Breaking the ‘Diamond Curse’

Mililani junior Zack Diamond went to the doctor on Monday to have his knee checked and was happy to find out he was cleared to wrestle.

In all likelihood, his opponents aren’t quite as thrilled.

Diamond, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boys high school wrestler, strained his knee during the semifinals of the OIA championships on Saturday in a surprising first-round loss to Waianae’s Sheldon Bailey.

According to his dad, Clark, Zack pulled out of the consolation bracket on the advice of his trainers and coaches.

The injury and loss set up an interesting scenario for the state tournament first round at the Blaisdell Arena on Friday, when Zack, who now goes into the 138-pound class unseeded, faces Punahou’s Josh Crimmins — the ILH champion and top seed. That match’s winner will likely get Pearl City’s Baylen Cooper, another highly regarded grappler, in the next round.

One person who will be right there rooting for Zack at the states is his brother, best buddy and training partner, Isaac Diamond.

Isaac, a senior for the Trojans, will be shooting for the 132-pound title, and no one will be pulling harder for him than Zack.

The Diamond boys are continuing a family legacy that looks like it will endure for years to come.

The younger Diamond siblings — Elijah (a freshman), Nick (sixth grade), Jacob and Krystal — wrestle or will likely wrestle.

More than anything, Zack and Isaac want to break what they freely call "The Diamond Curse." Through the years, the Diamond family has come close, but has not won a state title.

"It would be amazing, super cool, to win it," Isaac said before a recent practice. "We’ve been super close. But it won’t be even close to being easy."

That last statement goes for all wrestlers. They endure rigorous year-round training that most people avoid.

At previous state tournaments, Tyler Diamond, their brother, placed fifth in the state in 2007. Chad placed second once and third twice before graduating in 2009.

Then came Isaac, who finished second in the state as a freshman before suffering season-ending injuries, to his hip as a sophomore and to his shoulder as a junior.

Zack placed second twice at states. He lost by two points in the final as a freshman before losing handily in the final a year ago to Mid-Pacific’s Josh Terao, who is now competing for American University.

"I got decked (against Terao)," Zack said.

For Isaac and Zack, despite the brotherly love, brotherly animosity crops up from time to time.

"I’ve seen them come to blows a couple of times, or an elbow to the face in the heat of what they’re doing on the mat and getting irritated," Clark Diamond said.

Isaac doesn’t mind admitting that Zack has the edge on the mat these days.

"I like to say I’m better because I’m the older one," Isaac said. "But right now, it’s him. He can do a lot more than I can."

Isaac’s injuries the past two seasons have decreased his mat time. But more than that, he pointed out that Zack takes the sport more seriously.

"He (Zack) wants to wrestle in college," Isaac said. "I want to go to college (after a two-year church mission) and I may coach wrestling, but I’m not going to really pursue competition after high school. Zack has a lot more invested than me."

One story they’ll always be able to laugh about concerns Isaac’s state-final match his freshman season, when Zack, an eighth-grader at the time, was manning the video camera.

"That match was super close and (the opponent) was supposed to destroy me," Isaac said. "When I watched it on video later, Zack had the camera moving around everywhere so you couldn’t tell what was happening. That’s how much he was into really watching it (not paying enough attention to camera angles). There was one takedown I wanted to see and he almost got it, so the first time I tried to watch it, I said, ‘Dang it, Zack, you missed it.’ "

Added Zack, "I was probably more nervous than he was."

Zack is confident and ready to take on his first-round challenge against Crimmins. It would be the same whoever the opponent is.

"I come to practice every day and work my butt off. We’ve gotta break that curse. If I lose, I will be back training harder. The harder you work in practice, the easier it is in meets. If you start slacking, things get harder and harder."

In case anyone is wondering, Zack added with conviction: "I haven’t slacked!"

When interviewed earlier this year, Zack professed his steadfast support for Isaac by saying, "This is his year."

This is how Zack sums up his feelings about their relationship:

"He’s my brother, my best friend, my partner, my hugest rival. We’re both competitive, so we bump heads. No one wants to give up. We’re both going for that one goal. When I’m tired, dying, drained, Isaac is there to push me and keep me focused on that goal."