14 Wednesday,March31,2021 Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com SPORTS Above, Seth Miller makes a save in practice. Inexperience does not dim optimism within Columbia boys soccer program Walker Sacon ■ By Columbia Gorge News Columbia High School’s new boys soccer coach Daniel Mangum said he hopes to lay the foundation of a winning culture this season, ex- pecting his team to make the most of its eight-game schedule. He said the community of White Salmon has enough soccer talent to field perennial 1A state tournament contenders. He hopes to coach the team “for a long time.” Mangum said his team – and its competitors – will be relatively in- experienced this year. The last time a full season was played, this year’s seniors were sophomores. “Guys who would’ve had time to develop on JV are now varsity starters,” he said. One of those seniors is star Jacob Lockman, who has been playing with the Westside Timbers Soccer Club in Beaverton, OR., to prepare for the season. Both of the team’s goalkeepers, Seth Miller and Oscar Robles-Nunez, hadn’t played the position until high school, Mangum said. He said both stuck to keeping after trying it in practice and have shown promise. Mangum took over the program 12 days before the pandemic cancelled what he said could have been a deep playoff run with a large and talented group of seniors. He said not fielding a JV team and COVID-19 precautions mean some players won’t travel with the team this year. Those players, who Mangum said would have been high quality JV players, have opted to continue practicing and attend- ing home games, which he said reflects their commitment. Walker Sacon photos Take 10 takes Mixed The Dalles girls, Hood River boys win four- way races in Redmond Hannah Ziegenhagen’s first- place finish led The Dalles girls to a team win Wednesday at a four-school cross country meet in Redmond. Ziegenhagen covered the 5,000-meter course at West Canyon Rim City Park in 21 minutes, 36 seconds. The Dalles scored 18 team points and host Redmond was second with 39. Hood River and Ridgeview did not field complete scoring teams (of five runners) for the spring break meet. It was Ziegenhagen’s second successive win this season. Hood River’s Mieka McKnight and Charis Bronson were sec- ond and third, followed by Emily Johnson and Caitie Wring of The Dalles. McKnight’s time of 22:21 was a season best, and Bronson’s 22:32 was a personal best. The Hood River boys were led by Elliot Hawley’s third-place finish en route to a 31-38 win against The Dalles. Ridgeview was third with 59 points and Redmond did not field a complete team. Hawley finished in 17:05, but the key to the team win were the finishes of Thomas Ziegler, who was fourth in a personal best 18:12, and the pack of William Bunch, Joshua Humann and Geoffrey Shoaf. They were seventh through ninth within a 15-second span; Humann and Shoaf ran season-best times of Above: senior Jacob Lockman shoots a vol- ley in practice at CHS on March 26. Lockman is the only CHS boys soccer player entering this season with varsi- ty experience. At right, junior Oscar Robles- Nunez saves a shot. The outcome was not close, as Take Ten won by 125 pins, mainly due to smooth Ken Espersen, who flat out obliterated the sticks to the tune of a huge scratch 750 series that included big-time 269 and 266 games. Granted, Ken has been the hottest bowler in town, but a series of that magnitude is special and hard to beat. Teammate Carl Casey also chipped in a nice 610 series that was capped by a nifty big finishing 244 in his last game of the match. Congratulations to the champs, Ken Espersen, Carl Casey, Dawnell Espersen and Katherine Huerta. We wish to extend our deepest gratitude for everyone who bowled this fun league in these trying Last week, team Take Ten won the abbreviated Tuesday times. Thank you and please Nite Mixed bowling league at come back next season. We Hood River’s Orchard Lanes. hope things will return to normal by then. The top four teams earned High scores have exploded spots in the season-ending three-game total pins league of late. Just look at the league championship roll off. Those reports below. There are so many big numbers, let’s shine teams were Team Nishi, Take Ten, defending champs some limelight on these tall totalers in a mythical team of Who Gives A Split and Are you Splitting Me. Got to give the week like we used to do. them credit, those are some creative team names! Hannah Ziegenhagen runs in a recent meet. Team of the Week Ken Espersen, 750 Bill Whetstine, 740 Mike Parke, 735 Jeff Miller, 729 Pat Olson, 717 3,671 total pins Any way you cut it, a scratch 700 three game series is pretty darn good bowl- ing. It’s over a 233 average per game, so a series must contain at least 21 strikes, probably more. That is the hallmark of proficient talent; to collect that many strikes in an outing, you must be able to hit your target like a machine. You are not going to luck into a 700 series. And, how about this, Josh Worth, who rolled a perfect 300 game a couple weeks