Lahainaluna’s top-ranked wrestler beats cousin to avenge earlier defeat

Lahainaluna’s Nanea Estrella didn’t let a recent defeat to her cousin keep her down.

Hawaii’s No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound wrestler and a three-time state champ who is going for the slam this year, Estrella scored a 10-0 victory over Baldwin’s Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp for the 138-pound crown at Punahou’s 10th annual Pa‘ani Challenge on Saturday.

That performance avenged an 11-3 loss to Estrella-Beauchamp (No. 3 p4p) at the Garney Ivey Maui Invitational Tournament last month.

>> Click here to see photos of the 10th annual Pa‘ani Challenge.

“That loss opened my eyes to see that I need to train hard and I can’t take the season lightly,” Estrella said before accepting her first-place medal. “I feel like this win opens up everything and in the eyes of my team, too. It shows if you put in the hard work, you can do what you put your mind to.”

Team-wise, the Lunas flew home as victors, scoring 211 points to outdistance Moanalua (180.5) and Waianae (163) in the 41-team competition.

Estrella-Beauchamp was aggressive in the early going before succumbing.

“Last time (the win on Maui), I thought I was more aggressive than this time,” she said.

Said Lahainaluna coach Todd Hayase, “Nanea was more mentally prepared for that physical style. She knew Waipuilani was going to do the same thing, come after her with a vengeance, which she did for the first period. The match can turn at any second. That first takedown for Nanea was huge.”

Earlier, Estrella pinned two-time state champion Paige Respicio, who is No. 2 p4p, in the semifinals. Both Estrella (the reigning 127-pound state champ) and Estrella-Beauchamp (the 132-pound state title holder) moved up a weight class to join Respicio at 138, the class Respicio won at states last spring.

In another marquee matchup, Moanalua’s Lana Perez, who is not on the Star-Advertiser’s p4p list but is nationally ranked, pinned Baldwin’s Jahnea Miguel in one-minute, 19 seconds at 132 pounds. Miguel (No. 6 p4p) is a two-time state champion.

“I thought, ‘Just wrestle and get out there and do what I do every day,’ ” Perez said. “I wrestle hard. Just go out there confident, that’s what matters to me mostly.”

At the Officials tournament 132-pound final at Leilehua last month, Perez met the Lunas’ Estrella and lost by pin.

Two-time state champ Tangiteina Niutupuivaha (No. 4 p4p) of Kahuku won at 225 pounds Saturday, pinning Hilo’s Leona Toledo in 3:30 in the final.

“She was definitely difficult,” Niutupuivaha said about Toledo. “I could barely get anything on her. She will be one of my tough challenges this year.”

Defending 145-pound state champ Sadie Antoque (No. 8 p4p) of Castle pinned Baldwin’s Kaceylee Pua in 3:45 for the 155-pound Pa‘ani title.

It took a while in a back-and-forth match, but Campbell’s Alizeih Villalpando (No. 10 p4p) finally pinned Punahou’s Madison-Joy Kogachi in 5:15 at 107 pounds. Villalpando won states at 112 last year.

Lahainaluna’s Shannon Jaramillo, who won states at 184 last year, got to the 184-pound quarters Saturday, losing by pin in 0:32 to Katja Osteen of Royal High (Simi Valley, Calif.). Osteen went on to win the division.

Pound-for-pound ranked wrestlers Jazmyn Enriquez of Campbell (No. 5) and Shayna Kamaka of Baldwin (No. 7) did not compete.