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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 12, 2016 13A Wolves: WOU faces Wildcats Continued from Page 12A Highburger, a linebacker, has been a top performer for the Wolves on defense. He leads the team in tackles (58) and tackles for loss (10). He also has two sacks and a fumble recovery. H i s m i x o f e n e r g y, strength and quickness makes him difficult for op- posing offenses to keep track of, and, when he sets his sights on a ball carrier, Highburger is ready to pounce. “It’s like you’re a rabid dog and they’re dangling a piece of meat in your face,” High- burger said. “You just go for it.” What makes him so dan- gerous is learning to balance that aggression with intelli- gence. “It takes a level of intelli- gence to play well,” High- burger said. “You have to keep your composure and understand what’s going on in front of you and next to you.” Western Oregon (3-3 over- all, 2-2 Great Northwest Ath- letic Conference) has seen its composure put to the test. The Wolves have wins against a Division I oppo- nent (Sacramento State) and a nationally ranked team (Humboldt State), but also three losses, each by 21 points or more. Saturday’s win over Simon Fraser could be the spark the team needs to turn the cor- ner this season, and High- burger is ready to lead the way. “Our team has been up and down this year,” he said. “I think the key is really just realizing we are facing ad- versity and fighting through it. We can build on this. We have to keep doing what we’re doing, making sure everyone is on the same page. We can keep the train rolling.” All-American LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Central senior Marlon Tuipulotu, center, was honored on Monday morning. Tuipulotu received his jersey for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which will be held Jan. 7 in San Antonio. The annual game invites 90 of the nation’s best high school football players to compete. DALLAS ROUNDUP State: Mountaineers Football beats South Albany can clinch state berth Itemizer-Observer staff report ALBANY — Dallas’ football team bounced back from its first loss of the season by beating South Albany 35-14 on Friday. Running back Tanner Earhart rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Tristan Evans ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and quar- terback Caedmon Blair added 45 yards and a touch- down. Dallas (5-1 overall, 2-1 Mid-Willamette Conference) hosts Corvallis Thursday at 7 p.m. BOYS SOCCER TIES LEBANON: Dallas’ boys soccer team tied Lebanon 2-2 on Oct. 4 before falling to Crescent Val- ley 7-1 on Thursday. Dallas lost to Corvallis 8-0 on Monday afternoon. The Dragons host Silverton Wednesday (today) at 4 p.m. before playing at Central Tuesday at 6 p.m. Dallas en- tered the week with an 0-2-1 mark in league play, tied with Silverton and Lebanon for fifth place with four matches to play. The top six teams ad- vance to the postseason. GIRLS SOCCER DROPS TWO: Dallas’ girls soccer team lost a pair of conference match- es last week. The Dragons fell to Lebanon 5-2 on Oct. 4 be- fore losing to Crescent Valley 9- 1 on Thursday. Dallas lost to Corvallis 8-1 on Monday after- noon. The Dragons play at Silver- ton Wednesday (today) before hosting Central Tuesday at 4 p.m. Continued from Page 12A “When they do what we tell them to do, teams can’t move the ball on us,” Cook said. “When they think they know better or they take the easy way out, that’s when bad things start to happen.” A loss won’t mean the end of the season for Falls City, which closes out the regular season with a non- league game at Yoncalla on Oct. 21, and a state playoff berth would still be possi- ble, but a victory would serve as validation that ever ything the Moun- taineers have been building toward. “If we’re not getting it done in year three, maybe I’m not doing a good enough job,” Cook said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it.” The Mountaineers will have another chance to get back to the state playoffs. Cook hopes his team is ready to embrace the challenge. “I’m tired of not getting to the state playoffs,” Cook said. “It’s right there in front of them. We’re excited and it’s that time of the year where you have to put your big boy pants on and get out there.” PREP VOLLEYBALL Dragons: Dallas gets Mountaineers drop two ready to host Central Continued from Page 12A Just don’t tell the Dragons that. “We need to stay posi- tive,” Classen said. “We need to talk more, be louder and encourage each other. We know we have nothing to lose. We have to play as a team.” Lavier isn’t ready to give up on the season either. She may be scrambling to find new lineups and rotations to use, but Thursday gave her hope that her players can rise to the challenge. “We have some really good players from JV we can bring up,” Lavier said. “We have to focus and figure out what we’re going to do. It’s something you can’t antici- pate happening, but we’ll just have to mix up our line- up. They now know what they’re capable of and the importance of playing with heart.” Dallas’ volleyball team is about to see just how much heart it has. “They could have rolled over and they didn’t,” Lavier said. “It’s just something you had to see to believe it.” PERRYDALE ROUNDUP Itemizer-Observer staff report FA L L S C I T Y — Fa l l s City’s volleyball team dropped a pair of matches last week. The Mountaineers fell to Perrydale 22-25, 25-16, 25- 14, 25-17 on Thursday be- fore losing to Alsea 25-15, 25-19, 25-16 on Friday. De- spite the losses, coach Roxi Barnhart said the Mountaineers made sig- nificant strides. “They really played up against Perr ydale at home,” Barnhart said. “ E v e n though we didn’t take the win, we had a couple of girls who were real- Houghtaling l y s i c k and