HoodRiverNews.com
Weekend of March 28-29, 2020
The Weekend Edition | A publication of Hood River News & The Dalles Chronicle
7
SPORTS
The Dalles wrestlers Dusty Dodge and Steven Preston, both kneeling in the middle, Dodge with white hat in front, were two of 13 all-star wrestlers to participate in the Oregon Wrestling Culture Exchange dual
on Jan. 13 at Hood River Valley High School. Both Preston and Dodge finished 0-1 on the night.
Contributed photo
Preston, Dodge give TD wrestling program a big boost
Duo celebrated
state bids and
were selected
to take part
in Culture
Exchange dual
Rodriguez
■ Ray
The Dalles Chronicle
program and community
well.
“Steven is a four-year
varsity letterman, who has
a high level of experience.
He was selected as a reward
to his commitment and
leadership,” Beasley said.
“Dusty is new to our pro-
gram, but certainly not to the
sport of wrestling. He has an
immense amount of tourna-
ment experience and repre-
sented the best opportunity,
along with Steven, to have
The Dalles wrestlers
success against a group of
Steven Preston and Dusty
Dodge were two of 13 all-star fantastic Japanese athletes.”
This event was originally
wrestlers to participate in the
organized in the 1960s, and
Oregon Wrestling Culture
in that time, the Oregon
Exchange friendly dual on
Wrestling Association has
Jan. 13 at Hood River Valley
conducted cultural exchang-
High School.
Oregon’s wrestlers hosted es with Japan, Russia and
Japan’s top 13 wrestlers for
South Africa.
matches and exchanged gifts
Before Preston and Dodge,
such as kendama toys and
Joe Linebarger was the last
komas chiyogami (high-qual- TD wrestlers to earn an invi-
tation back in 2016.
ity origami paper), country
“In wrestling, you learn
flag pins and t-shirts.
so much about yourself and
Both Preston and Dodge
how to handle the good
finished 0-1 on the night,
but head coach Paul Beasley moments and the adversity,
but you also get a chance to
applauded his two athletes
watch other wrestlers and
for representing the school,
how they approach their
training and preparation for
each match and work to mix
in different things to a more
well-rounded competitor,”
Preston said in an earlier
interview.
Oregon’s all-star team was
comprised of HRV’s Carson
Farlow, Jayton Muenzer,
Chad Muenzer, Preston
Armstrong, Maverick Geller,
Abraham Tinajero, Cody
Durham and coaches Tony
Rolen and Lynn Miller, Chas
Peterson, Ernest Stranz, Brad
Keely and Rich Rolen.
Anthony Hood, Wyatt
Corwin and Lane Downing
represented Culver High
School, Pendleton’s Isaac
Urbina and Dodge and
Preston were from TD.
Preston (21-7 record), a
160-pound senior, added a
win and two losses in his final
state appearance and Dodge
placed fifth and finish with a
26-2 overall record (25 pins,
one decision) on Feb. 28-29
in Portland.
Dodge, a junior, totaled
five tournament firsts
and claimed a district
championship during the
season.
This season, Preston had
limited training time, and
suffered through a separated
shoulder and broken nose on
two occasions, he sprained
his ankle three times, dealt
with two knee strains and
pulled his back muscle
several times in football and
wrestling.
“It really hit me today what
the true victory has been this
year,” his father Elijah Preston
said. “Seeing how hard he’s
fought through so many
setbacks and injuries and
disappointment, it becomes
clear. He’s taken so many
beatings this year that it’s
hard to believe. That being
said, he never stopped fight-
ing. He’s always stood back
up bloody and broken for
one more round. That’s the
victory. Thank you coaches
and friends that have pushed
him to be the man he is.”
As for the future, Steven
plans to work for an oil drill-
ing company in Wyoming,
then he’ll attend Western
Wyoming Community
College and battle for a spot
on the wrestling squad. On
Feb. 22, Western Wyoming
captured the Rocky Mountain
District title with 102 points,
crowned six district champi-
ons and qualified all 10 wres-
tlers for the NJCAA Wrestling
Championships.
Over the years, Preston, a
two-time state qualifier, has
attained the knowledge and
skills needed for success at
the next stage of his life, so
by overcoming the odds and
building character through
injuries and everything
else thrown his way, he can
equipped to handle whatever
is thrown his way.
“I think the main things that
I learned because of wrestling
are self-discipline, being able
to go to practice every day and
being able to keep my weight
down and how to maintain
a strict diet throughout the
season,” Steven said. “I think
that is going to help me a lot
as I get older.”
Dodge, a two-time state
placer at Goldendale (third
place in 2018 and second last
season at 160 pounds), won
all three of his 170-pound
matches by pin to take first
place at the OSAA 5A Special
District 4 Championships in
Redmond.
Dodge will return for
the 2020-2021 season and
join state qualifiers, Taylor
Morehouse and Ian Preston,
and Conor Blair, Zak Tackett,
Angel Oregon, Lance Parke,
Nathan Ganders, Aaron and
Nathan Pyles, Ayden Orion,
Marquies Sagapolutele,
Aiden Marx, Isaac Baker,
Austin Music, a handful of
middle school wrestlers and
females Elejah Sutton-Lott,
Megan Lenardson and Kai
Hoff.
