Polk County Sports
12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 11, 2015
Finding the right fight
Former Dallas resident uses mixed martial arts as an avenue to turn his life around
By Lukas Eggen
Fight night
The Itemizer-Observer
What: Knucklehead Promotions’ Fight to Defeat ALS.
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Salem Armory.
Admission: $25 in advance. $30 at the door.
Of note: There are 12 scheduled bouts. Advance tickets
can be purchased by contacting Chris Weston at 503-930-
5631.
SALEM — Chris Weston
has always been a fighter.
The former Dallas resi-
dent, who now lives in
Salem, has been a mixed
martial arts fighter since
2010.
On Saturday, Weston will
be one of 12 scheduled
fights as part of Knuckle-
head’s Fight to Defeat ALS at
the Salem Armory.
But Weston will be fight-
ing for more than just a vic-
tory. In a sport built around
violence, Weston fights to
find peace within himself.
Trouble
From a young age, Weston
always wanted to be a fight-
er.
“I loved Ninja Turtles and
all that,” Weston said. “I def-
initely wanted to be a ninja.”
His desire to be a fighter
came with a dark side.
“I was a real small kid, so I
always felt like I had to prove
myself,” Weston said. “I lived
in low-income housing and I
didn’t have a lot of guidance
growing up. I felt like I had
to prove myself a certain
way.”
As a kid, proving himself
meant one thing.
“Unfortunately, with all
that anger, I fought quite
often,” Weston said. “I want-
ed to be a peaceful person,
but I just had a lot of anger.
That got me into a lot of
trouble growing up.”
Weston was sent to prison
twice on third-degree as-
sault and attempted assault
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Chris Weston will fight on Saturday evening, his first bout since February of 2014.
charges, most recently from
2007 to 2009. It was then We-
ston decided something had
to change.
“I spent the last year in
the hole on 23- and 24-hour
lock down,” Weston said. “I
didn’t want to be there. I
didn’t want to be locked up
but I didn’t implement a
plan. I didn’t have a plan.
Being locked up gave me
time to think and formulate
something.”
It was during this time
that MMA began to grow in
popularity. Weston found an
avenue that would give his
life a new direction.
Making a change
Upon release from prison
in 2009, Weston immediate-
ly began working toward
building his MMA career.
“I knew a promoter,” We-
ston said. “He got me my
first fight in 2010. I trained
for it by fighting a few
friends and punching a
punching bag. I thought I
was ready to fight.”
Weston quickly received
his first lesson in what it
would take to become a pro-
fessional fighter.
“I used to think it was just
angry people having bar
room brawls,” Weston said.
“I see it as a sport now. Peo-
ple have respect for each
other.”
Weston started training in
martial arts and joined a
conditioning gym. He won
his next four fights. As he
found success in the octa-
gon, Weston also received an
associates degree in auto-
motive technology and
began taking side jobs.
“I’m working on building
a network,” Weston said. “It’s
more than just fighting. I
have to market myself, es-
tablish a fan base.”
He also met his girlfriend
of six years, Jackie Scott,
during this time.
Weston no longer fought
to prove himself. He fought
to provide a better life for
himself, his girlfriend and
her 10-year-old son.
“It makes me have re-
sponsibilities,” Weston said.
“I have to man up every day.
Having the end goal of get-
ting that financial stability
and providing a better up-
bringing really keeps me
motivated. This is some-
thing that’s made me stay
dedicated. It’s given me
work ethic and personal
growth. I’m giving this
everything I have.”
Scott has seen Weston’s
transformation first hand.
And despite the long hours,
the dedication necessary to
succeed is worth it for their
family.
“This helps show our son
that there’s so much more
than getting into trouble,”
Scott said. “We want to in-
still into our son the things
that Chris didn’t have.”
After earning a victory in
February of 2014, things
were looking up.
Life, it seems, was ready
to test Weston once again.
“I went snowboarding
after that fight and I tore my
ACL, MCL and meniscus,”
Weston said.
What begun with opti-
mism turned into a poten-
tially devastating moment.
