Campbell’s Tynanes-Perez making his own imprint

Pedigree aside, Micah Tynanes is his own man.

As the youngest of four brothers, the Campbell senior had a long list of accomplishments to live up to before he even put on a singlet for the Sabers.

His oldest brother, Miles (27), was a state runner-up at wrestling. His two other brothers — Tyson (24) and Lowen (26) — are two-time state champions. All three also competed for Campbell. Lowen made the transition to mixed martial arts, where he competes in the Singapore-based ONE championship. He’s close to joining the UFC, where he hopes to compete at 155 pounds.

“I had a lot of expectations going into high school because of my brothers,” Tynanes said. “That’s what really helped me push — my brothers grinding on me. And that’s what got me a lot better.”

The not-so-little Tynanes brother aims to match Tyson and Lowen with a second-straight state title. Last year, he won the OIA and state titles at 195.

“It was an amazing feeling. I was just happy that all the hard work that I did paid off at the end,” Tynanes said of the victory. “All the glory goes to God, my family and my teammates. Without them, that wouldn’t have been possible.

“That inspires me this year by being able to push my teammates. I want to try to get a team state title.”

Despite his individual success, Tynanes is serious about the team aspect.

He plans to wrestle at 220 this year so Campbell can field a complete lineup at the state championships. Other members of the team are closer to 195, pushing Tynanes 25 pounds up from his regular spot.

“Micah’s a tremendous asset to the team. He’s a coach’s dream. No attitude, just works hard,” Campbell coach Lucas Misaki said. “If we go out and tell him ‘Micah, we need you to do this for the team,’ he’ll go and do it at 100 percent without any self-interest, so it’s very easy to build a team around him.”

Misaki views Tynanes as a trump card of sorts and isn’t concerned about where he competes. In December’s Moanalua Duals, Tynanes defeated ‘Iolani’s Dane Yamashiro, the state’s reigning champion in the 285 class.

“I’m not particularly worried about where he’s at,” Misaki said. “We’re moving him to where it’s best for the team because at his skill level and his physical level, there’s no weight class that he cannot win.”

Although a second state title won’t surpass anyone in his family, the road to get there might be the most impressive.

Not only is Tynanes moving up in weight, but he is also recovering from a torn MCL in his right knee. The injury occurred on Sept. 23 when Tynanes was playing defensive lineman on the football team against Waianae.

“Right now, it’s kind of like a comeback for me because it really kind of slowed me down,” he said. “That was really hard. My trainers really helped me with that and I wanted to come back even stronger for wrestling.”

Thanks to some rehab and therapy for about a month and a half, Tynanes says that he is “100 percent” healed from the injury without surgery.

For now, he competes on the mat with a knee pad on. Although he feels recovered, he admits that some movements still hurt.

“At the time, there’s always the thought of ‘Did I just lose my heavyweight for the season?’ But he worked hard,” Misaki said. “He worked with our trainers every week. He stayed cautious about it, stayed diligent about doing his physical therapy. He knew he needed to be healthy for the team and for the season.”

Tynanes has followed in his brothers’ footsteps to achieve a storied prep career. He hopes to do so again by competing in MMA and eventually turning that into a spot in the UFC.

Until then, Tynanes aims to make his own mark on the HHSAA and cap off the family legacy.

“They all inspire me,” Tynanes said. “They all work hard for what they do and they push themselves to get to the top and that’s exactly what I want to do.”