Two Stunners At Officials Wrestling Finals: State Champs Mikah Labuanan And Brycen Pagurayan Upended

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Notes:
>> For full girls results, click here.
>> For full boys results, click here.
>> Look for videos and a photo gallery Monday.
>> Bedrock Sports has clarified how the final points two points were scored in the Kimura vs. Labuanan match.
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Any wrestling tournament has intense action, but you had to be there at the Leilehua gym to see the the extra fireworks provided by the athletes on Saturday night at the Hawaii Wrestling Officials Association Scholarship Tournament.

Huge upsets, one gigantic controversy, six state champions biting the dust, and enough emotion to fill a football stadium.

Where does one begin?

Well, the first obvious place to go is the 132-pound boys final, where Mililani’s Jaren Kimura knocked off Kamehameha-Maui’s Mikah Labuanan.

Labuanan was the favorite, having won states last year at 126 pounds as a freshman and beating senior defending champ Tobey Ravida of Baldwin to get it done in the state final. Meanwhile, a year ago, Kimura placed third at 132 pounds at states.

Saturday’s match was close at 4-4 in the early going before Lahuanan took leads of 8-4 and 10-5. Kimura fought back dramatically, making it to within one point, 10-9, with time ticking close to the end. On his last-gasp attempt, known as a magic stick, be brought Labuanan down with both wrestlers in a sitting posture, but that move came after time had run out and it’s debatable if Kimura had enough control to be awarded two points for a takedown even if it had occurred in time.

With so much happening so fast, nothing at all was clear. Labuanan took off his headgear and tossed it to the side near his coaches and began to run and raise his hands, apparently thinking he had won. But almost immediately the referees began to confer and that led to a more serious discussion with a larger group of officials. That meeting lasted at least 20 minutes and held up the progression of matches on one of two mats being used.

Near the end of the match, Labuanan was called for stalling and it was a 2-point penalty because it was his fourth stalling call of the match. That was what gave Kimura an 11-10 win, according to Mike Chang, an OIA wrestling administrator.

It turns out that Labuanan did not incur any penalty points for when he tossed his headgear because the match was already done with Kimura as a one-point winner, Chang said.

Kalaheo’s Tyler Shields Strikes Fast To Pin Kapolei’s Brycen Pagurayan

Kapolei’s Brycen Pagurayan is a known commodity in the Hawaii high school wrestling world. He’s the reigning 170-pound state champ and a two-time state placer.

But those accolades didn’t matter to Tyler Shields, from Kalaheo, who landed a quick move and caught Paguryaan with a pin at the 23-second mark of the 170 final.

“I had never wrestled him before,” Shields said. “I’ve been working for this the last two weeks so I want to say I’m really happy that I got the pin. Every match (for me) this tournament was a first-round pin so I’m really happy about that. The stars just aligned. He made a sloppy move, I caught him on it and jumped on his mistake.”

Shields, a senior, made states as a freshman and junior, but never placed. Last year early at states, he hurt his arm and went to the hospital.

“This is my year, hopefully,” he added.

Castle’s Keegan Goeas Upsets PAC-5’s Xander Erolin

In an intense 152-pound final, Castle’s Keegan Goeas somehow found a way to hold off a dangerous comeback attempt by Xander Erolin of PAC-5, winning 5-3.

Erolin is the defending 152-pound state champion.

Kamehameha’s Scotty Dikilato And Punahou’s Justyce Mercado Hold Off Hard-Charging Opponents

After taking an early lead, Kamehameha’s Scotty Dikilato found himself in a tough battle against the person he beat for the 285-pound state championship a year ago — Leilehua’s Kanale Coelho.

Coelho trailed early but bulled his way back to a 6-5 deficit in the late stages before Dikilato came up with the clinching takedown to make it 8-5.

Last year’s 145-pound state champ, Justyce Mercado of Punahou, was in a tough slugfest against ‘Iolani’s Casey Honbo and prevailed 4-2.

Another reigning boys state champion, Moanalua’s Tyger Taam, also pulled through in the final. Taam, who won states at 132 last season, defeated Kapolei’s Mayhem Woolsey in the 138 title match.

A Lot Of Upheavals On The Girls Side

There was plenty of drama on the girls side, too, with two state runner-ups beating the state champions they lost to in the final last season. Those two were:

>> At 155, Hilo’s Reydan Malia Kukahiwa got past Baldwin’s Jahlia Miguel (the 145-pound state champ from a year ago) 5-0.

