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Male Athlete of the Week: Chance Ikei, Kaiser wrestling
Chance Ikei didn't require much of a learning curve on the wrestling mat.

Little more than two years after taking up the sport, Ikei found himself atop the podium at Saturday's Chevron/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Championships. The Kaiser sophomore, who entered the 16-man tournament unseeded, won four matches to two days to ascend to champion of the boys' 113-pound weight class.

Ikei, who finished second at the Oahu Interscholastic Association individual championships a week ago, pinned Kauai's Kristopher Alcos in the first period of his preliminary-round bout Friday before advancing through a quarterfinal with a second-round pin of Hilo's Shaeden Quevedo, the No. 4 seed and Big Island Interscholastic Federation titlist. The following day, upset top-seeded Blaysen Terukina, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champ from Kamehameha in a semifinal and finally defeated third-seed and Maui Interscholastic League winner Zach Wigzell, of Lahainaluna, in the final.

"He had a great weekend," Kaiser coach Mike Kim said. "Everything came together, his conditioning, his technique, everything.We knew he was going to have a very tough semifinal match against a guy that has beaten him a couple of times before and he was mentally ready to get his first win against this guy and he did. That was a huge win for him right there and then after that one, coming into the final, he was ready to go."

Ikei never trailed in the title match. He took a 2-0 lead after a first-period takedown and a reversal in the second period gave him a 4-2 edge entering the final two minutes. Ikei began the third period from the down position and quickly scored a reversal to extend his lead to 6-2. After giving away an escape point to Wigzell, Ikei got another takedown and scored on two near-falls late to win 12-5.

"He improved a lot over the season," Kim said of Ikei. "He grew physically and with that he got stronger, his conditioning is better and he's more confident being in his second year and so he's a lot tougher all around. He placed fourth last year and after that he was even more set on taking first this year."

A week ago, in the OIA final, Ikei was on the losing end of a narrow 14-13 decision against Kapolei's Shandon Ilabon-Totten, which only helped to refocus him for the state tournament.

"It motivated him, for sure," Kim said. "We actually caught a couple bad breaks in that match and there was a controversial call that we actually had on tape. I protsted that one — not officially — but the refs' explation was complete different from what actually happened, so he knew he won that match and that gave him confidence."

Ikei only began wrestling casually as an eighth grader when he would practice with the Cougars, but quickly excelled.

"He took it to right away. He came in without any experience in the eighth grade, but was already looking ahead, already talking about the state tournament and trying to make it there," Kim said. "He learned and picked things up very fast."

Ikei also is the beneficiary of being the son of reknown trainer Chad Ikei, who works with collegiate and professional athletes.

"That helps tremendous," Kim said. "Nobody will outwork him, nobody with be in better shape than him so we don't have to worry about that aspect at all. We know his motor is not going to quit and he's going to be at least as strong as anybody else. He has intensity and fitness, but also great dedication and self-drive."

Despite Ikei's rapid ascent to the top, Kim said the sky is the limit for him.

"We were texting (Sunday) night and I asked him how it feels to be a state champ," Kim said. "He said he's ready to get right back to work, so I know he's going to allow himself a lot of room for improvement."

Female Athlete of the Week: Donavyn Futa, Kamehameha wrestling
Kamehameha picked up it's first girls' team title last week in the 17-year history of the state tournament and among the five individual titlists for the Warriors was a freshman who helped set the tone in the ever-important finals round.

Donavayn Futa pinned all four of her opponents in the two-day tournament en route to the 113-pound state championship to cap an impressive first season at the varsity level.

"She wrestled intermediate for two years and she has a jiu jitsu background," Warriors' coach Bill Venenciano said. "Seeing her potential in intermediate, I was eager to see how she would develop and I think through competition with a couple of seniors at that weight class, she's really come around nicely for us."

Futa, who won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title a week earlier, was seeded third in the state bracket behind King Kekaulike's Jenna Mauliola and Roosevelt's Kristen Kojima.

"Coming into the tournament not as the No. 1 seed took away some of the pressure, I think," Venenciano said. "The coaching staff, Mike Low and Dave Futa — Donavyn's dad — played key roles with her as far as getting her mindset ready and keeping her relaxed."

The freshman began the tournament Friday with pins over Farrington's Sydnie Lista and Hilo's Kaitlyn Funai, in the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds, respectively. She followed that up Saturday with a pin of Kojima, the Oahu Interscholastic Association champ before finishing off Pearl City's Alexis Ford in the same manner.

"She's a little bit of a slow starter, but I think when the opponent hits her head, she wakes up and it's like the Hulk — just being able to switch it to full gear — and there's no mercy after that," Venenciano said. "She stayed relaxed through her matches and once she saw the opportunity, she went in for the pins."

Venenciano recalled a preseason tournament back in December in which Futa failed to make weight and was forced to take in the matches from the stands.

"I still remember that day, too, when she didn't make weight, but in hindsight, I think it was good for her to just watch in the preseason and it helped her develop," Venenciano said. "Her dad said to her to chalk it up as a lesson learned and that experience matured her. I think that, coupled with the senior class being the caliber that it was, forced her to commit herself to wrestling — she gave up volleyball — and she never missed weight after that."

Futa's maturation process came full circle at Saturday's championship round. She was the first of five Kamehameha wrestlers to win their state final.

"I think she liked being in that spot because she could be the tone-setter for us," Venenciano said. "She knew that it was a golden opportunity for her to go out there and do her best and she rose to the occassion and gave us the oomph that we needed. She definitely played a key role in setting the tone with her pin."

Off the mat, Venenciano said Futa remains a focused, but fun-loving individual.

"She can be a social butterfly — she makes other people smile, likes to crack jokes and has a good balance — but she's also a good student and she commits herself and she's very intense in that respect, she gives her 100 percent," Venenciano said. "I look forward to her contributing next year as a team leader and role model. Hopefully she deals with the pressure well of being a returning state champion."

WRESTLING
Braydon Akeo, Mililani — Won his third consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Boys' 138-pound bracket.

Teshya Alo, Kamehameha — Won her second consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Girls' 130-pound bracket.

Blake Cooper, Pearl City — Won his third consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Boys' 160-pound bracket.

Bubba Jaramillo, Lahainaluna — Won his second consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Boys' 145-pound bracket.

Carly Jaramillo, Lahainaluna — Won her second consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Girls' 140-pound bracket.

Tristan Ludiazo, Campbell — Entered state tournament as unseeded in Boys' 220 weight class and rallied to win championship match in overtime.

Lalelei Mataafa, Lahainaluna — Won her second individual state title by capturing the championship of the Girls' 220-pound bracket

Shannon Paaaina, Mid-Pacific — Won her second individual state title by capturing the championship of the Girls' 125-pound bracket

Harmony Pacheco, Kamehameha — Won her second consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Girls' 121-pound bracket.

Kalissa Pundyke, Campbell — Won the Girls' 101-pound individual state championship as an unseeded wrestler.

Erin Scheidt, Kamehameha — Won the Girls' 175-pound individual state championship as an unseeded wrestler.

Joshua Terao, Mid-Pacific — Won his fourth consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Boys' 132-pound bracket.

Alex Ursua, Pearl City — Won his second consecutive individual state title by capturing the championship of the Boys' 126-pound bracket.