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The preliminaries are over, now it is time to get serious.
Waianae’s boys and Campbell’s girls won the OIA Western Division team titles at Pearl City on Saturday, giving them some momentum going into next week’s OIA championships and the state tournament after that.
“It is nice, but it is kind of like the last thing before it really matters,” Campbell coach Rodger Berlin said. “You know, everything before states is really practice.”
Two wrestlers picked up their third West crowns, led by Kapolei junior Branden Pagurayan. He stopped two of his opponents early before beating Campbell’s Malcolm Bell 19-5 in the final. Next year he can become the first boy in school history to win four division titles and the first boy from any school to do it since Liam Corbett of Leilehua and Radford in 2016.
>> PHOTOS: OIA West wrestling championships
Pagurayan will be going for his third state title if he can get past next week. He intends on staying at 152, where Moanalua’s Boltyn Taam won the East championship on Saturday, and hopes that Kamehameha’s Kanai Tapia of the ILH stays there as well. Tapia beat Pagurayan in overtime at Officials in December.
“I feel prepared, I have been training constantly,” Pagurayan said. “Especially after that loss, I have been working harder. I’m usually never put in that position — ever since then I have been working hard. That’s why I am sticking to his weight class, I want to try to avenge my loss and beat the best to be the best.”
Nicholas Cordeiro repeated as the 106-pound champion for Waianae, leading a parade of four Seariders (Branson Magsayo, Daniel Branigan and Kayzehn Aiwohi-Frisby) to the top of the podium.
Waianae’s Tiare Carlson, who fell short last year, picked up her second West crown when Campbell’s Anissa Wright hurt her knee in the second period with a 2-2 score and was forced to forfeit. Jacinta Fonoti of Mililani and Nanakuli’s Shannlynne Mahoe also repeated as champions and will go for their first OIA and state crowns.
Campbell state champion Alizeih Villalpando picked up her third division crown after winning one as a sophomore at Moanalua. Ino Terukina was the only other champion for the Campbell girls, pinning state champion Shantelle Mangrobang of Leilehua in 3:14 in the 112-pound final.
Senior Makana Cooper became the third Pearl City girl to win three in a row. She has never won states, medaling three times, including a spot in last year’s final.
“I’m pretty ready for states,” Cooper said. “I just want to get it done.”