ILH wrestling championships

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu wrestling championships are in the books after a full day’s worth of action at Punahou’s Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

Punahou took advantage of its home gym and relied on four individual title winners as the Buffanblu boys fended off Pac-Five (148 points) and Kamehameha (147 points).

Kamehameha ran away with the girls title (192 points) after 10 of its wrestlers notched individual gold. Pac-Five (169) and Punahou (102) also turned in solid showings and remain threats going into the state tournament.

HawaiiPrepWorld.com was on the scene all day, and has analysis of the day’s championship matches and full team standings (see below):

99 girls
Bailey Hoshino (Punahou) def. Kacie Nishimura (Pac-Five)
Hoshino controlled the action throughout, and after gaining control of her opponent, secured the pin with 1:22 remaining in the first round. Hoshino wins via pin.

104 girls
Hilinai Meyer (Kamehameha) def. Taylor Miyao (Pac-Five) 
In the day’s first marathon match, Meyer finally broke a 2-2 stalemate with an escape in the fifth frame and held on to establish control in the sixth period to escape with the victory.

109 girls
Brooke Kawamura (Kamehameha) def. Shelby Say (Pac-Five) 
Kawamura outlasted her opponent and secured the title after three rounds.

114 girls
Taryn Ichimura (Punahou) def. Sydnee Ramirez (Pac-Five)
Ichimura was victorious with a pin late in the third round.

119 girls
Zion-Grace Vierra (Kamehameha) def. Kristen Pang (Punahou)
Vierra dominated the action from start to finish in an eventual 17-1 lopsided margin that was ended with 1:14 remaining in the second period.

124 girls
Teniya Alo (‘Iolani) def. Laynee Paison (St. Francis)
Alo made it a successful championship debut for the Raiders as the freshman joined older sister Teshya on the winner’s podium.
Alo scored an early takedown then controlled the action before finally pinning Paison with 21 seconds remaining in the first round.

129 girls
Tate Williams (Kamehameha) def. Airica Hayasaka(Pac-Five)
Williams dominated the action, and overcame a choking penalty to control Hayasaka and notched the pin with 37 seconds left in the first round.

134 girls
Teshya Alo (Kamehameha) 
Alo, a two-time defending state champion, claimed her third ILH crown in as many years and did so unopposed. The talented wrestler has expressed interest in competing at the Olympic level since first gaining notoriety for her skills as a nine-year-old wrestler.

140 girls
Kayla Gaspar-Takahashi (Kamehameha) def. Tara Labanon (Damien)
Victory via forfeit.

147 girls
Jaclyn Fontanilla (Kamehameha) def. Kahiau Freitas (Kamehameha-B)
Victory by fall.

157 girls
Taj-Destiny Vierra (Kamehameha) def. Lainey Sanborn (Pac-Five)
Domination throughout by Vierra, who ran away with a 10-0 win that was stopped with 1:40 left in the second frame.

170 girls
Callan Medeiros (Kamehameha) def. Amanda Stark (‘Iolani)

186 girls
Leilani Camargo-Naone (Kamehameha)
Like her Warrior teammate, Camargo-Naone was also unopposed in her weight division and was named champion.

227 girls
Aulii Young (St. Francis) def. Divine Tanuvasa-Fuaga (Punahou)
Young showed why she was the division’s top seed, notching three takedowns and eventually pinning her opponent with 11 seconds remaining in the second round.

Girls Team Title:

1. Kamehameha (192.5), 2. Pac-Five (169), 3. Punahou (102), 4. St. Francis (30), 5. ‘Iolani (26), 6. Damien (14)

108 boys
Corey Cabanban (Saint Louis) def. Connor Lee (Punahou)
After remaining deadlocked through the opening two rounds, Cabanban finally gained clear control of Lee and turned the Buffanblu wrestler over onto his shoulders. The Crusader held the position just long enough to notch the pin with 42 seconds remaining in the match.

