Othello wrestlers host 2A champ Toppenish, travel to 4A runner-up Moses Lake

Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldOthello heavyweight Chemi Cantu wrestled Moses Lake junior varsity 285-pounder Eric Orozco during the Leonard Schutte Invitational. Heavyweight will be a key matchup when the Huskies host defendintg 2A state chamion Toppenish on Wednesday.

by Rodney Harwood
| December 21, 2016 12:00 AM

OTHELLO – What a week the Othello sports scheduler has dialed up for the Husky wrestling team.

The Huskies took on the best wrestlers in the west Friday and Saturday at the 37th annual Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. On Wednesday they will host the defending Washington Class 2A state champion Toppenish in a dual with huge ramifications down the road. If that isn’t enough, the Huskies will take on the 2016 Class 4A state runner-ups on Thursday in Moses Lake. It’s a grind, but it’s the same grind second-year Othello head coach Rudy Ochoa II and the Huskies will face if they want to win a 2A championship in January.

The Huskies finished the 37th annual Tri-State Tournament, which is the longest continually running invitational tournament in the Northwest. Now in its 37th season, Tri-State features the top varsity wrestlers from Idaho, Washington, Montana and Oregon.

Othello 170-pounder Reese Jones placed third in the elite field. Chris Melo (113) and T.J. Martinez (195) both placed fourth. Obviously the Columbia Basin fan base is excited for a dual featuring Othello vs. Moses Lake. But first things first, the defending 2A state champions are in the house, and the Huskies plan to roll out their best stuff. Wrestling begins at 7 p.m.

“It’s going to be our horses against their horses,” Ochoa II said. “The main thing is to continue to improve. We’re not going to plateau no matter what happens. But it does give us a barometer for peaking at the right time at the end of the year.”

Toppenish won it all last season and Othello was fourth, nine points out of third. The Toppenish fan base will be in town, as will its wrestling team, and it is expected to be loud from the opening whistle.

“They have a really good fan base. I expect it to be half the gym with their fans, and the other half with ours,” Ochoa II said. “They are tough all the way through their lineup, but I expect some weight classes will really be a battle. I won’t get into coaching aspects, but we do have some guys that are going to be moving up and down the weight class, depending on how we need to use them. I expect they will be doing the same thing.”

Again, it’s just December and there’s a lot of wrestling left before the state tournament.

But pride says “Not in our House.”

“Toppenish is the defending state champion and we always want a good showing against them,” Ochoa II said. “It should be fun.”

One of the benefits of the tough schedule is that the Huskies are coming off a tournament where the top teams came from 1, Havre (Mont.) 184. 2, Post Falls (Idaho) 182.5. 3, Mead 152. 4, Lakeland (Idaho) 149.5. 5, Orting 142.5. 6, Tahoma 140.5. and 7, Moses Lake 134.

Othello placed higher than several elite programs including Mt. Spokane, Deer Park, Enumclaw, (5A) Lewiston (Idaho), Reardan, Gonzaga Prep, Graham-Kapowsin, Kamiakin, Kent-Meridian, Walla Walla.

It was their first trip to the Tri-State, but it was a lesson in practical experience in the best tournament they will wrestle at all season.

“Wrestling at that level exposed some things we need to work on,” Ochoa II said. “You want to pick up on those issues early in the season, so you can have them corrected by the end.”

It’s going to be quite a week of wrestling with Othello and Toppenish on Wednesday and Moses Lake and Othello on Thursday.