The last wrestling event of the season at Kekuhaupio Gym turned into another banner day for the Kamehameha wrestling team.
Kysen Terukina and Paige Respicio completed career slams and their Warriors swept both team titles on Saturday.
Terukina is just the third boy from Kamehameha to complete the slam and Respicio joins a long list including one in each of the last three years after Ashley Gooman last year and Zion Grace Vierra before that. Terukina joins his brother, Shayden, and Jacob Luning-Hoshino on the elite list.
“It felt good to close out my time with four ILH,” Terukina said. “Even before the match I was like ‘This is my last match in this Kamehameha gym.’ I feel glad I accomplished it. A lot of the good wrestlers went for everything and I want to be in that category.”
Terukina will go for the state slam in two weeks, while Respicio will try to close her career with three state titles.
>> PHOTOS: ILH wrestling championships
“It just shows how much work I have put in since the beginning in this program,” Respicio said. “States is the real goal here, but ILH is a good way to get in a couple of matches. I am ready.”
Three boys picked up their third league titles, Brant Porter of Kamehameha at 126 and Punahou football standouts Vincent Terrell at 145 and Legend Matautia at 285. Another Punahou football player, reigning state champion Zander Manuel, helped give the Buffanblu six state champions, with Hale Robinson, Kaistin Vasquez and John Egami adding to the haul. Kamehameha crowned five champs, with Josiah Hokoana, Kanai Tapia and Manaia Wolfgramm adding to the haul.
‘Iolani had two boys champs, with Blaze Pascua repeating and Brady Hoshino adding his first.
Kamehameha’s girls had eight ILH champions after getting 11 last year, with Nohea Moniz, Haley Narahara, Aliya Takano, Krystal Puahala, Skye Realin and Amy Sotoa all defending their titles. Kylee Bartholomew-Tangoro joined them with her first crown.
“The hard part for us is that we don’t fill out our complete team, but every single girl we do have is tough,” Kamehameha coach Rob Hesia said. “Every girl we have can compete and I think every girl we’ve got has the potential to win states.”
Iolani junior Zoe Omura scooped up her third ILH title, becoming just the third Raider to do so.
Punahou had two champions in Madison Kogachi and Jaycee Ichimura after being shut out last year. Maryknoll’s Dylan Huddy repeated at 184; the league didn’t have an entrant at 225 for the third time in four years.