State Champions x 2
February 24, 2009 by Jimmy
Filed under News, Girls, 2009 Season
The Punahou Wrestling Program had its most successful week ever, winning both Boys and Girls titles at last weekend?s HHSAA State Championships. The Boys earned their third consecutive state crown, winning 5 of 8 finals matches and medaling 12. The Girls broke through, winning their first-ever state title with 2 individual champions and 7 individual medalists.
The Girls got off to a pretty good start Friday, finishing the day neck-and-neck with defending champs Kahuku. We faltered a bit in the semi?s, losing three matches in a row (114, 120, & 125), but were ?helped? by Kahuku?s equally poor performance and were still in a dead heat going into the final round. We challenged the girls to refocus themselves and finish the tournament strong and, well, they came through big time. It wasn?t published in the paper but the girls? final round was so dominant, they won the state tournament just three points shy of an all-time scoring record.
The Boys had a strong, steady push throughout the tournament, wining their third consecutive crown and setting a new scoring record. Eleven made the semi-finals (one shy of the high mark we set last year), with eight making the finals. We had an uneven performance in the finals round, ?winning ugly? for a couple of titles and losing two matches by 1 point each because we couldn?t get out from bottom. But those matches should serve to keep us humble and hungry, reminding us that in spite of the outward success, we still have a lot to learn.
Congratulations to our individual State Champions:
Boys
125 | Reid Oshiro |
130 | Maika Nagata |
171 | Patrick Sheehan |
215 | Kolu Buck |
285 | Sani Fuimaono |
Girls
140 | Jt Ojerio |
155 | Ilima-Lei MacFarlane |