The third state wrestling championship did not arrive as a neatly wrapped Christmas present for Hunter Berger.
It was neat, however, and the precision of his work bordered on a masterclass demo. When Berger completed a business-like 9-1 victory over Paliku Chang of Kamehameha, it capped an extraordinary comeback in the most unusual season of his prep career.
All was going well, again, for Berger during preseason until he met Chang in the Officials tournament in December. He injured his ankle severely.
“That night there was definitely a lot of doubt. I’ve never been (seriously) injured before. I wasn’t sure what would happen,” Berger said.
Even his physical therapists did not expect a 100% recovery by the ILH championships in mid-February. The PTs were correct, but they helped Berger rehab well enough to compete. With a well-taped ankle, he took the mat in time for a chance to qualify for states and began racking up wins again.
In the ILH’s 132-pound final against Chang, Berger scored a technical fall. The ankle wasn’t 100%, but he was certainly willing and able to evolve on the fly.
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“It was around 85% to 90%. I felt it in some of the scrambles when I put a lot of weight on it, but I just pushed through and the adrenaline would take over,” he said.
When they met again in the state final, Berger remained in a slightly different mode. He was more nervous than usual, but prepared.
“I was a little more conservative. I didn’t want to take a risk. Just get it done, go out there and win. I changed up my style a little bit. I couldn’t shoot singles on his left leg because that sweeping motion, I can feel it on the ankle,” Berger said. “I wanted them thinking I was 100%.”
The electricity in Blaisdell Arena lowered to a buzz during Berger’s final. The wrestler with a 4.08 grade-point average and a love for martial arts since he could walk didn’t lose any aggression, but his cerebral process turned into a superpower. Chang notched an astonishing 36 wins in his first 36 matches, but Berger gave him his only two losses in the final two weeks.
The morning after states, Berger and eight Crusaders teammates were back to the grind, training with Trenton Teruya, who is on a break from head coaching duties at Saint Louis. It was a fairly light workout just 13 hours removed from the big lights and a statewide telecast. Eli Suan emerged with his first state crown at 126 pounds.
“Eli is my smartest teammate. He knows when it’s time to be silly and goof off, and when it’s time to put the work in,” Berger said. “He’s a good student. We have a lot of classes together, so we stay on top of each other.”
Stanley Okimoto transformed into an ILH champion this season. At states, Saint Louis placed fourth in the boys team standings.
“Every day, Hunter’s goal was to elevate somebody. When he was injured, he would come back and talk through some of his moves with his teammates. He’s the best guy in the room, so they can pick his brain,” Teruya said. “Stanley supremely benefited as his practice partner.”
Hunter Berger. Champion. Future coach?
“It’s just that love for wrestling. I love seeing my teammates get better,” he said. “I’m just super lucky. I just love martial arts and staying active.”
Under Teruya and coach KJ Pascua, the Crusaders wrestling program is ascending again. Celebrating by going back to work the morning after collecting gold medals.
“It’s mental. A lot of people I know, they’re not working out the day after states, so that gives me that motivation that I’m doing this right, that I’m ahead of them,” Berger said.
Whether it is his Crusaders teammates, working out at the Goldenbacks wrestling club with fellow state champions Tyger Taam (Moanalua) and Analu Woode (Nanakuli) or a weekly practice with Teruya, the fuel is always the same.
“It’s brotherhood. We’re all pushing each other to be our best. We’re there for each other when we need each other,” Berger said. “Without all my coaches, friends, teammates, clubmates, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s the most important thing — having my back and pushing me to be my best.”
Working out with the Goldenbacks and coach Kamuela Woode, traveling to the best tournaments in the nation has been a way of life for Berger for the past six years.
“Hunter and Analu are like brothers. The first time they practiced, Analu dominated him, but what surprised me is Hunter’s fight. He wanted to come every time and get better,” coach Woode said. He had a drive in him. Coaches rarely get those kinds of kids. They just worked really hard together. Hunter’s first mainland tournament, after he took some beats, he just wanted to keep going and get better. Him and Tyger, it was really simple with them. They did whatever I told them to do.”
At Saint Louis, Pascua saw him as a seventh grader in the 2021-22 season.
“He was very quiet, kind of shy when I first met him. He had a good feeling and solid basics. He had a great foundation,” Pascua recalled. “He worked hard on his tie-up control and his ability to control a match. He uses his length when he’s in neutral and gets them to play into his match. He has the advantage.”
