Othello takes fifth at Lady Huskie Invite

OTHELLO – Nearly 60 teams traveled to Othello for the Lady Huskie Invite over the weekend, with Othello finishing in fifth place of the two-day tournament after scoring 154 points.  

“They were looking forward to it – wrestling at home, they’ve been having a pretty good season despite some injuries,” said Abraham Gonzalez, an assistant coach with the Othello program. “They’ve been working hard and working through those injuries, them as well as us coaches were excited for the opportunity to showcase what we’ve been working on all season.” 

Toppenish won the tournament with 238 points, followed by Sunnyside with 186.5 points. Rounding out the top five was Granger in third with 182 points and Hermiston in fourth with 163 points. Eight of the top 10 teams from last year's 2A/1A/2B/1B Girls Mat Classic were in attendance at the Lady Huskie Invite. 

“It was fun, it was really exciting,” Gonzalez said. “It was almost like a taste of what we were going to see come postseason, just competition-wise and the level of wrestling. It was needed to see where we’re at – what we’re doing well, what things we need to tweak and fix before the postseason, because it’s right around the corner.” 

Five Huskies placed at the tournament; senior Bella Garza (105 pounds, fifth place), sophomore Grayce Mendez (110, second), senior Grace Rocha (115, fourth), junior Briseida Galvez (120, eighth) and freshman Celeste Cruz (125, sixth). 

“More than anything, it was their mental and emotional management,” Gonzalez said. “I think the further you get into the season, the closer that postseason time comes around and approaches, I feel like the wrestlers start getting in their heads. This tournament being so tough, right before the postseason, it’s a good way to see how the wrestlers are going to manage that.” 

Ahead of last weekend’s tournament, Othello defeated Selah 77-6 in a dual, which moved the Huskies to 6-0 in Central Washington Athletic Conference duals this winter. 

“We’ve been working really hard, dominating on top and just pinning people, which has kind of been our focus all year,” head coach Sammy Rocha said. “We wanted to score those extra bonus points because in order to beat Toppenish at the state tournament, we have to score those bonus points.” 

Othello recorded pins in eight of the nine matches wrestled against the Vikings on Wednesday night. Going after pins has been a common theme for the Huskies this season, and Rocha said he’s been preaching the importance of pinning the competition since he was a middle school coach for many of the current Huskie wrestlers.  

Now that those middle school wrestlers have moved on to the high school ranks, they’ve continued that same mentality. 

“They’ve been doing it for years, and now the only difference is they’re wrestling a tougher girl,” Rocha said. “But, when they still get that cradle or get that bar arm, they lock it up and know how to finish it.” 

It’s a mix of returning state veterans combined with young talent that has piloted the Huskies to a strong start this season, Rocha said. That blend of talent leads to more competition in the practice room, which then transitions to the matches. 

“I’m starting to see the results in matches, where our younger girls are facing some varsity, experienced girls, and sometimes it’s almost like, ‘Oh, I face this every day in the room. This is nothing,’” Rocha said. “I think that’s where a lot of the success is coming into play. While they beat each other up, they’ll pick each other right up afterwards and congratulate each other on a good day.” 

With the success the Huskies have found at dual meets and weekend tournaments this winter, plenty of wrestlers have thrived on the mat this season. Rocha noted several wrestlers having standout seasons, including senior Bella Garza, sophomore Grayce Mendez, senior Grace Rocha and junior Briseida Galvez. 

Even wrestlers not on the first string, like sophomore Brooklyn Hillman, freshman Celeste Cruz or freshman Josselyn Medina, are off to successful starts this season. 

“It’s those number twos that people don’t realize that we have, and when it comes up to the district tournament, that’s when I think people are going to recognize what we have behind our number ones,” Rocha said. 

Rocha also thanked the Othello coaching staff and volunteers for ensuring the tournament ran without issues over the weekend. The Huskie head coach missed the weekend after having surgery last week. 

“All those girls have so much trust in them, and the parents (were) even helping out in the hospitality rooms and scoring tables. That, to me, is really what’s making my job way easier, and certainly couldn’t be done without them,” Rocha said. 

Othello hosted Toppenish for a dual Monday night, but scores were not available in time for press deadline. Following Monday’s dual, Othello’s last remaining CWAC meet is Feb. 6 at home against Prosser.  

Rocha said that he’s not focused on regular season accolades, and instead has his sights set on the postseason. 

“I hope the girls understand that ‘I don’t have to win now, but let me get developed, let me get better so that way I’m ready to go into the postseason,’” Rocha said.  

The Huskies travel to Quincy on Saturday for the Bring Home The Beef tournament. 

Othello Lady Huskie Invite Results 

Othello – 5th place 

Placers: senior Bella Garza (105 pounds, fifth place), sophomore Grayce Mendez (110, second), senior Grace Rocha (115, fourth), junior Briseida Galvez (120, eighth) and freshman Celeste Cruz (125, sixth). 

Royal – 6th place 

Placers: junior Sharon Arroyo (110, third), sophomore Isabelle Barajas (110, fourth), senior Lauren Jenks (135, eighth) and junior Analy Castillo (235, fourth). 

Moses Lake – 8th place 

Placers: junior Elyssa Armendariz (105, seventh), sophomore Kamilah Martinez (110, sixth), junior Hayden Morris (120, fifth) and senior Katelyn Rodriguez (235, third). 

Quincy – 15th place 

Placers: sophomore Emiko Kondo (100, seventh), sophomore Crystal Perez (110, seventh) and senior Alondra Cordova (125, fourth). 

Ephrata – 23rd place 

Placers: junior Adylene Sanchez (155, third). 

Warden – 41st place 

ACH – 48th place 

Placers: eighth-grader Karis Butler (140, fifth). 

Wahluke – 51st place 

    Warden freshman Madilyn Borrego, in blue, wrestles against Moses Lake junior Elyssa Armendariz, in maroon.
  

    Royal freshman Sophia Villafana wrestles against a wrestler from Granger at Saturday’s Lady Huskie Invite. The Knights finished in sixth place as a team at the tournament.
  

    Othello junior Victoria DeLeon, left, takes on a wrestler from Wilbur-Creston-Keller at the Lady Huskie Invite on Saturday.