hoping it leads to bigger and better things. Stovall upset OIA champion and third-seeded Max Higa by pin the 138-pound division preliminary round at the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships at Blaisdell Arena on Friday afternoon. The victory avenged a loss by pin to Higa in the second round of the OIA championships. The win also put Stovall into the quarterfinals later Friday. He’ll be going against Saint Louis’ Ansen Ursua. “My mind-set,” […]

Kysen Terukina was walking down near the coaches area after a preliminary round victory Friday at the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships. A routine win. A pin over Moanalua’s Alec Fong at 132 pounds. One of the many in his high school career. Yet, head coach Rob Hesia still gave him a hard hand slap and looked him in the eye as if the accomplishment was more than that. Perhaps, that’s how wrestling is. The job done is the job done. […]

Keane Escaba is on a roll. The Moanalua junior wrestler is 2-0 in the 113-pound division at the Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships on Friday, and the second victory was a big one — a pin over second-seeded ILH champion Kaistin Vasquez of Punahou. Escaba was down 2-1 at one point and took a 3-2 lead before getting a cradle and the pin on Vasquez. Earlier, Escaba pinned Mililani’s Jason Tashiro in the qualilfying round. In the quarterfinals later today, Escaba […]