Othello takes 42-0 Homecoming win
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 6 months AGO
Othello offensive lineman Ashton Pruneda (88) provides a downfield block for running back Alex Mendez (4) in Othello’s 42-0 win over Grandview Friday.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Othello’s Jordan DeLeon (32) breaks the tackle of a Grandview defender.
Othello’s quarterback Hilario Gonzalez IV rolls out to pass in the Huskies’ win over Grandview Friday.
Defensive lineman Mason Perez (50) wraps up a Grandview runner.
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. | October 2, 2023 5:10 PM
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies football team scored early and took a 42-0 win over Grandview on Friday, a Homecoming night, in Othello.
The win pushed the Huskies to 3-2 on the season, 2-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. Othello had a strong senior class in 2022, had to make a lot of changes, and defensive coach Kevin Hale said it’s been an adjustment.
“We replaced a lot of guys from last year’s team, and it’s been a bumpy start in a lot of ways,” Hale said.
It didn’t help that the Huskies suffered some injuries, which slowed progress further.
“But, you know, next guy in and you’ve got to do your job,” Hale said.
Xzyan Martinez scored Othello’s first touchdown with a 37-yard run with 6:21 left in the first quarter. Alex Mendez scored the second with 7:53 to go in the second quarter and set up the third with two long runs. Mendez said the key was working with the offensive line.
“Teamwork and execution,” Mendez said. “What we really work on in our practice is executing every play, So we work really hard on that.”
Hale said Mendez was right.
“Alex, I just heard him talk about execution,” he said. “And that’s really it, all 11 guys doing that. We had a decent week of practice; we’ve been taking some steps forward each week, and hopefully, we’re hitting our stride now.”
Othello led 21-0 at the half. Mendez ran 28 yards to the 10-yard line to set up Othello’s next touchdown, an eight-yard run by quarterback Hilario Gonzalez IV. The Huskies pushed the lead to 35-0 on a touchdown by Kal-El Ozuna, and Ashton Pruneda caught a 15-yard pass from Gonzalez to complete the scoring.
“Grandview came at us hard,” Hale said. “A lot of credit to them, a lot of respect to them.”
The Huskies play 3-2 Prosser next Friday in Prosser.
“Prosser’s always good. They’re always well-coached,” Hale said. “They’ve got great athletes on offense - they throw the ball around. It’s really tough to defend everything they do. And defensively, they’re just solid.
“So it’s going to be a really tough contest for us. But we’ve got momentum,” Hale said.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
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