Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 15, 2015 10A CLASS 5A PREP GOLF SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 Baseball: Dallas at Cres- cent Valley, 4:30 p.m. Central at Silverton, 4:30 p.m. Perry- dale at St. Paul, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Dallas at Wood- burn, 4:30 p.m. South Al- bany at Central, 4:30 p.m. Perrydale at Western Men- nonite, 4:30 p.m. Track and Field: Lebanon, Corvallis, Silverton at Central, 4 p.m. THURSDAY, APRIL 16 Baseball: Silverton at Central, 4 p.m. Track and Field: Perry- dale at Gervais, TBA. Boys Tennis: Lebanon at Dallas, 4 p.m. Central at Cor- vallis, 4 p.m. Girls Tennis: Dallas at Lebanon, 4 p.m. Corvallis at Central, 4 p.m. FRIDAY, APRIL 17 Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Montana State Billings (DH), noon. Crescent Valley at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Sil- verton at Central, 4:30 p.m. East Linn Christian at Perry- dale, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Saint Martin’s at Western Oregon (DH), 2 p.m. Central at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Boys Tennis: Central at South Albany, 4 p.m. Girls Tennis: South Al- bany at Central, 4 p.m. Track and Field: Western Oregon at Mt. Sac Relays, Walnut, Calif., TBA. SATURDAY, APRIL 18 Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Montana State Billings (DH), noon. Softball: Central at Cres- cent Valley, noon. Track and Field: Western Oregon at Oregon Relays, Eugene, TBA. Central at Ore- gon Relays, TBA. SUNDAY, APRIL 19 Baseball: Western Ore- gon at Montana State Billings, 11 a.m. Softball: Central Wash- ington at Western Oregon (DH), noon. MONDAY, APRIL 20 Baseball: Perrydale at Regis, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Perrydale at Regis, 4:30 p.m. Boys Golf: Dallas, Cen- tral at Mid-Willamette Con- ference Tournament, Tuk- wila, Woodburn, 10 a.m. Boys Tennis: Silverton at Dallas, 4 p.m. Central at Woodburn, 4 p.m. Girls Tennis: Dallas at Silverton, 4 p.m. Woodburn at Central, 4 p.m. TUESDAY, APRIL 21 Baseball: Dallas at Silver- ton, 4:30 p.m. Central at Cres- cent Valley, 4:30 p.m. Santiam at Perrydale, 4:30 p.m. Softball: South Albany at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Crescent Valley at Central, 4:30 p.m. Perrydale at Regis, 4:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 Baseball: Silverton at Dal- las, 4:30 p.m. Crescent Valley at Central, 4:30 p.m. Santiam at Perrydale, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Dallas at Corval- lis, 4:30 p.m. Central at Lebanon, 4:30 p.m. Perrydale at Central Linn, 4:30 p.m. Boys Tennis: Dallas at Woodburn, 4 p.m. Girls Tennis: Woodburn at Dallas, 4 p.m. — Schedules Subject to Change Senior enjoys time on the course Brinton not letting a late start stop him from exceling for Central By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral senior Collin Brinton wasn’t swinging a golf club by the time he could walk. Nor was he draining putts by the time he was in grade school. Brinton was, in fact, a late arrival to golf. “For my 15th birthday I got a set of golf clubs,” Brin- ton, 17, said. “My dad want- ed to take them out, and I start- ed to really get into it.” Those Brinton first days saw the seeds of Brinton’s skill being planted. It didn’t make his learning curve any easier. Up Next • Central’s golf team will compete at a tournament at Tukwila in Woodburn on Monday. Play begins at 10 a.m. come one of Brinton’s pas- sions. “Me and a couple buddies play in a couple competitive leagues,” Brinton said. “We will play all year long as long as there’s nice enough weather.” Brinton is one of seven re- turning players on Central’s golf squad. With nine new members at the start of the season, Brinton finds himself as one of the Panthers’ most experi- enced players as Central looks to grow up on the course. See COURSE, Page 12A CLASS 2A-1A PREP TRACK AND FIELD Hurdling over expectations Junior’s switch to track and field proving to be a success By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer PERRYDALE — Perrydale junior Taylor Price loves softball. As a sophomore, she started for the Pirates. Many of her friends were her teammates. This spring, however, Price made an unexpected choice — she joined the track and field team. “I wanted to try some- thing new,” Price said. “In soft- ball, I al- ways felt like I was the one messing up. I was a starter, but Vergin I had that feeling that if I messed up, everyone was going to hate me.” Price, who had never competed in track and field, didn’t come in with the highest of goals. She has been defying ex- pectations ever since. “I thought I was going to suck,” Price said. “Our first meet ( Jim Barks/Grizzly Bear Open) had all these amazing athletes from these big schools and here comes our tiny school on this mini bus. There were all these girls jumping in the high jump at seven feet, and I was hardly making four feet at the time.” Yet, she had already made BRIAN EVANS/for the Itemizer-Observer Perrydale junior Taylor Price (center) recorded one of Class 2A’s fastest 300-meter hurdle times so far this season. a big impression on Pirates coach Brian Evans. “When I started her out on the high jump, and she easily cleared the girls starting height in practice with raw form, I knew we had a natural athlete,” Evans said. Price added the 300- meter hurdles on April 2 after Evans signed her up to give the event a try. “I wasn’t fully committed to it until the day before when coach told me I was still doing it,” Price said. “I had a friend help show me how to do it.” See HURDLING, Page 11A CLASS 5A PREP BOYS TENNIS Gumpinger, Gillette form successful pair Dallas duo settles into Dragons’ No. 1 doubles team position this spring QUICK HITS By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer Softball team to look for players POLK COUNTY — Central sof tball coach Kendra George is searching for 14U players for youth tourna- ments in June and July. For more information: Kendra George, kgeorge- @central.k12.or.us. “I had the basic dynamics down, but I could never hit the ball where I wanted to,” Brinton said. After lessons from various golf pros and lots of practice, Brinton’s game improved. As his skill level grew, so did his love for the game. “Once I started hitting good shots and good scores, that’s when I started to enjoy it a lot more,” Brinton said. From there, golf has be- LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Josiah Gillette awaits a re- turn on Thursday. www.polkio.com/ns/sports DALLAS — When Dallas tennis doubles players Cameron Gumpinger and Josiah Gillette step onto the court, they are no longer just friends. They are two parts of a whole, who have complete trust in each other. That kind of rare chem- istry is part of the reason the Up Next • Central’s boys tennis team gets set for a pair of road conference matches. The Panthers play at Cor- vallis Thursday before fac- ing Woodburn on Monday at 4 p.m. duo is the Dragons’ top dou- bles pair this spring. “The first thing we're al- ways looking for in a doubles team is controlled aggres- sion,” Dallas coach Caleb Gillette said. “To win in dou- bles, the team has to be ag- gressive — this is an absolute must, especially when we play stronger teams. ” Gumpinger and Josiah Gillette may have lost their doubles match to Corvallis on Thursday, but the pair made strides. See PAIR, Page 12A 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 4/30/15 LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Cameron Gumpinger pre- pares for a point. www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports