Kadena's Josiah Drummer is one of three returning two-time Far East champions. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – All eyes on me.
That’s the narrative that sometimes follows a wrestler bearing the title “defending Far East champion” onto the mat whenever it comes time for them to compete.
And there are a bunch wrestling in the upcoming DODEA-Pacific Far East tournament, a three-day event which begins Monday at Camp Zama’s Yano Fitness & Sports Center.
No fewer than nine are taking part, three each from Kubasaki and St. Mary’s, as well-as three two-time champions, including Josiah Drummer of Kadena.
“No pressure,” said Drummer, who won the 121-pound weight class in last January’s Far East. “I trained hard, I go out and I wrestle hard.”
Joining him among returning titlists are Kubasaki’s Max Lundberg (160), Noah Starr (114) and Tim Cope (127); St. Mary’s Hugo Miyamoto (107), Nathaniel Twohig (139) and Roman Leyko (172); American School In Japan’s Cadell Lee (133) and Matthew Nubin of Humphreys (145).
For Lundberg, there is “definitely some added pressure trying to meet (my) expectations,” he said.
“In my experience, I always like to go in feeling confident, but in the end, it’s always fun. I enjoy wrestling.”
Matthew Nubin of Humphreys is one of nine returning Far East tournament champions. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki's Max Lundberg is one of nine returning Far East tournament champions. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Tim Cope is one of three returning Far East champions from Kubasaki. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Noah Starr of Kubasaki is one of nine returnng Far East champions. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Far East wrestling is in its third year back from being shut down for two seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s tournament follows the same format as in years’ past: Individual freestyle format the first 1½ days, followed by 1½ days of dual-meet competition.
Teams are scored by division in both phases of the tournament, though in the individual portion, wrestlers in both divisions face each other regardless of school size.
All DODEA-Pacific schools except Guam High are entered, along with three Tokyo-area international schools: St. Mary’s, ASIJ and Christian Academy Japan.
It was a non-DODEA wrestler, Malcolm Lee of ASIJ – Cadell’s brother – who handed Drummer his lone loss of the season, a 3-1 decision during the “Beast of the Far East” tournament Jan. 11 at St. Mary’s.
“You definitely learn” from those type of matches, Drummer said. “I watch film, see what I did wrong, learn from my mistakes, practice and go out and wrestle better.”
Whenever he does take the mat, acknowledging that others might point him out and go, “Hey, that’s a Far East champion,” Lundberg said: “I try not to think about it. I just go out and wrestle my game and not worry about it.”
Kubasaki is the reigning Division I freestyle team champion, while Kadena won the dual-meet phase last year. St. Mary’s – which endured a rare season without winning an in-season tournament – and Kinnick are also considered D-I favorites.
Between them, Kubasaki, Kadena, Kinnick and St. Mary’s have won a combined 67 D-I Far East titles.
“We have to have all our guys score” team points, said Joey Wood, who coaches Kadena and wrestled for Kinnick in the mid-2000s. “If you have three or four champions but no other points, you aren’t winning anything.”
“It’s always about who shows up,” Dragons assistant coach David Wray said. “Who has their head and their heart in the game, who’s focused and who’s ready to go.”
Division II teams tend to have fewer wrestlers and rarely fill all 13 weight classes. CAJ won the freestyle team title a year ago, while Robert D. Edgren won the dual-meet crown, its 11th Far East wrestling title, tops among D-II schools.
The D-II teams this season “seem to be equal,” Zama coach Chris Waite said. “Teams have their strong points and their weak spots. There’s a lot of parity, so it’s going to be tight.”
