LAHAINA — It was the final tune-up for the Maui Interscholastic League wrestlers on Saturday at Lahainaluna High School’s gymnasium.

Storylines abounded, from Lahainaluna’s MIL football All-Star lineman Morgan “Bula” Montgomery’s wrestling career likely ending, to state title hopefuls Diesel Del Rosario and Toa Mata’afa-Grove sitting out the meet to make sure they’ll be ready for next week, to Lahainaluna’s Catherine Asami and Sanalio Vehikite competing in tough weight classes to be ready for the league championships.

Those championships promise to produce many more sagas. Weather permitting, the MIL finals are set for 5 p.m. Saturday outdoors on the football field at Sue Cooley Stadium.

The dynamic between Lunas heavyweights Vehikite and Montgomery showed the friendly feel of MIL wrestling, even as the athletes battle head-to-head on the mats.

As Montgomery sat out last season while recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee from a football injury, Vehikite emerged as the MIL wrestling champion at 220 pounds.

Vehikite

“It’s awesome, finally get to go back on the mat, been out for a while,” Montgomery said, adding he tried to get to the 220 weight class this season, but plateaued around 240 pounds after playing at 270 for football. “I’m not sure if I’m going to do sports in college, maybe though. If I work with Auntie Jeanie, our college counselor, and I can find a community college for wrestling — I lost a lot of weight and I’d be on the smaller side for football.”

Now, Montgomery and Vehikite are training room partners at the 285-pound division. Montgomery was a first-team MIL All-Star in football for the Division I champion Lunas, while Vehikite played football for the first time in 2023.

Vehikite, who is 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, pinned all four of his opponents on Saturday, including Montgomery in 5 minutes, 20 seconds — the only match for Vehikite to last into the third period.

“I feel a bit more athletic right now, but Sanalio is the ‘A’ wrestler, he’s super fundamentally sound and all that,” Montgomery said. “I’m just trying to make the best out of it, trying to enjoy every second. It’s awesome, I think we push each other in a bunch of different ways, like during training and all that, mentally and physically.

“We’re pretty good friends, so we’re always talking story, whether it’s about this or anything.”

Mata‘afa-Grove

Montgomery’s high school wrestling career will continue this week as training room partner for Vehikite. Montgomery also plans to compete in track and field in the shot put and discus to finish his stellar Lahainaluna athletic career.

Vehikite is grateful for the help he receives from his close friend, especially in his first season of playing football for Lahainaluna after the deadly wildfire on Aug. 8 that devastated Lahaina.

Both Montgomery and Vehikite were displaced by the fire.

“Playing football was pretty emotional for everybody, like, we all lost something,” Vehikite said. “Bula is a good motivator, I love him as a partner. This guy pushes me every day in practice. … I’m trying to get better every year, every day.”

Mata’afa-Grove was fourth in his weight class in the Pennsylvania state championships last season, and while he sat out Saturday’s final round-robin meet, he will be a force at 215 at MILs and likely the Texaco/HHSAA state championships Feb. 23-24 on Oahu.

Del Rosario

His father Kendall Grove is a professional MMA fighter and his uncle Hercules Mata’afa is a professional football player and former standout wrestler for the Lunas.

“Going into this season, I’ve been wanting to win states or have a different mindset this year, so I’ve been working hard, training with my dad and Hercules, all of them,” the Baldwin senior said. “Putting in the work and I’m excited for what this season has for me. So, going through it for my senior year has been tough. Thank you to my training partners for pushing me, but it’s just all be sticking to the game plan, cardio, outsmart them on the mat. Just go at it.

“I feel ready, I’ve been ready since the season started. Last year was an eye-opener for me, I took fourth in the state. … I had good competition up there and coming to this year, I’m ready with a different mindset and I feel stronger and faster.”

Del Rosario, who is seeking to become the first high school state champion of any kind for Lanai High School, sat out the tournament Saturday, but was on hand to offer encouragement to his teammates.

“I’m excited, I want to wrestle, just get everything out of the way, just wrestle,” said Del Rosario, a senior 126-pounder who was third in the state at 120 last year. “State title is the focus, that would mean the world to me, being the first state champ from Lanai. There’s just a lot of expectations I have got to meet, which means pushing me forward to make that goal true.”

Asami

He is leaning strongly toward wrestling next season for Hope International University, an NAIA school in Fullerton, Calif., that is beginning its wrestling program next year.

“That’s where I’m hoping to go, I plan on wrestling there,” Del Rosario said, adding that he has work to do this month first. “I feel like the community would greatly appreciate it, putting Lanai out there. I’m taking today off just to save myself for MILs next week.”

Asami won the 184-pound state title as a sophomore, but finished second at the same weight class last year. She was 2-0 on Saturday, with a pin and a 9-3 win over Masina Borden-Phillips of Molokai.

She began wrestling in sixth grade and plans to continue next season, possibly at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Mont., where former Lunas standouts Ira and Ivy Navarro were national-level standouts. The Navarro sisters are Lunas assistant coaches now.

“They say, ‘It’s hard, but you should do it because it’s like your last chance to wrestle — if you really love the sport, you should do it,’ “ Asami said. “I have a couple (college) options, but I think I’m leaning more towards Providence.”

Asami is excited to finish her regular-season career in her home gym.

“I think it’s really cool, that it’s our last meet and we get to have it here,” she said. “But it’s kind of sad because, like, our season’s over, but you have to move on, I guess.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

MIL WRESTLING

Saturday’s Results • At Lahainaluna

Boys

106 pounds–1. Jake Hunter, King Kekaulike; 2. Justin Freitas-Yoro, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Hunter Oliva, Lanai.

