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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2015)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 25, 2015 11A 2015 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION PREP FOOTBALL TEAM QUARTERBACK Peter Mendazona state playoffs. LINEBACKER/RUN- NING BACK Keenan Bailey Central The 6-foot, 165-pound sopho- more quarterback got off to a rough start in the 2015 sea- son, throwing for one comple- tion for 67 yards and two Mendazona interceptions against Bend. Since then, he’s progressed at a rapid pace. Men- dazona earned all-league honorable mention after finishing the year throwing for 1,926 yards and 22 touchdowns. Although there were grow- ing pains early, Mendazona figures to give Central a steady and proficient quarterback over the next two years. RUNNING BACK/LINEBACKER Zach Weems Perrydale The senior running back/linebacker was the Pi- rates’ go-to runner during the 2015 season.“He’s a bat- Bailey tler,” Perrydale coach Chris Gubrud said. “I love that kid. He’s hard to tackle and he’s got good vision.” On defense, he helped anchor a unit that gave up 21.4 points per game — the fewest of any team in Special District 4. Bailey was one of eight Pirates to earn first team all-league honors. DEFENSIVE LINE- MAN Marlon Tuipulotu Falls City The senior running back/linebacker was a major force for the Mountaineers during the 2015 season. Weems Weems had 81 carries for 670 yards and 11 touchdowns — all team highs — on offense. He also recorded 28 total tackles on defense. Weems earned second team all- Special District 3 honors for his performance during the season. RUNNING BACK Alvin Berroa Central The junior lineman was a dominant force for the Pan- thers. Tuipulotu was named M. Tuipulotu the conference’s Defense Player of the Year and earned first team all-MWC honors on the defensive and offensive lines. As a defensive tackle, Tuipulotu recorded a team-high 78 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He also grabbed two intercep- tions. On offense, he helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 38.7 points per game over the team’s final seven contests. Central The senior running back was Central’s workhorse in the backfield. Berroa did not dis- appoint. He rushed for 1,606 yards and 15 touchdowns to Berroa anchor the Panthers’ run game. He also had 10 recep- tions for 80 yards and one touchdown through the air. Berroa, who earned first team all-Mid- Willamette Conference honors, was a major part of Central’s success. The senior ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns during the Panthers’ 46-28 win over Hillsboro in the first round of the 5A RECEIVER/DEFEN- SIVE BACK Peter Mason Central The junior wide receiver/de- fensive back was a dual threat for the Panthers. On offense, he was Menda- Mason zona’s favorite target, grab- bing a team-high 40 catches for 843 yards and nine touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 31 tackles and two interceptions and had three fumble recoveries, helping to shut down op- posing receivers in the process. Mendazona earned first team all-conference honors on both offense and defense for his efforts during the season. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN Opeti Tuipulotu Central The senior defensive lineman gave opponents fits from the defensive end position. Tuip- ulotu recorded 30 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks O. Tuipulotu during the 2015 season, de- spite missing three games. He also had two fum- ble recoveries. The senior earned first team all-conference honors for his performance for the Panthers. team all-MWC recognition on offense, while earn- ing an honorable mention on defense. TIGHT END/LINE- BACKER Brant Barnes Perrydale The senior tight end/line- backer was one of the Pirates’ most dependable players on both sides of the ball. Barnes Barnes earned first team all-Special District 4 honors on offense, while receiving sec- ond team recognition on defense. Barnes became a major player during the postseason, Gubrud said. “Brant was our best defensive player throughout our playoff run,” Gubrud said. “He played the run and the pass very well.” LINEBACKER Luke McBeth RECEIVER/DEFEN- SIVE BACK Haylen Janesofsky Central Perrydale The senior linebacker helped give the Panthers one of the most potent front seven units in all of 5A. McBeth recorded 34 tackles, five McBeth tackles for loss and one sack during the 2015 campaign. He also had an in- terception. McBeth was named to the first team all-conference. RUNNING BACK/LINEBACKER Tanner Earhart Dallas The junior running back/line- backer played a major role in Dallas’ late season resurgence. Once the Dragons returned to Earhart the ground and pound, Earhart was one of the centerpieces of Dallas’ of- fense. That included a 117-yard, three touchdown performance during Dallas’ 20-0 victory over Crescent Valley on Oct. 16. Earhart earned second The junior joined the football team midway through the season after watching the Pi- rates’ 36-34 win over Dufur. Janesofsky Against Ione, Janesofsky scored six touchdowns — three through the air, two on the ground and one on an interception. COACH Chris Gubrud Perrydale Gubrud helped make Perry- dale’s return to Class 1A a highly successful one. The Pi- rates finished the regular sea- son undefeated, winning the