Smoke Signals 5
MARCH 15, 2012
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Waff Hofenbredl becomes first Dallas High freshman to win championship
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Photo courtesy of Pete StrongPolk County Itemlzer-Observer
Tribal member and Dallas High School freshman Matt Hofenbredl gains the advantage over Mountain View's J.T.
Ayres in the 1 06-pound championship match during the 201 2 OSAA wrestling state championship at Memorial
Coliseum in Portland on Saturday, Feb. 25. Hofenbredl won the match to take the state title in the weight class.
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Tribal member and wrestling phe
nom Matt Hofenbredl, 15, brought
his more than 50 wins this year to
the state championship in Portland
on Feb. 24-25 and came home first
in the state in the 5A division.
Hofenbredl is a freshman and is
the first freshman in Dallas High
School history to win a state title.
Hofenbredl brought nearly a
lifetime of wrestling experience
to the state tournament, and his
future on the mat continues to look
unlimited.
"I felt like I could take it pretty
easily," Hofenbredl said, "if I wres
tled my best."
This year, Hofenbredl, in the 106
pound class, and Ben Rebischke, a
senior in the 220-pound class, won
their weight classes to lead the Dal
las High School Dragons to their
first state wrestling title.
Hofenbredl's toughest match, he
said, came in the quarter finals
against Pendleton's Colton Skeen,
whom he has wrestled and defeated
before.
"It was great," said Tribal mem
ber Leland Hofenbredl, Matt's
father, who has supported his son
since the beginning, encouraging
travel across the country and for
Matt to compete. "It's quite an ac
complishment," he added, "but I
knew he could do it." '
Strategy, much of it coming from
Matt's own instincts, play a big part
in his efforts on the mat.
"If they're watching me, I want to
give them something different than
what they've seen (me do in previ
ous matches)," Matt said about how
he changes his take-down styles
with each successive match.
"If I feel like I can get the shot,"
Matt said, "I'll take it."
"He wrestles everybody differ
ent," said Leland. "He goes out and
does what he needs to do."
All of which is not to say that
Leland sits on the sideline with
calm confidence. He showed a video
of Matt's final match taken by a
friend. Beyond Matt making the
win look easy, the video camera
held very steady throughout the
match.
"I couldn't hold the camera dur
ing the match," Leland said. "It
would be all over the place."
Matt joined the Dallas Mat Club
when he was 6 and took top honors
in the PeeWee division that year.
At 12, Matt won the Oregon Kids
Collegiate wrestling championship,
wrestling in the 75-pound novice
division.
He was named an ail-American
wrestler two years ago in Illinois
at the Middle School Nationals and
last year he made the podium in
Reno at the Reno World Tourna
ment, where he placed fourth.
And this year, on the way to
state, Matt also won at the District
5A tournament as well as tourna
ments at Dallas and Willamina
high schools.
The town really came out to sup
port the Dragons. Leland showed a
whole section at Portland's Veter
ans' Memorial Coliseum, where the
state championships were held, and
said, "They're all from Dallas."
"I'll bet half the town came out,"
said Leland.
"Dad," said Matt, "there are 7,000
people in town."
But it was a lot of people and a
lot of cheering.
Dallas High also had a little fun
with Hermiston High School, a
perennial state wrestling winner
in the 5A division. After winning,
the Dallas team members received
T-shirts with the winning informa
tion emblazoned on them, but the
Dragons' black and orange colors
were changed to purple and yellow,
the colors that otherwise represent
the Hermiston team.
Following the win, Matt was nomi
nated for the Salem Statesman-Journal's
Athlete of the Week award. He
came in second to a Sprague senior
who had won the state title for the
fourth consecutive year.
After the victory, the team treat
ed the wrestlers to dinner at a Red
Robin restaurant. It was good, Matt
said, but he couldn't remember
what exactly it was that he had
to eat.
In April, Matt heads back to
Reno for another shot at the na
tionals. B
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Historic Building Information J
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T7ZZERE: Grand Bonde, OB.
ITU AT: Community uses, family
memories, sisnifioant events and photos
HOW: Contact
David Barrelson
Cultural Protection Specialist
Cultural Resources Department
Confederated Tribes of Grand Hondo
5O307O-2320
DaTid.narrolsonerandronde.orB
Community Parenting Classes
Make Parenting a Pleasure is a 6-week course that will
begin March 1 3. This class focuses on self-care for parenting,
stress & anger management, child development and alternative disciplines.
This class is ideal for parents of Tribal children ages 0-8 years.
Date March 13, 20 and April 3, 10, 17, 24
Time 5:30 - 8 P.M.
Location Youth Education Building
Dinner, childcare for children under age 1 0, and
gas vouchers provided on a weekly basis, (one per family)
Class is limited to 1 5 parents of Tribal children.
If you are interested please contact
Carmen Mercier 503-879-1 646
Angela Gonzales 503-623-9664
Interested in registering online? Visit www.preppc.org
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Ad created by George Valdez