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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, February 15, 2009

Punahou boys, girls roll to ILH wrestling crowns

By Kalani Takase
Advertiser Staff Writer

Punahou School's Hemmeter Fieldhouse was anything but welcoming to visiting wrestlers yesterday.

Host Punahou continued its yearlong dominance on the mat at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships, running away with both boys and girls team titles.

"I'm very happy with the way they wrestled today," Buffanblu coach Matt Oney said. "They've worked hard this week to make sure we're peaking at the right time and I'm very proud of them."

Punahou won 11 of the 14 boys weight classes and placed third or higher in the other three on its way to piling up 267 points. Kamehameha, which won two weights, finished second with 184.5 points. Pac-Five was third (92), 'Iolani fourth (89.5) and Saint Louis fifth (36).

In the 114-pound final, Punahou's Jordan Ng held off 'Iolani's Truong Vu in one of the afternoon's most exciting matches.

After a scoreless first period, Ng scored on an escape to take a 1-0 second-period lead. Vu evened the score with an escape midway through the third — and final — period. Just 10 seconds later, Ng scored on a take down to pull ahead 3-1. Vu again tied it on a reversal with 11 seconds left, but Ng's escape with five seconds on the clock made the final score 4-3.

"That was tough. My coaches told me to always be aware of the time. I knew about the time and I knew that I just had to give that final push," Ng said. "I have to thank my coaches, they push me so hard and I'm just lucky to have such great coaches."

It was the third time the two have met this season. Despite winning the first meeting between them, Vu's only two losses this season have come at Ng's hands.

Punahou senior Reid Oshiro beat Kamehameha sophomore Shayden Terukina, 5-2, in the 125-pound final. It was the fourth time the two have met this season, with Oshiro winning all of them.

Oshiro went ahead on a second-period escape, but Terukina tied it with an escape about a minute into the third period. Oshiro clinched the match on a take down and near-fall late in the period.

"I knew I had to score and I knew that he was trying to shoot low singles on me, so I was cautious of that, trying to get in close, tie him up, so that I could take my shots," Oshiro said. "I was just telling myself that this is the last two minutes of the final, this is where it all counts."

Oney said Ng and Oshiro set the tempo for the Buffanblu yesterday.

"Regardless of who won those weight classes, I think 114 and 125 are really stud weight classes," Oney said. "The fact that both of our boys ended up on top, we're very fortunate — they both wrestled really well. The kids in those two weight classes never have a week off; every week is a grind for them."

The Buffanblu girls won six of the 11 weight classes, led by senior JT Ojerio at 140 pounds.

Ojerio, who pinned all three opponents in the first period, defeated Hawai'i Baptist's Kayla Mishima in the final.

The Buffanblu took the team title with 178 points. 'Iolani was second (133) and Pac-Five third (107).

Other Punahou girls who won were: Nicole Taniguchi (98 pounds), Christina Chow (114), Mindy Chow (120), Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (155) and Mary Jane Kaimana Lundquist (175).

"Overall, I'm pleased with the girls," Oney said. "As a group, they wrestled well."

'Iolani senior Keiko Akamine won her fourth ILH title yesterday, just not the way she would have liked.

Akamine's opponent in the final, Pacific Buddhist's Quinn Nagatani, could not compete because of an injury.

"Of course, I wish that we could have actually wrestled, but you can't help these kinds of things," said Akamine, a two-time defending state champion.

Reach Kalani Takase at ktakase@honoluluadvertiser.com.