Young martial artists shine as Travilla bags 2 gold

Although small in stature, the little ones shone under the spotlight as they fought with heart and passion during the kids gi divisions of Trench Tech Promotions’ “Mats on Fire” submission grappling tournament last Saturday at the Garapan Central Park Roundhouse.

While everyone performed as best as they could, an up-and-coming grappler, Reinard Travilla, had two gold medals to show for his effort and performance.

He first bagged gold in the 61-70-lb peewee 3 division after he made lone opponent, Deighton “Deight the Great” Muña, tap out with an armbar.

The 11-year-old Travilla then made his way up to the 71-80-lb peewee 4 division with a bye. He breezed through his opponents with another armbar finish, and immediately went to work in the finals against Tate “T-8” Manglona.

There, the Saipan Submissions student under black belt Bryan Deleon Guerrero, forced another submission—his third, with a triangle choke. Manglona settled for the silver while Mica Zevallos claimed bronze.

Travilla said of his win, “I feel really happy and more motivated for the upcoming tournaments that I will be competing in. I am most proud of my wins and for my other teammates for winning and competing with me. Thank you professor Bryan and Saipan Submissions for preparing me for the tournament and the constant guidance and training every week at the gym. I would also like to thank professor [Justis] Cuki [Alvarez] and the Trench Tech Purebred family for giving me the foundation, and mentorship throughout the years.”

Travilla’s teammates, Urijah “Wolfie” Sablan and Kaiyi Pangelinan, also won gold in their respective divisions.

Seven-year-old Sablan took down Uma “Booma” Naputi via points, 12-0, for gold in the lightest division—40-50-lb peewee 1. Neil “Royal Boy Quitugua settled for bronze.

For 10-year-old Pangelinan, she bagged gold in the 81-90-lb kids 1 division over Ryusei “Ryu” Asai with an armbar finish just under 20 seconds in. Deon Greenman won bronze.

Deleon Guerrero said of his young wards, “I feel like they performed the best. All together, they had the most submission wins, and they also brought home the most medals than the adults even though there were only three of them. The three of them brought home four medals… but at the end of the day, it’s not really about being on the podium or winning. It’s just about performing your best in jiu jitsu.” He added, “I feel like the kids—from when we started to today, they showed a tremendous amount of progression, so I just want to keep pushing us in that direction.”

In the 51-60-lb peewee 2 division, Sen. Corina Magofna (Ind-Saipan)’s daughter, Aiyani Rios, won gold after a minor slip on the mat. She regained composure and control then eventually brought Eleanor Anderson down via points, 4-2. Amelia Zevallos was the bronze medalist.

The 9-year-old Rios for her part said that the competition “was great because I won.”

On how she felt on winning, “I felt happy because it’s my first time winning a first-place medal.” She added that she worked hard for it and “now, I feel confident beating my opponents.”

Rios then left a message: “Never think negatively, work hard, and never give up on your dreams.”

Jordan Camacho bagged gold in the 91-100-lb kids 2 division. Dylan Greenman won silver, while Joseph Cruz claimed bronze.

In the 101-150-lb absolute division, Trey “King Koa” Manglona came out on top with the gold. Noel “King” Quitugua won silver, while Alexander Diaz had bronze.

Some of these young grapplers also competed and won some medals in their respective divisions during the

Mats on Fire served as Trench Tech Promotions’ fundraiser for the upcoming Påtgon Jiu Jitsu Tournament in Guam set for Oct. 26.

Main sponsors of the “Mats on Fire” submission grappling tournament are Monster Energy, Century Hotel, and Hafa Adai Rent-A-Car. Other sponsors include Fökai and Trench Tech Purebred Gym.