Peralta rises in girls wrestling rankings

Angela Peralta is still on the move.

The two-time OIA champion vaulted from No. 10 to No. 5 in the latest Honolulu Prep World girls wrestling pound-for-pound rankings after beating all comers at the Officials tournament and then doing it again at Paani three days later.

She went 6-0 in the two tournaments, with four pins and a major decision. Molokai’s Alexandria Simon went the distance against her in the Paani final but failed to score, losing 5-0.

Peralta is no stranger to this elite list, being ranked all last year before falling 8-1 to Lahainaluna’s Carly Jaramillo in the state final. Jaramillo has since graduated, but her weight class is far from open. State runner up Simon of Molokai wrestled at 145 at Paani and three-time state placer Angessa Newman of Waianae and Pearl City’s Jacqueline Fuamatu have also wrestled at that weight this year. Peralta has beaten all of them except Newman in this year’s tournaments.

Ahead of Peralta, the top four in the pound-for-pound stayed the same despite the top three not appearing on the mat this year. Teshya Alo won the U.S. Open to earn a spot in April’s Olympic Trials while Lahianaluna heavyweight Laleilei Mataafa traveled to Oahu to wrestle in the Paani Challenge but had to pull out after hurting her knee in the clinic before the tournament. She is expected to be okay.

Teniya Alo keeps the third spot even though she has spent the preseason nursing a shoulder injury because she is the top wrestler in the nation at her weight class when she does slip the singlet on.

No. 4 Asia Evans of Pearl City wrestled in two tournaments, winning MIT but losing to Zion Vierra of Kamehameha in the finals at Officials. She stays at No. 4 for another week, though.

It might be a good thing that the top three didn’t wrestle in December, as the pound-for-pound list took a beating.

State champion Jocelyn Alo of Campbell, formerly of Kahuku, predictably dropped out after she officially dropped wrestling to continue to hone her softball skills. Watch out for the Sabers on the diamond next year, with Alo and Caragh Morris in the middle of the order.

Morris, who is 0-2 in state championship matches, fell out of the rankings after taking a disappointing fourth at Officials. Morris has to feel like another state championship appearance is in reach, losing by one point to Baldwin’s Saydie Kala and losing by a point to Molokai’s Cendall Manley. There are six state placers and four league champions at 168 pounds this year, though.

Another wrestler who has to believe she is close to regaining her former glory is Punahou state champion Bailey Hoshino. Hoshino reached the final at 97 pounds in both tournaments she wrestled in, but found the girl who will push her. Roosevelt’s Manjam Tamang took Hoshino’s spot in the top 10 with wins of 4-2 and 5-3 over the reigning lightweight queen.

Hoshino beat Tamang 4-3 in her run to last year’s state title, but the division is Tamang’s right now for as long as she wants it unless Moanalua’s Amanda Higa stays down and beats her at 107.

Campbell’s Kalissa Pundyke was the only other girl to drop out of the rankings, losing twice at Officials including a pin at the hands of Kayla Lono of Leilehua. Lahainaluna’s Alexis Encinas, who is ranked No. 7 despite a loss at Paani, dealt the 2013 state champion her other loss.

Kamehameha’s Zion Vierra and Waianae’s Carlson jummped into the rankings. Vierra won Officials and Carlson is one of just two girls — Lahainaluna’s Iverly Navarro is the other — to sweep the Garner Ivey, Officials and Paani this season.

Girls Wrestling Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Updated: 12/29

1. Teshya Alo, Kamehameha (138)
Career: Three time state champ, three time ILH champ
This year: Won mainland tournament to get into Olympic Trials
Last week: Ranked No. 1

2. Lelelei Mataafa, Lahainaluna (220)
Career: Three time state champ, three time MIL champ
This year: Sat out MIT and Officials then traveled to Paani but hurt her knee during the clinic and did not compete
Last week: Ranked No. 2

3. Teniya Alo, Iolani (122)
Career: State champ as a freshman, ILH champ.
This year: Has not competed yet while recovering from a shoulder injury
Last week: Ranked No. 3

4. Asia Evans, Pearl City (127)
Career: state champ, state third, state second, OIA champ
This year: Won MIT, Second at Officials
Last week: Ranked No. 4

5. Angela Peralta, Radford (145)
Career: State third, state second, two time OIA champ
This year: First at Officials, first at Paani
Last week: Ranked No. 10

6. Iverly Navarro, Lahainaluna (107):
Career: third at state twice, MIL champ
This year: First at MIT, first at Officials, first at Paani
Last week: Unranked

7. Alexis Encinas, Lahainaluna (117)
Career: state champ, state fifth, MIL champ twice
This year: Won MIT, Won Officials, third at Paani after a 7-0 loss to Macy Higa
Last week: Ranked No. 6

8. Menjam Tamang, Roosevelt (97)
Career: Third at state
This year: First at Officials, First at Paani, beating Hoshino both times
Last week: Unranked

9. Zion Vierra, Kamehameha (127)
Career: third at state, ILH champ
This year: First at Officials
Last week: Unranked

10. Tehani Carlson, Waianae (122)
Career: none
This year: First at MIT, first at Officials, first at Paani
Last week: Unranked

Also

Taysia Kano, Kapolei (138)
Career: Second at state, OIA champ
This year: First at MIT, First at Officials

Pomaikai Yamaguchi, Kamehameha (132)
Career: third at state
This year: First at Officials

Jaclyn Fontanilla, Kamehameha (155)
Career: Third at state, ILH champ
This year: First at Officials

Bailey Hoshino, Punahou (97)
Career: state champ, ILH champ
This year: Second at Officials, second at Paani, losing to Menjam Tamang both times

Ashley Gooman, Kamehameha (102)
Career: none
This year: First at Officials

Not receiving votes:

Kalissa Pundyke, Campbell (102)
Career: state second 15, state champ 2014
This year: Fourth at Officials

Caragh Morris, Campbell (168)
Career: state second twice, OIA champ
This year: Fourth at Officials

Macy Higa, Roosevelt (112)
Career: sixth at state
This year: Fifth at OIA, first at Paani

Taryn Ichimura, Punahou (112)
Career: Second at state, ILH champ
This year: Second at Officials behind Encinas, second at Paani behind Higa

Callen Medeiros, Kamehameha (168)
Career: State champ, ILH champion twice
This year: Second at Officials behind Kala of Baldwin, first at Paani

Netanya Kang, Pearl City (132)
Career: Second at State, sixth at state
This year: Third at MIT, sixth at Officials, fourth at Paani

Alexis Nelson, Waianae (102)
Career: Second at state, fifth at state, OIA champ
This year: First at MIT

Xiaolin Mai, Roosevelt (102)
Career: none
This year: Second at Officials, first at Paani

Kaile Kron, Lahainaluna (117)
Career: Sixth at state
This year: Third at MIT after being pinned by Mahoe, First at Officials, First at Paani

Daisa Kahoalii Kalilikane, Lahainaluna (132)
Career: none
This year: First at MIT, second at Officials behind Yamaguchi, first at Paani

Kayla Araki, KS-Hawaii (155)
Career: Third at state, BIIF champ twice
This year: First at Paani

Saydie Kala, Baldwin (168)
Career: Fourth at State, MIL champ twice
This year: First at MIT, First at Officials

Cendall Manley, Molokai (168)
Career: Fifth at state three times
This year: Third at Officials, first at Paani

Mildred Keopuhiwa, Waianae (225)
Career: Fourth at state, fifth at state
This year: First at MIT, fifth at Officials, first at Paani

Ebony Ayers, Keaau (225)
Career: Fifth at state, BIIF champ
This year: First at Officials