Hilo High’s Liliane Toledo threw the ball around her opponent in Saturday’s championship game, got an emotional hug from her coach, celebrated her team’s historic finish and took the lead in a horned Vikings helmet. podium.
Then came one of her favorite moments of the day.
When she got back to her hotel in Honolulu, the first thing she did was call her sister Leona Toledo and tell her she had her own HHSAA gold medal.
It just didn’t show up on the mat that Liliane Toledo once expected.
Toledo spent all of her senior wrestling seasons winning state gold medals. She ended up taking bronze, but nine weeks later, she returned to Oahu to become the 220-pound judo champion, highlighting the Vikings’ second-place finish and the BIIF girls’ overall performance.
“Wrestling was a big motivator and I was the No. 1 seed (judo) again,” Toledo said. “I just remembered my wrestling (done) in the states, like, ‘Try not to lose this.'”
Toledo didn’t come close, winning all three of her matches with ippon. She said if there was tension, it would be in her first game. At the interstate meeting in March, Toledo stumbled in her first moto and had to struggle to get back to third. With that in mind, Toledo quickly beat Waipahu’s Janelle Mattos, throwing her 45 seconds into Saturday’s opener.
“Honestly, my expectations were not that high (for wrestling) because I didn’t know anything about judo,” Toledo said. “I didn’t think I would get this far.”
Hilo coach Kerwyn Tokeshi said she won the final handily in the competition. She threw Moanalua’s Jasmine Adiniwin for the title at 2:23.
“It’s just excitement,” she said. “I think the main emotions in my head were surprise and shock.”
Leona Toledo won state wrestling gold at 225 as a Hilo senior in 2020, and then got help from coach Ryan Taniguchi as they celebrated.
On Saturday, she said, Tokeshi and Liliane Toledo opted for a “tight hug”.
“He tried (to lift me), but my teacher was a little old,” Toledo said. “I want to bring it home to the team, mainly my teachers.”
Junior Irie Sakai made it to the final of 139 and took silver as the 7 Vikings finished in the top six in 10 weight classes.
Moanalua dominated the standings and swept the team championship, but Hilo’s runner-up was the best finish for the BIIF women’s team, dating back to the 2007 HHSAA record. The tournament was first held in 2004. The Waiakea Boys finished 2014 in second place.
“I knew from the beginning that they would be special,” Tokeshi said. “Take that koa trophy, that’s the topping on the cake.”
No. 3 seed Sakai was won by ippon in the first three matches, including a semi-final lasting just 5 seconds. In the final, Moanalua’s top seed Jessica Dixon threw her out in 2:15.
“She has a tough opponent,” Tokeshi said. “Her opponent also has judo experience.”
Also taking silver from BIIF was Waiakea junior Elena Shibuya, the No. 2 seed in the Class of 109. Shibuya won the first two matches with ippon and her semi-final came down to an official decision. In the final, fourth seed Kayla Shota of Moanalua beat the top seed in just 8 seconds and ippon in 3 minutes 52 seconds.
BIIF has three placers in this sector. In the third place match, Arionna Beatty of Keaau High beat Paige Taasan of Hilo High with a wazari for bronze.
“Elena has been great and pushed herself all season,” said Waiakia coach Jason Tanaka. “She’s also very proud of her leadership, friendship and example to our team. We also got her for another year, so we hope she’ll improve even more in the coming year.”
Tokeshi can say the same about Malia Kukahiwa of Hilo, who took bronze with a 154. Kukahiwa is a silver medalist in state wrestling, and Tokeshi wouldn’t be surprised if she makes it to the finals next season.
When Toledo dominated the 220th Division, Konawaena’s Sanoe Kihe went a long way to take the bronze. After the bye, Kihe lost the quarterfinals, but the senior has four consolation wins through ippon.
Hilo High’s Taylen Babas-Masuno (98) and Waiakea’s Isabella Mow (103) and Lia Ballo (122) battled for bronze and finished fourth, while Hilo’s Tammi Le (129) and Kiana Kaneshiro (172) finished sixth each .
“BIIF girls, they made a statement in Oahu,” Tokeshi said.
While the league has won the state women’s championship in each of the past five events, the boys’ BIIF gold drought continued into 2014, when Waiakea’s Alan Ikehara (161) and Keaau’s Zephania Pavao finished first.
Waakea’s Matthew Okuda (161) won two races on Saturday to reach the semifinals and finish fourth.
Waiakea’s Noah Vento (114) was fifth, Keaau’s Hunter Leu beat Hilo’s Dayson Castillo 132 in the fifth place match and Waiakea’s Jordan Nakamoto (121) was sixth.
The BIIF champion placed 12th in the team competition.