Pascua was a state champion at 145 pounds, and by senior year won a second title at 170. Now 180 pounds, the 2018 ‘Iolani graduate is still hands on.
“I try as much as possible to get on the mat and give them competition,” he said.
As a junior, Berger isn’t quite an extrovert, but all the passion and knowledge stored within him doesn’t remain locked in.
“This year, especially, I’ve heard him being more vocal. He’ll talk with me and our other coaches,” Pascua said.
While Berger recuperated from his injury, he was at the mat every day observing, almost scouting his teammates.
“He would ask, ‘Would this move work for him?’ He’s always looking forward to his teammates’ development throughout the season. He’s also creative, so he comes with suggestions,” Pascua said. “I can see the wheels turning in his mind constantly, looking for solutions. He’s a big supporter of his team and he looks out for his teammates.”
Jiu-jitsu was Hunter Berger’s passion as a youngster. He was on the mat, soaking in technique and applying it on unsuspecting opponents not long after he started elementary school. By all accounts, he was a natural, adeptly learning Muay Thai and wrestling on the side. Berger became so fundamentally stellar that from ages 6 to 10, he took the titles in gi and no gi at the North American Grappling Association championships. At 9, he captured gold at the IBJJF World Championships in Las Vegas. A year later, he was the IBJJF Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion.
ILH intermediate titles followed in Greco, folkstyle and freestyle wrestling. National competition was a mix of victories and defeats. Then he won gold in the U18 106 weight class at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Nationals Freakshow in Long Beach, Calif.
Last summer, Berger went 6-2 at the prestigious Super 32 in North Carolina.
The process has brought the best out of a village, bringing together wrestlers from across the island. Teruya sees a fire inside the low-key champion.
“The first thing I noticed when he was younger was his personality. A genuine love for being on the mat. The wrestling part was new for him, but he had been on the mat through jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai,” Teruya said.
Connecting the dots in wrestling, family life and academics all carry importance to Teruya.
“Being a straight-A student, over a 4.0, Hunter has never neglected his studies. The way we build is culture. They will show up early and stay late. Practice with intensity. Take care of their grades. Be respectful of teammates,” Teruya said. “There are bigger things than winning titles. They will be young men and go out into the world, and people will know they come from a rich tradition at Saint Louis.”
Geri Lara-Berger has vivid memories of Hunter before he was born.
“He kicked me a lot. I’m a very petite Filipina, 110 pounds. I was 165 when I was pregnant with Hunter,” she said. “Hunter was a very happy baby. I read that babies thrive on routine, so we had a consistent nap time and feeding time so he would sleep through the night.”
Lara-Berger is a former bodybuilder who was still competing into 2024. She is also a health, nutrition and lifestyle coach who also advises on wellness and longevity and is active on Instagram.
“To him, I’m just Mom. He doesn’t listen to me for the workouts, but he listens about the nutrition,” she said.
Like her husband, Mitch Berger, she is a black belt (second dan) in hapkido. She taught preschool karate and taekwondo. Mitch Berger also taught martial arts.
“I did a lot of hapkido. I wanted Hunter to learn how to fall, how to roll, how to break fall,” Mitch Berger said. “Then we went to jiu-jitsu and he wanted to compete at an early age. He started winning everything and enjoying it. He’s 6 and he’s loving it, asking when’s the next tournament.”
After the pandemic, Hunter Berger realized that college opportunities are there through wrestling, but not jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai. Now, with three state championships and a growing resume of success nationally, he is looking forward to the U.S. Open World Team Trials in April and the USA Wrestling National Championships in July.
Not everything Berger touches turns instantly to gold. That first experience with surfing was quite painful. He was 12.
“My uncle took me surfing one day and I went face first into the reef at Ala Moana Bowls,” he recalled. “I had wana all over my face and on my arms.”
Berger thought he was done with surfing. Then COVID-19 happened. Every place was locked down except for beaches.
“My uncle took me again and he said he’d stay next to me and catch the wave with me. I stood up on my first wave and that was that,” Berger said. “I stayed on the longboard. We went home and I was tired, yet replenished. I feel like the salt water replenishes me. And the sound of crashing waves.”
