Othello takes down Prosser 51-20

OTHELLO — Thursday's dual win over Prosser closed out the regular season for the Othello boys wrestling team, defeating the Mustangs 51-20 to finish 7-1 in league duals this winter. 

“I know the kids were excited, they got a fresh set of singlets and were excited to show them off,” Othello head coach Rudy Ochoa II said. “Prosser’s tough — we've seen Prosser all year, so we were excited to see some matchups. Thankfully, we came out on top of a couple of them.” 

Othello won the first four matches of the night by fall, with junior Mason Russell, senior Nathaniel Montemayor, senior Jeremiah Flores and sophomore Armoni Zuniga-Mendez all winning with first-round pins. Senior Mason Perez and freshman Xavier Mendez also won with pins later in the dual. 

Also claiming wins in the dual were senior Parker Freeman with an 8-2 decision at 165 pounds, senior Anthony Solorio with a 10-3 decision at 215 pounds and freshman Xavier Guzman with a 14-8 overtime win at 120 pounds. 

“We talked before the dual about trying to be locked in no matter what we do,” Ochoa said. “No matter the stage — whether it’s the practice room, senior night, the Mat Classic — let's try and make it feel the same. I think they felt pretty loose today and relaxed, and it showed right out the gate.” 

In the 285-pound match, Perez received a significant reaction from the crowd with a first-round takedown of Prosser’s Alexander Barreras. Perez later got the pin in the second round. 

“He was tied up with me and wasn’t really doing anything — at the most I would give up a takedown from that, so I thought, ‘I’ll just send it,’” Perez said. “See what happens, make something happen.” 

The two wrestlers were talking to each other during the match. 

“We’re pretty good friends, started out at a camp this year,” Perez said. “I was hanging out with the Prosser team because none of my teammates went.” 

Ochoa noted the freshmen duo of Mendez and Guzman as standouts on the night; Mendez earned a second-round pin at 113 pounds, while Guzman won in a 14-8 decision at 120 pounds. 

“Xavier Mendez going out there poised right off the whistle was nice to see,” Ochoa said. “Xavier Guzman, winning that match in overtime, he’s shown a lot of heart. He’s had a lot of close matches this year, and it was nice to see him (win).” 

Prior to the matches, Othello’s seniors were honored on the mat with their families, as a recording of the wrestlers speaking about their post-graduation plans played in the gymnasium. Some of the accolades the senior class has racked up — including three top-three finishes at the Mat Classic, three district championships, two league titles and a 30-5 record in dual meets — were noted during the ceremony. 

“It’s a good group,” Ochoa said. “These guys have always placed in the top three at the state tournament. They’ve got some hardware to be proud of, for sure. Outside of the hardware, it really is a great group of kids on and off the mat. They’re respectful, they’re class acts.” 

Othello travels to Ellensburg this weekend for the Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament. The two-day tournament begins Friday at 5 p.m. 

“This week will be a lot of fine-tuning, just like everybody else I’m sure is doing right now,” Ochoa said. “A lot of working on working on our strengths and ironing out some wrinkles as best as we can, and hopefully we’re wrestling at peak performance come Friday and Saturday.” 

    Othello senior Anthony Solorio, background, takes down his opponent at Thursday’s dual against Prosser.
  

    Othello senior Mason Perez, top, was one of seven Huskies to pin their opponent against Prosser on Thursday.
  

    Othello freshman Xavier Mendez, top, keeps his eyes on the official as the match is called in the second round. Mendez won by fall.