Punahou sweeps ILH titles
Kamehameha's Bree Rapoza controlled Pacific Buddhist Academy's Paris Hitchcock in the 116-pound class last night.
Bree Rapoza is just a sophomore at Kamehameha, but she speaks with the measured maturity of a veteran as she shoots for her second straight girls individual wrestling championship.
Rapoza pinned both her opponents in short order at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship meet to capture the individual title in the 114-pound division at Kamehameha’s Kekuhaupio Gym yesterday.
"I was trying to make a statement," said Rapoza, who won the state championship as freshman at 108 pounds last year.
Rapoza has taken a leadership role as a captain this year on a Warriors team with no seniors.
"My goal is four (state championships) for judo, four for wrestling, I know I have to work two times as hard this year."
"(People) don’t know how hard a champion works," she said. "Same with Shayden (Terukina), same with (Jacob) Luning-Hoshino."
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"My goal is four (state championships) for judo, four for wrestling, I know I have to work two times as hard this year."
Bree Rapoza
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And Rapoza doesn’t plan to slow down now.
"I didn’t train this hard to fall," she said. "I’ve been training for this since I was, like, 6 (years old). When you want something really bad you have to have that drive and courage to stand up above everybody."
Punahou won the girls team title with 136 points. Pac-Five finished second with 84 points, and Kamehameha (56) finished third.
The Buffanblu were led by the sister act of Chrissy and Mindy Chow, who defended their ILH titles. Chrissy won the 125-pound division, pinning Mid-Pacific’s Shannon Paaaina (who competed for Pac-Five) in the third period. Mindy, a junior, who won at 130 at last year’s states, pinned her opponent 36 seconds into the first round.
Teammate Kaimana Lundquist, who won at 155 at states, won at 177.
On the boys side, Punahou won with five individual titlists, scoring 170 points to top Kamehameha (129). Pac-Five (67) finished third.
The Warriors were led by two-time state champions Shayden Terukina, who won at 135, and Jacob Luning-Hoshino, who pinned Damien’s Shayvis Wilson to take the 142-pound division.
‘Iolani’s Ian Akamine, gunning for his third straight state title, won at 147.
The teams now point toward the Chevron/HHSAA State Championships at Blaisdell Arena on Friday and Saturday.
