PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 29, 2016
KEIZERTIMES.COM
All-City meet Saturday
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
The best swim club in
Salem-Keizer will be deter-
mined Saturday when six
teams jump in the pool for the
All-City meet, held at Holiday
beginning at 10 a.m.
Northwood, last summer’s
champion, showed it’s at least
the top team in Keizer by
defeating Northview Terrace
398-227 on Thursday, July 21.
Northwood’s boys out-
scored Northview 207-81.
Carter Hawley had the fast-
est times in the 9-10-year-old
freestyle and butterfl y. He also
swam on the winning medley
relay team with Caleb Skipper,
Riley Auvenin and Hudson
Hughes.
Pierce Walker touched the
wall fi rst in the individual
medley and backstroke. Davis
Olsen won the breaststroke.
Kelson Whalen, Elijah Clen-
dening, Grant Schaffer and
Roman Pack took fi rst in the
free relay.
Ben Diede and Jeffery Ol-
sen dominated the 7-8 age di-
vision. Diede won the fl y and
breaststroke while Olsen had
the fastest times in the free and
backstroke.
Zander Rhoades took fi rst
in the 11-12 free and back-
stroke. Jackson Alt won the IM
and fl y while also swimming
on the winning free relay
team with Walker, Olsen and
Connor Roop.
Riley touched the wall fi rst
in the breaststroke and joined
Zachary Carrington, Car-
son Biondi and Cade Olson
on the winning medley relay
team.
Rhoades and Alt jumped
up to join Bryce Junker and
Ethan Whalen on the fastest
13-14 medley relay.
Ethan won the breaststroke
and Brennan Whalen placed
fi rst in the fl y.
Jake Wyer took fi rst in the
15-18 IM, free, fl y and on
both the free and medley re-
lays with teammates Parker
Dean, Grant Biondi and Jabez
Rhoades. Individually, Dean
also won the breaststroke.
Northview got most of
its points from the 13-14 age
group as Gavin Gasperini,
Cole Garland, Jeremy Becker
and Alex Kosiewicz won the
freestyle relay. Gasperini also
had the fastest time in the
backstroke and IM while Gar-
land touched the wall fi rst in
the free.
Nick Kosiewicz, Will No-
ble, Tyler Barker and Xzavier
Parker won the 7-8 free relay.
Dom Snyder tied for fi rst
in the 9-10 breaststroke.
The girls competition
was tighter with Northwood
coming out on top 191-146.
Alexi Pack, Madi Mahoney,
Katie Alger and Katelynn
Schaffer won both the 7-8
medley and free relays. Indi-
vidually, Alger also touched
the wall fi rst in the free while
Meili Skipper fi nished fi rst in
both the IM and fl y.
Avery Buss won the 9-10
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Carter Hollis, of the Holiday Swim Club, won the 11-12-year-old individual medley and butterfl y
Thursday, July 21 at Jan Ree in Salem.
IM and free. Paris Boyd placed
fi rst in the 11-12 IM, free and
breaststroke. Kailey Wilcke
touched the wall fi rst in the
11-12 fl y and backstroke.
Isabella Walker had the fast-
est times in the 13-14 IM and
fl y. Haley Hughes won the
free and Madi Alt took fi rst in
the breaststroke. Alt also swam
on the winning free and med-
ley relay teams with Maddie
Trammel, Kennedy Buss and
Lanah Metz.
Alyssa Garvey had the fast-
est times in the 15-18 back
and breaststroke.
Northview was led by Jana
Everitt, who had the fast-
est times in the 9-10 fl y and
breaststroke while also swim-
ming on the winning free re-
lay with Brianna Barker, Issy
Kosiewicz and Kara Everitt as
well as the medley relay with
Kosiewicz, Kara Everitt and
Tealynn Parker.
Individually, Barker won
the 9-10 backstroke.
Please see SWIM, Page 11
Columbia River
packed with shad
by G.I. Wilson
Submitted
The Oregon Titans, made up of high school softball players primarily from McNary and West Salem, placed third in the 16U Gold
ASA/USA National Championship in Broken Arrow, Okla. July 19-23.
Titans nationally known
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
The Oregon Titans opened the 16U
Gold American Softball Association/USA
National Championship 5-0 but up next
was a team, Washington Majestics, they
had fallen to 9-1 just earlier this summer.
“It was probably the toughest team
we’d ever seen, this year when we stepped
on the fi eld,” Titans President Rick Mu-
ranaka said. “Our girls hadn’t really seen a
team like that. We’ve either dominated or
been in close games. One of their pitch-
ers has committed to go to the Univer-
sity of Washington and the other pitcher
has committed to go to Boise State. We’d
never faced pitchers like that. We came
out and our girls were watching them and
we were nervous.”
In the rematch, Friday in Broken Ar-
row, Okla., the Majestics again took an
early lead, scoring three runs in the top
of the fourth.
However, the Titans, primarily made
up of high school players from McNary
and West Salem, answered with four runs
in the bottom of the inning and held on
to win 4-3.
