Jake Jackson of Yokota puts the finishing touches on a pinfall victory over Kevin Miller of St. Mary's International during Wednesday's 215-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Jackson pinned Miller in 3 minutes, 2 seconds, but St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Jake Jackson of Yokota puts the finishing touches on a pinfall victory over Kevin Miller of St. Mary's International during Wednesday's 215-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Jackson pinned Miller in 3 minutes, 2 seconds, but St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Yokota's Josh Chamberlain grimaces as Brendan Hymas of St. Mary's International secures a head-in-arm hold during Wednesday's 148-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Hymas pinned Chamberlain in 3 minutes, 26 seconds and St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Yokota's Devin Day locks in a head-in-arm hold on Koki Fujiwara of St. Marys International during Wednesday's 135-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Day pinned Fujiwara in 1 minute, 56 seconds, but St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Soma Yoshida of St. Mary's International gets the upper hand on Yokota's Phil Robles during Wednesday's 115-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Yoshida pinned Robles in 3 minutes, 2 seconds and St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Yokota's Phil Robles grimaces and tries to fight his way out of a head-in-arm move by Soma Yoshida of St. Mary's International during Wednesday's 115-pound bout in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools' regular-season finale at St. Mary's International School, Tokyo. Yoshida pinned Robles in 3 minutes, 2 seconds and St. Mary's beat Yokota, 38-25, to force a three-way tie atop the Kanto final regular-season standings with Zama American at 4-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO – Finishing tied for the regular-season title is becoming old hat for Yokota and St. Mary’s International’s wrestling teams.
For the second time in four years, the two wound up part of a three-way deadlock for the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools title when St. Mary’s beat Yokota, 38-25, in Wednesday’s regular-season finale.
The teams finished 4-1, tied with Zama American. The Trojans beat St. Mary’s earlier this season, while Yokota beat Zama.
“We’re two tough teams,” Yokota coach Brian Kitts said. “Their (Titans) backs were against the wall. They win it, they get a piece of the pie. We already had that, as did Zama.”
Zama sealed its claim to one-third of the title by routing American School In Japan, 50-6, getting six pinfall victories, including one from two-time Far East champion Michael Spencer.
Titans coach Ian Harlow used to coach Zama and says they have “strong, great athletes. They’re tough to beat. And it’s a decent league this year.”
Kelly Langley (122 pounds) and Soma Yoshida (115) each scored pins and Haruka Onozaki (108) a technical fall as the Titans raced to a 22-2 lead. The Panthers rallied for pins by Devin Day (135), Mike Litman (141) and Stan Speed (158), cutting it to 27-17.
It was as close as they would get. Jeffrey Koo (168) got a reverse cradle hold on Yokota’s Brendan Miller, pinning him in 1 minute, 20 seconds to clinch the dual meet.
It was the teams’ final tune-up before Saturday’s Kanto tournament at Yokota High School. Nine days later, the Far East tournament, which welcomes international-school teams for the first time since 2004, begins at Camp Humphreys, South Korea.
“It’s going to be fun to see how Far East goes and the Kanto tournament,” Harlow said. “It’s going to be pretty exciting, knock-down drag-out. I think it’s going to be a tough tournament.”
“One of us is going to get a nice trophy on Saturday,” Kitts said. “I don’t know which one, but one of us is going to have a helluva nice trophy.”
