S PORTS
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Hood River News, Wednesday June 3, 2015
A7
Boys lax outlasts Grant, advancing to Cascade Cup semifinals with Canby
By BEN MITCHELL
News staff writer
The HRV boys lacrosse team received its first true
test Friday on its quest to win the school’s first-ever
Cascade Cup, erasing a two-goal deficit and holding
in check a furious late rally by HRV’s opponent, the
Grant Generals, whom the Eagles defeated, 12-8.
No. 3 HRV faced off against No. 6 Grant in Hood
River Friday night in home quarterfinal game that
oftentimes felt more like an away game thanks to a
sizable and raucous contingent of Generals fans
who made the trek to Henderson Community Stadi-
um to watch the two Portland League teams duke it
out.
The Eagles didn’t get the start they were looking
for, coming out sluggish and giving up two goals
within the first five minutes of play to go down 2-0.
“I think Grant came out and played a hell of a first
quarter; they came out fast and I give them huge
props. They played great all around,” HRV coach
Matt Luchsinger said, while noting that “it took
(HRV) a quarter to realize, ‘Wow, these guys came
out to play.’”
A goal from attack Levi Glass with about three
minutes left allowed HRV to somewhat salvage the
first quarter. The second quarter, the Eagles sunk
their talons into Grant, scoring four goals in just
over six minutes to grab 5-2 lead and wrest control of
the game from the Generals.
The key to the momentum shift, Luchsinger said,
was the ability of long stick midfielder Alex Ellifritz
to grab ground balls, which lead to scoring opportu-
nities.
“Alex Ellifritz, personally, I believe he changed the
game for us, by starting to win the ground ball battle
at the midfield line, especially on the face-offs,” he
said. “We ended up scoring three or four goals off
his ground balls.”
Grant, however, was far from out of it, with the
two teams horse-racing for the rest of the game. The
Generals tightened things up, trailing 6-4 at the end
of the half and then coming within one after scoring
with less than eight minutes to go in the third quar-
ter.
HRV pushed back, scoring five goals without a re-
sponse from Grant to pull far out in front with a 10-5
and 9:25 remaining in the game. Again, Grant re-
fused to go down, scoring goals at 8:29, 7:01, and 4:47
remaining to come perilously close to HRV, clinging
to a 10-8 lead. As the Grant fans stomped on the sta-
dium’s metal bleachers and roared their approval at
the momentum shift that prompted Luchsinger to
call timeout, HRV assistant coach George Dolack ad-
vised his players that the next goal, regardless of
which team scored it, was crucial.
Attack Torsenn Brown, apparently, was listening.
After HRV took control following the faceoff, Brown
ran to the right side of Grant’s net and with a quick
flick, scored a behind-the-back goal to put HRV up 11-
8. Attack Henry Barton put in one more with 1:19 re-
Please see LAX, Page A8
Photos By Ben Mitchell
CHARLIE COHN (white jersey, No. 8), out-jumps two Grant players for a contested
ball, while Alex Ellifritz (No. 23) backs him up. Coach Matt Luchsinger said Ellifritz’s
five ground balls had significant impact on the game for the Eagles.
HRV gets second post-season shutout in a row
Eagles beat the Putnam Kingsmen, 4-0 to set up semifinal showdown with CRC rival Pendleton
By BEN MITCHELL
Kameron Walker, who threw four strike-
outs, walked none, and allowed five hits
The HRV Eagles defense once again over seven innings. With Ryan Ward and
put on a masterful performance Friday Walker both getting shutouts this post-
evening in Hood River, defeating the Put- season, Harjo said the team has “put a re-
nam Kingsmen, 4-0, to get their second ally solid game plan on the mound,” not-
consecutive shutout of the post-season — ing that Walker’s pitching has improved
the only team in the 5A playoff bracket to significantly from the 2014 season.