“Not looking at the bigger
picture was hard,” Weston
said. “If you look at how
much you have to train, it
can be overwhelming. I
knew what I was able to do
before the injury. Getting
back to that part was real
hard. I felt like I wasn’t mak-
ing any progress at first. It’s
small victories to get to that
great victory.”
Saturday’s fight will mark
the first time Weston will
step back into the octagon
since that injury.
“This fight means every-
thing,” Weston said. “This is
coming back from an injury
that has stopped other peo-
ple’s careers. This is another
goal reached.”
Weston has a lot riding on
this bout.
He has plans to turn pro-
fessional within a year and
wants to join the UFC within
five years.
More importantly, Weston
hopes he can serve as an in-
spiration for kids like him.
After a lifetime spent
fighting, he’s finally found
peace.
“I knew I was a better per-
son than (when I was getting
into) trouble,” Weston said.
“I want to help show kids
like me and give them direc-
tion. That’s what I didn’t
have growing up. Don’t give
up. Small victories equal
great wins and go for your
dreams.”
Panthers: Central faces unbeaten Crater on Friday
Continued from Page 10A
The Spartans jumped out
to a 7-0 lead, but Central re-
sponded with 40 unan-
swered points.
“We just had to play a lit-
tle faster and smarter and
get our head in the game,”
Tuipulotu said.
Berroa rushed for 186
yards and two touchdowns,
while quarterback Peter
Mendazona threw for 238
yards and three touch-
downs. Marlon and Opeti
Tuipulotu, Luis Amador and
Madison Stepp each record-
ed a sack on defense.
Two of Central’s losses this
season came after blowing
double-digit, second-half
leads and the Panthers were
eliminated in the first round
of the 2014 state playoffs
after holding a lead in the
second half.
“The coaches did a really
good job breaking down
Hillsboro,” Central coach
Shane Hedrick said. “The
players took what we saw in
practice and executed it on
the game field. Offensively,
we were dialed in and took
advantage of some areas. We
played well overall.”
But the Panthers’ will to
finish was tested.
Trailing 40-7, Hillsboro
s c o re d 2 1 u n a n s we re d
points to pull within 40-28
entering the final period.
The Panthers refused to
cave in, holding the Spartans
scoreless the rest of the way.
“It was huge,” Berroa said.
“Honestly, this feels really
good. We had a tough loss
last year in the playoffs and
we came back and won this
year. I love it.”
The Panthers advanced to
the quarterfinals round and
will play at Crater on Friday.
Crater is 10-0 overall, in-
cluding a 57-34 victory over
Dallas on Sept. 4, a 41-37
win over Mountain View on
Sept. 18 and a 45-0 win over
Silverton on Friday.
Central defeated Dallas 8-
0, Mountain View 42-21 and
Silverton 35-21.
“They’re a seasoned foot-
ball team,” Hedrick said.
“John Beck coaches a very
aggressive football style.
They play to the whistle
and fundamentally sound.
O bv i o u s l y, t h a t ’s w h y
they’re undefeated coming
into this game. ... They’ve
got a good, stocky quarter-
back, a solid running back
and will show multiple sets
against us.”
While Crater presents a
big challenge for Central to
overcome, the Panthers
won’t be intimidated by the
matchup. Instead, players
are excited to have the
chance to keep playing and
finish their fight.
“We just tell ourselves to
keep our heads up and fight
through adversity,” Opeti Tu-
ipulotu said. “That’s the
game right there. You just
have to keep fighting.”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Central running back Alvin Berroa scored three touchdowns against Hillsboro.
Perrydale: Pirates score
Dragons fall to Wilsonville first 24 points during win
DALLAS GIRLS SOCCER
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
WILSONVILLE — Dallas’ girls soccer
team’s historic season came to an end. The
Dragons lost to Wilsonville 6-0 in the first
round of the state playoffs. While it marked
the end to the season, players weren’t hang-
ing their heads.
“It was an awesome time,” senior Sarah
Ussery said. “Just being able to play that
game was an honor.”
Dallas qualified for the state playoffs for
the first time in school history after defeat-
ing Springfield 3-0 in the play-in round on
Oct. 30.
