Wrestling

Leilehua’s boys still rule the West. The defending state champion Mules, who swept through everything possible last season, defended their OIA West title on Saturday in Pearl City. Leilehua scored 155 points to nip Kapolei (152) and Campbell (150.5). Dylan Ramos began Leilehua’s title haul by pinning Kinau Mcbrayer of Kapolei in the 113-pound final and was followed by titles from Kaena Desantos and Naikoa Simao. Peter Natividad (120) and Pookela De Santos (152) contributed second-place finishes. DeSantos controlled Elijah […]

Kaiser’s Koby Chun highlighted the OIA Eastern Division wrestling championships Saturday at Farrington with a big win over Moanalua’s Elijah Asuncion in the 120-pound boys final. Chun, who won MIT and suffered his only loss at Officials to Kamehameha’s Brant Porter, won a 7-2 decision over Asuncion, ranked No. 7 in Hawaii Prep World’s pound-for-pound rankings. Asuncion, a junior, was gunning for his third consecutive OIA East crown. A third-place finisher at 120 pounds in the state tournament a year […]

With less than a month left in her high school wrestling career, Kapolei’s Allicia Mahoe is ready to move up. Mahoe, the reigning OIA champion at 97 pounds, will compete at 107 at the OIA West Division championships on Saturday. Mahoe has never won a state title, but has a chance to do something that all but three state champions has ever done. Mahoe will be trying to become the first wrestler in her school’s history to win four OIA […]

The Moanalua boys wrestling program is certainly not made up of step-skippers. Na Menehune seem to send an army to every tournament and will be at another when the OIA East championships begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Farrington. The tournament is just the first indication that the season has turned serious, with states just 19 days away. It’s early, but Moanalua has something to fight for. Senior state champion Noah Wusstig has an opportunity to win his fourth […]

State champions Waipuilani Estrella Beauchamp of Baldwin and Lahainaluna’s Nanea Estrella met at 132 pounds on Saturday at Maui High, with the Bear earning an important victory over one of the state’s most accomplished grapplers. Estrella Beauchamp beat Estrella 9-2 in the first round of the round robin and a rematch was scrapped when Estrella forfeited. The cousins met three times last year with Estrella winning each of them. They used the experience against each other to lead them both […]

Coby Ravida is back. The Baldwin lightweight missed December’s all-important tournament season and hit the mat for the first time last week, cutting a swath through Maui in his return. He warmed up by pinning Maui’s Jake Rapanut in 55 seconds and Kruz Solaria of KS-Maui in 1:05. Not satisfied with the short stoppages, he entered the Kamehameha Round Robin on Saturday and beat Maui’s Jonah Garagonza 28-3 and Jaia Wilson of King Kekaulike 18-3. He is currently wrestling at […]

There is no rest for weary MIL wrestlers. The girls traveled to Hana on Friday, and treated the crowd to plenty of juicy matchups in a round robin tournament. Lahainaluna’s Nanea Estrella found a new opponent to tangle with, stepping in against Baldwin’s Waipualani Estrella Beauchamp at 132 pounds and pinning her in 5 minutes, 42 seconds. Estrella is No. 3 on Hawaii Prep World’s pound-for-pound rankings, while Estrella-Beauchamp sits in the seventh spot. It was Estrella’s second win of […]

There is always plenty of debate on the pound-for-pound lists, but there is no debate about one thing: Sami Saribay rules the 107-pound weight class. The Lahainaluna senior took over the weight class when Kamehameha great Ashley Gooman moved up last year and has dominated ever since. Saribay took states at 107 last year and added a sweep of MIT, Officials and Paani tournaments this year. If she stays there through March, she could be the first girl to repeat […]