ago, didn’t make this stellar fivesome even though he posted a cool scratch 708 set last week. So, for Josh, let’s give him the sixth man award, kind of like what pro basketball NBA does. He earned it! Obviously, there is some high-class competition going on at the lanes! Let’s talk about these six stars, are they really that good and how do they do it? First, they are all members of the elite in Hood River bowling. Ken Espersen, who epito- mizes the easy rolling just off the gutter down and in style that works so well on the oil pattern at Orchard Lanes, has had a fantastic season, finish- ing with his career best-ever 205 average. Lefty Mike Parke, another down and in guy, albeit who is on the oth- er, pristine side of the lane, who we have affectionately nicknamed “the doomsday striking machine” because it seems like he rolls a strike every time, is now carrying a solid 206 average. Jeff Miller is renowned in these parts as the best bowler period. No discussion necessary. Jeff’s big booming roundhouse curve from deep left on the lane finds the 1-3 pocket so often it seems he should be a lot higher than the 220 average he currently carries. Bill Whetstine, the show me guy from Missouri who has been with us for only a couple of years, proves every time he laces up, he is one heck of a bowler. Bill, who is averaging 215, plays the lanes more directly toward the pocket, mostly in the track area between the second and third arrows and uses lots of speed to keep his ball on that line. Then it hooks sharply into the sticks scattering them like tinker toys. And Pat Olson, Orchard Lanes proprietor, who is carrying a 216 average, hooks the ball a bit more so he plays the lanes a little deeper in the track area. By the way, Josh Worth, who plays the shot even deeper but more direct with lots of speed between the third and fourth arrows, is also having a career season, carrying a 212 average. Need we say more — these guys are good! League Reports Monday night Industrial: Patrick Olson: 277, 245, 237, 717, 683; Jeff Miller: 262, 671; Randy Nieto: 257, 651 ; Quinton Cox: 269 ; Mike Weaver: 258; Steve Byers: 257, 237; Carl Casey: 252 Deck and Fence 1631 Woods Ct Suite 102 Hood River, OR 97031 Yes, we work in Winter! Residential Fencing Deck & Porch Design Competitive Pricing Dr. Cullen’s Student of the week Congratulations kevinhickerson1@gmail.com CCB # 89979 Joe Guenther Financial Advisor Abijah Patterson, Keegan Ku Ku, TDHS TDHS Columbia View Dental 541-386-0826 Kevin Hickerson 541 / 490 / 2354 Tuesday Nite Mixed: Ken Espersen: 269, 266, 750; Carl Casey: 244; Joey Sheirbon: 236; Patrick Olson: 236; Nancy Asai: 203 Wednesday afternoon senior Colts & Fillies: Mike Parke: 252, 246, 237, 226, 201, 735, 612; Lynn Spellman: 212, 205, 203, 612; Bernie Keys: 246, 225, 201; Dave Baumsteiger: 222; Ed Busick: 215, 203; Tony Teschner: 212; Mick Sherrell: 204 Wednesday night Fraternal: Bill Whetstine: 288, 246, 740; Jeff Miller: 269, 257, 239, 729, 698; Josh Worth: 235, 245, 708; Levi Phelps: 245, 237, 236, 699,673; Patrick Olson: 266, 258, 243, 694; Stan Pratnicki: 259, 689; Bernie Keys: 234, 214, 210, 202, 623, 603; Mike Weaver: 287; Jeff Brittle: 237; Stuart Kawachi: 235 Thursday afternoon se- nior Lads & Lassies: George Buck: 201, 200 Abijah Patterson Keegan Ku Ku for Global , Studies: Student of the week Keegan comes to class every day Abijah is new to the school and was an active participant in with a 2 positive attitude and with works our Health class each day. I was impressed Abijah’s hard, not to only improving commitment his education and as a new himself, student his willingness to participate in our CDL format. but fellow classmates as well. Hood River Contractor 19:23 and 19:26. Juan Diego Contreras was second overall to lead The Dalles. Contreras, Hawley and Finn Anspach of Ridgeview were a minute clear of the rest of the pack. Anspach pulled out the win in 16:56, six seconds faster than Contreras. Nick Caracciolo and Leo Lemann were fifth and sixth for the Riverhawks. Anspach won his sec- ond race in as many weeks, having outkicked Hawley March 17 over a 3,000-meter course in Hood River. Anspach, Contreras, Hawley and Alex Carne of Crook County have the fastest times in district thus far, with Carne leading the way with a 15:38 effort on his home course in Prineville on March 17. One more week of dual meets will be held March 31; Hood River hosts Crook County and The Dalles hosts Redmond. The IMC district meet is April 7 at Sorosis Park in The Dalles starting at 3 p.m. Through last week, based on re- corded times, the Hood River girls and The Dalles boys are favored to win the district team titles. Hood River’s girls are 30 points better than the next best teams, based on a hypothetical meet. One point separates The Dalles and Crook County for second place. The Dalles and Hood River are the top- ranked boys teams; each has won a race against the other this season. 1915 E. 19th Street | The Dalles edwardjones.com Member SIPC Victor Cullen, DDS 541-296-5677 | Se habla español