Tyler Guieb | SL

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The Kamehameha girls judo team is hoping for deja vu all over again at Friday night's Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships.

Last year the Warriors trailed Punahou heading into the final meet of the league season, but rallied behind five individual titlists en route to the team title.

Teams have accumulated points — six points per dual meet victory — over the course of the regular season. The Buffanblu enter the weekend with an 18-point lead on the Warriors.

"That could go away pretty fast," Punahou coach Greg Chow warned. "We're actually not as strong at this point as we were earlier in the season. We've had some injuries and some dropouts so that's kind of hurt us a little bit. I think the reason we have that cushion is a lot of our duals early on were when Kamehameha was on break and didn't have all of their girls, so it'll be interesting."

Points will be added to each team's total at the conclusion of Friday's tournament based on individual weight classes. A first-place individual finish will earn 14 points for a judoka's team; second place is worth 10 points and third place six points. If there are six or more individuals in a bracket, fourth place would warrant three points.

The Buffanblu and Warriors each have three No. 1 seeds.

Punahou's Jenna Enoka (98 pounds), Bailey Hoshino (103) and Taryn Ichimura (122) are top seeds in their respective brackets, while Hilinai Meyer (109), Teshya Alo (139) and Jaclyn Fontanilla (154) are top seeds for Kamehameha.

"I think (Enoka) will probably take it. At 103 we're kind of counting on Bailey Hoshino and we're kind of counting on Taryn Ichimura at 122, but Kamehameha also sure-things in Fontanilla and Alo," Chow said. "If we're lucky some of the Damien girls, who are pretty tough, can give some of the Kamehameha girls a hard time in the heavier weights and they can split of those, but I would have to say Kamehameha, if they all show up and if they all prepare well, they're basically up for not only the ILH championship, but the state championship along with Roosevelt out of the (Oahu Interscholastic Association)."

Meyer, Alo and Fontanilla are defending champions at their weight classes. However, Alo has not competed in an ILH judo match this season while she was training for the U.S. Olympic wrestling trials that took place earlier this month and Fontanilla has been in and out of the lineup while nursing multiple injuries.

"It's within grasp," Kamehameha associate head coach Scott Motoda said of a second straight team championship. "As long as everybody stays healthy and fights their hearts out, then I believe it's a good possibility."

Motoda said the Warriors have put the past behind them and aren't spending any time thinking about defending their title.

"As coaches we don't put that kind of pressure on the kids," he said. "We really just want them to have fun and just really do their best, to be honest. We tell the kids to train like champions and I think, within themselves, they want it. They've been practicing like they want it, so I think they're self-motivated."

Fontanilla will be seeking her fourth ILH title, while Meyer and Alo will be trying for their third. 

Hoshino is the lone returning individual champion for the Buffanblu. She won at 98 pounds last year.

Iolani and Damien each have two top seeds.

Meanwhile, Iolani is in the driver's seat for its second straight boys crown.

The Raiders have top-seeded judoka in six of the 10 weight classes. KJ Pascua and Dane Yamashiro are the top seeds at 178 and 285 pounds, respectively. Yamashiro won at the same weight last year, while Pascua moved up after capturing the 161-pound division in 2015.

"As long as we take care of what we need to take care of, we should be able to take it," Iolani coach Dan Nishita said. "It's just a matter of taking care of our game."

In addition to Pascua and Yamashiro, other No. 1 seeds for the Raiders are Hunter Fujiwara (121 pounds), Travis Kon (145), Saiaiga Fautanu (198) and Charles Kam (220).

Unlike last year, where it trailed Punahou by 12 points entering the league championship meet, Iolani holds a comfortable 18-point edge on second-place Punahou this year.

"Having that lead definitely helps out," said Nishita, whose team has 15 total entrants in the tournament. "We have a lot of kids entering this year, especially on the boys side. It's the most that I can remember for us."

The Buffanblu have a pair of No. 1-seeded judoka in middleweights Nicolas Nakaoka (145 pounds) and Ryne Sato (161). Damien and Kamehameha have one top seed each.

Each school can enter up to four judoka in each weight classes, but only the top two can advance to the state tournament. The top four boys and girls in each weight class earn a spot in next week's Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus.

Matches begin at 5 p.m. at Kamehameha's Kekuhaupio Gymnasium. The championship finals are expected to start around 7 p.m.

The Oahu Interscholastic Association individual championships will take place at Leilehua's Paul T. Kobayashi Gymnasium Saturday. The top seven judoka from the OIA qualify for the state tournament.