Mitch Berger spent much of the past 18 months in California taking care of his father. He returned for the championships, always trying his best to be present. The former football player and wrestler made it his goal to be a dad first, not a coach, for his only child.
“He watches out for his mom. He has always been there to take care of his friends. You could push him, but you don’t mess with the people he cares about,” he said. “Hunter takes people under his wing and he’s there for them. It’s really nice.”
HUNTER BERGER
Saint Louis wrestling • Junior
YOUTH WRESTLING
“I think just let the young wrestlers try out, have fun, don’t worry about nutrition, none of that. It’s a big commitment, wanting to wrestle. be ready to train, give your all, gonna be days where it’s hard, but try to have fun. Wrestling’s not for everyone.”
TITLE TOWN, by the year
2022-23, freshman
“It was definitely different. At 106 I had a senior, like jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai, I’ve always trained with bigger, older kids. I knew I could get it done. As a freshman, there was a (mental) block I had to overcome, but when I get on the mat, forget about everything. It’s just me and him and I just wrestle my best.”
2023-24, sophomore
“I was definitely a lot more confident. I’d wrestled a lot more matches in high school, spent a lot more time in the wrestling room. I don’t really take any breaks.”
2024-25, junior
A third state title. The year began with a strong showing at the Super 32 in North Carolina.
“You’ve got to get your name out there. There’s not a lot of opportunity. I feel like I’ve been doing better and better like Super 32. I went 6-2.”
FUNDAMENTALS
“When I was younger I didn’t realize how important it was to get mat time in and master the fundamentals. I’d want to skip practices, but my dad wouldn’t let me. I wouldn’t be where I am without the basics and jiu-jitsu. Now he doesn’t have to push me because I want to be there.”
THE TURNING POINT
“The first was with jiu jitsu when I won Worlds. I knew that I am good at this and if I trained hard, I could be good at anything. Winning Freakshow, that really motivated me for wresting.”
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Outer Banks”
2. “Cobra Kai”
3. “Stranger Things”
Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Steak (Signature Prime Steak & Seafood)
2. Chicken wings (Wingstop)
3. Cookie dough ice cream
Top 3 homemade food
1. Mom’s chili
2. Mom’s beef stew
3. Ramen (with chicken or steak)
Top 3 favorite songs
1. Iamsu! – “By My Side”
2. The-Dream – “Rockin’ That (Stuff)”
3. 2Pac – “How Do U Want It”
Favorite athlete/team: Bo Bassett, world champion wrestler
“He’s one of the best wrestlers in the nation, pound for pound. He’s my age. I can relate to him and his mindset. I’ve met him at some of the big tournaments.”
Funniest teammate: Stanley Okimoto
“He’s one of my best friends. We have these inside jokes. He’s also an ILH champion.”
Smartest teammate: Eli Suan
GPA: 4.08
New fun
“I do a lot of rock climbing. I do indoor at a place by my house. It helps with wrestling, with grip strength and thinking. And core strength. There’s different levels so you can see where you’re improving.”
Favorite teacher: Ms. (Sara) Souza, kinesiology
“She just gets us. Her class is fun and she’s super understanding about everything as long as we communicate with her. I learn the most in her class. I’m enjoying it and learning at the same time.”
Favorite motto/scripture: “Never give up.”
Hidden talent: Double-jointed like my mom.
“It’s why I haven’t been injured a lot.”
New life skill: Paper trading
Bucket list: “Become a four-time state champion. Go to medical school. Skydiving. Travel the world while eating all sorts of foods.”
Time machine: When and where would you travel?
“To the day and time my parents met, because (cq?) without them, I wouldn’t be here. They tell me a lot about that day. They met at the top of Diamond Head. It was in 1999. My mom lived in Canada at the time and she was on vacation. My dad was a tour guide. Then my dad asked her on a date and they kind of went from there. She ended up moving here a year or two after.”
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
“Try your best and everything that you do so that you’ll never have any regrets knowing that you gave it 100% every single time.”
Shoutouts
>> My mom, who is also a coach and professional athlete, who has helped me prep for every competition since I started at a young age
>> My dad for his relentless motivation
>> Coach Kamuela Woode, Goldenbacks
>> Coach Trent Teruya and all our coaches at Saint Louis
>> My performance and recovery coach Coach Kimo Luna of Edge Recovery Performance
>> Uncle Kekoa Young of Body Fix Hawaii