Cougars, Huskies and Knights host wrestling tournaments

COLUMBIA BASIN — It was a busy Saturday on wrestling mats across the Columbia Basin, with the Othello boys, Warden girls and Royal girls all hosting wrestling tournaments this past weekend.

Saturday’s tournament was the first year that the Knights have hosted a girls wrestling tournament, head coach Jesus Carlos Villa said. 

“It was nice, just an idea that we threw out there,” he said. “We’ve had our boy’s Christmas tournament for several years, and we know that it gets tough for family and friends to support their kids, so what better opportunity than to host a tournament? Have people come out to see what the girls have been doing.”

The Lady Knights Invitational saw top-three finishes from three local teams, led by the Knights (239 points) and followed by Moses Lake (201.5) and Quincy (194). Othello placed 10th with 87 points.

Of the 10 Knights that placed, seven finished in the top three of their respective weight classes; sophomore Sharon Arroyo (110-pound), senior Jara Rodriguez (115), freshman Isabelle Barajas (120), junior Lauren Jenks (140), senior Kiyra Terry (145), senior Emma Villa (190) and sophomore Analy Castillo (235). Arroyo, Jenks, Villa and Castillo all won their brackets.

“(The underclassmen) are starting to put two and two together, they’re understanding that you’ve got to chain wrestle,” Villa said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, you’ve got to go out there and do the dance. That was a good confidence booster for them.”

Royal’s 10 placers led the tournament; Quincy was close behind with nine placements, followed by Moses Lake with eight. Quincy sophomore Hayden Morris and senior Michelle Acevedo both won titles in their brackets, while Moses Lake sophomore Nyellie Martinez, sophomore Elyssa Armendariz, senior Ashley Naranjo and sophomore Reese Prescott all finished on top of their podiums.

“It was really fun for the girls to rally after one another, take it one match at a time and really use the techniques that have been taught to them the last couple of weeks,” Villa said. “They’re starting to put it together.”

In Othello the Huskies hosted the Leonard Schutte Roundup, their 26th year hosting the tournament. The Huskies finished in first place with 205.5 points, with Royal (75 points) and Quincy (36 points) finishing in ninth and 13th place, respectively. Moses Lake’s junior varsity squad placed 15th with 18 points.

“We got a chance to get some of our kids who hadn’t competed yet in the tournament, so it was nice to see them starting to get their feet wet,” Othello coach Rudy Ochoa II said. “We had some rematches that didn’t go our way before that went our way this time, that was nice.”

Othello had 24 wrestlers finish on the podium Saturday; freshman Conner Gilbert (106), sophomore Daniel Gonzalez (120), sophomore Mason Russell (126), senior Marcos Zuniga (132), senior Anthony Abundiz (138), senior Adriel Flores (138), sophomore Camilo Mendez III (157), freshman Armoni Zuniga-Mendez (157), junior Parker Freeman (165), junior Jaxon Gomez (175), sophomore Miguel Zuniga (190) and junior Mason Perez (285). Six Huskies wrestled in the finals, with Gonzalez, Russell, Abundiz and Perez all winning.

“It’s something they should be proud of,” Ochoa said. “In front of the home crowd brings a lot of excitement because their fans get to see them, but it also brings nervousness because their fans get to see them.”

Royal had three wrestlers place in sophomore Dennis Hernandez (126), freshman Cael Orth (150) and sophomore Shea Stevenson (157), while Quincy junior Saidt Alvarez placed second in the 120-pound bracket.

Ochoa credited the Othello community for allowing the tournament to operate without issues.

“The tournament ran smooth, our community really comes together on these tournaments; they make sure that all areas are covered,” Ochoa said. 

The Warden Women’s Wrestling Invite was won by the Huskies (204 points), with Ephrata (103) placing seventh and the Cougars (72) finishing in 11th place. 

Eleven of the 15 Othello wrestlers finished on the podium, including top-three placements by sophomore Janissa Barrera (100), freshman Grayce Mendez (115), sophomore Kiara Haertling, senior Elia Velazquez (190) and sophomore Alejandria Espindola (235). 

Ephrata had six Tiger wrestlers place, with sophomore Kashlynn Cobb (135), senior Leslie Sanchez Guerrero (145), senior Kadie McMullen (155), sophomore Adylene Sanchez (155), sophomore Carolina Monico (190) and sophomore Molly McMullen (190) all reaching the podium.

The Cougars saw junior Dannika Escamilla (115), senior Jada Hernandez (120), senior Maribel Dominguez (125) and senior Maira Yanet Zaragoza all leave the tournament with placings.

Warden head coach Valerie Hernandez said Jada Hernandez and Kadie McMullen were the outstanding wrestlers from Saturday’s tournament.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Othello sophomore Camilo Mendez III, left, and Royal sophomore Shea Stevenson, right, wrestle at the Leonard Schutte Invitational on Saturday.
 Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald   

    Royal junior Lauren Jenks, right, won the girls 140-pound bracket at the Lady Knights Invitational on Saturday.
 Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald   

    Othello sophomore Briseida Galvez, right, wrestles at the Warden Women’s Wrestling Invite on Saturday.
 Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald   

    Othello junior Jeremiah Flores, top, wrestles at the Leonard Schutte Invitational on Saturday in Othello.
 Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald   

    Royal senior Kiyra Terry, right, lifts up her opponent at the Lady Knights Invitational Saturday.
 Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald