Graduates Remain Part Of the Pearl City Judo ‘Family’
By Jack Danilewicz
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Pearl City High School junior Christian
Pavo, a black belt in judo, throws 10th
grade brown belt Justin Leong. Photo
by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
When longtime Pearl City boys judo coach Ivan Yoshimura scans his team’s practice facility in the afternoons, the scene regularly resembles that of a reunion.
His assistant coaching staff consists of all Pearl City graduates with many more former players dropping in to volunteer their services.
“A lot of credit has to go to the assistant coaches,” said Yoshimura of his staff, which includes Robin Puahala, John Lum, Steven Nohara, Darren Iwamoto and Jason Plunkett. “Our strength as a program is that guys who graduate from here come back to help. Any one of them could run their own program somewhere else, so we’ve been fortunate to have them all these years. The kids who come back (as volunteers) also give us a lot of guys to practice with, and they relate well.”
Pearl City burst on the judo scene like a meteor in 1977 when the school won the first sanctioned OIA team title under Leigh Nakamoto. Yoshimura was a freshman on that team and was to compete on the Chargers’ OIA title teams in 1978, ‘79 and ‘80. Since taking over the reins in 1983,Yoshimura has added six more boys OIA titles to Pearl City’s trophy case, as well as state championships in 2003, ‘04 and ‘05.
Last year, the Chargers finished first in the OIA and second to Punahou in the state tournament. The bulk of that team remained intact for this season, and with only a few set to graduate this June from its roster, the Chargers figure to be in the mix this season and next.
“Eighty-five percent of our team are 11th-graders, so they’ll be back next year,” he said.“We think we have a good chance of winning the OIA again and, hopefully, we can give Punahou a run for their money (in the state tournament).”
Interest in judo at Pearl City has always been high, as evidenced by the annual turnout at varsity try-outs, which draws as many as 100 kids. Yoshimura expects the Chargers to finish the current season with 60 players on their roster.
This Saturday, Pearl City will host the West individual championships, while the team championships are set for May 4 in Aiea.
State tournament qualifiers will be determined at the OIA’s overall Individual Championships May 12 at Leilehua. The Black Belt Association State Judo Championships will be held May 19 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Among Pearl City’s best shots at the upcoming OIA and state tournaments this spring is Nick Pait, one of few seniors on the team.
“Nick’s pretty tough - he’ll be in there ,” Yoshimura said of Pait, who will compete in the 178-pound division. “His wrestling background helps him a lot, and his father teaches him some martial arts. He very strong physically, and he trains hard.”
The Chargers also boast junior Christian Pavo, a two-time defending state champion in the 178-pound weight class.
“He’s been taking judo since he was a small kid - he’s a black belt,” Yoshimura said of Pavo, whose father is the aforementioned Nakamoto.“He doesn’t like to lose.
He has natural athletic talent, and he puts out 110 percent on game day.”
In the heavyweight division, Yoshimura is expecting junior Tyler Lauifi to be among the favorites in the league.
“For a big guy, he moves really quick - he has good reflexes,” Yoshimura said. “He finished second in the state last year, and he’s really improved (since).”
Yoshimura also has high expectations of senior Jeremiah Drumeller (161), junior Andy Toyama (220) and sophomore Bill Takeuchi (121).
Drumeller’s brother Isaac and sisters Charity and Blessing were all OIA champions at Pearl City during their own playing days.
“It’s a great judo family,” Yoshimura said.”(Jeremiah) has a good chance (of winning an OIA title himself).Andy has been training the whole year. He only began when he got to high school, but the time he has put in outside is paying off for him. He made it a point to improve, and he has every year.
As a sophomore, Takeuchi has found himself paired up against several upperclassmen in Pearl City’s regular season dual meets.
“He’s beaten a lot of them,” Yoshimura said.“He has one speed - full speed. Conditioning-wise, he never runs out of gas. He likes the competition.”
Contact Jack Danilewicz at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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