Chase for the Championship
Leilehua, Baldwin win wrestling championships


Michael Lasquero | ScoringLive
February 15, 2018, 10:32pm

 


What a nail-biting finish.

The race for the team titles was the closest in HHSAA history, but in the end it was the Leilehua boys and Baldwin girls that walked away with top honors at the Texaco Wrestling Championships Thursday night at the Neal Blaisdell Center Arena.

Brent Barefoot defended his boys 182-pound title over Kapolei's Vance Keliihoomalu with a pin in 43 seconds to help the the Mules win their second team title, the school's first since 1995, with 156 points.

Leilehua narrowly edged Kamehameha, who finished with 155 points. Lahainaluna placed third with 148 points.

The girls race was even tighter as the Bears squeaked past Kamehameha by half a point, 157.5 to 157, to win their first state title in school history. Jahnea Miguel and Waipualani Estrella-Beauchamp each won individual titles to lead Baldwin to the championship.

Click on the links below to see full results.

» Boys final team standings

» Boys individual results

» Girls final team standings

» Girls final individual results

Saint Louis' Corey Cabanban celebrates after winning his fourth individual state title, the fifth boys wrestler to accomplish the feat.

Kahuku senior Teniya Alo pins Kamehameha's Krystal Puahala 30 seconds into the second period of the girls 138-pound final.

Leilehua's Kelani Corbett tries to take down Pearl City's Nina Seoane in the first period of the girls 155-pound final.

Streak snapped

A number of individual wrestlers that won state titles last season missed a chance to continue the streak in the championship bout.

The biggest upset of the evening came when Kalaheo's Rysan Leong edged Pearl City's Makoa Cooper, 4-3, in the boys 160-pound final. Leong knocked out the top three seeds in the tournament en route to his championship run, which included top-seeded Cooper, who won the boys 152-pound title a season ago and defeated Leong in this year's Oahu Interscholastic Association finals.

Kaiser junior Tiare Ikei also denied Kamehameha junior Ashley Gooman her third straight individual title with a 4-1 win in the girls 112-pound championship match.

Pearl City's Jennie Fuamatu, who moved down a weight class after winning the girls 184-pound title last year, couldn't get past Konawaena's Kapoina Bailey in the girls 168-pound final. Bailey, who was the runner-up in the same weight class a season ago, beat Fuamatu, 10-3.

Kalaheo's Rysan Leong puts Pearl City's Makoa Cooper on his back during the boys 160-pound championship match.

Kaiser's Tiare Ikei puts Kamehameha junior Ashley Gooman, a two-time state champ, in a hold during the girls 112-pound final.

All smiles for Konawaena's Kapoina Bailey, who improved on a runner-up finish in the girls 168-pound final a season ago.

Keeping it in the family

Two households took home multiple titles on Thursday night.

Lahainaluna sophomore Nanea Estrella captured her second state crown after pinning Punahou's Marisa Iha in the girls 122-pound final.

Later on in the evening older brother Kainalu Estrella was able to claim his first-ever state title to wrap up his prep career.

The Lahainaluna senior, a four-time Maui Interscholastic League champion, defeated Iolani's Kaua Nishigaya in the boys 132-pound final to help the Lunas take third place with 148 points in the boys team race.

Campbell's Zayren Terukina and younger brother Kysen Terukina, a Kamehameha sophomore, also won their second state titles.

The older Terukina beat Saint Louis' Boltyn Taam, 11-6, in the boys 145-pound final while the Warriors' sophomore bested Iolani's Brady Hoshino, 8-2, in the boys 120-pound championship bout.

Lahainaluna's Nanea Estrella flips assistant coach Zane Monteleone on the mat after winning her second state title.

Lunas' senior Kainalu Estrella has Iolani's Kaua Nishigaya in the fetal position during the boys 132-pound final.

Campbell's Zayren Terukina squares up his opponent in the boys 145-pound final.

Kamehameha sophomore Kysen Terukina celebrates after winning his second individual state crown.

Rough Rider redemption


A pair of Roosevelt girls wrestlers took won their respective weight classes after placing second at states a season ago.

Senior Macy Higa, who lost in the girls 112-pound final last year, earned her second individual crown with a 5-3 win over Kamehameha’s Alana Vivas in the girls 117-pound championship match.

Xiaolin Mai also brought home a title for the Rough Riders with a 3-1 win over Kapolei’s Allicia Mahoe in the girls 97-pound final. Mai was a third-place finisher two years ago and was the girls 102-pound runner-up last season.

Roosevelt's Macy Higa gets a hold of Kamehameha's Alana Vivas in the girls 117-pound final.

Roosevelt's Xiaolin Mai finally got that elusive state title after placing third two seasons ago and finishing second last year.

Heavyweight Tigers

Two McKinley football players each won their first state crown to give McKinley a sweep in the 200-plus weight classes.

Laulii Iosefa avenged a OIA final loss to Leilehua's Jonah Caminos Freitas with a 3-2 win in the boys 220-pound state championship match and Ezekiel Samuelu edged Kamehameha's Cody Bollig with a similar score in the boys 285-pound final to give the Tigers multiple individual titles.

McKinley's Laulii Iosefa claps his hand in celebration after winning the boys 220-pound championship.

McKinley's Ezekiel Samuelu locks up with Kamehameha's Cody Bollig in the boys 285-pound final.


Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




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