Noah Wusstig didn’t need the standard four minutes to win his fourth state judo title.
That’s because the Moanalua senior has always been more of a standard-setter than follower. On Saturday evening at the Stan Sheriff Center, he became the sixth boy in HHSAA history to complete the state slam, needing just 37 seconds to beat Kapolei’s Grayson Ferreira by ippon in the 145-pound finals.
“I’m just in complete shock,” Wusstig said. “These past four years, it’s really been harsh and it’s been good to me but there’s some points where I thought maybe I couldn’t do it, but I guess here I am and I did it.
“It feels super good. Grateful for all this training because without the training, I wouldn’t have gotten here.”
Wusstig ends his legendary prep combat career with four judo championships and two state wrestling titles to his name.
“It’s his mentality,” Moanalua boys coach Brandon Maki said. “A relentless, attack mentality that he doesn’t want to lose and he’s just gonna keep going.”
Moanalua also took the boys team title for the second year in a row, finishing with 99 points. It previously won three team titles in a row from 2010 to 2012. Kapolei was the runner-up with 81 points, while Pearl City took third with 68.
Other Na Menehune to win individual titles on Saturday were Dayne Takai at 108 pounds and Mccade Ho at 121.
“The pressure’s always on us so we have to perform,” Maki said. “The key is to get kids in an individual sport to move in different weight classes that maybe sometimes they’re not comfortable with in order to play for each other and fight for each other, not just for themselves.”
Na Menehune also took the team title for the second year in a row on the girls’ side with 84 team points. Punahou came in second with 53 points, followed by Mililani with 52.
Last year’s team title was the first for the Moanalua girls, coached by Brandon Maki’s brother, Derron. The formula for the team repeat was similar to that of the boys — collective sacrifice.
“Even though it’s an individual sport, some girls have to move up and play girls who are 20 pounds heavier. Some girls gotta lose 10 pounds,” Derron Maki said. “For us, the amount of sacrifices these girls make, it really shows in the program because we put in that effort to win the team title as well.”
Perhaps nobody on the Moanalua squad was as elated as Faith Joy Okubo, the lone individual girls champion for Na Menehune, who finally broke through to win her first individual state title in her third finals appearance.
Okubo, who defeated Pearl City’s Chanel Hunter in the 154 finals via ippon, was one of the girls competing above her weight.
“It feels amazing and honestly, all glory goes to God,” she said. “It’s my senior year and I just wanted to win it so bad after falling short the past years.”
No girl matched Wusstig’s feat of four straight titles on Saturday, but Kamehameha’s Skye Realin put herself halfway there. The sophomore took the 129 title for the second year in a row, defeating Hilo’s Hula Kahookaulana in the finals by ippon.
“It feels really good. I’m just overly excited right now,” said Realin, who has given no thought to a potential state slam. “One year at a time. Tomorrow’s the next day, today is today. We’ll celebrate today and focus on tomorrow later. We’re just gonna take it one day at a time.”
Mid-Pacific’s CJ Pascual-Tabuyo won her second HHSAA title, this time at 139 after an ippon of Kalani’s Phoebe Pineda-Abaya. She took the 129 crown as a freshman but fell in the 139 finals as a sophomore. The junior has battled injuries throughout her prep career.
On Saturday, her mere presence on the mats defied the odds.
“It’s actually been a really long journey for me, especially coming back from injuries and a back injury that when they first told me about it, they said my judo career has ended and that’s it for me,” she said of the two stress fractures on her spine discovered two years ago. “I wasn’t able or else I would endanger my back and endanger my ability to walk in the future if I did anything.
“I’m just amazed that I was able to get this far, especially through everything and it’s been really hard. Just the training and going through all the pain and all the rehab, it was really long and I just can’t believe I made it up here.”
Even after stepping off the podium’s highest spot reserved for each weight class’ champion at the awards ceremony, Pascual-Tabuyo said she’s been more process-oriented as opposed to worrying about her results.
“I’m just focused on the journey and what I learned through everything. Even if I do lose again, what really matters is me doing my best,” she said. “I’ve learned from my mistakes and I tried my hardest, I did whatever I could do. If I do my best and I keep on grinding and keep on doing what I love, that’s all that matters.”
