If you try hard enough, you can get Leilehua wrestler Liam Corbett to name the opponent who beat him twice in crucial matches.

When asked about the 145-pound state final in 2014, Corbett said the loss was “to Lahainaluna.” Pressed further, he begrudgingly said, “Bubba Jaramillo.”

What about Corbett’s exit from the 140-pound state bracket in 2013? “Same kid,” said Corbett, who wound up in fifth place.

“Everyone was anticipating and watching that (2014) match,” he continued. “It was a 3-1 loss and I had a first-period takedown taken away. The officials said it was out of bounds, but it wasn’t. No excuse because I had two periods to get it back, but I froze up. It still bothers me.”

Despite falling short, Corbett didn’t stay down. In 2015, the two-time Oahu Interscholastic Association champion broke through for the 152-pound state title. He is going for the 160 league and state crowns this year.

“My dad (Mules head coach Kevin Corbett) has always taught me to win with grace and lose with grace,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s just not your day. It’s not the end of the world. I take losses pretty hard, but I know that if you throw a big fit, you look stupid.”

Staying calm is one of Corbett’s biggest assets, according to his coach/father.

“When he’s wrestling, he’s like a duck on a pond and I always tell him that his feet must be paddling a mile a minute under the water,” Kevin Corbett said. “He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t let things bother him. You can never tell anything by his facial expression.”

Even in between matches at day-long meets, relaxing is one thing Liam does very well.

“I always fall asleep (while waiting),” he said. That habit almost backfired once.

“When he was 7, he took a nap in between the bleachers (on the footrest) and I couldn’t find him anywhere,” Kevin Corbett said. “It was a championship match and they were about to disqualify him, but we found him at the last second. He pinned his opponent in about eight seconds, and walking away, he said to me, ‘That’s how we do it, Dad.’”

Corbett, who is the No. 1 wrestler in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s pound-for-pound rankings and celebrates his 18th birthday today, likes it at 160.

“I’ve had to cut weight for so long and that can drain you,” he said. “I’d rather wrestle at where I’m at. I feel healthy at this weight, a lot stronger.”

When Liam was a young boy, his family — which also includes former Campbell and Radford wrestler Kevin Corbett (a two-time third-place finisher at states who is competing at Doane College in Nebraska) — moved from Pennsylvania to Hawaii, which explains why he’s a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates.

Corbett will likely follow in his brother’s footsteps and wrestle in college. He says he learns a lot from training partners Josh Gallarde (145) of Campbell, Shandon Ilaban-Totten (132, No. 4 in the pound-for-pound rankings) of Kapolei, and Thomas Stevenson (152, No. 8 in the p4p) of Baldwin. They’re his teammates on Team Hawaii, of which Corbett’s father is the head coach.

“Shandon was my first friend in Hawaii and we’ve been wrestling together since fourth grade,” he said.

“A key part of wrestling is being a student,” he added. “I don’t think you can ever know enough. We might all do the same move, but there’s 10 different ways you can hit that move and that’s the kind of things we talk about.”

THE HIGH SCHOOL TOP 10

Voted on by coaches and media statewide. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, etc.

Boys Basketball

Also receiving votes: Lahinaluna 6, Baldwin 1.

Girls Basketball

Also receiving votes: Kamehameha 12, Sacred Hearts 10, Hawaii Baptist 6, Kaiser 3, Honokaa 2, KS-Maui 1.

TOP PERFORMERS

Boys

Cameron Kato, Punahou
Wrestling
The former 106-pound state champion (2014) moved up to the 126 weight class this year, then bumped up to 132 to edge Kamehameha’s Blaysen Terukina to place first in the 132-pound division at the ILH open wrestling tournament on Saturday.

Girls

Jazmina Lafitaga, Mililani
Basketball
The playmaking guard scored 25 points in a 60-41 win over Kapolei.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

ILH Division-I

TEAM SCORING AVG.
Punahou, 58.5
Maryknoll, 55.3
‘Iolani, 51.0
Sacred Hearts, 43.4
Kamehameha, 43.3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Tyra Moe, Punahou, 14.3
Camy Aguinaldo, ‘Iolani, 14.1
Kamaile Kandiah, Punahou, 13.6
Va’e Malufau, Punahou, 13.3
Jessica Hanashiro, Sacred Hearts, 12.4

3-POINTERS MADE
Camy Aguinaldo, ‘Iolani, 12
Kamaile Kandiah, Punahou, 12
Dakota Vienna, Maryknoll, 8
Chayse Milne, Maryknoll, 7
Pakalana Kam, Sacred
Hearts, 7
Taylor Wu, ‘Iolani, 6
Jewel Paaluhi-Caulk,
Kamehameha, 6
Elle Uyeda, Punahou, 6

OIA East

TEAM SCORING AVG.
Roosevelt, 58.0
Kalani, 52.3
Moanalua, 48.0
Farrington, 47.5
Kahuku, 47.1
Kailua, 46.0
Kaiser, 43.4
Kaimuki, 41.4
Castle, 39.5
McKinley, 37.5
Kalaheo, 34.7

INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Keala Quinlan, Roosevelt, 20.0
Tau Williams, Kailua, 14.9
Rose Shimaoka, Kaiser, 14.3
Tara Takata, Kailua, 13.6
Moli Heimuli, Farrington, 13.5
Brittini Blake, Kahuku, 13.4
Victoria Kintz, Kaimuki, 11.8
Ashley Kiko, Roosevelt, 11.3
Noelle Suzuki, Kalani, 11.2
Raven Rosa-Lasco, Moanalua, 11.0
Kelcie Leong, Moanalua, 10.6
Logan Luke, Kalani, 10.2
Sierra Koki, Castle, 10.1
Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki, 10.0

3-POINTERS MADE
Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki, 17
Noelle Suzuki, Kalani, 16
Teane Sofa, McKinley, 15
Kirstin Kouchi, Kalani, 14
Shanny Mailou, Farrington, 13
Sienna Ho, Moanalua, 12
Daesha Viela, Kalani, 9
Keala Quinlan, Roosevelt, 9
Kaylee Ishii, Castle, 9
* Missing Kahuku @ Moanalua individual stats

OIA West

TEAM SCORING AVG.
Leilehua, 55.9
Campbell, 48.4
Mililani, 48.1
Radford, 47.5
Nanakuli, 47.0
Kapolei, 32.3
Waipahu, 31.4
Waianae, 30.9
Pearl City, 22.0
Aiea, 21.1
Waialua, 21.1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Alana Nuuanu, Nanakuli, 13.4
Jazmina Lafitaga, Mililani, 12.9
Tywanna Abbott, Leilehua, 11.0
Gieani Balino, Campbell, 10.9
Kaedy Hatchett, Waialua, 9.7

3-POINTERS MADE
Gieani Balino, Campbell, 9
Vien Crisostomo, Aiea, 8
Shaylee Todani, Leilehua, 6
Jazmina Lafitaga, Mililani, 6
Sophia Harris, Radford, 6
Kaedy Hatchett, Waialua, 6
* Mililani @ Waialua and Waianae @ Waipahu individual stats not reported