The opportunity was there for the Pearl City Chargers.

Blake Cooper seized it. The senior’s victory, a first-period pin of Punahou’s Christian Agmata, gave the Chargers the lead for good as they outpointed Lahainaluna for the boys team title at the Chevron/ HHSAA State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Neal Blaisdell Arena.

Cooper’s third individual title — the first two were at 145 and 152 pounds — came at 160. The three golds also matched his older brother, Raynald Cooper III. Unlike his sibling, Blake got to help Pearl City win a first state championship in wrestling.

"I was doing it for my team and my family," said Cooper, who will wrestle at Warner Pacific (Ore.) next season. "I wanted us to win a championship as a team."

Pearl City’s girls won the state team title in 2013. Both titles came under the guidance of coach Mike Lee.

"We knew anything was possible. Nine of our 12 starters qualified for states," Lee said. "I feel great for these young men. They worked their butts off and they deserve this. They’re a bunch of guys who worked hard, listened to all the coaches, took all the criticism and their commitment never wavered."

Pearl City’s championship ended a run of seven in a row by ILH programs.

"I’m an OIA for life guy. If they want to get a good education and good athletics, also, there’s nothing wrong with an OIA school," said Lee, a Pearl City graduate. "We’ve had a good program for a while. Winning a state championship is a bonus."

After Jordan Fuamatu edged Maake Muti of Leilehua for the 285-pound title, the Chargers finished with a victory margin of 9.5 points over the talented Lunas.

The Chargers had a 3.5-point lead over the Lunas, who were also chasing their first boys team crown, after the semifinal round. Pearl City, with just nine wrestlers, sent four to finals, and four more were earning points in consolation action. Lahainaluna had 13 entrants, including three finalists and five in consolation brackets.

But Lahainaluna’s first title contenders, Zach Wigzell (113) and Christian Balagso (120), fell. Wigzell lost to Kaiser’s Chance Ikei and Balagso lost to Campbell’s Christian Natividad.

Then Pearl City’s 126-pound contender, Alex Ursua, defeated Chevy Tabiolo Felicilda of Moanalua 9-4. It was the second title in as many years for Ursua, who was at University High (Pac-Five) as a junior when he took the 120 state title.

After Bubba Jaramillo edged Liam Corbett of Radford 3-1, the Lunas regained some momentum. But Cooper dominated Agmata for the pin and extra points. Even with a loss by teammate Kristian Vaana Kikuyama to Castle’s Rodney Williams in the 170-pound final, the Chargers were well on their way.

Fuamatu’s overtime win over Muti was icing on the cake.

The men in purple weren’t the only history makers of the night. Mid-Pacific’s Josh Terao placed his name among the state’s greatest wrestlers by capturing his fourth state championship. Terao overpowered Mililani’s Zackary Diamond by technical fall, rolling to a 15-0 lead before the automatic ruling.

"Diamond’s a future state champion," Terao said. "He’s tough. The game plan was try takedowns, but I went back to my riding. It worked for me today. I was using a combination of moves."

Mililani’s Brayden Akeo also had an excellent tournament, defeating Brian Pascua of ‘Iolani 8-3 to win the 138-pound class — his third state title. Akeo won at 108 as a sophomore and at 125 as a junior.

Kamehameha finished third among the boys (118 points), followed by Campbell (105.5) and Punahou (102.5).

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