Mikah Labuanan reacts after winning the state championship in the 150-pound weight class. Photo courtesy Jason Hayase

When the referee raised Mikah Labuanan’s arm at the end of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s 150-pound Boys Wrestling Championship match Feb. 22 in Honolulu, Labuanan became the first wrestler outside of Oahu ever to win four boys state championships.

The gravity of being the first Maui Interscholastic League boys wrestler to accomplish the rare feat known as a Grand Slam still hadn’t quite set in for the senior from Kamehameha Schools-Maui on Sunday.

“Man, to this day I don’t really know how to explain how I’m feeling about being a four-time state champion, but to finally achieve a lifelong goal that I set for myself at a young age, it feels really good,” Labuanan said.

“I’ve set this goal for a long time,” he continued. “It’s been a dream of mine since I can remember, and to finally accomplish this goal I set out since I was little — and make that little me proud — it means the world. I can’t describe it in words.”

He said he went into this year’s state tournament feeling ready, confident and healthy, and he “didn’t have as many aches as usual.” Even though he had been to the big show before and felt well prepared for it, the moment wasn’t lost on the wrestler.

“Being at the state tournament — at the Blaisdell — it feels like a much different environment than Ka’ulaheanuiokamoku,” he said. “I honestly can’t really explain the difference in feeling, but walking into the arena again, from my freshman year winning it to now being a senior, walking in there I just felt all the energy, looked around, took in the moment and was ready to compete.”

Labuanan did more than compete; he put on a clinic as he dismantled the 150-pound bracket Feb. 21-22 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center on his way to the title match.

Following a first-round bye, Labuanan opened the tournament with a 17-2 victory over Carson Suzuki of Assets School. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Waimea’s Kaylo Labanon at 0:51, and then he defeated Leilehua’s Isaiah Caminos-Freitas 19-2 in the semifinals.

In the championship match, Labuanan pinned senior Samson Paaluhi of Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama at 1:52. Once the tournament was over, Labuanan had finished the season with a 25-0 record, putting him at 88-2 throughout his high school career.

“It takes so much effort,” Labuanan said of what it takes to win four state championships. “For everyone watching, they see six minutes of wrestling, but to me and every athlete, you know it’s not just six minutes. It’s hours, days and losing countless hours of sleep, early mornings, late nights, like all of that equals the six minutes on the mat.”

Mikah Labuanan performs a back-flip after winning the state championship in the 150-pound weight class. Photo courtesy Jason Hayase

And it wasn’t just special for the wrestler.

“Watching Mikah win his fourth state title and knowing the work he puts in day in and day out was such a proud moment for me as a dad and a coach,” said Michael Labuanan, who has been coaching his son since preschool.

“He set the goal of being the first boy to win the Grand Slam when he was just a young boy playing every sport and watching the older wrestlers accomplish so much in the state tournament and in the big national tournaments,” the father explained. “He kept his dream going every year by entering big tournaments and trained with the best kids and coaches that wanted to train with him.”

State champion wrestler Mikah Labuanan and his dad Michael pose for a photo at the 2025 Hawaii High School Athletic Association Boys Wrestling State Championship. Photo courtesy Hezekiah Kapua’ala

Mikah has been wrestling since he was 4 years old, and he has been going to major tournaments on the mainland since he was 8. Even today, he remembers growing up looking up to the high school wrestlers and dreaming of one day becoming a state champion.

“I’d always go to the local tournaments and see all the high school wrestlers and just see how hard they worked,” he said. “There really weren’t a lot of state champs from Maui and no one had ever been a four-time state champ from Maui, and as a boy, I decided to set that goal for myself because I want to be able to come and represent our island.”

Now, he focuses on the sport year-round, and he trains, lifts weights and works out daily in his garage with his teammates and his dad, who describes Mikah as a natural leader on and off the mat, always wanting to help the youth in hopes they will find success in their future.

Outside of wrestling, Labuanan is an accomplished bodyboarder who’s sponsored by multiple companies, and he said the ocean gives him a nice release while helping to keep him centered. He is also a decorated soccer player, but realizing he could go further with wrestling, said he stopped playing soccer competitively to focus on wrestling.

Labuanan said he’s still undecided where he will attend college, but he plans to wrestle at the collegiate level, and California State University, Bakersfield is high on the list of schools he’s considering.

Most of all, Labuanan said he’s grateful for the support he’s received from his family, teammates, coaches and the community that’s backed him all the way to four state championships.

“My whole team, honestly. Especially my dad. He’s been there for me since Day One. He’s been my main coach, my mentor, everything in life. And then my partners,” Labuanan said while rattling off the names of his teammates.

“All those guys really make up who I am as a wrestler,” he said. “Everybody thinks wrestling is an individual sport, but it’s seriously a team sport. You can’t really improve as a wrestler without having good partners. Having good partners around me is one of the reasons I’ve been able to make these jumps and leaps.”

Labuanan said his relationship with God is also important to him, and he often prays for guidance and strength.

“I know no matter what happens at the end of the day, this is just a sport and at the end of the day I just want to be able to represent God, my family and my friends,” he said.