Hawaiian Electric Game of the Week
Lahainaluna girls reclaim state wrestling crown


 



KAKAAKO — For the second time in three years, the Lahainaluna Lunas are the queens of the mat.

Paced by a quartet of individual titlists, Lahainaluna pulled away from the field on the second — and final — day of the Chevron/HHSAA Wrestling State Championships at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena Saturday.

The Lunas amassed 191 points to handily dethrone defending champion Kamehameha, which finished 45 points behind.

Lahainaluna's individual winners were senior Alexis Encinas (112 pounds), junior Ira Navarro (97), sophomore Kauanoe Keahi (138) and freshman Nanea Estrella (117).

"In the beginning of the season, during the preseason we had a lot of upsets, but it was just preseason and coming into states I knew that our team was ready. Having freshmen and sophomores win — that's just amazing," said Encinas, whose two individual crowns coincide with both of the Lunas' team titles.

As a sophomore in 2015, Encinas won the 107-pound bracket and helped Lahainaluna become the first neighbor island school to win a state wrestling championship when it swept both the girls and boys crowns. She reached the 112-pound state final last year, but was pinned by Roosevelt's Macy Higa in the third period of that match.

Encinas avenged that loss Saturday by topping Higa by a score of 6-4 in their 112-pound finals' bout.

"All year I thought about that loss," said Encinas, who twice held two-point leads only to see Higa tie it up both times.

Higa managed an escape to even the score at 4 with about 40 seconds left in the third period, but Encinas scored the go-ahead takedown about 20 seconds later.

"I had to visualize myself winning the match and that definitely helped me out a lot. That calmed me down and I just had to stay focused during it and just clear my mind," Encinas said.

Lahainaluna coach Todd Hayase credited Encinas for keeping her composure through the frantic finish.

"She was completely composed; it didn't phase her," Hayase said. "Last year she kind of had that deer-in-the-headlights look, but tonight she was totally composed and relaxed and her being a senior, being a captain, being a leader I'm just so happy for her."

Navarro defeated a familiar opponent in Baldwin's Tianna Fernandez in the 97-pound final. She took a 2-0 lead on a takedown just 25 seconds into the match and finished off Fernandez with a pin with 26 seconds left in the period.

"I've been hungry for this title. I've been working hard for this title and I finally got it," said Navarro, who finished second in the weight class last season.

Estrella, the freshman, provided perhaps the most dominating performance in the finals round with her 14-1 win over Punahou senior Taryn Ichimura. She held a 4-0 lead after the first period, which stretched to 7-1 after two.

"Before my match, my brother (Kainalu) told me that he loved me and he knew I could do it and that really pushed me. I was having a little bit of doubts before and that just pushed me over the top to know that I could do it," said Estrella, who scored 10 of her points in the match on near-falls.

Hayase was simply left in awe of Estrella's performance.

"Ichimura is a great wrestler," Hayase said. "Sometimes it's nice to be a freshman and just not have any preconceived thoughts or anything and just go out there and wrestle. She was so relaxed and she had total confidence."

Estrella took the mat just minutes after Encinas won her match, which gave the freshman an emotional boost heading into her own final.

"She's been my practice partner and she's been helping me a lot and just seeing her win, that made me really, really happy for her and it made me feel like, ‘she's my practice partner, she won, so I can win, too. I know I can do it,' " Estrella said.

Keahi jumpstarted the Lunas in the finals with her pin of Campbell's Iwikehauokalewa Kinimaka four minutes and 28 seconds into the 138-pound title bout.

Hayase said Keahi's title is a realization of her talents.

"I told her back in November that she's going to compete for a state title," Hayase said. "I don't know if she believed me or not, but I don't think it's sunk in with her yet that she's a state champion."

In addition to its four champions, Lahainaluna also placed four others amongst the top six in their respective weight classes.

Hayase said the team faced its share of adversity over the course of the season, but continued to improve week after week.

"It all started with just our (Maui Interscholastic League) season," Hayase said. "Baldwin won big tournaments and I think a lot of people expected their boys and girls to win the MIL league championships, so winning this year's MIL title — boys and girls — was the most pleasing ever because no one kind of expected us, but the boys did well, the girls did really well and here we are."

After making history in 2015, the Lunas couldn't keep up with Kamehameha and its record 216 1/2 points last season, but it only made this one that much sweeter.

"It feels amazing. I'm just in awe right now," Encinas said. "There's no words to describe it because all the hard work that we put in this season definitely paid off toward our team goal and my individual goal."

Pearl City posted 135 points to finish third and Baldwin and Roosevelt tied for fourth with 106 points.

Individually, four wrestlers captured their second state titles.

Kamehameha's Ashley Gooman beat Lahainaluna's Iverly Navarro, 7-2, in a battle of returning state champs in the 107-pound final. Gooman moved up a weight class after winning at 102 as a freshman last year. Iverly Navarro was the defending champion at 107.

"I had to bounce back from a tough preseason, but I knew I had to train hard for this," Gooman said. "I knew what was coming and my partners helped me a lot. They trained me so much."

Kahuku's Teniya Alo won at 132 pounds with a second-period pin of Kaiser's Roselani Ikei, two years after winning at 122 as a freshman at Iolani.

"This one is really special because — I didn't really tell anyone, like my coaches — but I actually re-tore my shoulder again and I'm supposed to be having surgery in two weeks, so I feel really good about myself right now," said Alo, who had the benefit of older sister Teshya — a four-time state champion in her own right — in her coaching corner Saturday.

"She boosted my confidence because she knows exactly what I do or what not to do and she tells me what is there when I don't see it there," Teniya Alo said. "Every time she's in my corner I boost up at least 10, 20 percent when she's behind me."

Also, Radford's Angela Peralta and Leilehua's Kelani Corbett repeated at 145 and 155 pounds, respectively.

Peralta, a Rams' senior, edged Waianae's Kaleinani Makuaole, 7-4, in a grueling match that went six periods, while Corbett, a Mules' sophomore, defeated Pearl City Jacqueline Fuamatu, 5-2.

"I was literally telling myself, ‘I have to get through this, I have to win, I need the escape, I need a takedown,' otherwise the season was pointless to me because states is all that matters," Peralta said. "I wish I could have ended it better, but a win is a win, I guess, and it's pretty good to be a two-time state champion. Not everyone has that."

Other individual champions were Leilehua's Brianna Leong (102 pounds), Kalani's Czarina Pineda-Abaya (122), Baldwin's Jahnea Miguel (127), Keaau's Ivory Ayers (168), Pearl City's Jennie Fuamatu (184) and Farrington's Lavenia Fotu (225).



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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