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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1980)
2 SANDY (P ro .) POST Thor»., Jon 3 j) 1979/Triumphs and frustrations by M A R K ELO YD Tlie year 1979 w ill be remembered by m any as a frustrating time. But 1979 also ranks as one of the most successful years of late for many local sports figures. As usual, the athletic programs at Sandy High School dominated the a re a ’s sports interest The Sandy ski team gained state-wide acclaim by winning the state championship for the second consecutive year The Pioneers were led by E rik Pearson, a junior who captured the state individual combined championship A ll members of that state championship team are back this season aiming for a third straight title. Sandy also got its highest finish ever in an Oregon Scholastic Activities Association-sanctioned sport when the girls volleyball team took second in the state. The Pioneers also captured a district title for the second year in a A second place state finish went to another local group, the Sandy Midget Federal baseball team. The 9-10-year- olds made it all the way to the state finals before bowing to Canby 8-4 this summer. Much of the success locally was centered in girls sports. In addition to the volleyball team, Sandy High had a number of powerful girls teams. The girls swimming team won the district title with a freshmen and sophomore- oriented lineup. Freshman G ayle Roth went on to take fourth place in the state 50-yard freestyle. Also winning a district title was the SUHS girls cross country team. The Pioneers, again led by the versatile Roth who placed second at district, annihilated the field and earned a trip to the state meet There Sandy faltered a bit, but still finished 12th, the highest state finish ever for a Sandy cross country team. The success of the Sandy swimm ers was repeated in w ater polo. The Pioneer girls took third in a state in vitational tournament and the boys took fifth in the state. A n um ber of in d iv id u a ls distinguished themselves during the course of the year. Sandy H ig h ’s Rayth Buswell (168) and B ill Blackford (157) placed second in the state Class AAA wrestling meet. Buswell went on to earn a spot on the Oregon Cultural Exchange team which wrestled in Ita ly this summer. A freshman named Kathie George sparked new interest in gymnastics this year. Competing in a 15-team district, the freshman ace placed third in all- around competition and went on to state. Kevin Peterson became the third m em ber of his fam ily to be named to the prestigious A ll-Star Shrine Game team . Peterson, playing defensive back in the August grid classic, helped the North to a 17-14 win over the South All- Stars As good as 1979 was for those people, it wasn't the best of years for others. The Sandy High basketball program suffered through a painful season—the girls finished with just one win and the boys picked up six. But that wasn’t as bad as the Pioneer soccer team. W ith a youthful and K evin P eterson (to p ) placed fifth In the state tong jum p competition for Sandy High this spring. Also making a name at state was the Sandy bovs water polo team. Bret Crane (center > heads a fast break for the Pioneers who ‘ ‘»ok fifth in the state Things haven’t been so rosy for Sandy’s basketball program and Dawn New (left) shows the frustration of what happens when your opponents are quicker than you are. But speed and quickness w ere most evident in the Sandy ski ‘ earn, as David Antis (fa r left) helped the Pioneers ‘ ake first in the state.