“We can’t worry about
what happened this year,
because we have next year
to focus on,” Dodge said.
“During the summer, I am
just going to hit the gym hard
and I know we will have more
wrestlers doing the same. We
all need to get in better shape
and work out more besides
practice and everything. If we
can stay committed to that,
we can have more kids make
it to state.”
HRV alum wins national collegiate title in wrestling
said. “My coaches we’re super
proud of me. They believed in
me so much that I could win.
Having them be there for me was
amazing.”
In her last match, the
freshman defeated Melissa
Crane, from the University of
Washington, by first-round pin
and said that she did not antici-
pate such a fast bout.
“I’ve never wrestled a girl
Hood River Valley High
before and didn’t know what she
School graduate and Umpqua
was going to bring to the match,”
Community College freshman
Miller said. “She seemed very
Grace Miller won the National
Collegiate Wrestling Association aggressive and trying to drop me
down, but I just had to stay calm
Northwest Conference
Championship in the 143-pound and wrestle the style I wrestle as.
She shot inside for a single leg, I
division earlier this month in
put her a whizzer and dropped
Aberdeen, Wash.
her down to the mat. Then I
Added to her award, Miller,
sprawled, got be hinder her, put
who finished her first season
her in an arm bar and pinned
with a 22-10 record, earned a
her.”
medal and received a watch for
Miller said her family has been
her athletic achievements.
“It felt amazing. Being national supportive, especially her father,
Lynn Miller, an HRV assistant
champion was something I’ve
wrestling coach.
always wanted to do,” Miller
Along with her award
and medal, Miller
received a watch for
her accomplishments
Bravo
■ By News Gabriel
staff writer
“It’s the furthest the furthest
that anybody in my family has
placed so it feels really amazing,”
Grace said. All of my family has
been supporting me. My dad’s
super proud of me and that feel-
ing is amazing, to have my family
be so proud.”
Winning the title has also in-
spired her 7-year-old stepbroth-
er, she said. She described him
as admiring her trophies at home
and has asked if he’ll have room
for his trophies.
As she inspired her stepbroth-
er, Grace Miller said she also
hopes to inspire high school
wrestlers.
“Hood River Valley was a great
experience,” Grace Miller said.
“We have a lot of girl wrestlers
who have placed really well at
state and have All-Americans in
college. So, to be one of those
different All-Americans and
champions feels like a legacy
going on for Hood River Valley
High School.”
Umpqua Community College freshman Grace Miller at the top of the 143-class podium
Sunday, March first, in Aberdeen, Wash. The Hood River Valley graduate won an award, a
medal and received a watch for her athletic achievements. She ended her season with a
22-10 record.
Grace Miller/Contributed photos
Spring athletes are coping with COVID-19
With track season
up in the air,
standouts are
encouraged just
keep running
Southall
■ By News Luke
intern
Hood
River
Valley
High
School athletes
Luka Paider, in
white shirt on
left, is jogging on
the track, while
Elian Sedano is
stretching be-
fore his workout
in photos tak-
en earlier this
month. Photos
by Luke Southall/
Hood River News
The novel coronavirus has
taken its toll on worldwide
events including Hood River
Valley High School’s track
and field program.
Athletes from HRVHS
had two weeks of regularly
scheduled spring practices
before they were postponed
on March 13 until April
28, according to the OSAA
website.
However, some of the stu-
dents have been outrunning
the pandemic in order to
maintain their fitness.
“I want to stay fit, and if
we do get a track season later
in the year, I want to be pre-
pared,” said Luka Paider.
She added that although
it was doubtful this would
happen, it’s still great
exercise.
Paider qualified for the
state meet last year in the
4-by-100-meter relay, and
she also runs the 100-and-
200-meter races. Elian
Sedano, a senior, also keeps
up with the practice rou-
tine. While he is usually a
mid-distance sprinter, this
year he decided to take on
the 300-meter hurdles.
“We have to compensate
for what’s going on with the
virus. But we’re driven by
self-motivation,” Sedano said.
Many students have ex-
pressed their disappointment
in not being able to achieve
the goals they had set for
themselves in the preseason.
“I wanted to run under 13
(seconds) in the 100,” Paider
said.
The coronavirus has had
a massive impact on every
sport, and people have been
finding ways to maintain
their mental and physical
shape.
Coaches send workouts
to the group, and students
have the option to go and
complete them, while main-
taining a 6-foot distance from
one another.
Social distancing makes
it difficult to motivate, the
athletes said.
“It’s a lot easier to work out
in the morning if you go with
other people. Your day feels
longer,” said Paider.
Athletes such as Paider and
Sedano continued to practice
until the track and all school
district facilities were official-
ly closed on Monday.
It is important to under-
stand and follow the govern-
ment regulations, but people
can still recreate safely while
keeping in mind the well-be-
ing of themselves and others.
Dr. Cullen’s
Student of the week
Shane Squires for the Perseverance
Award at the Learning Center:
Shane is a kind, hardworking and helpful
student. Shane is polite to those around
him and is always willing to work hard.
He will stick with a task until completion.
Congratulations
Shane Squires, TDHS
Columbia View Dental
1915 E. 19th Street | The Dalles
Victor Cullen, DDS
541-296-5677 | Se habla español