>> At 184, Jasmine Adiniwin of Moanalua defeated Lahainaluna’s Catherine Asami by fall at 3:20 in a rematch of last season’s 184 state final

In addition, the 132-pound reigning state champ, Lahainaluna’s Teani Medeiros-Maielua went down in the 132 final by fall in 2:22 against Pearl City’s Taydem Uyemura.

Two other state champion girls from last spring were victorious in Saturday’s finals —  Moanalua’s Isabelle Asuncion at 117 pounds and Kahuku’s Maia Esera at 225.

Moanalua Girls And Kapolei Boys Take Team Titles

The Moanalua girls, with 310 points, won the team crown, with Lahainaluna (137.5) and Kamahemaha (132.5) in second and third place.

In boys competition, Kapolei placed first with 250 points, followed in order by Kamehameha with 226 and Moanalua with 191.

Boys Finals Matches:

>> 106: Hunter Berger (Saint Louis) def. Irving Bicoy, technical fall, (Pearl City), 15-0
>> 113: Evan Kusumoto (Kamehameha) def. Eli Suan (Saint Louis), technical fall, 16-1
>> 120: Logan Lau (Mid-Pacific) def. Marcus Marinas (Baldwin), fall, 1:50
>> 126: Brendan Sekulich (Punahou) def. Gavin Buelow (Punahou), 12-6
>> 132: Jaren Kimura (Mililani) def. Mikah Labuanan (Kamehameha-Maui), 11-10
>> 138: Tyger Taam (Moanalua) def. Mayhem Woolsey (Kapolei), 8-1
>> 145: Bransen Porter (Waianae) def. Samson Paaluhi (Kamehameha), fall, 1:23
>> 152: Keegan Goeas (Castle) def. Xander Erolin (PAC-5), 5-3
>> 160: Justyce Mercad0 (Punahou) def. Casey Honbo (‘Iolani) 4-2.
>> 170: Tyler Shields (Kalahe0) def. Brycen Pagurayan (Kapolei), fall, 0:23
>> 182: Jonas Baekkeland (Moanalua) def. Elijah Pinales (Kapolei), technical fall, 16-0
>> 195: Keawe Kane-Keahi (Lahainaluna) def. Maika Kahele Akeo (Kapolei), technical fall, 15-0
>> 220: Rodstan Salangdron (Kapolei) def. Johnny Sailele (Waianae), fall, 2:22
>> 285: Scotty Dikilato (Kamehameha) def. Kanale Coelho (Leilehua), 8-5

Girls Finals Matches:

>> 97: Adriana Daoang (Moanalua) def. Sarah Yogi (Pearl City), fall, 4:58
>> 102: Tristan Nitta (Mililani) def. Chloe Obuhanych (Pearl City), fall, 1:39
>> 107: Kayce Dudoit (Lahainaluna) def. Tatiana Paragas (Punahou), fall, 1:27
>> 112: Kaitlyn Fong (Moanalua) def. Kelly Ann Ichimura (Punahou), 8-4
>> 117: Isabelle Asuncion (Moanalua) def. Joy Jeremiah (Kamehameha), fall, 0:11
>> 122: Maya Rose DeAngelo (‘Iolani) def. Rylie Nishida (Kamehameha 7-3)
>> 127: Jax Realin (Kamehameha) def. Eloise Woolsey (Kapolei), fall, 5:32
>> 132: Taydem Uyemura (Pearl City) def. Teani Medeiros-Maielua (Lahainaluna), fall, 2:22
>> 138: Valynn Kwan (Mid-Pacific) def. Cyrstin-Dior Treu (Lahainaluna), major decision, 16-6
>> 145: Nohilani Kukonu (Moanalua) def. Colleen Kinimaka (Campbell), major decision, 11-1
>> 155: Reydan Malia Kukahiwa (Hilo) def. Jahlia Miguel (Baldwin), 5-0
>> 168: Leila Esera (Kahuku) def. Alana Corpuz (Mililani), major decision, 11-0
>> 184: Jasmine Adiniwin (Moanalua) def. Catherine Asami (Lahainaluna), fall, 3:20
>> 225: Maia Esera (Kahuku) def. Tapaita Hufanga (Leilehua), major decision, 11-1

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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:

Wrestle MANIA at Leilehua: A record 600 Participants At Officials Tournament; SEE 7 Videos

 

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The Season As It Unfolds:

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