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Polk County Sports 12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 21, 2015 CENTRAL BOYS SOCCER DALLAS ROUNDUP Panthers upset Corvallis Volleyball falls By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral boys soccer coach Carlos Esquivel preached one thing to his players at the start of the season: patience. After a 1-0 victory over Corvallis on Thursday, the Panthers are starting to see just how much that trait can pay off. — The start of the 2015 sea- son was as much a learning process for Esquivel as it was for his players. “We had to get used to the way he coaches,” senior defender Alfredo Diaz said. “We were used to last year’s coach. We had to learn how he wants us to play.” Inheriting an inexperi- enced squad, Esquivel had the Panthers make several adjustments on the field. That required some play- ers, like sophomore Evan Hoover, to change posi- tions. Hoover, a lifelong for- ward, now starts on the de- fensive line. “The most difficult part is when you have to make a decision that could cost your team,” Hoover said. Players were eager to help any way they could, but the transition hasn’t al- LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Senior defender Alfredo Diaz looks to send a kick upfield during Central’s 1-0 victory over Corvallis on Friday. ways been smooth. The Panthers went 1-4-2 during nonleague play. After opening Mid- Willamette Conference play with a victory over Dallas, Central suffered a pair of close losses, including a 2-1 defeat to South Albany on Oct. 6 in which they were defeated in the final sec- onds of the match. “I told them when we do get a lead, we can’t let down, even for one second,” Es- quivel said. It was a painful lesson for players to learn, but not one that would go unnoticed. After taking a 1-0 lead in the second half over Corvallis on Thursday, Central didn’t let history repeat itself again. “We just told everyone to start focusing,” Diaz said. “League is what matters. We have to go 100 percent every game. Everyone start- ed to step up to keep that lead. It felt good to know we kept composure.” The result was a 1-0 win that meant more than just improving the team’s league record to 2-2. “It means everything,” Diaz said. “We didn’t start (the season) off so well, but we’re coming together. We’re working and every- thing’s coming out really well.” After a season that’s been spent largely learning new roles, Thursday’s victory was a validation for coaches and players. “It’s a huge boost of con- fidence,” Esquivel said. “We’ve had some tough games, close games we feel we should have won. It gives us a little momentum going into the rest of the season and proving to our- selves that we can play as a team and win. We can’t let down, even for one second. They showed the dedication to win that game. In the end, we have to keep push- ing to the end. They saw that (on Thursday).” Now, the Panthers look to build on Thursday’s win. “We just need to keep sticking together,” Diaz said. to Spartans Dallas hopes to advance to play-in Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — The Dallas volleyball squad lost a pair of league matches, falling to Corvallis 25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22 on Oct.13 and t o C re s c e n t Va l l e y o n Thursday. The Dragons entered Tuesday’s match against Lebanon at 10-10 overall and 5-7 in MWC play, tied with Central for fifth place, which has a 6-10 overall mark. Dallas closes out the reg- ular season by hosting Sil- verton Thursday at 6 p.m. The third- through sixth- place finishers advance to the state play-in round. South Albany entered the week in seventh with a 4-8 league record. GIRLS SOCCER DEFEATS LEBANON: Dallas’ girls soccer team earned a 3-2 victory over Lebanon on Thursday. Jenifer Webb scored twice and Callista Kiner added one goal during the win. The Dragons, which opened the week with a 7-3 loss to Crescent Valley on Oct. 13, entered Tuesday’s match at Online • Follow Itemizer-Ob- server’s Sports Twitter page and like us on Facebook to keep up-to-date on score. Silverton in third place with a 2- 1-1 record in league play. The Dragons close out the regular season by hosting Corvallis on Thursday and South Albany on Tuesday. Both matches are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The top two teams in the MWC earn an automatic berth to the state playofs. The league’s third and fourth seeds will host a play-in game, while the ifth- and sixth-place squads will play on the road against a Midwestern League opponent. BOYS SOCCER LOSES TWO: Dallas’ boys soccer team dropped a pair of league matches, falling to Crescent Valley 4-1 on Oct. 13 and Lebanon 5-2 on Thursday. The Dragons played Silverton Tues- day after press time. Dallas closes out its season at Corval- lis on Thursday and at South Albany on Tuesday. Run: Cross hopes to Girls XC wins meet break 17 minutes Panthers prep for conference championships CENTRAL ROUNDUP Itemizer-Observer staff report SILVERTON — Central’s girls cross-country team took first out of three teams at Silverton High School on Oct. 14. Sophomore Bailie Hartford (19 min- utes, 46.4 seconds), j u n i o r Abby Mc- B e t h (20:43.0) and senior J a m i e Hartford S m i t h (20:51.2) took second, third and fourth, respectively to lead the Panthers. The boys squad placed second out of four teams. Aaron Padilla took sixth in 17:44.0, while Darien Hume (18:02.7), Jaydon Ay- delotte (18:03.0), Ammon Jeffries (18:06.6) and Josh Peterson (18:07.7) placed 11th through 14th, respec- tively. The Panthers will com- pete at the Mid-Willamette Conference Championships Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Cor- vallis. The top three teams ad- vance to the state meet along with any individuals in the top seven from non- qualifying teams. “Our boys are running well right now and are excit- ed to see where they end up at district,” Central coach Eli Cirino said. “They have all had recent PRs and are feel- ing very optimistic. Getting the boys to state may not be a realistic goal but they have talked about it and are dreaming big.” Central’s girls squad will see several individual run- ners