Crusader Wrestling Falls Short
Corey Cabanban wins his Fourth Title.
March 1, 2018
The Saint Louis Crusaders fell short of their goal of winning a state championship this year, but have never been closer in the Al Chee era. After several players not making states and only entering 10 out of the 14 weight classes, they still managed to come in 4th. Each wrestler wrestled to the best of their abilities and 8 out of the 10 that wrestled, placed.
Senior Corey Cabanban finished his high school career winning his fourth state championship in a 7-2 victory over Punahou’s Kason Watanabe, whom he wrestled six times this season. This fourth state title comes alongside his four ILH titles.Corey is now the fifth boy’s wrestler to ever be a 4-time state champion and third Saint Louis wrestler to do so.
Seniors Dominic Tominiko and Kalae Correa both had a shot at the finals, but lost in close matches in the semifinals to the runner ups of the tournament. They would both end up wrestling for fifth place in their respective weight classes where Tominiko took fifth in the 220 class, and Correa taking sixth in the 182 class. Senior Kayson Kekahuna also placed fourth in his 285-weight class. Tyler Ibarra, another senior, won out on the first day, but had a tough loss in the consolation quarterfinals.
The underclassman excelled in the tournament with all but one of them placing in their weight classes. Boltyn Taam, a freshman, got the farthest among underclassman making it to the finals in 145 but fell short of his goal to the number two pound-for-pound wrestler in the state. Sophomore Koali Nishigaya at 138, came in fifth knocking out both of the wrestlers from the ILH on the last day. Another sophomore, Elijah Ka’awa, placed third after his loss in the quarterfinals. Another member of the class of 2020, Ansen Ursua, came in at fourth, but deserved third on a controversial call by the referee. The referee later admitted to his mistake, which could have led to a different team winning the state final. Although the outcome was not what Crusader wrestling wanted, it is still the highest they have ever been ranked in over a decade.
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