[ HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING ]
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Richard Torres beat Waialua's Wesleyn Kobayashi in the 112-pound final at yesterday's OIA wrestling championships.
Kahuku rules the OIA
Talented and confident, the Kahuku Red Raiders had everything going their way at the Oahu Interscholastic Association wrestling championships at Leilehua yesterday.
But, just to be sure, veteran coach Reggie Torres asked his boys and girls teams to remember one last thing before yesterday's matches started.
Champions, he reminded them, have heart. With that in mind, the Kahuku boys roared to a resounding victory, outpointing runner-up Waipahu by 101 points (254.5 to 153.5), and the girls edged Farrington 176.5 to 173.5.
Torres needed to look no further than his own home to find reason to remind his team that there's more to big tournaments than physical skills. His freshman son, Richard, was admittedly nervous going into his first OIA tournament.
"But we met with the whole team this morning and got the kids who are so inspirational," Torres said. Among them is Kahuku's 140-pound grappler, Elmar Acorda, a senior who continued to battle in Friday's round despite three instances of a shoulder popping out.
"He has the heart of a champion. He never, never gave up," Torres said. We have kids who are so talented, and if they have half the heart Elmar has ..."
Finishing behind Kahuku and Waipahu in the boys' standings were Kaiser (131 points), Mililani (127) and Pearl City (113.5).
On the girls' side, Moanalua finished third with 135 points, followed by Pearl City (114) and Castle (67).
The day was one of individual titles for some wrestlers who have taken contrasting routes to their championships.
Danyelle Hedin of Kailua, a two-time state champion, earned her first OIA crown. The unusual resume may have a new flavor for the senior, who moved up from the 121 weight class to the new 125 division this season.
"It felt good to win. I won the (OIA) East, and winning OIA and states would be a good way to go out," said Hedin, who defeated Leilani Relator 7-0 in the title match.
Hedin used a new move to break a scoreless duel with Relator, a foe she has battled for four years. "I learned a move we call the 'Sammy,'" she said. It involved reaching over Relator's right shoulder from behind, grabbing her left wrist, and then shooting her left arm under Relator's armpit, securing the left wrist with two hands.
That helped Hedin start a move that netted three points -- big points after a 0-0 first period.
"I've learned a lot more techniques. A lot of things have changed," she said. "When I was a freshman, I was a hothead."
Perhaps the most remarkable path to a title came from Rene Suehiro, who won his fourth OIA crown. Suehiro, a two-time state champion, stepped up to 145 and defeated Matt Comeau of Kahuku 7-2.
Suehiro did it despite missing nearly the entire regular season. "There were some things he needed to take care of with his family, and family is definitely more important than wrestling," McKinley coach Chris Johnson said. "I told him, 'Whatever you want to do, do it for you, not for me or your dad.'"
Suehiro began the season prepared to sit out completely, but eventually, the call of the mat echoed.
"I decided on my own. I realized it's my last year. It's the only good thing I got going for me," he said. "I wasn't in the best condition, and I didn't have the best technique. I'm probably 70 or 80 percent of where I was last year."
As the only senior on a Tiger squad dominated by sophomores, Suehiro is enjoying his return. "It's not that I love wrestling," he admitted. "But I enjoy the outcome. I enjoy the support of my coaches, and the feeling of being part of a team."
