A10
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
Warren wins state title in shot put
The Astorian
A Warrenton Warrior was
Clatsop County’s fi rst indi-
vidual champion of the 2019
state track and fi eld meet,
which began Friday at Mt.
Hood Community College in
Gresham.
Mark Warren scored War-
renton’s fi rst points of the
meet Friday morning in the
3A boys javelin competition,
placing third with a throw
of 167 feet, 7 inches. Derek
Bonde of Brookings-Harbor
had the winning toss of 173-8.
Warren’s third throw trav-
eled 167-4, followed by the
toss of 167-7, just one inch
shy of his school record.
Later in the afternoon,
Warren got his school record
and 10 more team points,
with a toss of 53-0¾ to win
the shot put. Mason Strunk of
Salem Academy was second
(52-10¼). Warren’s winning
throw beat his own school
record of 52-10½.
It was the fi rst individual
state title for Warren, who
took second in the javelin last
year. It was also Warrenton’s
fi rst individual title in the shot
put (Jordan Hollaway took
second in 2013).
Warren will be back in
action Saturday in the discus.
Warrenton’s
Fernanda
Alvarez was 12th in the 3A
girls javelin (88-5). She will
take part in Saturday’s fi nals
of the discus and shot put.
Fausett fourth in javelin
Seeded fi fth entering the
4A javelin competition, Asto-
ria sophomore Kelsey Fau-
sett moved up one spot and
placed fourth in the event
fi nal Friday afternoon.
Fausett’s best throw trav-
eled 122 feet, 9 inches, good
enough for fourth place and
fi ve team points. Her toss
fell short of her personal best
(124-1), set in last week’s
league championship meet.
Makaelyn Jennings of
Estacada won with a throw of
139-11, followed by Kaylee
Touey of North Valley (130-
7) and Newport’s Madison
Hargett (127-5).
Fausett was in ninth place
before launching her best toss
on her next-to-last throw, and
skipped off the runway while
getting shouts of celebration
from the grandstands.
“Coach told me to keep
my hand up as high as I
could,” Fausett said. “As soon
as I released it I could tell it
wasn’t coming down early. I
knew it was a big throw.”
Seaside senior Anna Hud-
dleston was 10th with her toss
of 107-2.
Astoria long jumpers
Two Astoria athletes took
part in the 4A long jump
fi nals, won by Marshfi eld’s
Ravyn Miranda with a leap
of 17-5.
Astoria freshman Mad-
die Sisley placed ninth out
of 13 athletes with a lifetime
best jump of 16-2, and senior
teammate Andrea Harris was
13th at 14-10½.
The Lady Fishermen have
several athletes competing in
Saturday’s fi nals, including
Elizabeth Barnett in the pole
vault, Kes Sandstrom in the
discus, and both Nara Van De
Grift and Barnett in the triple
jump.
On the boys’ side, Asto-
ria’s Presley Beck was ninth
in the 4A boys triple jump,
with a leap of 39-4 ¾. Sea-
side’s Levi Card placed 13th
(36-7).
Pending results of Friday
preliminary races, the Fish-
ermen and Gulls could also
have athletes competing in
Saturday fi nals on the track.
Knappa fourth in 3,000
In the 2A/1A meet at
Western Oregon University
in Monmouth, junior Robert
Piña-Morton of Knappa fi n-
ished fourth in the 2A boys
3,000-meter fi nal.
Piña-Morton came in as
the top-seeded runner with
a time of 9:21.57, but Hep-
pner’s Hunter Nichols crossed
the line fi rst in 8:59.29, the
only runner to fi nish under
nine minutes.
Piña-Morton ran a 9:14.07
for fourth, but his time was
still a personal best and
topped his own school record.
He will run again Saturday in
the 1,500-meter fi nal.
BASEBALL
Gladstone holds
off Astoria, 4-3,
in playoff tuneup
The Astorian
Two teams warming up
for the 4A baseball state
playoffs met for a quick
nonleague game Thursday
afternoon at CMH Field,
where Gladstone posted a
4-3 win over Astoria.