competing for a spot in the top 10, and may find itself in a battle for one of the three team qualifying spots. “It would take an amazing performance to advance our girls to state, but I feel like they still believe in that pos- sibility,” Cirino said. “I also think they have a healthy understanding of things and that if they run well at dis- trict, I feel like our girls will be satisfied regardless of the team’s place.” Zachary Meyer, Darien H u m e , A a r o n Pa d i l l a , Ammon Jeffries, Josh Dick- son, Jaydon Aydelotte, and Josh Peterson will run in the varsity boys race, while Bailie Hartford, Abby Mc- Beth, Jamie Smith, Beatriz Tr u j i l l o, A n n i e Ta y l o r, Bethanie Altamirano, and Diana Nye will compete in the varsity girls race. FOOTBALL DEFEATS SIL- VERTON: Running back Alvin Berroa led Central’s football team to a 35-21 victory over Silverton on Friday. Berroa rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns against the Silver Foxes, aver- aging 8.7 yards per carry. Quar- terback Peter Men- d a z o n a threw for Tuipulotu 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On defense, Marlon Tuipulotu had 10 tackles and one sack. The Panthers host Corvallis Friday at 7 p.m. The show- down will be the team’s final home game of the regular season. With two games re- maining, Central (4-3 overall, 3-2 MWC) is in a four-way tie for second with Lebanon (5-2 overall), Crescent Valley (4-3 overall) and Corvallis (3-4 overall). The top four teams from the league advance to the state playoffs. GIRLS SOCCER DROPS TWO: Central’s girls soccer team lost a pair of league matches, falling to Silverton 5- 0 on Oct. 13 before losing to Corvallis 5-0 on Thursday. “Even though we lost to Corvallis, the girls played as a team,” Pan- thers coach Joe Orozco said. “That was probably their best game we have played this year.” Central played at Lebanon Tuesday after press time. The Panthers host Crescent Valley at 4 p.m. Thursday and Wood- burn at 6 p.m. Tuesday for the team’s inal games of the sea- son. Peak: Play-in round coming on Tuesday Continued from Page 10A Many of the issues have been self-inflicted, Nash said, including service er- rors, lack of communication and hitting errors. “I think we’re still waiting for that time to peak,” Nash said. “I’m looking for every- thing to mesh on the court.” Central ends the regular season against Woodburn, which entered the week 0-12 in league play. “The girls need to come together, which means play- ing well consistently, en- couraging each other on the court and when things don’t go well on the court, to move on to the next ball,” Panthers coach Claudine Mendazona said. “I want these girls to have the best opportunity (to succeed) out there.” Continued from Page 10A “I expected success, but it was hard to tell (what would happen),” Trevor said. “I wanted to do soccer and cross-country, but I didn’t know what to think at the beginning or what it would be like.” He may be a freshman, but it hasn’t taken long for Cross to excel in both sports. On the soccer field, Trevor earned himself a starting role. In cross-country, he be- came one of the Dragons’ top runners. Cross recorded Dallas’ fastest time at the North- west Classic on Sept. 26 and has been the Dragons’ top finisher in three of his last four races. Though his latest time was his fastest yet, Trevor wasn’t fully happy with his performance. “I wanted to get under 17 minutes, but I barely missed it,” Trevor said. That drive is what’s helped the freshman be successful. “Trevor has the most amazing work ethic,” Dallas coach Monique Lankheet said. “I have given him workouts to do in addition to soccer practice, and he does it on his own.” Training for two sports has led to some long and t i r i n g evenings, but Trevor d o e s n’t d r e a d t h o s e days. “I enjoy both of Stuhr them,” Trevor said. “It’s fun. I like the competition.” Trevor has wasted little time endearing himself to teammates outside of sports as well — something that has impressed his coaches. “He is super competi- tive,” Lankheet said. “He has a very positive outlook and is humble, which I think is a wonderful quality. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s a good guy.” He’s hoping a season spent pulling double duty results in his best race yet on Wednesday. “I’d like to get under 17 minutes, it’s what I’m really close to,” Cross said. “If I do, it would mean success for the season.” MWC championships The Dallas boys and girls cross-country squads will compete at the Mid- Willamette Conference Championships on Wednesday (today) in Corvallis. The top t h r e e teams ad- vance to the state c r o s s - country meet, plus any indi- Sletten vidual in the top seven from a non- qualifying team. Qualifying for state will be a tall order for the Dragons, but run- ners are hoping for a strong showing. “We have a solid team now,” Trevor said. “We have a chance to do better than we have in the past.” Trevor and T.J., Jesse Stuhr, Isaiah Letney, Kenny Sutton, Justin Huxel and Cody Tilgner will compete in the boys varsity race. Angie Sletten, Elizabeth Sutton, Alyssa Miller, An- neka Bloomstrom, Peyton Fast, Bekah Rocak and Eliz- abeth Dressel will run in the girls varsity race. “The kids are well pre- pared,” Lankheet said. “They have worked really hard and they have set themselves up to have their best performance. … All are running their best times and my hope is that they put out their best perform- ance when it really counts. Everyone is super excited and optimistic about racing Wednesday (today).” Using your head LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Central breaks out of a timeout during its match against Silverton on Thursday evening at Central High. When they do come to- gether, Nash said the Pan- thers will be a force to be reckoned with. “Once we come together, it’s going to be really fun to watch,” Nash said. “I think we’ll get there.” LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Central senior midfielder Angel Morenilla goes up for a header against Corvallis on Thursday afternoon. The Panthers upset Corvallis 1-0 to improve to 3-6-2 overall and 2-2-0 in Mid-Willamette Conference play.
