What do judo and gymnastics have in common? They both make for good wrestlers.

Three-time state judo champion Brady Lafortune of Moanalua and longtime gymnast and defending state wrestling champion Joy Yamashita of Aiea both won Oahu Interscholastic Association championships at the Leilehua gym yesterday, but were denied team glory.

Lafortune's Na Menehune team fell three points short of the OIA title, yielding it to Campbell. The Sabers did not have a single OIA champion, but had four wrestlers finish second in a team effort.

Kahuku won the girls team title easily, scoring 173 points, thanks to three state champions: Kayla Martin, Amber Ah Sue and Anela Santiago. Pearl City was the runner-up with 134.5 points and Yamashita's Aiea squad was third with 119.

Lafortune won his 125-pound match in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. Late in the third and final period, the Moanalua senior trailed Mililani's Chase Tantog 4-3, but earned two points on a takedown with 2 seconds left in regulation. Ironically, an injury timeout for both wrestlers (bleeding inside the mouth) with 26 seconds left might have been just enough for Lafortune to assess the situation and dig deep.

“;During the timeout, I told Brady that the other guy's going to try and run from you the rest of the way,”; Moanalua head coach Eddy Gudoy said. “;I told him, 'You have to go all out now.' He looked at the scoreboard and it woke him up a bit.”;

Lafortune frantically pursued Tantog and saw his chance with the clock winding down. He tried a single leg, switched to a double and got the winning takedown.

“;Once I got those points, I knew I could hold him off for the final 2 seconds,”; Lafortune said. “;He was a tough opponent and it was a tough match. But I've worked too hard for the past four years and I wasn't going to let him take it away from me.”;

Lafortune, a three-time state judo champion, finished fourth in the 120-pound group in last year's state tourney. He says he doubled his focus with the intensity that comes with senior year.

“;All throughout this season, I looked at things like I was working through a quarter in school,”; said Lafortune. “;All the matches were quizzes and mini-tests. The OIA East tourney was my first big exam, and the OIAs and states are like final exams and I'm trying to do my very best for them.”;

Yamashita, a senior at Aiea , finished first in last year's state championships and wants to finish her senior year in the same fashion.

But in order to get there, she had to face an unknown opponent.

Yamashita pinned Kahuku's Alana Iseke 42 seconds into the third period to earn a return trip to the state tourney.

“;She's never wrestled against Iseke before, but we watched her earlier matches and decided not to try anything fancy, just look for openings and push forward,”; said Aiea women's coach Ason Abe. “;Iseke looked long and lanky, pretty strong. She stayed tough and waiting for something to open up.”;

Yamashita, who started gymnastics and dance at age 5, needed the flexibility of a gymnast to engage her opponent. After a scoreless first period get-to-know-you session, Yamashita adapted and got the first two points on a switch and reverse with 20 seconds left in the second. Up 5-0 in the third, Yamashita made her move and put Iseke's shoulders to the mat for a fall at the 1:12 mark.

A good part of Yamashita's journey is ohana-based. In her freshman year of 2007, Yamashita and older sister Ren did a sister act when both won their weight groups in the OIA tourney. Ren, a weightlifting champion, turned her younger sister on to the sport and it seems to have paid dividends.

“;I lift almost every day,”; Yamashita said. “;It's the first thing I do after wrestling practice.”;

Yamashita knows the competition in the state tourney won't get any easier.

“;I feel ready, but I'm not taking anybody lightly,”; she said. “;I just need to wrestle my game and not let anyone else affect me. This is my last year and I want to finish on top. I'm taking that goal step by step.”;