“Kam just has that
shut out an oppo-
uncanny ability to
nent at all, let
keep guys off-balance,”
alone twice.
he said. “He made a
Much like the
huge adjustment from
game on Wednes-
last year on the mound
day, which saw
and he’s a huge reason
HRV beat Dallas, 5-
why we’re where we
0, Putnam was
are today.”
largely ineffective
The few batters that
behind the plate,
were able to connect
flummoxed by
ERICH HARJO
with Walker’s pitches
HRV’s pitching,
were held in check by
and bottled up by
the team’s defense. Like they have done HRV’s error-free defense. Most notable
in so many games this season, the Eagles was a double play in the top of the third
jumped out to an early lead and never inning, when shortstop Skyler Hunter
looked back, putting confidence in their snagged a line drive out of the air with a
pitching and fielding to finish the game. leaping catch, and then threw it across
“These are things we’ve worked on all the diamond to first baseman Montana
year,” noted coach Erich Harjo. “We’re Kurahara for the second out, which drew
playing really good baseball right now an ovation from HRV fans.
While the defense kept the Kingsmen
and that’s the right time to do that.”
This time, HRV’s opponent met its on lockdown, HRV’s offense went to work
demise at the hands of starting pitcher
Please see HRV, Page A8
News staff writer
‘We’re playing really good
baseball right now and
that’s the right time to do
that.’
Photo by Ben Mitchell
KAMERON WALKER shakes his fist and yells in celebration after throwing the final pitch of HRV’s state tourney quarterfinal game against Putnam Friday evening. Walker, who pitched all seven innings,
gave up no runs, five hits, struck out four batter and walked none in the shutout at home.
No snow? No problem! Hood 2 River Relay goes on
Photos by Adam Lapierre
Runners, paddlers and bikers turned out in droves on Sat-
urday for the second annual Hood 2 River Relay, racing from
the slopes of Mt. Hood down to the Hood River Waterfront.
Started last year by event company Breakaway Promotions,
the relay had to replace the nordic and alpine legs with an
uphill run and a trail run due to the lack of snow, said race
organizer Chad Sperry.
Seventeen individuals, 13 pairs, and 38 teams ranging
from two to six people attempted the multi-leg race, which
consisted of a .25-mile uphill sprint leg, followed by a 1.5-
mile trail run, a 6.2-mile mountain bike leg, a 27-mile road
bike leg, a 6.7-mile road run, and finally, a 1.5 mile paddle leg
(which ends with a quarter mile sprint to the finish. Results
for the top five finishers in each category are below:
Individual male: 1st: Kevin Brown (2 hours, 30 minutes,
54.8 seconds); 2nd: Joel Alberts; 3rd: Lucas King; 4th: Kim-
bert Robinson; 5th: Nick Maelsen
Individual female: 1st: Kathleen Welland (3:20.06.5)
Pairs: 1st: Team Butman (male, 2:23:21); 2nd: Race Like a
Girl (female, 2:39:06.5); 3rd: S&M (female); 4th: Fast as Time
Allows (male); 5th: WTFR We Doing (coed, 2:57:24.6)
Team (male): 1st: Pasty Thighs (2:26:30.6); 2nd: Team But-
man; 3rd: Dirt Hugger; 4th: Cannonball Run; 5th: Doug 2
Doug
Team (female): 1st: Fools Rushin (3:11:21.3); 2nd: Hot Lava
Mamas; 3rd: Jalapeo Hotties; 4th: Team Fab Fifty; 5th: Hood-
iez
Team (coed): 1st: Team Ten Speed (2:49:41.3); 2nd: Couples
Retreat; 3rd: Lopezians; 4th: Zeal Optics; 5th: Team Mertz
Team (high school): 1st: Beast Mode (2:47:29)
Team (family): 1st: Lopezians Too (3:09:49.3); 2nd: Morss
Family; 3rd: Snails and Stents; 4th: 826 Fo Life
Team (business): 1st: Full Sail Brewing Company
(2:56:56.8); 2nd: #TeamProvidence; 3rd: Green Home Design
Build; 4th: Cloud Cap Team 1; 5th: Cloud Cap Team 2