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Depth key Three St. Louis wrestlers are favored to win their divisions at the state championships this weekend, but the Crusaders' hopes of retaining the state crown rest with their less-heralded members.
to winning
state wrestling
St. Louis and Moanalua begin
their title defenses tomorrowBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com"It's not going to be the top seeds who win it," St. Louis coach Todd Los Banos said. "It's going to be the guys on the back side, that's the key to winning a tournament.
"We're really working on our kids mentally and making them understand that it's going to take everybody to do this."
St. Louis will try to defend its state boys title starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow as the Data House State Wrestling Championships open with qualifying matches at Blaisdell Arena. Preliminary and quarterfinal matches close out the first day of competition.
The semifinals and consolation rounds start at 11 a.m. Saturday. The girls finalists will be introduced at 4:30 p.m., with championship matches to start at 5. The boys introductions are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the finals to start at 7.
Each weight class starts with 20 wrestlers. The top 12 seeds, including each of the league champions, earn byes into the preliminaries. The remaining eight must survive the qualifying round.
Los Banos has been on both sides of the numbers game in state competition.
In 2000, six St. Louis wrestlers advanced to the finals, but the team still finished second to Iolani. Last year, depth pushed the Crusaders to the state title as they won five weight classes and finished second in two others.
And after going undefeated in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the Crusaders enter this year's state tournament with a battle-tested group.
"The whole season has been very close," Los Banos said. "Every dual meet has come down to the last two matches.
"Because this season has been so tight, I know the boys are aware if we don't wrestle well, there is the possibility we'll get beat."
The Crusaders edged Punahou for the ILH championship last week and return two state champions in Jonathan Spiker (145 pounds) and Prince Brown (215). Ben Willmore is the top seed in the 112-pound division.
Lahainaluna's Kainoa Casco is the only other returning champion. Casco won the 152-pound title last year but is now the top seed at 160.
Casco is the only top seed not from an ILH or Big Island Interscholastic Federation school. Oahu private school wrestlers top 10 of the 14 weight classes. Waiakea's Nick Galloway (119), Hawaii Prep's Tommy Tamasese (152) and Hilo's Michael Mandaquit (275) are the Big Island's best hopes for titles.
Punahou and Iolani pushed St. Louis for the ILH championship last week and both have the depth to contend this week.
McKinley won the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship last week. Of the eight wrestlers the Tigers entered in the tournament, three won their divisions and three others finished second.
While ILH schools have won 14 of the last 16 boys championships, the OIA has dominated the girls side and has eight of 10 girls' top seeds.
The Moanalua girls will try to win its fourth consecutive state championship this weekend led by three top seeds -- Caylene Valdez (108), Shani Alvarado (140) and Stephany Lee (155).
Six of last year's girls champions return as top seeds this week. McKinley's Melissa Orden (103), Pearl City's Dara Ching (130), Kamehameha's Iwalani Fonoimoana (220) and Valdez return to defend their division championships.
Lee moves up to 155 after winning the 140 title last year. Nanakuli's Ashley Gaspar also moved up a class, now wrestling at 175 after winning at 155 a year ago.
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