Othello wrestlers Jones and Martinez ready for one more run at a 2A state championship

OTHELLO — Names like two-time state champion Freddie Flores (2005-06), Lucas Garza (2013), Anthony Barrera (2013) and Matt Jordan (2011) came up. Guys like Reuben Lopez (2010), Armando DeLeon (2010) and Phillip Ontiveros (2006) and the others on the long list of excellence still have their place in the room where the daily grind turns athletes into champions.

Othello wrestling isn’t just a program, it’s a culture that is passed down from one generation to the next.

“I can remember being a little kid watching the home duals, knowing all the names of the guys and inspiring to be like them. Maybe one day some kid will come to watch me and say, ‘I wish I could be like Reese Jones,’” the Husky 170-pound senior said. “It means something to wrestle here.”

Husky 195-pounder T.J. Martinez nodded. Wearing Husky red and black means something.

“You wear it with pride. To me, it basically means you wrestle like Armando (DeLeon) and Reuben (Lopez) and all those other guys that won state championships before you because of that's the tradition we have here.”

The two Husky seniors have seen their share of success this season. Martinez goes into the 2A Regional Tournament with a 27-4 record and Jones is currently 26-5. Both were placers at the prestigious 37th annual Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Martinez won the 195-pound championship at the Leonard Schutte Tournament, Jones was the runner-up at 170.

They have different styles, different ways of making things happen, but they both possess that air of confidence, that swag if you will. They know how to flip the switch to compete in the circle where only one guy leaves a winner.

“This year I have a different attitude. I want to be on top all the time,” Martinez said. “You have to get it in your mind. You definitely have to have that little chip of confidence on your shoulder. That little extra something over that other guy that says you’re going to accomplish your goals.”

Jones finished third among the best wrestlers in the Pacific Northwest at the Tri-State Tournament. In a gym full of great wrestlers, sometimes it’s that confidence that pushes you to greater things, he said.

“You can’t wrestle scared. You have to believe yourself,” Jones said. “My freshman year when I went to state, it felt so big, like there was a million people there. My sophomore year, it felt a little bit smaller. Last year, it felt like wrestling in a dual. You get used to it.

“You just trust in your training and know that you’re prepared for anything.”

It’s confidence that makes them who they are, both on the mat and off, Husky coach Rudy Ochoa II said.

“They both have that confidence that makes them competitive. It’s confidence, not arrogance,” he said. “Reese is a really smart wrestler. He’s always in good position throughout the match and it’s hard to beat a wrestler who’s always in good position.

“T.J. is in a really tough weight class. He’s really starting to believe in his technique and believe in himself. He’s more mature and believes in what he’s capable of doing.”

They had a chance to tap into some of that heritage on Thursday when Flores joined them for their workout. That’s the way it is with Othello wrestling, la familia.

“Othello wrestling is a tradition, it’s a culture and both of these guys have cousin’s and uncles that have been state champs,” Ochoa II said. “We take a lot of pride from our little guys wrestling at the middle school all the way up. By the time we get them at the high school, they’re ready to go and that’s the way Reese and T.J. were raised.”

Both Jones (170) and Martinez (195) are coming off District 5-6 championships. Both are in position to end their high school wrestling careers at the 2A state championships.