Othello girls wrestling team qualifies three for state tournament
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Lexi Monday (left) works with Othello High School wrestling coach Rafael Ruiz (right) during practice Jan. 13. Monday qualified for the state tournament Feb. 12.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Othello High School wrestlers Lexi Monday (left foreground) and Grace Rocha (right foreground) work on their technique during practice Jan. 13 while assistant coach Mark De La Rosa supervises. Monday advanced to the state tournament Feb. 12.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 16, 2022 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — The Othello High School girls wrestling team qualified three wrestlers for the state tournament and finished second in regional competition Saturday in Ephrata.
Othello took second with 84 points, behind Toppenish, which scored 194 points.
Othello head coach Rafael Ruiz said his team put in a lot of work to earn its second-place finish. Many teams in Region 4 are state-ranked, some of them pretty highly ranked, he said. Othello is a young team with a lot of underclassmen, he said, and the second place finish shows the results of that hard work.
“This just shows their progress. Their dedication,” he said. “When you work hard, it does pay off.”
Mat Classic XXXIII is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Tacoma.
Lexi Monday finished second in the 115-pound class, and Hazel Gonzalez finished third in the 125-pound class.
Thalia Gallegos, 170 pounds, qualified by finishing fifth. Ruiz said Gallegos had worked hard all season.
“That (match) was pretty exciting to watch. She (Gallegos) was a little emotional when she made it,” Ruiz said.
Marsha Gomez qualified as an alternate by finishing sixth in the 125-pound class. Ruiz said 2021-22 is her first year in wrestling competition.
Only Monday has previous state experience, he said.
“We’re excited to be taking four (wrestlers),” Ruiz said.
The wrestlers worked hard and made a lot of progress this season, he said, and the coaches were impressed with the results. The coaching staff is already thinking ahead.
“Next year we’ll hopefully triple that number (of state qualifiers),” Ruiz said.
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