Othello takes third at Lady Huskies invitational

OTHELLO — The Othello High School girls wrestling team finished third in its own tournament, the Lady Huskies invitational, Friday and Saturday in Othello.

The tournament drew wrestlers from 50 schools from eastern Washington, northern Oregon and northern Idaho. Othello girls wrestling head coach Rafael Ruiz said 322 wrestlers participated.

“This was a really good turnout,” Ruiz said. “It was a lot of great wrestling. A lot of great matches.”

Normally the tournament attracts more teams, but schools from the west side of the state stayed home due to restrictions on overnight travel implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toppenish High School took home the tournament title with 226 points, 99 points ahead of second-place Kennewick High School, which scored 127. The Lady Huskies scored 115 points for third place.

Ruiz said he was pleased with his team’s showing, especially with some of his key wrestlers missing due to injury.

“They (the wrestlers) really stepped it up this week,” he said.

Thalia Gallegos finished third in the 170-pound weight class.

“She beat girls that have been beating her,” Ruiz said.

Marsha Gomez finished fourth in the 125-pound class. Gomez is a junior, but this was the first time she’s turned out for wrestling, Ruiz said.

“She’s been working hard and listening,” he said.

Naraiah Benevidez-Guzman took fifth place in the 105-pound weight class. Ana Rojas finished sixth in the 145-pound class, and Aliyah Gomez was sixth at 170 pounds.

The pandemic has scrambled the schedules for every sport, and wrestling is no exception. Tournaments and dual matches have been canceled. Wrestlers and other athletes must be tested three times per week, and the Lady Huskies lost practice days when members of the team were exposed to coronavirus. The week prior to the tournament was one of the few times since early in the season that Othello got in a whole week of practice, Ruiz said.

To give the wrestlers more tournament experience, two mats were set aside so girls who were eliminated from competition after the first two rounds could wrestle against each other. It’s an innovation tournament organizers may keep next year, he said.

He was pleased at the team’s showing.

“We’re pretty excited about their progress, and I think they’re starting to believe in themselves. And it really showed this weekend. Which is the right time,” Ruiz said.

The Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament is scheduled for the first week of February.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.