Thursday, February 26, 1998
Historic first for girls
By Pat Bigold
in state wrestling
Star-BulletinIt will be the 32nd boys' state wrestling tournament but the girls' historic first. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association events, scheduled for the Stan Sheriff Center, will run tomorrow and Saturday. There are between 80 and 100 female competitors expected, and about 250 boys.
"It's really great to have a girls' state competition," said Radford wrestling coach Bob Frey. "And to have it sanctioned by the HHSAA is so important. It will cause more girls to come out for the sport now that they see there's an official state tournament. The girls are really excited about it."
Female competitors are especially excited because they came close to not having the event, which was recommended last May at a conference of the state's athletic directors.
The executive board of the HHSAA waited until Feb. 2 before it decided there was not enough participation to warrant a separate state tournament. The move prompted legal saber rattling about Title IX's guarantees, and a flurry of protest from parents, coaches and athletes.
Less than a week later, the executive board reversed its decision.
Frey said the girls' team favorites are McKinley, Moanalua, Leilehua and Kamehameha.
The boys' favorites are defending state champion Kamehameha, 10-time champion Iolani, St. Louis, Moanalua, Aiea, McKinley, Baldwin and Waiakea.
The Warriors have five of the top seeds in the boys' tournament.
Kaha'a Rezentes of Kamehameha will compete at 119 pounds and seek his second state title in three years.
Also seeded for Kamehameha are Ashley Byrd (130 pounds) , Kamaka Jingao (140), Richard Robles (160) and David Kapalolu (215).
Spencer Sequin of St. Louis seeks his third straight state title at 145 pounds.
McKinley's 171-pound Imi Richardson will attempt to defend his 1997 state title.
Radford's Chris Hogge, a University of Hawaii football recruit, is the top seed at 275 pounds.
McKinley won the girls' championship of the OIA, the only league that sanctions a separate tournament for girls.
Among the individual favorites in the girls' tournament are Iolani's Jill Remiticado, who won the women's 114-pound Cadet National Championship last summer in New Orleans, and Lahainaluna's Leona Berger, who is a dominant force in the 140-pound class.
Frey said that he was told at the recent state seeding meeting at Radford that Berger has been pinning boys in her weight class and would have been a favorite to win a Maui Interscholastic League title in the boys' tournament if she had elected to participate.
The decision to hold the girls' state tournament ruled out the MIL competition.
At least two other states, Texas and Michigan -- have girls' state wrestling tournaments.
The girls have only 10 weight classes, compared with 14 for the boys.
They are 98, 103, 108, 114, 121, 130, 140, 155, 175, and 220 pounds.
The boys' division are 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215, and 275 pounds.
Frey said most girls' weight classes are not full but the most competition will come at the 121- and 130-pound level.
He said Hawaii is the only girls' wrestling state that goes as high as 220 pounds. He said there are four girls in that highest weight class.
Qualifying rounds begin at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. The girls' state final will be Saturday at 5 p.m. and the boys' final will be held at 7 p.m. that day.