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S PORTS www.hoodrivernews.com Hood River News, Saturday, May 2, 2015 A7 HRV baseball mounts crazy comeback over Hermiston After going down 6-0 in the first inning, Eagles score 11 runs in the 10th to defeat Bulldogs, 19-9 By BEN MITCHELL News staff writer For the second time in a week, the HRV Ea- gles (13-6 overall, 5-1 Columbia River Confer- ence) were pushed into extra innings by their opponent. And for the second time in a week, the Eagles were able to battle back and win the game, but Tuesday’s road win over the Hermiston Bulldogs (8-9 overall, 1-5 CRC) was anything but ordinary. After Hermiston tied the game up 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings, HRV’s offense erupted in the top of the 10th for 11 runs, putting the Bull- dogs in the doghouse. Hermiston was able to respond, but the one run wasn’t anywhere near enough to overcome HRV’s outrageous inning, and the Eagles won the game, 19-9. HRV’s roster has no shortage of talent, to be sure, but HRV’s highest scoring inning in its highest scoring game of the season was sparked by a player whose name you likely haven’t seen in baseball stories this spring: senior Rily Wilson, who according to the stat sheet, hasn’t started in a varsity game once this season. With bases loaded, Wilson stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat of the game, and promptly cracked a line drive to left field that turned into a three-run double after Skyler Hunter, Kam Walker, and Patrick Harvey were able to score, making it 11-8, HRV. Wilson’s three-run double ignited what would become a prodigious inning for HRV. With one out on the scoreboard, Dallas Buck- ley, hits a line drive single to right field, send- ing Wilson home. Next, a single from Riley Van Hoose brings home Buckley. On the very next play, Chase Lariza triples, sending Van Hoose and Andrew Roberts in. Next play, Hunter hits a single, with Lariza as the scor- ing runner. Fast forward one out and a cou- ple plays later (including another hit by Wil- son, this time a single), Adam Cameron hits a single, bringing Walker home. The very next play, Buckley hits a double to left field, bringing home Harvey and Wilson again to make it 19-8. Making the 10th inning heroics all the more incredible was what HRV had to do to even get there in the first place. HRV’s con- test in Hermiston started out with a brutal 6- 0 drubbing at the hands (paws?) of the Bull- dogs in the first inning. After a scoreless sec- ond inning by both teams, HRV got on the board in the top of the third thanks to a three-run double by Harvey, whose fly ball to center field would help send Lariza, Hunter, and Walker home to make it 6-3, Hermiston. HRV added another three runs in the fifth inning to knot up the game, 6-6. Kellan Duffy doubled, Cameron singled, and Buckley hit a sacrifice fly, with Walker, Harvey, and Duffy as the scoring runners, respectively. Pendleton would add another run in the fifth, but HRV was able to even it up after Hermiston’s pitcher beaned Cameron with bases loaded, allowing Lariza to score. HRV got its first lead of the game at the top of the seventh when Roberts scored off a single See HRV, Page A8 Narrowing the gap Elementary P.E. teacher Brandon Bertram creates program to promote physical fitness at school and at home By BEN MITCHELL News staff writer Coming into his first year at Westside Elementary and May Street school, Brandon Bertram had a quandary: how could he increase students’ opportunities for phsyical exer- cise not only at school, but at home... and make sure it’s done on a shoestring budget? Bertram, the new physical education teacher for Hood River’s elementary schools, just wrapped up the in-school Photos by Ben Mitchell component for the Westside WildCat Tracks curriculum this week: a voluntary program that encourages students to par- READY, SET, GO! Students at Westside Elementary take off from the starting line during Wednesday’s race, while teachers and ticipate in non-competitive class-wide races at school and get parents watch in the background. outside with their friends and families when they’re at home. The idea is, in part, a portion of Bertram’s graduate school project — who, in addition to running P.E. programs at the el- ementary schools and serving as an assistant track coach, is also outside and playing with friends, their parents sign off on these finishing up a master’s in human performance and physical educa- cards, and then they bring these to me at P.E. class,” Bertram said. The tokens are an extrinsic reward, Bertram admitted, but he tion at Adams State College in Colorado — but also due to what he saw as a lopsided arrangement when it came to opportunities for said the students so far seem more excited about what the tokens represent as opposed to the items themselves. The plastic tokens are physical exercise in the district. “We noticed a need,” he explained. “When I moved here (from Ari- the only part of the program that costs money, furnished by the Par- zona), I noticed that opportunities were very prevalent at the high ent Teacher Organizations at both schools. So far, the program seems to be working. Bertram estimated that school level, but at the elementary level, there was a need for a form 80 percent of students have chosen to participate this year and on of recreation where all students could be successful.” Making matters more difficult, said Bertram, are the “drastic average, 40 percent of the student body turns up to each race. Even cuts” that have been made to P.E. due to state funding levels, which better, more and more students are getting credit for doing activities at home as opposed to recess or the afterschool races. has resulted in fewer P.E. classes for students over the years. Bertram said that parents, teachers and administrators have all The program Bertram created helps provide students with anoth- er opportunity besides gym and recess. Starting in December, about been supportive and are invited to the events. A good turnout was once a month after school, Bertram has hosted school-wide races, present at the