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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2015)
Polk County Sports SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11 Girls Basketball: Central at Dallas, 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball: West- ern Oregon at Saint Mar- tin’s, 8 p.m. THURSDAY, FEB. 12 Swimming: Dallas, Cen- tral at Mid-Willamette Con- ference Championships, Os- born Aquatic Center, Corval- lis, noon. Women’s Basketball: Simon Fraser at Western Oregon, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, FEB. 13 Boys Basketball: Dallas at South Albany, 7 p.m. Cres- cent Valley at Central, 7 p.m. St. Paul at Perrydale, 7 p.m. Falls City at Jewell, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball: St. Paul at Perrydale, 5:30 p.m. Falls City at Jewell, 5:30 p.m. South Albany at Dallas, 7 p.m. Central at Crescent Val- ley, 7 p.m. Wrestling: Dallas, Cen- tral at Mid-Willamette Con- ference Championships, Sil- verton, 10 a.m. Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Cal State Monterey Bay, 2 p.m. Softball: Desert Stinger Tournament at Las Vegas: Western Oregon vs. Califor- nia Baptist, 2 p.m.; Western Oregon vs. Cal State Mon- terey Bay, 7 p.m. SATURDAY, FEB. 14 Wrestling: Dallas, Cen- tral at Mid-Willamette Con- ference Championships, Sil- verton, 11 a.m. Swimming: Dallas, Cen- tral at Mid-Willamette Con- ference Championships, Os- born Aquatic Center, Cor- vallis, 1 p.m. Women’s Basketball: Western Washington at Western Oregon, 7 p.m. Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Cal State Monterey Bay (DH), 11 a.m. Softball: Desert Stinger Tournament at Las Vegas: Western Oregon vs. Augus- tana, 2 p.m.; Western Oregon vs. Humboldt State, 4:30 p.m. SUNDAY, FEB. 15 Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Cal State Monterey Bay, 11 a.m. Softball: Desert Stinger Tournament at Las Vegas: Western Oregon vs. Texas- Permian Basin, 11:30 a.m.; Western Oregon vs. Regis, 2 p.m. MONDAY, FEB. 16 Boys Basketball: Tri-River Conference Playoffs, TBA. TUESDAY, FEB. 17 Boys Basketball: Corval- lis at Dallas, 7 p.m. Lebanon at Central, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball: Tri-River Conference Playoffs, TBA. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 Boys Basketball: Tri-River Conference Playoffs, TBA. Girls Basketball: Dallas at Corvallis, 7 p.m. Central at Lebanon, 7:15 p.m. — Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 11, 2015 10A MID-WILLAMETTE CONFERENCE DISTRICT WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS Dallas aims for sixth title Negrete breaks out Dragons hope to qualify at least 14 for state Central ready for big challenge By Lukas Eggen By Lukas Eggen Battle For State Berths The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — For the past half-decade, it’s become al- most an annual tradition. The Dallas wrestling team has claimed five Mid- Willamette Conference Dis- trict Wrestling Champi- onships in a row. “When I see the kids throw up their fingers with how many titles we’ve won, it makes me proud,” Dallas coach Tony Olliff said. Olliff knows this week- end’s district meet is not the top of the mountain. What: Mid-Willamette Conference District Wrestling Championships. When: Friday, 10 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. Championship fi- nals scheduled Saturday at 7 p.m. Where: Silverton High School, Silverton. Who: Dallas, Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, Silverton, South Albany and Woodburn. Admission: Adults, $6; students, $4 with ASB card. What’s at stake: The top four placers in each weight class qualify for the OSAA Class 5A state wrestling championships, to be held Feb. 27-28 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Port- land. “We want to go into dis- tricts knowing it’s not the be all, end all for us,” Olliff said. “It’s the state qualifier and state is our ultimate goal.” See TITLE, Page 13A The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral sophomore wrestler David Negrete was having second thoughts about join- ing the middle school wrestling team as an eighth- grader. A family member con- vinced him to try, but Ne- grete wasn’t sure he was cut out for wrestling. “The first day I started conditioning, I almost start- ed puking,” Negrete said. But he wouldn’t be de- terred. It wasn’t until after his f re s h m a n campaign, when Ne- grete went 16-30, that he discov- ered the secret that would lead Negrete to his suc- cess. “I’ve improved my stance a lot,” Negrete said. “Every time I was about to take a shot (last year), I was too high. I noticed everyone was lower than me. Now, I can take my