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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018
SEASIDE SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW 2018 • MORE ON PAGE 8
Seaside golf team in state title contention
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
It’s been a great year for
boys sports at Seaside High
School, with state play-
off appearances in foot-
ball and boys soccer, and of
course another state title in
basketball.
One team that’s always
competitive: coach Jim
Poetsch’s boys golf squad.
After winning state titles
in 2014 and 2015, the
Gulls are once again part
of the state championship
discussion.
Especially after their per-
formance in the first two
meets of 2018.
The Gulls came up 20
strokes short of state con-
tender Valley Catholic in a
Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian
Samson Sibony is one of several good, experienced golfers for the Seaside boys golf team.
dual meet March 21, and two
days later, Seaside finished
ahead of a field that included
all 5A schools in The Dalles
Invitational.
If they don’t win a state
title this year, the Gulls will
be right back in the running in
2019, with most of their golf-
ers returning and more on the
way.
The leader and lone senior
for the varsity this season is
Jackson Kunde, who placed
ninth individually in last
year’s district meet.
Rounding out Seaside’s
usual top five are juniors Con-
nor Merrell, Mason Shamion
and Samson Sibony, along
with freshman Curtis Kunde,
who tied his brother Jackson
for Seaside’s top score in The
Dalles Invite.
After the loss to the Val-
iants, Poetsch said, “We had
14 double bogeys, two triples
and two quadruples today. If
we can turn those into bogeys,
we win this match. Even with
those holes, we are light years
ahead of where we were at
this time last season.
“All of our returners
scored much better than their
opening scores from a year
ago and our freshman, Curtis
Kunde, was able to get those
first match jitters out of the
way.
“Valley Catholic is a team
I expect to compete for the
state title in May, and they
only got us by 20 on a day
we gave 42 strokes away on
blowup holes. As the sea-
son progresses, we will learn
to limit damage and I expect
we will have a very success-
ful year.”
Junior Mason Crawford
has also seen time with the
varsity, while Seaside’s cur-
rent junior varsity includes
Chris Bodner, Leif DeWin-
ter, Nick Mace and John
Whittle.
Seaside most improved in Cowapa League
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
Seaside High School
Left to right: Madi Grimm, Tristyn McFadden, Sydney
Rapp and Caitlin Hillman.
Young athletes on the
course for Seaside
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
The Seaside girls golf
team enters the 2018 sea-
son in much better shape
than they finished 2017.
Last year, the final tour-
nament of the year for
the Gulls was the district
tourney at Forest Hills, in
which Seaside had only
three scoring golfers (to
qualify for state as a team,
you need at least four).
For now, the Gulls are
back to four. And maybe
five.
Either way, it’s still
going to be a young group
for second-year coach
Mike Verhulst.
Seaside played its first
two tournaments of 2018
with sophomores Caitlin
Hillman and Sydney Rapp,
and freshmen Madi Grimm
and Tristyn McFadden,
who is currently listed as
the Gulls’ No. 1 golfer.
Hillman is the only
returner from last sea-
son, one of the three Sea-
side players in the Cowapa
League meet and region-
als. Top golfer Caroline
Kotson has graduated.
Only three of the Cow-
apa schools had four or
more golfers in last year’s
league meet, won by Val-
ley Catholic, ahead of
Astoria and Scappoose.
Oregon Episcopal won
the district meet, which
serves as the qualifying
tournament for state.
“I’m excited to see how
the girls progress through-
out the season, and look for-
ward to continuing to grow
the program,” Verhulst
said. “The girls are eager
to move into league play
and get experience with the
new scoring format for the
matches (modified Stable-
ford). A huge focus for our
program will be developing
our short game.”
And the Gulls may add
one more golfer to the roster
at some point.
“It looks like we may be
adding a fifth golfer to the
mix with a recent out-of-
state transfer student,” Ver-
hulst said. “We look forward
to adding her into the mix for
league matches.”
It’s the price you pay when you
have a great basketball team.
While other baseball teams are out
practicing, many of your players are
still shooting 3-pointers and winning
championships.
So it is with Seaside. After most
teams began practices Feb. 26, the
Gulls had exactly four days between
their last basketball game and the first
The Daily Astorian
baseball contest.
In his 21st year as the Seaside Seaside baseball is armed with talent
coach, Joel Dierickx was pleased with this year, including pitcher Duncan
Thompson.
a 2-2 start after four games.
