Kamehameha’s Alo earns another fan

It’s not that Mike Maben was ever going to be a doubter.

But seeing is believing, and the Del Oro (Calif.) wrestling coach got to see the domination, power and finesse of Kamehameha senior Teshya Alo up close on Saturday during the Pa‘ani Challenge at Punahou’s Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

"She took one of my girls who’s a pretty good high school wrestler and made her look not good," Maben said.

His team trekked to the islands from Stockton, Calif., but not in full. Just 12 of the 40 wrestlers on his team did enough fundraising, yet it has been a chance to get mat time and develop. Maben got to say hello to Alo before the finals.

"I look forward to seeing you in the Olympics," he told her.

Alo has been racking up pins for years now, and this weekend was no different. She’s heard the positive thoughts about her future just about as long.

"I’ve heard it many times. I’m just waiting for that day to come," she said.

Alo is at a level where there’s a value on efficiency. To pin or not to pin? She chooses the former.

"There are a lot of moves to do. I just practice them, like drags to single," she said. "(But) I try to keep it quick."

She’s actually competing in a higher weight class, 138, since a teammate is wrestling at 132 during the preseason and regular season. Alo, who tips the scales at roughly 135, will be back at 132 in the postseason.

"I try to ignore that (opponents) are heavier," she said. "I use my same moves."

Maben, Alo and a very attentive audience took in a Friday clinic conducted by Olympic wrestler Clarissa Chun, a Roosevelt graduate.

"I know some of her moves," Alo said. "She worked a lot on rides. I could work on it some more."

Maben noted that Chun’s moves tend to be more for freestyle (NCAA women’s) than high school (folkstyle).

"She does a lot of the ‘Claw Series.’ I really enjoyed the clinic," he said.

Former Punahou coach Matt Oney was in the gym. Oney is now the coach at Wayland Baptist University (Texas) and is here to scout prospects at the girls tourney and the boys tourney at Moanalua, which begins on Monday.

While Alo is atop the Hawaii Prep World Pound-4-Pound girls rankings, the No. 2 and No. 3 were active and successful. Carly "Kapu" Jaramillo, competed at 145 in the Pa‘ani, and Lalelei Mata‘afa continued her dominance. Mata‘afa has yet to lose a high school match.

"This was different. We had some bonding activities with other people. We talked about what you like about wrestling, and what you don’t like about wrestling," she said.

Above all, though, wrestling for Mata‘afa is simple.

"I like to pin girls, and I hate losing," she said.

"She is extremely physical," Punahou coach Yoshi Honda said. "She’s a physical specimen."