opponents down fast and quick.” See NEGRETE, Page 13A COLLEGE SOFTBALL Fulfilling a promise Seniors hope to lead new-look Wolves back to a title By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — When Amanda Evola and Jourdan Williams stepped onto West- ern Oregon’s softball field for the first time in 2012; they w e re i m - mediately d ra w n t o each other. As the p a i r ’ s friendship Gardner developed, they made a promise. “When we first came in, we knew what our roles were and we stuck together,” Williams said. “Ever since, we said we’d finish this to- gether and here we are.” The Wolves’ lone seniors hope for a storybook ending to their WOU careers as Western Oregon looks to de- fend its Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. On the surface, WOU’s lineup will have a different look than last year. The Wolves lost seven seniors, in- cluding pitcher Erika Bryll of Dallas, catcher Bridjet Box, infielders Ashlie Gardner and Melanie Pfeiffer, and out- fielders Danielle Harcourt and Danielle Hannan, all of whom made at least 46 starts in 2014. Coupled with the loss of Raina Reece, WOU lost 156 of 318 runs scored. See PROMISE, Page 12A Western Oregon Softball Head coach: Lonny Sargent, fifth year (third with Western Oregon), 92-116. 2014 record: 34-23 overall, 18-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference, first place. Key returners (2014 stats): Amanda Evola (OF, 8 home runs, 55 runs batted in); Jourdan Williams (P/3B, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 4.67 ERA); Ashlie Gardner (1B/3B, .384, 73 hits, 57 runs scored). Key losses: Melanie Pfeiffer (IF, .378, 76 hits); Bridjet Box (C, .365, 7 HR, 41 RBI); Eryka Brill (P, 41 strikeouts, 4.15 ERA); Kelli Demianew (2.09 ERA, 76 SO, 17 wins). By the numbers: 156 — The number of runs scored West- ern Oregon lost from last year’s regular starters. The Wolves scored 318 total runs during the 2014 campaign. LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Senior pitcher Jourdan Williams (left) and senior outfielder Amanda Evola have a good laugh during practice. The duo hopes to lead WOU to a second conference title. MID-WILLAMETTE CONFERENCE DISTRICT SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS STAT SHEET Dallas, Central ready to make a splash 18 Dragons, Panthers hope a few individuals have big days at district Schedules Subject to Change Ranking of the Western Ore- gon University men’s basket- ball team in this week’s Na- tional Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II poll. This marks the third week WOU has been ranked nationally. 6 Number of consec- utive Mid- Willamette Conference dual meet titles won by the Dal- las High wrestling team. The Dragons last week wrapped up a perfect 7-0 league season. By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Dallas Dragons may lack the depth that other schools have, but four swimmers are looking to punch their tickets to the state swim meet this week- end. As the Dragons prepare to compete at the Mid- Willamette Conference Dis- trict Championships Thurs- day and Saturday in Corval- www.polkio.com/ns/sports lis, Dallas coach Jeff Bemrose k n o w s qualifying for the state meet w o n’t b e e a s y. Bu t Ford he’s got a few swimmers who may be up to the challenge. On the girls side, Jolie-Rae Ford is seeded second in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle races, while Elizabeth Dressel is seeded fifth in the 100 but- terfly and 100 backstroke. “The girls have a good shot to qualify,” Bemrose said. For the boys, Jesse Gen- ualdi is seeded fifth in the 100 butterfly and seventh in the 200 freestyle, while Lucas Diaz is seeded seventh in the 50 freestyle and eighth in the 100 breaststroke. See SPLASH, Page 12A Pool Party What: Mid-Willamette Conference District Swimming Cham- pionships. When: Thursday, noon; Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Osborn Aquatic Center, Corvallis. Who: Dallas, Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, Sil- verton and South Albany. Admission: Adults, $6; students (with I.D.), $4; children, $4. What’s at stake: The winner of each individual and relay event automatically qualifies for the Class 5A state swim meet, scheduled Feb. 20-21 at Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center in Gresham. Available wildcard spots are given to the fastest competitors, up to 12 participants. www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209 Mon -Fri 8am - 6pm • Sat 8am - 5pm DALLAS 121 Main St • 503-623-8155 INDEPENDENCE 1710 Monmouth St • 503-838-6340 www.LesSchwab.com Prices good through 2/28/15 www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports