The 112-pound class with Gooman, Ikei will be girls division to watch

Keep your eyes on the girls 112-pound division at today’s Texaco/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships at Blaisdell Arena, where Kamehameha’s Ashley Gooman and Kaiser’s Tiare Ikei are on a collision course to meet in the final, with each needing a semifinal win to get there.

If they get that far, the two wrestlers with a long list of accomplishments are likely to put on quite a show. Gooman (No. 3 in the Hawaii Prep World pound-for-pound rankings), a three-time ILH titlist, will be going for a third state championship. Ikei (No. 6 p4p) is a two-time OIA champ and a two-time state placer.

And Gooman, who wrestled most of this season at 107, is wrestling up a class for the pleasure of making the matchup possible.

After Wednesday’s first day of the two-day event, Punahou coach Yoshi Honda was asked for his take on Gooman vs. Ikei, if it happens.

“They’re both highly talented,” he said. “Ikei is very strong and athletic. Gooman has more of a background in wrestling, but she didn’t have many good matches during the ILH season because everyone ran away from her. So how many times can she go at this pace in two days? If it was just one match on one day (not at a tournament), I would go with Gooman because of her overall wrestling ability.”

At 122 pounds, Lahainaluna’s Nanea Estrella (No. 4 p4p) survived a quarterfinal scare, beating Moanalua’s Amanda Higa 1-0. Estrella won the state title at 117 a year ago, and a showdown in the final against OIA champ Makana Cooper of Pearl City could be brewing.

It’s possible, however, that the biggest girls blockbuster division is at 132. Kamehameha’s Paige Respicio (No. 9 p4p, two-time ILH champ) meets Moanalua’s Gabrielle Perez in one semifinal today. In the other semi, two two-time state placers go at it — Kaiser’s Roselani Ikei (Tiare’s sister) and Kahuku’s Viviana Barcina.

In a quarterfinal Wednesday, Perez knocked off Lahainaluna’s Kauanoe Keahi, who captured the state title at 138 last year and dropped down a weight class this year, by a 5-4 count.

“She dug deep and she believes in herself and didn’t give up,” said Darren Reyes, Perez’s coach with Na Menehune. “She gave up a takedown at the end, but got back up and did what she normally does and got that score (the winning escape). That’s the hustle she normally instills in herself. Gabby’s special. Hopefully, we can go all the way with that.”

At 145 pounds, Waianae’s Kaleinani Makuaole advanced to the semifinals with an impactful 5-2 win over four-time ILH champ Zion Grace Vierra of Kamehameha.

“You gotta keep going and moving forward,” Makuaole said. “You can’t go in there scared and you gotta have your game-face on.”

Makuaole gets two-time MIL champ Jahnea Miguel of Baldwin in the semis, and top-seeded Sadie Antoque of Castle, the OIA champ, is still on the other side of the bracket.

Kahuku’s Teniya Alo (No. 1 p4p, 138) and Leilehua’s Kelani Corbett (No. 2 p4p, 155) are trying for their third state championships. Roosevelt’s Macy Higa (No. 5 p4p, 117) and Pearl City’s Jennie Fuamatu (No. 8 p4p, 168) are working for their second state titles, and Lahainaluna’s Ira Navarro (No. 7 p4p, 102) and Kahuku’s Tangiteina Niutupuivaha (No. 10 p4p, 225) are among those going for their first.

Baldwin leads the girls team standings with 81 points heading into today’s matches, followed by Moanalua (71), Kamehameha (69) and Pearl City (68).