OTHELLO – With wintry weather outside of Othello High School, fans and wrestlers were in the holiday spirit inside of Othello’s gym for the team’s Ugly Sweater Night dual against Selah.

Wrestlers warmed up in ugly Christmas sweaters before taking to the mat, where the Huskies took a 48-12 win over the visiting Vikings.

“We’ve done it a few years now, we just like to have a good time,” Othello Head Coach Rudy Ochoa II said.

Even with the Huskies down a handful of wrestlers on Thursday, the team’s morale didn’t get down for their first home dual of the season.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a dual here, and that’s always fun,” Ochoa said. “This group is always fun to be around.”

Senior Forrest Roylance, donning a “The Office” sweater with the face of Dwight Schrute, won his matchup by decision in the 145 weight class.

“I don’t know how long the tradition’s been around, but we always pick a dual and wear ugly sweaters to it,” Roylance said. “We warm up in them, it’s so fun. It builds team spirit.”

The senior said his off-season work gave him confidence on the mat, which helped during his three-round victory on Thursday night.

“I know that with the work I’ve done I can beat whoever I step on the mat with,” Roylance said. “Having that confidence, but also respecting the opponent – I have a nice balance. I just go out there, work my moves, and know I’ll be good.”

Six wrestlers took home wins for the Huskies; sophomore Jeremiah Flores (160 weight class), senior Brandon Garza (220), senior Terrill Freeman (285), freshman Mason Russell (126), junior Anthony Abundiz (138) and senior Forrest Roylance (145). Selah forfeited in the 182, 106, 113 and 120-pound matchups.

“Its fun, we do the light, we try to do the whole atmosphere,” Ochoa said. “We’ve got great community support, it’s a really tight-knit wrestling community. I love being here and wrestling.”

Ochoa said that the team excelled with leg attacks, pins and set-ups against Selah.

“We were really trying to work our leg attacks, so we had good leg attacks today,” Ochoa said. “And pins, we’ve been trying to chase pins all year and you could definitely tell we were being a little more aggressive on top.”

The Huskies return to the mat on Saturday for a home tournament.

“Everybody’s working hard in the wrestling room, and our coaches always know what to say and do for the day. They always have a plan,” Roylance said. “We have good team spirit, we’re all connected.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at [email protected]. Read more about local sports by downloading the Columbia Basin Herald app – available for iOS and Android devices.

Did you know?

In wrestling, a match between two schools or teams is called a dual as opposed to a duel. When the spelling with an A is used, it simply means two teams are competing against each other. When the E spelling is used, that's a different type of duel such as a duel to defend one's honor.