Pearl City High Judo Carries On A Winning Tradition

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For all its trophies and banners, the greatest testament to Pearl City’s judo tradition may be the willingness of its former players to come and give back long after graduation.

As coach Ivan Yoshimura reflected on Pearl City’s boys state championship run earlier this month - the squad’s fourth in five years - appreciation for his coaching staff was very evident. The veteran coach attributed success in large part to their practice regimen, which navigates the fine line between fun and work.

“We’re out to focus on winning championships and stuff, but it’s the other things that we do (that make the experience worthwhile),” he said. “The team-building activities bond a team together. We make sure that we don’t have the same routine every day, and that makes it more fun for them at practice. When we ask them to push even harder, they’re willing to put in the effort.”

The bulk of Yoshimura’s staff (Rob Puahala, John Lum, Steven Nohara, Darren Iwamoto, Jason Plunkett, Jordan Yokoyama, Chris Maeda, Devin Yoshinaka, Eddie I’inuma and Roy Kawagi) are former members of the team. Puahala is also the head girls judo coach for Pearl City, which had an impressive run themselves this season en route to an Oahu Interscholastic Association title.

While fun may prevail during practice time, the Chargers have a more serious mind-set on game day. “When it’s time to play, they play hard, but when it’s time to get serious, they can do that,” Yoshimura said. “They know when to turn it (proper mental preparation) on.

“Rob (Puahala) always tells the kids (on game day), no Nintendo, no hand-held video games, nothing. We think that’s a distraction. We do let them listen (to music) on their iPod. Music can help set the tone for them. All the credit goes to the coaches. They did a fantastic job of putting it all together.”

The Chargers were nothing less than dominant in winning their most recent state title May 19. They rolled up 99 points - the largest output of any team to date in the history of the state judo championships - to easily defeat Interscholastic League of Honolulu power Punahou, which had tallied 88 points.

In Yoshimura’s view, the defining moment of the season came a week earlier on May 4, when they took part in the OIA Team Championships. To reach the OIA finals that day, Pearl City had to get by Moanalua, but trailed Na Menehune by 28 points with only three matches to go.

“Each of our last three guys had to win (their respective matches) by 10 points or more, and somehow they pulled through. It really showed what our team was made of. I’ve never seen a comeback like that in all my years of judo.”

At the recent state championships, the Chargers boasted four individual state champions - Christian Pavo (198), Bill Takeuchi (114), Andy Toyama (220) and Tyler Lauifi (heavyweight), while Justin Leong (third in the 114-pound weight class), Jeremiah Drumeller (fifth, 145), Nick Pait (third, 161), Aaron Puahala (third, 178), Troy Antoque (fourth, 178), Cory Oba (fifth, 132), Jason Wong (fourth, 132) and Steven Sakamoto (fifth, 108) all placed in the top five.

Pavo’s state title was his third in a row, having won in the 178-pound weight class in 2005 and 2006.

With a roster dominated by juniors, the future has never looked brighter for the program.

“We kind of reload over here,” said Yoshimura, who has grown used to having 100 individuals at tryouts.“We think we have a good chance of repeating (as OIA champs). Nick is the main loss (of the few who will graduate this month). We always try to concentrate on winning the OIA. The (OIA) Team Championships are one of the most exciting events in all of high school sports. That’s the first goal.

“To win a state championship is icing on the cake.”