Campbell senior Micah Tynanes, who was the prep feature in today’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, is hoping for his second straight sweep of the OIA and state wrestling titles next month.
He won both in the 195-pound weight class last year and will most likely compete at 220 this year in order for Campbell to have a complete lineup.
However, a 25-pound jump in weight class won’t be his toughest obstacle on the road to a repeat.
As a defensive lineman on Campbell’s football team, Tynanes tore his MCL on Sept. 23 against Waianae. Although the Sabers came out on top in a 14-12 signature victory, it meant that Tynanes would be out for an extended period of time.
Fortunately for him, Tynanes was healed after a month and a half of therapy and did not require surgery.
“Right now, it’s kind of like a comeback for me because it really kind of slowed me down,” he said. “That was really hard. My trainers really helped me with that and I wanted to come back even stronger for wrestling.”
Although the injury occurred while he was competing in his secondary sport, he still acknowledged that playing football was beneficial for his wrestling skills.
“It helped me stay in shape before wrestling started and helped me build up my speed,” Tynanes said.
By almost all indications, Tynanes’ return to the mat has been smooth so far.
In December’s Moanalua Duals, Tynanes defeated ‘Iolani’s Dane Yamashiro, the state’s reigning champion in the 285 class. Additionally, Tynanes had no problem handling Farrington’s Kyle Vereze-Eligio at the OIA/ILH round robin at Kamehameha on Saturday.
“At the time, there’s always the thought of ‘Did I just lose my heavyweight for the season?’ But he worked hard,” Campbell coach Lucas Misaki said. “He worked with our trainers every week. He stayed cautious about it, stayed diligent about doing his physical therapy. He knew he needed to be healthy for the team and for the season.”
Tynanes is currently ranked No. 3 in the Hawaii Prep World boys wrestling pound-for-pound rankings.
Very inspiring by Tynanes, amazing what obstacles he had to go through and what he does for his team.
Does Tynanes-perez beating yamashiro mean his p4p rankings will go up?
The p4p rankings are just for reference and fun. Theres no need to look at a list to appreciate what he brings to the mat.
He has been looking dominant in the 220 and 285 pound weight class. Is there a possibility of him wrestling 195 again at states ?
This kid makes the heavier weight classes very entertaining, can’t wait to see what he has in store in the future.