Monday Morning MIL: Labuanan, Miguel lead six Maui champions at state wrestling

Mikah Labuanan and Jahlia Miguel, close friends on and off the mats, capped their remarkable legacies in Maui Interscholastic League wrestling emphatically with Texaco/HHSAA state championships on Feb. 22 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena.

Labuanan, a Kamehameha Schools Maui senior, became the first MIL boy to ever win four state wrestling titles, rolling to the 150-pound crown with two pins and two technical falls over the two-day state wrestling tournament.

Miguel, a Baldwin High School senior, won her third state crown with four straight pins at 170 pounds. She became just the fourth MIL girl to win a third state title, joining four-time state champions Lalelei Mata‘afa (2013-16) and Nanea Estrella (2017-20) and three-time state champ Carly Jaramillo (2013-15), all of Lahainaluna.

Labuanan was part of a group of three-time MIL boy state champions before his career capper last week: Baldwin’s Leigh Tonai (1973-75) and Coby Ravida (2018-20), Maui High’s Saia Lotulelei (1999-2001), and Lahainaluna’s Travis Okano (2006-08) are the other three-time boys state wrestling champions in MIL history. 

“Man, it’s honestly surreal, I didn’t even know I was the first freshman (boy) to win it from Maui until a couple years ago,” Labuanan said via phone a few minutes after his pin of Kamehameha Kapālama’s Samson Paaluhi in 1 minute, 52 seconds in the 150 final. “When I found that out, it just meant a lot to me, especially since I’ve grown up wrestling. I started wrestling when I was 5.”

Labuanan got reminiscent when thinking about his momentous accomplishment. He is leaning towards Cal State University at Bakersfield for college wrestling. Southern Oregon University is also a possibility, Labuanan said, where he might join Lānaʻi High School graduate and 2024 state champion Diesel Del Rosario on the roster. 

“I watched all the Maui wrestlers compete on the continent, I watched them compete all over the place and just saw them as people and friends and to be able to go out there and represent all of the MIL is an honor because that’s who we are, we are the MIL,” he said. “To represent them and win it, it means the world to me because this state championship was for more than just me, it was for all of Maui. … To have my name next to those greats means so much.” 

Miguel was relieved to have her third state title under her belt after pinning Alazhand Williams of Farrington in 1:00 of the final. Part of Miguel’s motivation for the past two seasons has been the memory of her uncle Jermy Miguel, who died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in December 2023. Miguel won her previous state titles at 145 pounds in 2022 and 2024.

“It’s so amazing, I feel well accomplished,” Miguel said. “I’m so proud, words can’t even express how proud I am.”

Miguel plans to wrestle at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., next season. She found the school after working out at a camp on the Mainland over the summer.

“I’m pretty excited to see what the future has for me now, in terms of wrestling,” Miguel said. 

The MIL won four more state crowns last week: Kamehameha Maui’s Blake Abernathy at 138, and Baldwin’s Bryson Adric at 157 and Pita Takafua at 285 in boys; and Baldwin’s Te‘ata Mata‘afa Grove at 135.

Abernathy, a junior, has been often injured the past two seasons and was just happy to set the stage for Labuanan a few matches prior. He did not place last season at the state meet after coming back from a separated collarbone early in the season.

Labuanan and Aberathy were workout partners in the Warriors wrestling room. Abernathy beat Daniel Tauyan 5-3 in the 138 final.

“Mikah, not just training, but he has helped my confidence so much,” Abernathy said. “Having a guy like that believe in me is just so inspirational. If he believes in me, why wouldn’t I believe in myself.”

Mata‘afa Grove was second place last season as a sophomore at 135 while her older brother Toa Mata‘afa Grove was fifth at 215 among boys before he graduated in May.

“I finally broke the (family) curse,” Te‘ata Mata‘afa Grove said immediately after her 14-8 win over Paige Taasan of Hilo, before the other three Bears’ winners were to go in the finals. “It sets the vibe, so everyone after me is going to place first, hopefully.”

Those vibes set by Mata‘afa Grove turned into state crowns for Miguel, Adric and Takafua.

Adric beat Cole Rodriguez of Roosevelt 14-4 in the final — Adric had a hard-fought 7-6 win over Kia Kalipi of Kamehameha Maui in the semifinals.

“It felt like a relief, something that had to be done,” Adric said, adding that the big day for Baldwin “feels amazing, it feels so good to have all their support. … I was just hoping and praying to become state champ one day and to do it with all the other Bears is awesome.”

Takafua’s match wrapped up a five-hour finals night at the Blaisdell after two solid days of action leading up to it. He beat Ku Miner of Pearl City in the ultimate tiebreaker, 3-2, which is the third and final round overtime. 

“It feels amazing, I was getting really tired, that boy gave me a run for my money,” Takafua said. “It is a big win, great day to be a Baldwin Bear. … I felt the momentum of my other teammates got that state title, it gave me motivation, more motivation to keep on going — I just give it to them, give them the credit.”

Takafua added, “All glory to God, I just want to give credit to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I was going in, if I’m going to be honest with you, singing Alicia Keys’ ‘Love.’ I was just thinking maybe after this I can get a girlfriend.”

The full brackets of the state meet can be found here for boys and here for girls.

“Monday Morning MIL” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.