Two Gladstone pitch-
ers, Wesley Haverland and
Austin Conner, tossed a
combined perfect game
through four innings,
retiring 12 straight Fish-
ermen batters to start the
game.
Meanwhile, the Gladia-
tors scored a pair of runs
in the top of the fourth for
a 2-0 lead.
Astoria took advantage
of Gladstone’s third pitch-
ing change, as the Fisher-
men loaded the bases with
one out in the bottom of
the fi fth.
With two outs, a bloop
single into shallow right
fi eld by Dylan Rush scored
two runs to tie the game.
But
Gladstone
answered right back in the
top of the sixth.
Matthew Kuhn had a
leadoff single, which was
followed by two walks
and a two-run single by
Jackson Simmons.
The Fishermen began
the bottom of the sev-
enth with a potentially big
rally, as Ebin Hillard was
hit by the fi rst pitch of the
inning, and scored one out
later on a double down the
right fi eld line by Danny
Johnson.
Colin Murphey/The Astorian
Calvin Kaul slides safely
into home base for the
Fishermen.
Trying to stretch a dou-
ble into a triple, Johnson
was thrown out at third,
and Gladstone pitcher Jake
Gehrke retired the next
batter to end the game.
Four Gladstone pitchers
combined on a three-hitter
with two strikeouts, while
four Astoria pitchers gave
up fi ve hits.
Astoria coach Glen
Fromwiller was pleased
with his team’s play
Thursday, despite the loss.
“As long as we’re
pitching well and playing
solid defense … we just
need to hit the ball and
we’ll be playing well in all
three parts,” he said.
The Fishermen are
awaiting results of the
play-in round to determine
next week’s opponent in
the state playoffs. Astoria
will likely travel for the
fi rst round.
SOFTBALL
Taft ends Warrenton’s season
The Astorian
Taft scored six runs in the
third inning and tacked on
three in the fourth, and that
was plenty for Tiger pitcher
Emma Coulter, who tossed a
fi ve-hit shutout for 10-0 win
Thursday over Warrenton.
The league playoff loss
spelled the end of the season
for the Warriors, who strug-
gled offensively against
Coulter, and also committed
four errors.
After a scoreless fi rst
inning, Taft manufactured
one run in the second, then
began the bottom of the third
with a single, followed by a
Warrenton error, two more
singles, a double by Olivia
Coulter, a hit batter and a
single by Kyla Knott for a
5-0 lead.
The Warriors had back-
to-back singles by Ruby
Dyer and Kenzie Ramsey
in the top of the fourth, but
Emma Coulter worked her-
self out of the jam. Coulter
struck out nine batters with
no walks.
The No. 6-ranked Tigers
opened the bottom of the
fourth with consecutive dou-
bles, which led to another
three runs.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Track — OSAA state track: 4A/3A at
Mt. Hood CC; 2A at Western Oregon U.
SOFTBALL
Taft 10, Warrenton 0
Warrenton 000 00—0
Taft 016 3x—10 8 0
W: Emma Coulter. L: Mia McFadden.
RBI: Taft, Lininger 3, Rundstrom 2,
Danneker, E.Coulter, O.Coulter, Van-
damme, Knott. 2B: Taft, Lininger,
E.Coulter, O.Coulter, Vandamme. HBP:
Taft, Tolan. LOB: Warrenton 5, Taft 7.
BASEBALL
Gladstone 4, Astoria 3
Gladstone 000 202 0—4 5 0
Astoria 000 020 1—3 3 0
Haverland, Conner (3), Burgos (5), Geh-
rke (6) and Hill; Rush, Kaul (4), Reed (6),
Matthews (7) and Hillard. W: Burgos. L:
Reed. S: Gehrke. RBI: Gla, Simmons 3,
Burgos; Ast, Rush 2, Johnson. 2B: Ast,
Johnson. HBP: Peterson; Ast, Hirsch,
Hillard. LOB: Gladstone 6, Astoria 1.
DP: Astoria.
