SPORTS

Girls wrestling team wins OIA championship

The Moanalua girls wrestling team won the OIA championship last weekend. They are in the state tournament this weekend.

February 23, 2023

Moanalua High School girls wrestling team continued its winning ways, taking the OIA team championship for the fifth tims since 2018 last weekend at the Leilehua High School. Kahuku came in second. The pandemic eliminated the 2021 season.

Senior Isabelle Asuncion was a four-time winner in her weight class (117 pounds). She defeated Kalani’s Kalina Hotema 4-0 in the championship match.

“She’s always tough,” Asuncion told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Paul Honda afterwards. “Overall, it was a good match for me.”

The boys team finished second in the OIA to Kapolei.

Senior Joshua Estabilio is a repeat champion, but this year placed first in the 113 pound class, one class higher than his win from last year.

“I knew that when I went up a weight class that I had to be strong because I was going to face those who were coming down from a higher weight class,” he said.

He accomplished this by doing more weight training and wrestling teammates from heavier weight classes.

During the championship match, Estabilio said he did not really feel any fear or pressure.

“I was in the zone,” he said. “But after I won, I felt relieved because I knew that the work I put in during the season paid off.”

Girls team Head Coach Sean Sakaida told the Star-Advertiser that to the team, “The job’s not done.”

Both teams are looking forward to the state tournament this weekend.

Team results:

Boys: Kapolei (first, 229.0 points), Moanalua (second, 198.5 points)

Girls: Moanalua (first, 290.0 points), Kahuku (second, 159.0 points)

Individual results:

Boys:

113: Joshua Estabilio (first)

120: Draezyn Tanaka (fifth)