HILO — There are no guarantees in judo.
“Anything can really happen,” said Hilo coach Jacob Shon during Saturday’s BIIF individual championships, held at Waiakea High. “One small step determines if you’re getting thrown or if you’re going to throw.”
The Viking boys brought home the BIIF team title last weekend and again led all schools on Saturday with four victories.
The girls side was a Waiakea and Keaau duet, as each school picked up four wins.
Kealakehe and Kamehameha had one win apiece for the girls, with the Waveriders’ Roxie Umu taking first in the 220-pound division and the Warriors’ Kayla Araki repeating as champion in the 154.
Araki was also named girls player of the year by the BIIF head coaches.
Keaau’s Ivory Ayers (172) and Waiakea’s LiAnn Yamamoto (103) defended their BIIF titles. Waiakea’s Raelyn Ai-Yoneda remains undefeated in the 98 division.
Fresh off last week’s team BIIF team championship win, the Waiakea girls nevertheless faced tough competition in a number of their matches. Katie Lee, last year’s runner-up in the 122, defeated defending champ Mikele Pokaka‘a of Keaau in their third meeting this season.
“We just try to keep them motivated,” Waiakea coach Jason Tanaka said. “Going into the individual tournament, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to (beat) the same people or lose to the same people.”
Tanaka and Kona’s Rodney Branco were named coaches of the year.
In the 115, considered the girls most challenging division, defending champ Kyana Shimabuku settled for third behind Hilo’s Tessa Kishigawa and Keaau’s Maelin Tamashiro.
“Four years in judo, and she finally got a BIIF title,” Keaau coach Jordan Sumida said of Tamashiro’s victory.
The Cougars are a young team, having lost several players to graduation while bringing on a host of judo first-timers.
“They’re starting to understand, to catch on,” coach Justin Raymond said. “They’re working harder.”
Though Keaau picked up just one individual title on the boys side, that win in the 178 division was perhaps the most talked-about upset of the afternoon, with two-seed Kawika Andrian defeating top seed and defending champ Kody Minemoto of Hilo in a lengthy match ending in a decisive throw and a swell of cheers from the Cougar bleachers.
Andrian is a junior and in his second year of judo.
“Basically, he waited,” Raymond said. “Kawika was very patient; he waited for his opponent to make a mistake and he capitalized on it.”
“Kawika is very, very, very strong,” Hilo coach Jacob Shon said. “Mini (Minemoto), he was expecting it, and he did his best, but…”
The Vikings’ Kolton Pang and Chris Kubota held on to their undefeated seasons in the 121 and 198 divisions, respectively. Seth Fukushima (220) fell to Kamehameha’s Joyden Madriaga in their third meeting of the season.
“Joyden was just really powerful, and Seth tried, he really tried,” Shon said. “He gave it his all.”
The final contest of the day turned up another surprise, with Konawaena’s Jordan Gouveia taking the victory from Hilo’s Keanu Pinner in the 285 division. Pinner was undefeated on the season, Shon said.
“A lot of upsets today,” he noted.
A few of those came from Viking judoka. Kaleo Miyasaki entered as a three-seed and came out on top in the 145 division, topping teammate Jo-Joe Villa and Keaau’s Tyler Beyer. And in the 161 division, second-seeded Jacob Ramos powered through a nosebleed to defeat top-seed Marshall Sugai of Konawaena by ippon.
Though he’s a senior, this is Ramos’ first year in judo.
“He worked his way up,” Shon said.
BIIF competition was solid this year, he said: “Overall, I think the players are getting way more technical; they’re getting way more competitive.”
Waiakea’s Kellen Goya has been competitive for his entire high school career — the senior notched his fourth straight title, holding off teammate Kilar Fujimoto in the finals of the 132 division.
“It’s not (easy), especially as a freshman, to be BIIF champ,” Tanaka said. “He fought for that. I’m hopeful that…he’ll place high at states — top three, we’re hoping state champ.”
Goya took home the BIIF boys player of the year award as well.
“Overall, he’s just judo smart,” Tanaka said.
