Kamehameha's Teshya Alo drew the top seed at 130 pounds, one of just two defending state champs seeded first in the same weight class they won last year. ScoringLive file photo

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Despite winning at 121 last year, Mililani's Angela Lee drew the second seed to Kamehameha's Harmony Pacheco, who moved down from 125, where she won in 2013. ScoringLive file photo

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Lahainaluna's Carly Jaramillo, who moved up from 135 to 140 pounds this year, received the top-seed over defending champ, Zoe Hernandez of Punahou. ScoringLive file photo

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Punahou's Zoe Hernandez will be defending her stats title at 140 pounds seeded second behind Lahainaluna's Carly Jaramillo. ScoringLive file photo

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Kamehameha's Harmony Pacheco moved down a weight class this season after winning the state title at 125 pounds last year. ScoringLive file photo

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In the 16-year history of the Chevron/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Girls Wrestling State Championships, eight different schools have claimed the team title — none of them Kamehameha.

Expect that to change this weekend.

The Warriors are widely considered to be the odds-on favorite to take home their first ever state crown with a lineup of wrestlers that is both deep and talented. They are the only school to have a wrestler in each of the 14 weight classes this weekend.

Just don't go telling any of that to Kamehameha coach Bill Venenciano.

"I always use the word about being underwhelmed with the girls," Venenciano said. "I know each of the girls this year has a lot of talent and come from different levels of their ability. They need to find what's comfortable for them in their technique and apply it and not be thinking about winning too much. We want to put winning into the perspective of executing on our game plan."

"The scary part is we have four seniors in our lineup and we have almost 30-plus girls, so our team is deep not just quality-wise, but with numbers, too," Venenciano said. "It's a young team so we depend on the leaders, the senior class to take on the leadership role of guiding this team and being role models for them."

Half of Kamehameha's entrants this weekend are among the top seeds in their respective weight classes. Three of them — Pacheco, Alo and 117-pound Shana Dilliner — earned the No. 1 seed in their 16-person brackets.

"I try to communicate to the girls that it's a new season and that everything that happened prior to this was building us up for now," Venenciano said. "The records and performances helped us get prepared and now this is the opportunity for us to show our technique, show our conditioning, execute our game plan and represent the school with class and dignity."

Other teams expected to be the mix are Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Campbell, Maui Interscholastic League titlist Lahainaluna, ILH runner-up Punahou, OIA runner-up McKinley and reigning state champion Pearl City.

"I'm pretty sure it's Kamehameha's title to lose, but you cannot count out Lahainaluna and Campbell, those teams are real tough," Chargers' coach Mike Lee said.

INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT CLASSES TO WATCH

A total of eight defending state champions return for this weekend's state tournament. Only two, however, are the top seed in the same weight class they won last year. That would be Kamehameha's Teshya Alo at 130 pounds and Lahainaluna's Lalelei Mataafa at 220.

Others, like Pearl City's Breanne Takaesu and Kahuku's Aarica Barcina are unseeded in the same weight when they won it all last year after having lost in the OIA championships last week.

"I think 105 looks competitive," Venenciano said. "There are lot of wrestlers that could make a run for it; Breanne could have been the No. 1 seed."

Takaesu won the state title at 105. Barcina made an incredible run to the 109 championship last year as the 16th seed in the bracket.

"To me, 109 is real interesting because Barcina is in almost the exactly the same situation she was in last year," Lee said. "There was some controversy with her match in the OIA quarters last week so she's going in unseeded. She has the ability to do it again, she's a real solid wrestler."

Two weight classes — 121 and 140 — features a pair of defending state champs. Despite winning at 121 last year, Mililani's Angela Lee drew the second seed to Kamehameha's Harmony Pacheco, who moved down from 125, where she won in 2013.

"If they both make it to the final, that should be a really good match," Mililani coach John Robinson said.

It's the same scenario at 140, where defending champ Zoe Hernandez, of Punahou, is seeded second to Lahainaluna's Carly Jaramillo, who moved up from 135, where she won last year.

Mid-Pacific's Shannon Paaina will try to recapture the title that once belonged to her. Paaina won at 125 in 2012 before finishing second to Jaramillo at 135 last year. She is back at 125 this season and is the No. 1 seed.

"That's a really deep weight class with the quality of wrestlers coming back," Venenciano said. "The top eight wrestlers in that weight class have a viable chance to win it."

The tournament gets underway Friday with preliminary rounds at 10 a.m. Quarterfinal and consolation rounds one and two will also be completed that day before wrestlers return to the arena Saturday for another weigh-in at 8 a.m.

"To deal with the pressure of wanting to win and cutting weight both days is tough," Venenciano said. "You've got to be mentally prepared and tough and the best wrestler on that given day will perform and that's what's going to be interesting."

Wrestling concludes Saturday with the championship and consolation finals at 4:30 p.m.

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Chevron/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships girls brackets