DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jazmine Cockett, who kept a tight hold on Maile Nitta's neck during practice, hopes to close out her career at Kamehameha with a state title.
Seeking redemption
After finishing second twice, this
is senior Jazmine Cockett's last
chance at a state wrestling title
While 10 other girls celebrated Interscholastic League of Honolulu wrestling championships last weekend, 130-pound champion Jazmine Cockett had only one thing on her mind.
Redemption.
The two-time state runner-up tries for the final time to win that elusive title at the Chevron State Wrestling Championships on Friday and Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena.
"This has been my main goal for wrestling since the beginning," Cockett said. "This is it for me."
A win this year would be especially sweet for the senior who suffered a gut-wrenching loss to Kealakehe's Jasmine Norman in last year's double-overtime final.
"Last year's loss was very tough on Jazmine," Warriors coach Mike Tanimoto said. "It ended with a controversial call and I told Jazmine to take the summer off to get over it, and I think in the process of getting over it, it built character and taught her some valuable life skills."
One of those life skills is taking things a little less seriously, which has allowed Cockett to not only be a bit more loose on the wrestling mat, but also as a leader and captain of the team.
"I'm more relaxed toward wrestling now," Cockett said. "With it being my senior year as well, I've had to think about school and my future, and I've realized that wrestling isn't life, it's just a sport."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Members of the Kamehameha girls wrestling team are, front to back, Jazmine Cockett, Shae Kamakaala, Alison Gadadow, Kiana Parilla, Maile Nitta, Anela Iseke, Kalei Kawaa and Hoku Nohara.
But while Cockett may be humble about her wrestling career, she is still a girl of action.
"The term I use for Jazmine is 'quiet confidence' " Tanimoto said. "She doesn't use a lot of words, but does it through her actions on the mat and that is why she has been my captain since she was in 10th grade."
That quiet confidence was tested a bit after last year's loss in the state finals, but Cockett still competed in a USGWA tournament three weeks later in Michigan, where she finished ninth out of 45 participants in her division.
It helped her regain some of that confidence.
"It was cold up there, but the wrestling was the same style," Cockett said. "I think Hawaii has the better wrestlers."
Added Tanimoto: "That tournament really helped Jazmine work off some of the frustration she had and helped her move past it."
With all of the wrestling accolades Cockett has earned over her career, the most impressive statistic could be that she started wrestling in the seventh grade.
"At the time, all I played was basketball and soccer, so in seventh grade, I just decided to try out wrestling as something new to hopefully stay in shape," Cockett said.
What began as a way of staying in shape turned into a glorious high school career. As a freshman, Cockett unseated the senior in her weight class after just one match.
She went on to finish third in the ILH and fourth in states that year at 121 pounds before moving up to the 130-pound division as a sophomore.
After the two state runner-up finishes, Cockett began her senior season impressively.
At a preseason tournament, she was in a bracket that included six who placed at last year's states. She didn't back down an inch and went on to defeat two-time state champion Danyelle Hedin of Kailua in the finals.
"The division was loaded and the last couple of matches were just pure brawls," Tanimoto said. "That quiet confidence of hers really came out in those last two matches."
Cockett enters this year's state tournament with a 21-1 record, with just one loss to Punahou's Lauren Primiano.
But Cockett has already avenged that loss, beating Primiano three other times this season, including the ILH final.
"I'm just staying focused on my goals no matter what," Cockett said.
That isn't always easy for Cockett, however, as she stays busy off of the wrestling mat as well. She owns a 3.67 grade-point average and is up for some academic scholarships.
"I guess it's not that big of a deal because I'm used to studying since I've been doing it all my life," she said.
"The only reason things are getting busy is because it's prom season and we have a bunch of meetings to attend after school."
But with the prom still a few weeks away, Cockett only has a few days of wrestling left for Kamehameha.
"It's a little sad to think about this being it for me, but it's also time to move forward," she said.
A state championship might make that move forward just a little bit easier.
