Punahou School senior Bryson Fukushima won the 115-pound weight class championship Sunday at the Brute Adidas Nationals wrestling tournament at the Kansas City (Mo.) Convention Center.

Wrestlers from 38 states, most of them state medalists, competed in the three-day event.

Fukushima was the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association runner-up at 103 pounds as a freshman and the state champ at that weight class as a sophomore.

He was the HHSAA runner-up at 112 pounds last year, but was injured this past season and did not compete in the state tournament.

"He injured his lower back and shoulder and by the time he came back, we had our lineup set and he didn't get to wrestle in the state tournament, so that was a bummer," Punahou coach Matt Oney said. "But now he's fully recovered, so for him to win this tournament was really nice."

Fukushima was one of eight Punahou wrestlers in the tournament, seven of whom medaled to earn All-America honors.

Daniel Chow, a senior and three-time state champion, took second place in the highly competitive 148-pound weight class, defeating three other state champs before losing to the Pennsylvania state champion in the finals.

"His weight class was amazing," Oney said.

Juniors Reid Oshiro (122 pounds) and Maika Nagata (128), sophomore Jordan Ng (106) and eighth-grader Bryant Fukushima (98), Bryson's brother, each took third place in their divisions.

Junior Alex Wachi took sixth place; sophomore Brian "Happy" Dang (122) also competed in the tournament.

Oney called the Punahou contingent's overall performance a "remarkable testimony to the focus and skills of these boys."

"This year the tournament used an unseeded format, which made for very difficult matches all along the path to the finals," Oney added. "It was a long trip for the kids to make and they wrestled well, beating a lot of very good wrestlers who, frankly, are not used to losing. I couldn't be prouder of what they've accomplished as ambassadors for Punahou and Hawai'i wrestling."

WAI'ANAE HIGH TO HONOR GINOZA IN JUNE 25 EVENT

Wai'anae High School has announced plans to name its entire athletic complex after former longtime football coach and athletic director Larry Ginoza.

A kickoff event honoring Ginoza will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 25 at Ala Moana Hotel.

Tickets are $100 per person, and corporate tables are available. Proceeds will benefit the Wai'anae High School athletic department and scholarship program.

"We want to honor Coach Ginoza, and we're probably long overdue for something like this," said current Wai'anae AD Glenn Tokunaga. "We're looking for all of his former players and friends and others who want to come."

Ginoza turned the sleepy Leeward Coast into a football capitol soon after taking over the program in 1965. The Seariders went 10-1-1 the following year and won the Rural O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship. Over the next 18 seasons, Ginoza's teams won eight more league titles, in addition to nine OIA West titles and five O'ahu Prep Bowl crowns — symbolic of the "mythical" state championship.

Ginoza retired after the 1984 season as Hawai'i's winningest coach. His 20-year record was 189 wins, 40 losses, 8 ties. He stayed on as Wai'anae's athletic director for several years after that.

For information on the June 25 event, contact Glenn Tokunaga at 697-7021 or 864-6050 or glenn_tokunaga@notes.k12.hi.us or Ben Yamada at yamadab005@hawaii.rr.com.

HALL OF HONOR PACKETS NOW BEING ACCEPTED

Nomination packets are being accepted for the HHSAA Foundation Hall of Honor.

Twelve outstanding high school senior student-athletes will be selected by a 15-member committee on May 18 for induction into the Hall, which was established in 1982 by Nissan Motor Corp. in Hawai'i, Ltd.

The new inductees, who will each receive a $2,000 college scholarship, will be honored at the Hall's 26th annual banquet at the Sheraton Waikiki on June 8.

Athletic achievement is the primary factor, but other factors include sportsmanship, academic standing, character and school/community involvement.

Official nomination forms, which must be submitted to The Honolulu Advertiser (Attn: Clyde Mizumoto, 605 Kapi'olani Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813) by 5 p.m. May 2, are available for download at the HHSAA's Web site (www.sportshigh.com) or by calling the HHSAA at 587-4495.

Read Wes' prep sports blog at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com.