“It’s a good measuring stick of where
we’re at and what we need to work on,” other sport — the Cowapa League is going
Dierickx said. “There’s a lot of areas that to be very, very strong.”
need work. (The basketball players) had
Seaside finished 4-11 in league play last
only three practices, for the most part. year, which included three wins over Til-
lamook and a season-ending victory over
We’ll figure it out.”
Scappoose.
THE COWAPA
“I think Banks is head and shoulders
above everybody else,” Dierickx said.
“They’re a real solid team, in all facets.
From athleticism to speed, good pitch-
ing and contact hitting. They’re just super
solid.
“And Astoria’s always going to be
there,” he said. “They will always be
tough. Tillamook is a much-improved
team. Scappoose has quality. It’s like any
THE GULLS
Most area coaches see the Gulls as pos-
sibly the most-improved team.
“We’re hoping,” Dierickx said. “We
have a lot of experience coming back, and
some athleticism. Combined with some
baseball knowledge and doing things the
right way, maybe we can win some of the
closer games we’ve had.”
Call it “young experience,” because
the Gulls only have four seniors. Several
juniors have been starting since their fresh-
man season.
The Gulls had six pitchers listed on
their preseason roster, but “we’ll see how
that pans out,” Dierickx said. “Three of the
six have just started throwing. They still
need time to grow, learn the mechanics and
gain the arm strength. That’s a big ques-
tion mark. Once April rolls around, we’ll
see how it pans out. I think all of them have
the capability to be pretty solid pitchers.”
Among the throwers are juniors Travis
Fenton, Gage McFadden, Duncan Thomp-
son and Payton Westerholm. The last three
also start in the infield when the others
pitch.
The seniors are Dawson Blanchard,
Ashton Boyd, Astor Landwehr and Parker
Moore, with additional juniors Isaias
Jantes, Dylan Meyer and catcher Alex
Teubner, who missed action early in the
season with a high ankle sprain.
Rounding out the roster are sopho-
mores Brayden Johnson and Gavin Rich.
Hoekstre to lead Seaside girls track team
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
They’ve got the depth, the athletes
and the talent to compete.
Now it’s just time for the Seaside
track team to turn it all loose on the
Cowapa League.
Head coach Jeff Kilday’s team
is loaded with athletes and will be
looking to improve on their finish in
last year’s district meet — a tall task
in the Class 4A’s “Conference of
Champions.”
The Seaside boys are coming off
a 10th-place finish in the 2017 state
meet, even after taking third in their
own league.
Meanwhile, the Lady Gulls (and
everybody else) will be chasing the
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CELEBRATING
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MEMORIES!
SEASIDE BASEBALL
Coach: Joel Dierickx, 21st year
2017: 7-15 (4-11 Cowapa)
Key losses: Otto Hoekstre, Scott Plampin,
Brent Walsh
Key returners: Dawson Blanchard, Isaias
Jantes, Gage McFadden, Duncan Thomp-
son, Payton Westerholm
Astoria girls’ track dynasty, as the
Fishermen look to win their fourth
straight state championship.
The big point-scorer for the Seaside
girls — this year and next — will be
junior thrower Gretchen Hoekstre.
Hoekstre dominated the shot put
and discus events in the Cowapa
League, winning both district titles on
her way to second- and third place fin-
ishes, respectively, in the same events
at the state meet as only a sophomore.
Hoekstre is the top returner, state-
wide, in both events.
Also on the girls’ side, junior Katie
Zagata is back as one of the top dis-
tance runners in the Cowapa.
The Seaside boys took a big hit in
the graduation department. Gone are
district champions Will Garvin (300-
meter hurdles), Jackson Januik (two-
time state champion in the 800 meters)
and Phoenix Johnson (high jump and
triple jump, second in the long jump).
Talented distance runner Bradley Rze-
wnicki also graduated.
Seniors Colton Carter (hurdles,
jumps) and Rafi Sibony (distance
events) are the returning mainstays,
while the Gulls will pin their hopes on
some young talent.
Freshman Henry Garvin and
Dodger Holmstedt took first and sec-
ond, respectively, in the 400 meters in
Seaside’s first meet this season.
Sophomore thrower Derrick Ben-
nett could be a big point-scorer in the
shot put and discus.
Kilday is assisted by Jo Ellingson,
Jarom Bowles and Margie Leary.
GO SEAGULLS!!
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