Kadena's Forrest Romney tilts Kubasaki's Jayvon Mayers in the 107-pound final; Mayers righted the ship and pinned Romney in 2:47 for the title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – For grapplers, coaches and teams, there were takeaways aplenty during Saturday’s 11th iteration of the Rumble on the Rock tournament.

Twenty-six individual champions were crowned, of course. Kadena and Kubasaki made it a 1-2 sweep of the boys and girls overall team titles, while E.J. King came out tops among the five Division II-level teams.

But more than anything, wrestlers said that mat time – and lots of it –was the biggest positive to the one-day event, completed over nine hours on two mats at Kadena High School’s gymnasium.

“That’s why I wanted to come here. The competition in Korea is limited,” said Daegu’s Jaiden Williams, a junior who finished third at 152 pounds.

Among the four opponents he faced was Yukiharu Kinjo, a three-time Japan national junior champion who was voted the Rumble’s boys Outstanding Wrestler. Kinjo beat Williams by technical fall, and Williams said afterward he learned a couple of things from his quarry.

“Try to get control over the match at my pace, and not his. And be more aggressive,” Williams said.

Another DODEA wrestler who beat three foes but lost to a Japanese opponent was Maia Minton, a Matthew C. Perry junior 118-pounder. She won three bouts by pin in under two minutes each. But Minton lost by technical fall to Teruya Nonoka, a Japanese club wrestler.

“I’ve never been angry about a loss,” Minton said. “I learn more from a loss than a victory.”

What did Minton take away from the defeat against Nonoka?

“The importance of rounding your opponent and getting behind. Which she did,” Minton said. Nonoka finished second in the Outstanding Wrestler voting to Sena Ooshiro, another Japanese club wrestler.

Humphreys' Blake Stevens finishes off Eito Shinjyo in :46 for the 189-pound title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Edgren's Tyson Brodsky lifts King's Yu Uchidate en route to the 160-pound title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki's Josh Cope throws King's Dylan Jones en route to the 139-pound title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki's Tim Cope, the 133-pound champion, tilts Kadena's Kai Wilson with a gut wrench in the final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kadena's Serenity Carney pins King's Mirai Bright in 41 seconds for the 124-pound title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kadena's Juli Thompson pins Humphreys' Katelyn Monahan in 2:22 for the 112-pound title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kadena 155-pound senior Jasmine Kinney was on the mat for the first time since last season. She beat Perry's Bailey Navarro three times Saturday. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Perry's Maia Minton won three bouts by pin, but lost to a Japanese wrestler and had to settle for third at 118 pounds. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Daegu's Jaiden Williams, here pinning Osan's Brydson Javina, finished third at 152 pounds. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Other wrestlers spent time observing others between bouts, even ones not involving their weight classes, such as senior Ethan Wege of Humphreys. Wege took third place at 133 pounds.

“You never know who you might learn something from,” Wege said.

Still more had the benefit of finally not having to watch others compete, such as senior Jasmine Kinney of Kadena. The 155-pounder had no opponents to wrestle when the Panthers faced off against Kubasaki in the first two regular-season dual meets.

“I was pretty anxious,” said Kinney, who only had Perry’s Bailey Navarro to go up against Saturday, and she beat her three times, each by pin. “Those were my first real matches since last season.”

Much of how a wrestler handles defeat, or having to come from behind, involves demeanor on the mat, said Yu Uchidate, a King junior who came in second to Tyson Brodsky of Robert D. Edgren at 160 pounds.

“It’s mindset,” said Uchidate, who earlier Saturday pinned Japanese wrestler Aoshi Kawamura in 2:40. “You apply specific techniques to the fullest potential, stay calm in pressure situations (and) look ahead a move or two.”

Despite weariness after the long journey 1,400 miles from Misawa Air Base – and being jarred by two earthquakes earlier this week near Misawa – Brodsky beat Uchidate by technical fall 14-4 to win the 160-pound title.

“Determination and drive,” Brodsky said. “A lot of times, I was tired, but I kept going.”

Another DODEA wrestler who beat a Japanese opponent in a final, Blake Stevens of Humphreys, said he remade his strategy from a year ago, when he finished out of the running in the “Beast of the Far East” and in the DODEA-Pacific Far East tournament.

“Take my shots and finish them,” said Stevens, who pinned Eito Shinjyo of Hokubu Norin in 46 seconds. “Last year, I wrestled defensively. This year, I’m more offensive, finishing my shots.”

Kadena senior Braylon Stephens also won his final, at 215 pounds, against a Japanese foe, Hokubu Norin’s Shoma Kishimoto, by technical fall, 15-4, but it took him 5 minutes, 46 seconds to close the deal.

“He was really strong,” Stephens said. “I had to use my speed against him.”