By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– South Salem’s Dennece LaMothe could’ve bowed her head after she saw McNary’s Josalyn Netzel tie up the match at one off a stall call in the closing seconds of the dual that ultimately forced overtime, but she refocused and went back to work in extra time.
Her and Netzel were looking for the advantage in the overtime period, but after being patient and looking for her opportunity, LaMothe took advantage of the opportunity she saw and took advantage of it to clinch a 5A/6A State Tournament berth thanks to a takedown.
“I was just trying to find it,” LaMothe said of the takedown. “I was trying to find it. I saw the high-single and then I took it and it almost slipped away from me, but I kept fighting. All the practice, the training I’ve done in preparation for it, it all came through.
“It’s going to prepare me for the mindset of (State). It’s all about staying engaged in the match. The mentality is the first thing that really helped me.”
Joining her was Hadassah Albino-Naya. Albino-Naya was in a similar grind of a match at 120 pounds earlier in the afternoon with Aubree Franko from Dallas. Leading 2-1 late in the match, Albino-Naya was doing all she could to hold off Franko defensively. Then luck struck for Albino-Naya as she found one last takedown with 21 seconds left in the dual to help her seal the 5-1 victory.
“I’m so happy, I’m so proud of me,”said Albino-Naya. of the moment. “I didn’t think I was going to make it. It’s wrestling, anything could happen.
“It was a lot of pressure to make sure that she didn’t score because I was really nervous. It was a lot of pressure,” Albino-Naya added of the match.
The Saxons finished sixth as a team and qualified three to the 5A/6A State Tournament here in two weeks.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
