The list of ILH girls wrestling champions looks very familiar this year.
Seven girls repeated as league champions at Kamehameha on Saturday, with a 2022 champ thrown in.
‘Iolani senior Elle Mizue led the honor roll, topping fellow ILH champion Joy Jeremiah of Kamehameha 7-1 to take the crown at 115 pounds. She won at 117 pounds last year, while Jeremiah ruled at 112. Jeremiah was going for her third league title after her freshman season was wiped out by COVID-19.
The seniors have wrestled nearly every week this season in their small league. Mizue has won all of the meetings after losing to Jeremiah last year, but every one was close.
Saturday’s performance was more like what the Raider is looking for with the state tournament two weeks away.
“Every time I wrestle her, I try to do better,” Mizue said. “This time I feel like I did well in the match. Last time it was like 3-5.”
With Jeremiah going down, teammate Alana Bartley was the only one to pick up a third ILH title. Bartley was given the championship at 235 pounds without wrestling because there were no other girls in her weight class.
Kamehameha junior Nalei Meyers repeated at 190 pounds with a first-period pin of Damien’s Kaia Marcellino, the only other girl at the weight class.
Punahou had one repeater, with Tatiana Paragas winning a war with Rylie Nishida of Kamehameha 4-2 for the 120-pound title. Nishida won an ILH title two years ago at 132 pounds.
‘Iolani filled out the rest of the parade of repeat champions with Tehya Romero at 100 pounds, Maya Rose DeAngelo coming back in the third period to top Punahou’s Erika Olkowski 6-4 at 125 pounds and sophomore Caelen West the best of a three-girl bracket at 170 pounds.
Despite ‘Iolani’s success, Kamehameha won the team title with 163 points, easily outdistancing Punahou (132) and the Raiders (88).
Kamehameha got breakthrough championships from Anela Hokoana (110 pounds), state champion Jax Realin (130) and Jada-Love Jose-Santiago (140). Punahou ruled at 105 pounds with Charlotte Campbell, at 135 with Colbie Nakano, and Kulia Heffernan topped all comers at 145 pounds.
Kylah Brown gave Damien its first girls champion since 2017 with a wild 16-10 victory over Punahou’s Kaya-Alani Smith at 155 pounds in which she scored half her points in the third period. The Monarchs have had only three ILH champions, with Brown joining Tara Kaili Labanon (2017) and Jaeden Guerrero (2016).
Like the rest of the seniors, Mizue has two weeks left in her prep wrestling career. Unlike most of them, she only has to take one more step. She lost in last year’s state final despite being seeded.
“I just have to focus on my wrestling, this is my last year,” Mizue said. “If you want to win you have to beat everyone, so seeding doesn’t matter too much.”