Win or lose, Ebony Ayers only wrestles one way: all or nothing.
Win or lose, Ebony Ayers only wrestles one way: all or nothing.
So even on her sports biggest stage Saturday in Honolulu, it’s no surprise that the Keaau senior went for it, coming ever so close to becoming the first from her school to claim HHSAA gold before losing 15-14 in 184-pound final at the state championships at Blaisdell Arena.
“She pushed the pace,” Cougars coach Keith Fernandez said of Ayers’ match against Kamehameha-Kapalama’s Leilani Camargo Naone. “She went for the head, she went for throws and when she went down she got right back up.
“That’s Ebony. When she commits, she commits.”
Ayers’ aggressive nature hurt her at times, allowing Naone to take a four-point lead after the first round. Ayers trailed 14-9 entering the third round, but she battled back and Fernandez said she was trying to working toward the potential go-ahead points when the match ended.
In fact, he counted three instances in which Ayers put Naone on her back and could have earned a pinfall.
“She was a little slow in the beginning but she took her shots,” Fernandez said.
Ayers was the only BIIF wrestler to reach the final and the league failed to produce a gold medal winner for the third consecutive year, its longest drought since 1979-81.
Kealakehe’s Pulama Louis (182), Honokaa’s Brandy Ilac-Wong (107) and Kamehameha’s Kayla Araki (145) were the next highest finishers from the Big Island, each earning bronze.
Ayers heads home with more than just silver – Fernandez said she garnered three college scholarship offers Saturday.
“Schools can tell when someone is coachable and wants to work hard,” he said. “They can tell if somebody has the right mindset.
Ayers, who was fifth last season at states in 225 division, earned two pins to get to the final, including a victory in the semifinals against Lahainaluna’s Hannah Miyamoto that took 3 minutes, 53 seconds.
Naone, a bronze medalist last season, defeated Nanakuli’s Jade Kaaihue 7-4 in the semifinals.
Ayers could well be back in Honolulu for the state judo championships in May. She was fifth during her sophomore season.
“She could still win a state judo title,” Fernandez said. “She’s got that kind of work ethic.”
In addition to Ayers, Louis, Ilac-Wong and Araki, five other BIIF wrestlers reached the semifinals: Kealakehe’s Charlotte Taylor (112), Erika Larsen (155) and Roxie Umu (225), Keaau’s Ivory Ayers (168), Hilo’s Kaleo Miyasaki (152).
Louis, the BIIF’s only top-seeded wrestler, shrugged off a 2-0 semifinal loss to Waianae’s Caleb Cardus, the eventual champion, by securing two victories in the consolation round. The senior edged Kaiser’s Micah Arakawa 3-2 for third.
Araki collected her second consecutive state bronze. After getting pinned in 56 seconds in the semifinals, she beat Hawaii Prep’s Loke Ching 8-2 in her first consolation match and pinned Molokai’s Esther Torres. Ching was sixth.
Ilac-Wong also lost to an eventual champion in the semifinals, falling 18-5 to Lahainaluna’s Iverly Navarro. She reversed her fortunes in the wrestleback, winning 20-5 and 7-1.
Umu and Taylor each finished fourth, as did Honokaa heavyweight Riley Rechiro, who lost in the quarterfinals and won three straight before being pinned for bronze.
Finishing sixth were Larsen, Ivory Ayers, Hilo’s Taulelie Toledo (182 boys) and Kamehameha’s Kaua Albino-Kaupu (112 girls).
Kealakehe was the highest BIIF finisher in each team race, placing ninth on the girls side and 19th in boys. The Iolani boys and Kamehameha-Kapalama girls took the titles.
As expected, Kamehameha-Kapalama star Teysha Alo spent little time on the mat, needing just 116 seconds total to win three matches at 132 for her fourth career crown.