113–1. Ryder Armitage, Lahainaluna; 2. Cy Yasutake, Lahainaluna; 3. Samuelu Koshi, Baldwin; 4. Rykker Manlapao, Kulanihako’i.

120–1. Jona Dudoit, Molokai; 2. Chase Yasutake, Lahainaluna; 3. Rexford Ang, Baldwin; 4. Shadyn Nova, Lanai.

120B–1. Ayden Truong, Baldwin; 2. Aiden-James Joaquin-Isagawa, King Kekaulike.

126–1. Jarett Koyama, Lahainaluna; 2. Kahiku Mano, Lanai; 3. Jaidon Vidad, Lanai; 4. Rylan Taniguchi, Baldwin; 5. Quinton Siver, King Kekaulike.

126B–1. Elijah Whitfield, King Kekaulike; 2. Kamalei Akinaka, King Kekaulike; 3. Mason Babayan, Lahainaluna.

132–1. Blake Abernathy, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Alexander Hawkins, Lanai; 3. Kolby Dudoit, Molokai; 4. Lyndon Manlapao, King Kekaulike; 5. Raymond Curry, King Kekaulike.

132B–1. Kaimana Hammond-Reyes, Baldwin; 2. Liam Cunningham, King Kekaulike; 3. Jaden Patterson, King Kekaulike; 4. Elisha Burnett, King Kekaulike.

138–1. Kekuhi Lindsey, Lahainaluna; 2. Ezekiel Esperanza, Baldwin; 3. Edison Kramer, King Kekaulike; 4. Kanoa Iwankiw, King Kekaulike; 5. Kamauoha Tomita, King Kekaulike.

144–1. Mikah Labuanan, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Kalae Robinson, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Aiden Augustiro, Molokai; 4. Romas Turner, King Kekaulike; 5. Brycen Castro, King Kekaulike; 6. Sky Gonzalez, King Kekaulike.

150–1. Kanoa Kuailani, King Kekaulike; 2. Kia’ikule’a Kalipi, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Makana Angelsea, Molokai; 4. Niel Bryan Quillayen, Maui High.

157–1. Tony Passetti, Maui High; 2. Titan Nitahara, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Ledan Delatori, Kamehameha Maui; 4. Isaac Pacheco, Lahainaluna; 5. Cash Atacador, Lanai; 6. Alvis Agader, Maui High; 7. Jayden Boswell, Molokai; 8. Edward Pali, Maui High.

165–1. Nai Hasegawa, Baldwin; 2. Makai Farm, King Kekaulike; 3. Caese Calaro, Baldwin; 4. Pedro Deus, Kulanihako’i; 5. Elai Mossman, Kamehameha Maui.

165B–1. Shaedin Alexander, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Jesus Moreno, King Kekaulike; 3. Slater Watts, Kulanihako’i.

175–1. Jackson Hussey, Lahainaluna; 2. Kden Pu, Lahainaluna; 3. Reggie Adams, Lanai.

190–1. Chaser Boaz, Lahainaluna; 2. Aikela Wallace, King Kekaulike; 3. Jonah Basurto, Lahainaluna.

215–1. Isaiah Lani, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Ezekiel Kanemitsu-Gomez, Lahainaluna; 3. Justin Tugade, Lahainaluna.

285–1. Sanalio Vehikite, Lahainaluna; 2. Pita Takafua, Baldwin; 3. Thomas Osborn, Maui High; 4. Morgan Montgomery, Lahainaluna; 5. Treyden Hong Ah Nee, Baldwin.

Girls

100–1. Nicole Fernandez, Baldwin; 2. Arianna Kawaiaea, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Jaliyah Rodrigues, Maui High.

105–1. Amaya Mori, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Kaylee Keahi, King Kekaulike; 3. Kiyarah Lei Inaba-Engoring, King Kekaulike.

110–1. Tiale Tancayo, Molokai; 2. Kiera Holokai, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Jayde Garcia, Maui High; 4. Blissany Laborte-Makaena, Baldwin; 5. Destiny Robinson, King Kekaulike.

115–1. Chaela Gantala, Baldwin; 2. Skye Kaawa-Caparida, Molokai.

120–1. Sanairee Hasegawa, Baldwin; 2. Safirah Ladore, Maui Prep; 3. Krystel Valoroso, King Kekaulike.

125–1. Peyton Diamond, Baldwin; 2. Deja Fernandez, Baldwin; 3. Siana Boaz-Vasquez, Lahainaluna.

130–1. Crystin-Dior Treu, Lahainaluna; 2. Kindy Sprout, Molokai; 3. J-Lyn Paa, King Kekaulike.

135–1. Te’ata Mata’afa Grove, Baldwin; 2. Elena Beauchamp-Estrella, Kamehameha Maui; 3. Shaelyn Perreira, Maui High; 4. Shyla Loebl-Auld-Rames, Lahainaluna; 5. Aquino Jaylen, Maui High; 6. Kano’i Akahi-Pascua, King Kekaulike.

140–1. U’ilaunaole Fernandez, Maui High; 2. Gabrielle Salas, Kulanihako’i; 3. Emma Panlasigui, Maui High.

155–1. Shansi Boaz-Vasquez, Lahainaluna; 2. Ofa Haupu, Baldwin; 3. Stephanie Gandeza, Molokai.

190–1. Catherine Asami, Lahainaluna; 2. Masina Borden-Phillips, Molokai; 3. Kolaiki Hapakuka, Hana.

235–1. Angel Kaauwai-Kealoha, Molokai.

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