After dominating OIA wrestling for the entire season, the Campbell boys and Pearl City girls closed the deal on Saturday at Leilehua.
The Sabers had four OIA champions and three runners-up to beat Pearl City 226.5 to 149.5, with Mililani coming in third with 129 points. Pearl City’s girls had five champions and one runner-up. The Chargers won the OIA title last year but slipped to third in states, so expect the wrestling room to be knee-deep in sweat on Monday.
"We won last year and didn’t do anything at states," Pearl City coach Mike Lee said. "We are going to bust their butts, we’re going to work hard. Enjoy this tonight because on Monday we are going to work."
Breanne Takaesu got things started for the Chargers, pinning Radford’s Riana Traxler to win the 107-pound crown, and Sarah Grace Alegria followed with the title at 111 pounds. Then Pearl City turned to its sister act for two more titles. Freshman Asia Lien Evans pinned Angela Lee of Mililani to take the championship at 123 pounds, and her sister Kaimiloa Evans was as happy as could be. That is until she toed the line in her championship match against Phairin Hicks of Mililani. Then she took her sibling rivalry out on Hicks.
"I was so hungry," Kaimiloa said. "I was watching (my sister) and she took it. She took it, and she is a freshman. I had never won OIAs and she took it as a freshman. I was so proud of her and it just pumped me up."
Kaimiloa needed just 1 minute, 27 seconds to pin Hicks and make herself the champion at 132. The senior had never won the OIA before and was beginning to wonder if her career would wind down with the Officials Tournament being her biggest accomplishment.
"They battle in practice and they fight with each other all the time," Lee said. "But it’s cool. I think (Kaimiloa) appreciates that she gets to share her last year with her sister and Asia gets to look up to her and make her own name. It’s good. The whole team is good."
Jannelle Fuamatu won Pearl City’s other title, taking the 157-pound class with an 8-2 decision over Campbell’s Kuuleilani Lankford.
Kaelynn Canyete (103 pounds) of Kapolei repeated as a champion, and teammate Jocelyn Tabion joined her on the top step of the podium after taking the 177-pound class. Other OIA champions were Malie Gonsalves of Waianae at 99 pounds, Janae Lynn Oliver of Farrington (115), Kayla Guillermo of Castle (119), Keira Baker of Moanalua (127), Kahuku’s Uilani Freitas Smith (137), Kanoeala Nakoa of Kaiser (142) and Kaydie Lynn Tehotu of McKinley (222).
While the Pearl City girls stood up to the pressure of repeating, the Campbell boys had an even greater cause after finishing second in each of the past two years. They won it back in 2010, so the Sabers have a little something special brewing in their wrestling room.
How that translates to states is another matter, but they weren’t undefeated this year for nothing.
"I feel good about states," Campbell coach Mark Buelow said. "I like where we are at; it depends on the work we put in early in the week."
Brandon Perez started the Sabers off with the 110-pound title, followed by Christian Natividad at 122, William James Yoro at 132 and Cornelius Putnam at 191. Zachary Kido finished second at 127 and Toese Tia was on the second step at 287. Campbell was so strong early in the day that it had the title pretty much clinched when the final round began.
Every winner has a wrestler perform over his head, and Yoro was that guy for the Sabers. The senior finished fourth in the OIA West tournament but came back to call himself an OIA champion. Putnam was pushed by Moses Wiseman of Kapolei at 191 pounds but earned a 7-4 win. Extra effort is just how the Sabers roll.
"This team works really hard. There is no way I would be in the shape I am in if I wasn’t working out with the Sabers," Putnam said. "I saw a lot of great things coming from this team and I believe we can go and squeak out a win at states, which would be very good."
When the Sabers weren’t winning, it seemed an OIA mainstay was. Breyden Akeo and Robert Kim of Mililani, Chaeden Grace Reyes of Moanalua and Blake Cooper of Pearl City all repeated as OIA champions.
Treylen Kobayashi of Waialua (116), Canaan Kawaihae of Kailua (137), Nakoa Chun (142) and Derek Lee Loy (162) of Moanalua, Dayton Furuta of Mililani (217) and Jariyn Villegas of Leilehua (287) also won championships.
