Othello sends 28 to WA wrestling championships. State swimming, gymnastics begin

Othello’s boys and girls wrestling teams will be sending a combined 28 competitors to the Tacoma Dome this week.

The 2A boys and girls tournament will run Friday and Saturday. So will 1A boys, 1B/2B/1A girls, and 1B/2B boys.

Host Toppenish ran off with the boys district title Feb. 13-14. The girls district tournament was held at Grandview and Toppenish took the team title with 361 points. But Othello was second at 325.5.

In the boys tournament, Grandview’s Dutch Graf (157 pounds) and Derrius Jeffrey (285) won individual titles, as did Prosser’s Bryan Garcia Rosas at 113, and Othello’s Camilo Mendez III at 150.

Othello sends 13 boys to state, Prosser qualified 8, and Grandview has 4.

In the girls tournament, Othello had three individual champions: Karla Guzman at 145 pounds, Angie Monday at 130, and Addie Russell at 140. Russell enters the state tournament sporting a 34-5 record.

Grandview had two district champs 115-pounder Heidy Larios Verduzco, and 190-pounder Tatiana Tover.

Prosser’s Alexa Carrasco also won a district crown at 100 pounds.

Othello has 15 competitors heading to Tacoma, while Grandview takes 7 and Prosser 5.

Class 1A boys, girls wrestling

Royal’s Stratton Yorgesen earned an individual title at the 1A SCAC district tournament, which was held at Connell High School last Saturday.

The Knights will send 13 wrestlers to the state tournament this week. Connell (11), Kiona-Benton (4) and College Place (2) will also have state participants.

Meanwhile, the Royal girls rolled to the District 1B/2B/1A team title with 505 points.

Four Knights won district titles: Sophia Garza (110), Elizabeth Jenks (170), Heaven Parker (125), and Reese Prescott (115).

Kiona-Benton’s Aubrey Newberry (30-3 record), and a defending state champion, earned the district crown.

Connell (7), Ki-Be (4), Warden (4), College Place (3), Columbia-Burbank (2), River View (2) and Wahluke (2) also will have state participants.

State gymnastics

Southridge standout Payton Blanchard will be competing in the 1A/2A/3A state gymnastics championships on Feb. 20-21 at Sammamish High School.

Blanchard will be competing in all four events: Bars, beam, floor exercise and vault.

Meanwhile, Kamiakin’s Reese Clizba qualified in the 4A state meet, competing in the floor exercise on Feb. 20.

Boys swimming

The Mid-Columbia will send 28 entries to this weekend’s WIAA state high school boys swimming championship, set for Friday and Saturday in Federal Way.

Perhaps the best chance for a podium finish might come from Walla Walla High School senior Noah Stillman, who has the second-fastest time in the Class 3A 100 backstroke event. Stillman’s top time is 50.97 seconds.

Of all local schools, though, it’s Prosser who’ll send the most entrants with 10 at the 1A/2A championships.

That includes all three Mustang relay teams in the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free events.

Other Mustangs include senior Colin Ferguson (50 free, 100 back), junior Jimmy Park (50 free, 100 butterfly), senior Gabe Petroff (200 individual medley, 100 free), and sophomore Gavin Petroff (100 back).

Besides Stilman (also in the 100 butterfly), the Blue Devils will have eight entries in the 3A meet.

It includes the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay units.

Senior Eli Bona will compete in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly; while junior Andrew Earley and senior Cody Merrill will both compete in 1-meter diving.

Hanford has six entrees in the 4A meet, including all three relay events. Also competing are senior Erwin Abringe (200 free), and junior Aiden Wang (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke).

Richland sends two entries to state: Freshman Aidan Treml will represent the Bombers in the 100 free, and junior Porter Williams competes in the 1-meter diving.

Two other Tri-City schools have one entry: Chiawana senior Jameson Graham in the 4A 50 fee; and Pasco sophomore Cameron Keaney in the 500 free.

3A state bowling recap

Teegan Timmons placed third overall and her Walla Walla teammates did just as well as the Blue Devils won the 3A girls bowling state team championship at Bowlero in Tukwila on Feb. 6-7.

Timmons had 1,070 pins to place third in the individual portion of the tournament, which was won by West Seattle’s Molly Combs with 1,191 pins.

But Wa-Hi had its other four scorers among the top 20, and the Blue Devils tallied 4,872 pins on Day 1. Kelso was in second at 4,515.

The Blue Devils hung on during the Day 2 Baker games with another 2,217 pins, earning the state title.

Here are the Mid-Columbia bowlers who finished among the top 25 at state:

3. Teegan Timmons, Walla Walla, 1,070 pins

6. Maya Ruiz, Southridge, 992

8. Chelsea Faden, Walla Walla, 972

12. Amelia Hubbard, Walla Walla, 966

14. Alliana Zierenberg, Walla Walla, 943

20. Reagan Hendley, Walla Walla, 921

25. Maddison Dotson, Hermiston, 891

4A state bowling recap

The Kamiakin girls bowling team finished third in the team standings at the WIAA Class 4A girls bowling state championships on Feb. 4-5 at Bowlero in Tukwila.

The Braves compiled 6,541 pins. Skyview on Vancouver won the team title with 7,105 pins.

Kamiakin’s Alyssa Martinez placed sixth in the individual standings with 1,036 pins.

Other area placers included Richland’s Miley Lakey, finishing 11th with 986 pins; Kamiakin’s Makenna Colunga was 12th with 982; Sunnyside’s Lilli Munoz was 23rd with 905; and Chiawana’s Estrella Senda finished 29th with 896.

-Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.

This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 3:39 PM.