115 boys
Cameron Kato (Punahou) def. Cody Cabanban (Saint Louis)
Last year’s state champion at 106 pounds, Kato secured a second straight ILH crown with a come-from-behind win over Cabanban. Kato took nearly three minutes of blood-related stoppage time of a possible five minutes allowed and strung together two takedowns and an escape to establish an insurmountable 10-2 advantage.
Results to come.

122 boys
Blaysen Terukina (Kamehameha) def. Sean Urabe (Punahou)
Terukina captured a third ILH championship, and hopes to build on last season’s third-place finish at states. The Warrior wrestler went ahead on a reversal and went on the defensive by circling the ring and shedding takedown attempts from Urabe. The tactic worked and Terukina held on for the 3-2 victory.
Results to come.

128 boys
Joseph Fong (Pac-Five) def. Jake Nakasone (‘Iolani)
Fong wins 7-4.

134 boys
Joshua Rosen (Punahou) def. Alexandre Mimura (Pac-Five)
Rosen overcame a pretzel-like pin attempt by Mimura, and held on for the 3-2 victory.

140 boys
Joshua Crimmins (Punahou) def. James Mizota (‘Iolani)
Crimmins was the aggressor early and often, notching four takedowns to wear out Mizota en route to a 10-2 victory.

147 boys
Brian “KJ” Pascua (‘Iolani) def. Cullen Slavens (Kamehameha)
Pascua repeated as ILH champion and is aiming to set the stage for another state championship run after finishing second at the state tourney last year.
Pascua thwarted multiple escape attempts by Slavens before eventually pinning his opponent midway through the second round.

154 boys
Chad Farias (Kamehameha) def. Robert Main (‘Iolani)
Farias was the better technical and conditioned wrestler in this one, securing three key takedowns to open up and maintain an eventual 11-6 victory.

162 boys
Tyler Yoshikawa (Pac-Five) def. Connor Villarmia (Damien)
Despite missing out on a few would-be slams, Yoshikawa controlled the pace and action throughout the bout. Villarmia could not overcome three key takedowns, and Yoshikawa secured the 7-3 win.

172 boys
Kevin Efta (Kamehameha) def. Kauanoe Kaili (Damien)
After posting a takedown and two nifty escapes, Efta did all he could to effectively stall without being penalized. The strategy worked to the tune of a 5-4 win.

184 boys
Joseph Hoshino (Kamehameha) def. Ian Ramirez (Punahou)
After shutting out Ramirez through the greater part of two frames, Hoshino was able to secure his opponent’s arm, flip the Buffanblu wrestler and hold on five seconds for the pin with 45 seconds to go in the round.

197 boys
Boman Tokioka (Kamehameha) def. Robert Straton (Punahou)
In one of the day’s most exciting matches, Tokioka overcame multiple escapes and stoppages caused by his opponent constantly running to the edge of the ring. The Warrior finally turned the tide for good with a two-point takedown with 10 seconds left in the third round to establish a 8-7 victory.

222 boys
Rusty Nakayama (Kamehameha) def. Taaga Tuulima (‘Iolani)
Nakayama knocked off the top-seeded Tuulima thanks in part to a crucial takedown early in the third round that broke a 2-2 stalemate. The Warrior seemed to tire out his opponent and used his superior conditioning to post a 4-2 victory.

287 boys
Kanai Eldredge (Punahou) def. Makoa Gaughen-Haili (Kamehameha)
The final match of the day featured two heavyweights engaging in pad-pounding action. The agile Eldredge went on the offensive early, ended up taking down Gaughen-Haili and securing the necessary position for a pin with 22 seconds remaining in the first round.

Boys Team Title:

1. Punahou (169), 2. Pac-Five (148), 3. Kamehameha (147), 4. ‘Iolani (120.5), 5. Saint Louis (41), 6. Damien (26), 7. St. Francis (8).