Don’t tell some of Hawaii’s elite male wrestlers that the Hawaii Officials Tournament is just a preseason tune-up.
“This is my favorite atmosphere tournament — it is so packed,” Castle’s Keegan Goaes said. “States is nice, but the title is the only difference. The name of winning states matters, but besides that I have more fun inside here. States is a lot more soft because everyone is spread out, but over here, it’s like the guys are kissing us, they are so close.”
Goeas, a reigning state champion, had the advantage of being the crowd favorite as Hawaii’s boy against Tommy Belding of La Grande in Oregon. A wrestler from the continent hadn’t won an Officials title since Stallions Dakota of New Plymouth, Idaho, in 2012, and Goeas helped keep that spell dry with a 12-3 major decision that included injury time when Belding appeared to be choked out and laid unresponsive on the mat before continuing.
“I don’t know if he was choked out, but I knew he was hurt,” Goeas said.
Goeas was joined on the top step of the podium by potential state slammers Tyger Taam of Moanalua and Mikah Labuanan of Kamehameha-Hawaii. They draw the biggest cheers during prematch introductions, but the crowd turns on them quickly when it smells an upset.
Labuanan beat Daxson Calvert of Hilo by technical fall with a 19-4 score, earning his second Officials championship and second title in two weeks after taking the Garner Ivey on his home island of Maui last week.
“I remember my sophomore year I couldn’t even hear myself (at Leilehua),” Labuanan said. “All I could hear was a screaming inside my headgear. It kind of makes states a little more underwhelming. I really love the atmosphere, everyone coming here and cheering when I get into a bad situation and I can shut them up by getting a point right after.”
Taam, who won his third Officials title after not competing as a freshman because of the pandemic, had the crowd in a frenzy when his opponent, Mililani’s Koen Shigemoto, took him down midway through the third period to narrow Taam’s lead to 8-6, but Taam earned an escape and rode out the victory for the crown at 144 pounds despite nearly being thrown into the scorer’s table in the final 10 seconds. Taam pinned Shigemoto in less than a minute in last year’s state championship match.
“It happens every time,” Taam said of the atmosphere. “Everyone is closer and wants an upset. I don’t let it get to me, whenever I get taken down people are like ‘oooh,’ but a match is six minutes. All I can do is leave my best out there. I am just grateful for the opportunity.”
Two-time state champion Hunter Berger of Saint Louis failed in his attempt at a third Officials title as a junior, moving through his bracket largely unchallenged before ceding the crown at 132 pounds to Kamehameha sophomore Paliku Chang because of an injury. State champion Colt Kalaukoa of Castle took third place after suffering an upset in the semifinals to allow Nanakuli freshman Analu Woode to win the title at 113 pounds.
State champion Pai’ea Kamakaala of Kahuku reigned at 120 pounds.
Other Officials champions were Koan Hotema of Kalani at 106 pounds, Moanalua’s Quincy Corpuz (126), Daniel Tauyan of Leilehua (138), Baldwin’s Niko Takitani (157), Gavin Buelow of Punahou (175), Konawaena’s Nick Maira (190), Riley Burton of Castle (215) and Waianae’s Elijah Peau over Pita Takafua of Baldwin in an entertaining match between 285-pounders.
Moanalua won the team title with 171 points to Kamehameha’s 160.5 and Punahou’s 147.5. But as Taam points out, there is more work to do.
“We are not satisfied right now,” Taam said. “Definitely have to improve on a lot of things, a lot of things can change and we have two months to get better.”