In the first round of the state playoffs
against Wilsonville on Nov. 4, the Dragons
saw what it would take for them to advance.
“I think it was good for us to get a taste of
what the state playoffs are like,” Dallas
coach Kirk Myrold said. “It was good to see
the atmosphere and having a game that
was an all or nothing game and the buildup
to it. The excitement the girls, the families,
the school and the community had, that’s
what we want to have again next year and
for more years to come.”
The Dragons’ success this season sur-
prised some, even among the team’s play-
ers.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting the turnout
that we had,” Ussery said. “I’m grateful for
that. I knew we had a lot of potential, but I
didn’t know how far we could make it.”
Late in the regular season, Myrold said
the team elevated its play, as Dallas (5-10-1
overall, 3-3-1 Mid-Willamette Conference)
COREY BUCHANAN/for the Itemizer-Observer
Jordan Applegate (left) fights for a ball
against Wilsonville on Nov. 4.
set a new precedent for success for the
school’s girls soccer program.
“As a squad, it just kind of clicked,” My-
rold said. “We figured out how we wanted
to play and how we were going to play. The
girls played with and for each other.”
Now, players are already excited about
staying in shape for next school year — and
for at least one returning player, she’s not
afraid to set the bar even higher.
“I think we’ll improve because we just
made school history being the first team to
get to the playoffs,” junior goalkeeper Ash-
lee Lichtenberger said. “Our goal is to have
a home playoff game next year. We’ll be-
come better.”
Continued from Page 10A
“(This win) means a lot,”
C.J. Marsters said. “We’ve
tried so hard, practiced so
much and busted ass. We’ve
been preparing for a game
like this. A lot of hard work
went into this.”
Bailey scored three touch-
downs on a rainy afternoon
that saw Perrydale take a 16-
0 lead into the half.
“This was better than
(beating) Dufur,” Bailey
said. “This could have been
our last game and it wasn’t.
That’s just a great feeling.
We wanted to pound it until
they weakened down and fi-
nally, just finish it off.”
Despite some ball security
issues, the Pirates won with
relative ease over the Spar-
tans.
“The kids played really
hard,” Perrydale coach Chris
Gubrud said. “As coaches,
that is all we ever ask. On de-
fense we played assignment
football and our guys really
kept to the scheme except
for maybe two or three
plays. I’d like us to tackle a
little bit better, but other
t h a n t h a t , I ’m r e a l l y
pleased.”
Marsters made his pres-
ence felt
on both
sides of the
ball, pro-
viding a
third op-
tion at run-
ning back,
while dis-
Marsters
rupting
Pine Eagle on defense.
“C.J. was all over the field
on defense,” Gubrud said.
“He was wreaking havoc all
day long. This was his best
defensive game of the sea-
son for sure.”
The Pirates will play at No.
3 Wallowa on Friday in the
quarterfinals of the state
playoffs.
Wallowa went 6-2 overall
and 4-0 in Special District 1
play.
“We don’t know a lot
about them but we know the
drive is really long and we
have to stay focused and be
ready to play the moment
we get there,” Bailey said.
Wallowa defeated Pine
Eagle 48-8 on Oct. 2.
Gubrud said the Pirates
must be ready to execute at
a high level if they want to
advance.
“No matter who we play,
they’re going to be very
good,” Gubrud said. “We’ll
have our work cut out for us.
But we’ll put our best foot
forward and the only thing I
can guarantee is that we’ll
put out a great effort.”
As the Pirates turn their
attention toward Wallowa,
ball security and tackling
will be among the main fo-
cuses during practice.
“We need to understand
and value the football,”
Gubrud said. “A yard isn’t
worth a fumble. We have to
cover it up when we get in
traffic. We want to give our-
selves a chance to score on
every possession and not
just hand it over to them.”
As Perrydale hopes to
continue its run to a state
title, Marsters said the Pi-
rates can’t let success get to
their heads. Instead, players
hope their drive and deter-
mination will lead them one
step closer toward their ulti-
mate goal.
“We have to just keep our
heads down and keep grind-
ing,” Marsters said. “We
have to stay true to our-
selves and play hard like we
always have. We have to
stick together.”