last race of the year on Wednesday, with parents and that students have the choice of signing up for or not. If they sign students from different grade levels cheering each other on. The up and run, they get to collect a token and put it on a band around kids were all smiles, enjoying the sunny weather and the chance to their wrist — similar to a charm bracelet. Distances range from a run, skip, walk, or whatever, around the Westside fields. Bertram may have a love of running, but his personal fondness quarter mile for kindergartners to a mile for fifth graders. The to- kens represent how far students have run or how many activities for the sport has nothing to do with its implementation into the pro- they’ve done, but Bertram says that’s about where the tracking ends. gram: it’s about opportunity. “There’s no barriers to it; you don’t need a stick or a ball to do it,” “We don’t take times, we don’t count places... they don’t have to he said of running. “All students of all abilities and backgrounds worry about anything other than finishing with a smile,” he said. The home component is a little different. There’s obviously no or- can do it.” ■ ganized races, but students get credit for getting out of the house Bertram plans to bring the program back next year, and is hosting and getting active, which can mean any number of activities. “When they go home… if they’re active with family, if they go to a summer fun and activity camp June 17-19 for incoming first- the park, if they walk the dog, if they go to practice, if they’re going through ninth-graders. For more information, contact Brandon BRANDON BERTRAM Bertram at brandon.bertram@hoodriver.k12.or.us ‘We don’t take times, we don’t count places... they don’t have to worry about anything other than finishing with a smile.’ JESSICA DEHART , with her father, Scott (center) and coach Trent Kroll during the OSAA state championships earli- er this season. File photo by Adam Lapierre Contributed photo COACH JOHN WACHSMUTH with wrestlers (left to right, back row) Noah Wachsmuth, Johnny Garcia, and Jeremiah Wachsmuth, all of whom took state titles. HR wrestlers take titles in state tourney Local wrestlers stood atop the podium at this past weekend’s Kids State Freestyle and Greco Wrestling Championships held at Mt. View High School in Bend. Noah and Jeremiah Wachsmuth, as well as Johnny Garcia, placed first in their respec- tive categories for both styles of wrestling. This is Noah’s fifth-straight triple crown. Noah, who is an eighth-grader at Hood River Middle School, wrestled in the School Boy/Girl 105-pound category for Cobra All-Stars — a wrestling club based in Portland. In freestyle, Noah defeated two opponents by technical fall (10-0) and one by a fall; in Greco, Noah received a bye in the quarterfinal and defeated both his opponents by fall to take first. Jeremiah, who is enjoying his first triple crown win, is a third-grader at Westside Ele- mentary, and also wrestles for Cobra All-Stars. He won by fall in the semifinal and by a 12- 9 decision in the final to take first in the Intermediate 50-pound category for freestyle. In Greco, Jeremiah received a bye in the semi and defeated his opponent via fall to take the title. Wrestling for Hood River’s Elite Edge Wrestling Academy was Johnny Garcia, who is a seventh-grader at HRMS. Garcia, competing in the Novice 112-pound class, won by techni- cal fall (10-0) in the semifinal and won by a 6-3 decision in the final round to win the freestyle category. In the semifinal of Greco, Garcia won by technical fall (10-0) and then a close 1-0 decision in the final. In the School Boy-Girl 120-pound weight class and wrestling for the Hood River Youth Wrestling Club was eighth-grader Tristan Keely. He received a bye in the first champi- onship round of the freestyle tournament, but lost the next round to fall into the consola- tion bracket. He then defeated his next two opponents by fall and technical fall (10-0), and lost to his next two opponents to receive sixth place in the tournament. DeHart wins national honor for wrestling By PAYTON RIGERT News intern The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, in Stillwater, Okla., has announced its winners of the Dave Schultz and Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Awards for 2015. Originally created in honor of Schultz, an Olympic and World champion, the High School Excellence Award is based on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service. State winners for both the Schultz and Saunders Awards have been selected in each of the states that sponsor high school state wrestling championships. This year marks the second anniversary of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award that is given to female wrestlers from states that hold all-female high school state wrestling championships. There are seven states which hold high school state wrestling championships for women: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, for the Outstand- ing Female Wrestler of the Year in Oregon went to four-time girl’s wrestling state champion from Hood River Valley High School, Jessica DeHart. DeHart is one of the pioneers of women’s wrestling in the state of Oregon. For her entire high school career, Jessica has wrestled at the varsity level for the HRVHS Eagles. As women’s wrestling has become more popular in Oregon and Washington, DeHart has wrestled in as many of the Pacific Northwest Women’s Wrestling Tournaments as possible. She boasts a high school career record of 54–3 versus girls. Nationally, DeHart is a three-time Fargo All-American with a Cadet National Championship. Last July, she placed fourth in the Juniors category at Nationals in Fargo, N.D. Next year, DeHart will wrestle in college and has chosen to stay close to home and wrestle for the Raiders at the brand new women’s wrestling program at Southern Oregon Universi- ty. From the seven winners in the states that sponsor an all-female state championship, a na- tional winner will be revealed for the Saunders Award on May 4. The award will then be pre- sented to them at Honors Weekend in Stillwater, June 5-6.
