Brady Lafortune couldn't contain it any longer.

Moments after he became the fourth judoka to win an individual state title in all four high school years—and first to do so after switching to a higher weight class each year—the Moanalua senior was overcome with emotion. He pointed up with both hands at Na Menehune faithful screaming at him from the Stan Sheriff Center stands, hugged his coach and lost himself in the moment.

“;I can't put that in words,”; Lafortune replied to a query on his feelings moments after winning the 132-pound class with an ippon counter-throw on Kapolei's Tyler Kono.

But then he tried.

“;Happiest moment of my life right now.”;

Lafortune's fortunes grabbed the spotlight of yesterday's HHSAA judo state championships, but it was also a breakthrough day for Moanalua's judo program as a whole. Na Menehune captured their first boys team championship with 69 points after runner-up finishes in each of the previous two years.

Though Lafortune was the lone champion among five Moanalua judoka to make their finals, it was enough to stave off Kamehameha (56 points) and Kahuku (51).

“;It feels good to get the monkey off our back,”; Moanalua co-coach Brandon Maki said. “;Brady was the only one to pull through, but we needed all of them to get (to the finals), too, to score the points for the team. They did a good job.”;

The Punahou girls team defended its title with a dominant effort yielding 85 points. Pearl City finished second with 54 and McKinley third at 51.

“;I guess we shoot to build the (fourth-place) boys team up a little bit stronger, and have the girls continue on as they are,”; Punahou coach Greg Chow said. “;I'm really optimistic about our girls team; we're only graduating one senior.”;

The Buffanblu's Chow sisters, Chrissy and Mindy, remained on course for four-championship runs through high school. Chrissy, a junior, won her third title, this time in the 129 class, and sophomore Mindy took her second championship, this year in the 139.

“;It feels good. I'm excited, 'cause I want to get the fourth time next year,”; Chrissy Chow said. “; I like to see (Mindy) win, too, it's the second year that we've both won together. And she can go for her fourth time, too.”;

That is also what Mid-Pacific junior David Terao, a good friend of Lafortune's, can accomplish next year. Terao collected his third individual title—also at increasing weight classes—with an ippon on Farrington's Logan Bucsit.

Terao used a defeat earlier this year to Jordan Ng (yesterday's 114-pound champion from Punahou) as motivation to improve.

“;After losing to him, I just started working harder, smarter and everything,”; Terao said.

Pearl City's Christian Pavo, McKinley's Lianne Tomishima and Farrington's Taylor Ibera were the other four-year individual winners in the state championship era since 2003. But none did exactly what Lafortune did—meeting a bigger, stronger class of opponent each of his last three years.

Yesterday, Kono got Lafortune off-balance at the outset of their match, threatening the grand slam, but Lafortune used his foe's aggression and momentum against him about 2 minutes in.

“;Before I even went on the mat, I was thinking about, 'I didn't do this my whole life for nothing,' “; said Lafortune, whose championship path went 108-114-121-132 in weight classes. “;I set a goal for myself four years ago, and now I finished it. Nothing can take that away from me now.”;

He thanked his parents, his coaches and all his practice partners for helping him get there.

Also, McKinley's Brittany Balanay defended her title in the 109 class, and Punahou's Ng moved up a weight class to 114 to win his second straight title.