Othello third at Lady Huskies Invite, Mendez named MVP
Rodney Harwood/Sun Tribune Othello junior Emily Mendez won the championship at 105 poounds and was named the MVP for the lower weights.
OTHELLO — With 53 of the best girls wrestling programs in the Pacific Northwest, including one from Hermiston, Ore., maybe the Othello Lady Huskies Invite ought to be considered the women’s Tri-State Tournament.
To get to the podium of the two-day Othello Lady Huskies Invite is an accomplishment in its own right, but to stand on the top shelf is a feat comparable to winning at the longest running wrestling tournament in the Northwest.
The Central Washington Girls Wrestling League put two of its rising stars in the championship circle with an incredible display of wrestling talent.
Ephrata senior Mya Spencer (34-0) pinned Aubreyanna Asselin of Kennewick at 44 seconds in the 145-pound championship match. Spencer, who was the 2018 CWGWL’s wrestler of the year and Region 4 runner-up at 125, won all four of her matches by fall, pinning her way to the podium with wins over Kierra Cobb (Kennewick), A`Myrha Dylina-Syyan (Yelm), Brenda Rios (Kamiakin) and finally Asselin in the championship.
Othello junior Emily Mendez (33-0) also brought an unblemished record to the table and like Spencer, the Huskies 105-pounder pinned her way to the top shelf with a fall in the title bout over Nayeli Flores of Walla Walla. Mendez, who is a two-time state placer and the Region 4 runner-up at 105, pinned Jayden Mauckduff (Lynden), Mithzy Brizuela-Vil (Wapato), Roxsana Cisneros (Sunnyside) and Nayeli Flores (Walla Walla) for the championship.
Both Spencer (upper weights) and Mendez (lower weights) were named tournament MVPs.
“It was very clear that Mya and Emily were wrestling at a different level than everybody else,” Othello coach JJ Martinez, whose team is the four-time defending CWGWL champions. “Knowing Mya for as long as I have, I know her goals are set high and she expects nothing less than that state title. She had a great tournament. She’s a great girl on and off the mat and someone I highly respect. Watch out for Mya Spencer is all I can say. She’s coming and she’s coming hard.
“I thought Emily matched that intensity and work ethic on her way to the podium. She knows what she wants and she is working hard to get there. She won everything this weekend by pin and that was a great bracket.”
The Huskies ended up third in a shootout that saw the top four teams — Sunnyside (180), White River (178), Othello (147) and Hanford (143) — separated by just 37 points.
“Having the high standards that we have here in Othello, we’re not happy if we’re not on the top shelf. We shoot high and aim high no matter what kind of team we have,” Martinez said. “Some other teams might be happy with third, but we’re not. We start off the season with the idea that we are never going to be satisfied until we’re at the top of the podium.”
Othello heavyweight Estephania Vargas wrestled exceptionally well, getting to the championship match at 235 before losing to Jacqueline Luna of Toppenish.
The CWGWL had its share of placers. Aaliyah Escamilla of Warden placed fourth at 100 pounds, leading the Cougars to a tie for 20th place. Cynthia Diaz (115) placed sixth and Shannon Workinger (145) finished seventh to lead the Jacks’ 19th overall.
The Huskies also got to the podium with Bernice Mendoza (seventh, 100) and Kaitlyn Goodman (seventh, 170). Moses Lake’s Melanie Flores placed fifth in the 100-pound division.
Local placers
100 - 4. Aaliyah Escamilla, Warden. 5. Melanie Flores, Moses Lake. 7. Bernice Mendoza, Othello
105 - 1. Emily Mendez, Othello
110 - 7. Denise Guerra of Othello
115 - 6. Cynthia Diaz, Quincy
145 - 1. Mya Spencer, Ephrata. 7. Shannon Workinger, Quincy
170 - 7. Kaitlyn Goodman, Othello
235 - 2. Estephania Vargas, Othello
Team scores - 1.Sunnyside 180.0. 2. White River 178. 3. Othello 147.0. 4. Hanford 143.0. 5. Kennewick 111.0. 6. Burlington Edison 108.0. 7. Toppenish 98.0. 8. Lynden 97.0. 9.Yelm 93.0. 10. Mt. Baker 92. 11. Connell 90.0. 12. Pasco 88.0. 13. Granger 84.5, 14. Snohomish 71.0. 15. Walla Walla 63.0. 16. KiBe 58.0. 17. Grandview 57.0. 18. Wenatchee 54.0. 19. Quincy 45.0. 20. (tie) Monroe , Warden 40.0. 22. Enumclaw 39.0. 23. Eastmont 38.0. 24. Ontario 37.0. 25. (tie) Glacier Peak 35.0. 25. (tie) Liberty, Wapato 35.0. 28. Chiawana 34.0. 28. Moses Lake 34.0. 28. (tie) Richland, Woodland 34.0. 32. (tie) Eisenhower, Royal City, Southridge 33.0. 35. (tie) Davis, Ephrata, Kamiakin, Naches Valley 30.0. 39. Vale 29.0. 40. LaConner 28.0 41. Ellensburg 25.0. 42. Prosser 24.5. 43. Tonasket 22.0. 44. Riverview 21.0. 45. (tie) Anacortes, Hermiston 20.0. 47. Cashmere 18.0. 48. Highland 15.0. 49. Newport 14.0. 50. Columbia Burbank 13.0. 51. Republic 11.0. 52. Zillah 10.0. 53. Wahluke 9.0 54. East Valley (Yakima) 8.0. 55. Mead 3.0
Boys wrestling
Royal ninth at Ray Westberg Invitational ELLENSBURG — Royal had three tournament runners-up at the Ray Westberg Invitational, helping the Knights finished ninth with 81 points.
Dominic Martinez (126), Daniel Bonilla (152) and Ryder Eilers (285) all finished in second place. Yahir Morales (126) added a sixth-place finish.
Othello sent a limited squad and scored 31 points for 13th. Miguel Amezola (113) was sixth and Zak Rocha (145) was fourth.
Sunnyside won the tournament handily with 249.5 points.
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