The cover of the May 23, 1977 issue of Sports Illustrated. Circled are Astoria fans
Jim Heater, left, and Shawn Hope, watching Portland’s 1977 playoff win over the Lakers.
BLAZER FANS HAD HOPE (AND
GREAT SEATS) FOR ’77 PLAYOFF
and 17 rebounds for Abdul-Jabbar.
Later that week, a friend of Hope’s, Chuck
Mestrich, happened to notice someone he recognized
ot since 1992 have the Portland Trail Blazers
on the cover of that week’s Sports Illustrated.
played for an NBA Championship. And not
“He just started looking at all the people (in the
since 1977 have they won it.
photo) to see if he knew anybody, and there I was,”
They’ve got a good chance this year — so says
said Hope, who immediately “went and bought cop-
Charles Barkley. But back in ’77, they had some real
ies for everybody.”
“Hope.”
Copies of that issue can still be found on Ebay at
There are still plenty of Portland fans around
a fairly reasonable price.
who recall those magic days of Blazermania back in
Hope’s copy is in pretty rough shape now,
1976-77.
although she has it laminated.
In just their seventh year of existence, Portland’s
The revamped Blazers of 1976-77 won 22 of their
run through the regular season ultimately led to a vic-
fi rst 31 games, and fi nished the regular season with
tory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1977 NBA
a 49–33 record, putting Portland into the playoffs for
Finals.
the fi rst time in franchise history.
One Astoria resident who recalls
The Blazers took two of three
MORE INSIDE
that magical season has proof of her
from Chicago in the fi rst round,
allegiance as an original Blazer-
knocked off the Denver Nuggets
Will the Blazers hear Durant’s
mocking amid noise of
maniac — it’s a photo of herself,
(sound familiar?) in six games in
Game 2 loss?
Shawn Hope, alongside Bill Walton
the second round, then swept the
Page A9
and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Lakers in four straight in the West-
O.K., so big Bill and Kareem
ern Conference fi nals.
UP NEXT: BLAZERS
were featured a bit more promi-
By then, the entire state was down
• Golden State Warriors (2-0)
nently. But there she is, on the cover
with
a severe case of Blazermania.
at Portland Trail Blazers (0-2)
of the May 23, 1977 issue of Sports
Johnny
Davis, Lionel Hollins,
• Tonight, 6 p.m. TV: ESPN
Illustrated, enjoying Portland’s win
Maurice Lucas, Dave Twardzik,
over the Lakers.
Walton … Rip City was the topic of
Sitting with Jim Heater (her boyfriend, then and
every conversation.
now), you can’t miss her. Right there, courtside,
And the Blazers didn’t disappoint in the fi nals.
third row, between Blazers Larry Steele and Walton,
Well, at fi rst they did, as the Sixers and Julius Erv-
watching all the action in Game 4 (she thinks) of the
ing won the fi rst two games in Philadelphia.
‘77 Western Conference fi nals.
But, taking advantage of their incredible 45-6
“My brother (Mike Hope) worked for the Los
record at home that season, Portland won Games 3
Angeles Lakers, and some of their people weren’t
and 4, 129-107 and 130-98.
going to use their tickets,” remembers Shawn, “and
The pivotal contest was Game 5 back in Philadel-
I have eight brothers and sisters, so everybody got
phia, where the Blazers won, 110-104.
tickets.”
Game 6 was the closest of the series, and Portland
The seats, obviously, were in a prime location for
got the win (109-107), setting off a celebration that
— to that point — Portland’s biggest game ever.
hasn’t been seen in 42 years.
“We didn’t know where the seats were at fi rst, but
But, there’s always hope.
they kept leading us down, and we ended up in the
“I love basketball, and (in 1977) I just adored the
third row,” she said. “It was so cool. Fabulous. That
Blazers,” said Shawn Hope, who was a student at
game was absolutely fascinating.”
Clatsop Community College in 1977, and still lives
If it indeed was Game 4, Hope and Heater saw the
in Astoria. “I do right now, too. I love watching the
Blazers defeat the Lakers 105-101, despite 30 points
Blazers.”
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
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