just recovering, so they didn’t have the stam- ina to work that hard for an entire match.” Jamie Shaw had seven kills to lead the Moun- taineers. Amara Houghtal- ing and Anna Lammers had 19 and 15 serves, re- spectively. Falls City played Willamette Valley Chris- tian Tuesday after press time. The Mountaineers close out the regular sea- son by hosting Cross Hill Christian Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and playing at Jewell on Tuesday. Falls City entered the week in fourth place in the league standings. The Casco League tour- nament begins Oct. 22. Volleyball earns pair of wins Oberg: Wants to travel the world after high school Itemizer-Observer staff report PERRYDALE — Perrydale’s volleyball team defeated Falls City 22-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25- 17 on Thursday and Damas- cus Christian 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 13-25, 18-16 on Satur- day before falling to North Douglas 25-18, 25-22, 25-14. Nathalie Juarez had 11 aces against Damascus Christian, while Jackie Juarez added 36 digs. “(Beating Damascus) was a big accomplishment for us to be able to win a five-set match,” coach Denise Dick- ey said. “I feel we are im- proving in all areas. ... I like having these tough matches because it helps to develop them faster, which is what we need.” The Pirates close out the regular season at Jewell Wednesday (today) and at C.S. Lewis on Tuesday. FOOTBALL WINS BIG OVER IONE: Perrydale’s football team defeated Ione 40-6 on Friday night. The Pirates play at Sherman on Friday. Continued from Page 12A “On defense, he wants to make the tackle every single play,” Falls City coach Laric Cook said. “Sometimes he gets a little bit too excited out there and gets a little out of position, but I want every one of my players to have his level of excitement out on that field.” Once he graduates, Oberg plans to travel the world. “I want people to realize that the United States isn’t the only place in the world,” Oberg said. “There’s so much more out there and they should have big dreams and travel and see the world.” CENTRAL ROUNDUP Girls soccer hopes for quick turnaround Itemizer-Observer staff report INDEPENDENCE — Central’s girls soccer team has seen its share of diffi- culties this season. The Panthers lost to South Al- bany 2-0 on Thursday and Crescent Valley 9-0 on Monday — extending the team’s losing streak to six matches. Starting goalkeeper Lupita Campos will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, but players are hopeful they are close to turning a corner. “ I ’m f e e l i n g p r e t t y good,” coach Veronica Lepe said. “Everything we have been working on will be put to the test, but we are improving.” Communication will be key going forward, Lepe said. That communication means putting aside wor- ries about upsetting team- mates. Central, Woodburn and Dallas entered the week without a league win and tied for sixth place in the Mid-Willamette Confer- ence. The top six teams advance to the postseason. The Panthers host L e b a n o n We d n e s d a y (today) at 4 p.m. before playing at Lebanon on Tuesday. BOYS SOCCER DEFEATS SOUTH ALBANY: Central’s boys soccer team snapped a two-match losing streak last week. The Panthers tied Sil- verton 3-3 on Oct. 4 and de- feated South Albany 3-1 on Thursday. Central also defeat- ed Crescent Valley 2-1 on Monday. Tony Rincon scored twice to lead the Panthers against Silverton, while Jose Herrera added one goal. Sebast- ian Diaz, Brandon Lopez and R i n c o n Rincon scored one goal each to lead Central against South Albany. “Overall I think we played a good match,” coach Joe Oroz- co said. “Our passing game was pretty accurate and our defense has been playing well.” The Panthers play at Lebanon Wednesday (today) before hosting McNary Friday at 7 p.m. and Dallas Tuesday at 6 p.m. Central entered the week in third place in the league standings. FOOTBALL DOWNS RAIDERS: Central’s football team remained unbeaten in Mid-Willamette Conference play after defeating Crescent Valley 27-20 on Friday. Q u a r te r - back Peter Mendazona threw for two touch- Mason downs and added one rushing touchdown. Tight end Jackson Holstad also added a rushing touchdown. Receiver Peter Mason had three catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Holstad led the Panthers on defense with 11 tackles, while David Negrete added two sacks. VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS SOUTH ALBANY: Central’s volleyball team defeated South Albany 25-21, 25-22, 25-17 on Oct. 4 before losing to Crescent Valley 25-8, 26-24, 25-18 on Thursday. The Pan- thers also lost to Lebanon 25- 18, 25-18, 25-21 on Monday. Central plays at Dallas Wednesday at 6 p.m. and at Philomath Thursday at 5 p.m. before hosting Corvallis Tues- day at 6 p.m. The Panthers close out the regular season at Woodburn on Oct. 20. Cen- tral entered the week with a 6-5 mark in league play, tied for fourth place with Crescent Valley. CROSS-COUNTRY COM- PETES AT INVITATIONAL: Central’s cross-country team competed at the Ash Creek Invitational No. 2 Saturday in Monmouth. No team scores were kept. Zachary Meyer fin- ished 10th in flight three of the boys, completing the 5- kilometer course in 17 min- Hartford utes, 48.7 seconds to lead the boys. Matt Raines took 11th in 17:48.8, while Jay- don Ayde - lotte fin- ished 13th in 17:58.2. Bailie Hartford finished eighth in flight three of the girls with a time of 20:41.3. Beatriz Trujillo placed 16th in 23:05.8 and Bethanie Altami- rano took 119th in 24:04.0. The Panthers will compete at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon Wednesday (today) at 4 p.m., the George Fox Classic in Brooks on Saturday, and at Willamette Mission State Park in Brooks on Oct. 19 — the team’s final meet before the MWC Champi- onship on Oct. 26.