“The girls were so fi red up to play
them,” Muranaka said. “They wanted to
get revenge. We made some big errors and
we were down and our girls kept believ-
ing and kept fi ghting. In the dugout they
were so positive. It was super hot. They
were running out on the fi eld during
timeouts and giving their teammates wa-
ter. It was really, really cool. Our defense
locked them down and made some really
high pressure plays. They were just ready
and it was pretty cool to watch.”
The Titans ultimately fi nished third
out of the 34 best teams in the country.
Oregon opened pool play with anoth-
er tight game Tuesday, July 19 morning
against Illinois Force.
The Titans were shut out entering
the bottom of the seventh before Mc-
Nary rising junior Nadia Witt drove in
two runs to give the Titans a 2-1 victory.
Oregon rolled from there, defeating the
Firecrackers HTX 14-2 Tuesday and the
Louisiana Bombers 11-4 Wednesday to
enter tournament play undefeated.
Another incoming McNary junior,
Haley Ebner, had three RBIs in an 8-2
win over Originals Earl Thursday morn-
ing. The Titans then held on to top the
Northwest Raptors 10-9 that night.
After another one-run comeback win,
4-3, over Georgia Impact, the Titans went
up against the eventual national champi-
on—Texas Bombers.
Muranaka said Texas, which scored two
runs in the second and eight in the third
to win 10-2, was just the better team.
“That is an amazing team,” he said.
“Almost every girl is committed to a ma-
jor D-I program. It was fun to play them.
It was really neat and eye-opening for our
girls to see a team like that.”
Playing on fumes, Oregon then lost to
Originals-CK 12-9 Saturday to end the
tournament.
“We were playing in 100-degree plus
weather and they just wore down,” Mu-
ranaka said. “You could see it. Our girls
were just tired.”
The national tournament followed the
Triple Crown World Series in Park City,
Utah, where the Titans placed second in
the silver bracket just the week before.
“I’ve had some good teams but I’ve
never had a team this good that’s meshed
on all different levels, not only just physi-
cally but mentally and team bonding,”
Muranaka said. “It’s just been kind of a
dream season for us.”
Muranaka also credits a talented coach-
ing staff, which includes head coach Mis-
sy Doerr, a former University of Oregon
catcher, Dave Coe, Kevin Witt and Rick’s
wife, Sarah Muranaka, an All-American
pitcher at Western Oregon, for the team’s
success.
“They did an amazing job,” Rick said.
“It’s just a really good coaching staff that
we brought together and worked well for
the kids. I’m so happy that we all work
together so well.”
Muranaka has also heard from col-
lege coaches since the tournament. His
daughter, Nalani, and Nadia Witt have
already verbally committed to Western
Oregon.
“We have a bunch of college coaches
that have been calling me,” Rick said.
“Colleges have seen these girls play this
year and are loving them. We’re fi elding
phone calls and trying to get these girls
on their visits. It’s just a whirlwind. It’s
crazy.”
Interested in dropping an-
chor in a place where up to
70,000-80,000, hard fi ghting,
eager biting, fi sh could swim
past you in one day?
All this in one of the most
spectacular vistas in North
America? Where you may
see anglers hook into prized
spring chinook or, watch as a
several hundred pound white
sturgeon latches onto a salm-
on angler’s plug, catapults out
of the water and drags boat
and anglers downriver? And,
if you’re lucky, spot Roosevelt
elk, or blacktail deer browsing
the shoreline?
We are talking about the
annual American shad run up
the Columbia River.
“Time to hit the Colum-
bia for shad,” Donald Koskela,
explains with his usual excite-
ment. “Over 60,000 a day are
going over the dam. Time to
load up the freezer with bait.”
Koskela, a longtime friend,
is a fi shing guide (Pastime
Fishing Adventures, out of
Silverton), uses shad as bait
for sturgeon, halibut and crab.
Shad are very oily and makes
excellent bait. Fish and crab
can detect the scent from great
distances.
Shad have thousands of very
fi ne bones. Few people like
the combination of odors and
bones of shad. Larry Arndt, of
Mid-Valley Anglers Fishing
Club, does and cans them. Jon
Moberg, of Salem, doesn’t go
until around 100,000 a day are
going over. He goes for his an-
nual harvest of shad roe.
The shad run typically
peaks every year around Fa-
ther’s Day on the Columbia
River, below Bonneville Dam.
Some days over 100,000 may
pass through the fi sh ladder.
Arndt holds the Oregon
State record, 6 pounds 8
ounces. He fi shes below the
falls at Oregon City. “I like to
start fi shing for them a little
before Father’s Day,” he ex-
plains. “Years vary, but the run
usually peaks about that time.
Shad don’t climb the fi sh lad-
der on the Willamette, so we
have longer to fi sh for them.”
Koskela usually invites me
to join him for at least one of
his shad trips a year. This year
we make our annual trek on
June 11.
Today, he has invited Mick-
ey Varner, ODFW biologist, to
join us.
Please see WILSON, Page 11
Submitted
Mickey Varner, ODFW biologist, holds up a shad caught on a
June 11 fi shing trip in the Columbia River.