State champs recognized

Okano, Casco, Rozet, Andrade named league’s best

By ROBERT COLLIAS, Staff Writer
State champion. In any high school sport, those words are the mark of excellence.

In wrestling, it may mean a little more just because of the sheer determination and self-denial it takes to get there.

The Maui Interscholastic League has never seen a better duo than Travis Okano and Lake Casco on the same team. The Lahainaluna High School seniors will leave their West Maui campus with five state gold medals between them — they each were unbeaten state champs in 2008 — to go along with a state runner-up team trophy this year.

The pair also leaves Lahaina as The Maui News co-MIL Boys Wrestlers of the Year.

The MIL girls produced a pair of state champions this year, too — Kamehameha Maui’s Caronne Rozet at 108 pounds and Baldwin’s Kailee Andrade at 175. Those two are co-MIL Girls Wrestlers of the Year.

Okano was 79-5 the last three seasons, 30-0 this year, and finished his career on a 39-match winning streak on his way to becoming just the third MIL wrestler ever to win three state titles — at 119, 125 and 130 pounds.

He then showed his ability at the High School Senior National Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., last month with a 2-2 mark in a meet limited to state champions.

‘‘I just believe that Travis can compete anywhere,’’ Lunas coach Todd Hayase said. ‘‘He has a mind-set that he can compete at any level. I just want him to go off to college and compete — it doesn’t matter what level. I know he opened some eyes at that national meet — there were 200 (college) coaches there. I just want him to get off of Maui, see the world and compete.’’

Okano is still deciding on a college destination, but Hayase — a former college wrestler at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. — knows he can find success.

‘‘Travis is probably the most focused one-sport athlete we have at Lahainaluna,’’ Hayase said. ‘‘His focus is strictly on wrestling, while our other kids have always been split between other sports. Travis and his family, which is always very supportive, have gone to Mainland events, Fargo (N.D.) Nationals, places like that. He has invested and his parents have invested a lot into wrestling.’’

Okano is not about to rest on his laurels.

‘‘Not really, actually, I haven’t really thought about it — it is a good accomplishment,’’ Okano said, via phone from Virginia, about being a three-time state champion. ‘‘I am not going to sit on that. I still have a lot of things to do. It is an honor being with them, but I have more things to do.’’

Casco, 18-0 this season at 160 pounds after missing a large part of the season getting into wrestling shape following the Lunas’ run to the state Division II football final, will hang up his wrestling gear to play football at the University of Pennsylvania.

Like his brothers Kawika and Kai-noa, he is a two-time state champ.

‘‘Wrestling wasn’t as fun as football, but now that it is gone you wish you could still do it,’’ Casco said before leaving on a trip last week to explore the Penn campus. ‘‘I will miss more the team camaraderie, miss being able to hang out with those guys all the time, being able to do stuff together.’’

The Casco family legacy is cemented at Lahainaluna. The family wore T-shirts at the state tournament saying ‘‘Casco bloodlines 97671,’’ referring to the West Maui ZIP code.

‘‘Yeah, Kainoa, he said, ‘Good job,’ ’’ Lake Casco said. ‘‘Kawika said the pressure is off now. It was a weight off our shoulders.’’

Hayase, the MIL Boys Coach of the Year, said he will miss his two senior captains.

‘‘Travis is Travis, just the best,’’ Hayase said. ‘‘Lake is the consummate student-athlete. I watched the University of Penn wrestle at the NCAA meet. At one time they were in the top 20, and while Lake will be playing football there, he could wrestle there if he wanted to. He is just an all-around great kid athletically and more so his academics. Shoot, he is going to the University of Penn and that says a lot.’’

Casco and Okano are joined on the MIL All-Star team by the league champions — Rory Young (103) and John Lotulelei (189) of Baldwin; Lahainaluna’s Edison Hidalgo (112), Rodrigo Tabladillo (119), Jared Panlasigui (135), Holden Mowat (140), Ryley Mayo (145), Daniel Quinlan (152), Cole Loewen (171) and Marvin Agmata (215); and Molokai’s Kaena Puaoi-Dawson (125) and Kawika Kaahanui (285).

Andrade and Rozet are joined on the MIL Girls All-Star team by league champions Brittany Bermudez-Lynch

(98) of Lahainaluna; Malia Medeiros (103), Makanalani Hussey (125) and Eva Kaaa (130) of Kamehameha Maui; Jasmine Dollopac (114) of Maui High; Kayla Giannotto (120) and Piikea Kalalau (140) of Baldwin; Anjahlee Akuna (155) of Hana; and Shanthally Alboro (220) of Lanai.

Rozet has her college list down to five — Hawaii, Oregon, Pacific, San Diego and San Francisco. If she attends Pacific in Forest Grove, Ore., she could wrestle for one of the few female college teams in the nation.

‘‘Even if I don’t wrestle from here on out, I know I will stay with this sport that I love so much somehow, like coaching,’’ said Rozet, who is also a standout cross country and track runner for the Warriors. ‘‘I will find a way.’’

Rozet already helps with the school’s youth program, the Keiki Warriors, that was started by Anthony Souza, the MIL Girls Coach of the Year.

‘‘He is a great coach,’’ Rozet said. ‘‘He taught us values, execution, how to push ourselves. He deserves to be coach of the year for sure.’’

Souza said Rozet is deserving of the honor.

‘‘Caronne Rozet just has an unbelievable work ethic,’’ Souza said. ‘‘She would keep up with all the boys in the room, with all the drills we did. She would come early and stay late — she pretty much led the team in all the drills that we did. She just really has a great attitude. She has been a team captain last four years and she just led the way for the last four years.’’

Souza was told that he will not be asked back for next season by the school, but he will never forget the first MIL champions in the sport for Kamehameha Maui.

He leaves after four years at the helm and his seniors will go out at the same time.

‘‘Now that I have been released, shucks, it is just great that I had the chance to work for them, these kids, and mold them into leaders that they are today,’’ Souza said.

Andrade wrapped up her career by leading a 1-2-3 sweep for the MIL in the 175 division at the state tournament. She will report to basic training for the U.S. Marine Corps at Parris Island, S.C., on Aug. 4. Her goal is to become a pilot.

‘‘It feels awesome; it feels so good,’’ Andrade said of the state title she won after being second as a junior and fourth as a sophomore. ‘‘To share this award with Caronne is pretty cool. She is an awesome wrestler and she works really hard. It has all started to sink in for me. When I went back to school, everybody was like ‘congratulations’ and stuff so it sunk in.’’

n Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com