Gubrud Special District 4 title and ad- vancing to the state semifi- nals, where Perrydale came within a play of advancing to the state title game. — The All-Region football team was selected by the Itemizer-Observer Sports Editor Lukas Eggen along with heavy input from area coaches. Avgi: WOU starts Sack: Tuipulotu received offers new season 4-0 from multiple universities Continued from Page 10A “I wanted to see what I can do in the future and I wanted to challenge my- self,” Avgi said. As recently as the sum- mer, Avgi wasn’t completely sure if playing football would be the right choice — but a WOU alumni, and Super Bowl champion, stepped in. “Kevin Boss had a big im- pact on my decision,” Avgi said. “I talked to him a lot that summer and my par- ents and brother, too. I de- cided let’s go for it.” Avgi had 12 receptions for 192 yards and four touchdowns as a tight end. Despite transitioning straight into basketball, Avgi has hit the ground running, averaging a team-high 22 points per game in two games. “The physicality (of foot- ball) helped me on the court,” Avgi said. “The con- ditioning is different, but I’ll get better.” The senior hopes that by giving him options, his ath- letic career won’t end once he leaves WOU. “I definitely would love to play at the next level,” Avgi said. “I want to try doing that. If it happens, I’ll be grateful. If it doesn’t, I’ll be OK, too.” For now, Avgi is more worried about the imme- diate future than life after college and showing that last season was no fluke. “We always have a target on our back regardless of what we’ve been doing,” Avgi said. “We’ve started out great but we can do so much better.” WESTERN OREGON ROUNDUP Continued from Page 10A — The Tuipulotu family is a football family. Tuipulotu grew up watching USC foot- ball and the NFL. Marlon dreamt about getting his chance to join his older brother, Opeti, at the high school level. “I grew up watching my brother play,” Tuipulotu said. “I really wanted to try it out. It looked like a fun sport.” When Tuipulotu began his freshman season he had his eyes set on playing tight end. That dream was short lived. “The first day of practice my freshman year I realized that wasn’t the position for me,” Tuipulotu said. “After that, I went straight to the offensive and defensive line.” Tuipulotu’s expectations were modest at the begin- ning. “I wanted to help my team win and hopefully get the chance to play college ball,” Tuipulotu said. “I would be happy playing any kind of college football.” It wouldn’t be long until Tuipulotu realized both dreams could become reality. — Tuipulotu’s first letter from a college came at the beginning of his sophomore year from Nebraska. It would be far from his last. After a sophomore sea- son that saw Tuipulotu earn first team all-Mid- Willamette Conference hon- ors, Tuipulotu worked to im- prove his game even further. “I worked on getting more explosive off the ball and playing smarter,” Tuipulotu said. That work paid off in a big way. Tuipulotu was named the MWC’s defensive player of the year and helped the Panthers advance to the quarterfinals of the 5A state playoffs. 247Sports rated Tu- ipulotu as the No. 6 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 93 player overall. Tuipulotu has seen his collegiate stock grow by leaps and bounds. He’s been in contact with Oregon State, Notre Dame, Arizona, Cal, Michigan, BYU, Wash- ington State, and Washing- ton. Most recently, he visited the University of Oregon over the weekend — includ- ing watching the Ducks’ win over USC. “It was a great experi- ence,” Tuipulotu said. “I got to meet some of the position coaches and take a tour of the facilities.” The attention has been a surprise for the junior, who knows the collegiate process has just begun. “It’s fun and good getting to know schools want you to play for them,” Tuipulotu said. “I’m blessed to be in this position.” Tuipulotu is solely fo- cused on improving for next fall. He became a wrestler to improve his balance and physicality and hopes his senior year is his best one yet — on a personal level and for the Panthers. From the moment he stepped onto the field for the first time, Tuipulotu has always hoped football will help lead him to bigger and better things. Despite his success, that goal remains the same. “Just keep improving,” Tu- ipulotu said. “I want to find ways to get better and help the team win more.” Ribich places 67th Pirates: Loss ruins perfect record Itemizer-Observer staff report JOPLIN, Mo. — Western Oregon sophomore cross- countr y runner David Ribich finished 67th at the NCAA Di- vision II Cross- country Na t i o n a l Champi- onship race on Sa t u rd a y at Joplin, Ribich Mo. Ribich finished the 10,000-meter race in 30 minutes, 58.6 seconds. Alfred Chelanga of Shorter took the individ- ual title with a time of 29:24.6. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARNS FIRST WIN: The WOU women’s basketball team picked up its first win of the season, defeating Evergreen State College 77-75 in over- time on Sunday. Tied at 63 at the end of regulation, Sydney Azorr scored five straight points to open the extra peri- od. Jordan Mottershaw hit a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left to give WOU the win. Mot- tershaw finished with 20 Mottershaw p o i n t s , while Azorr added 17 points and Michelle Bromagem scored 14. Western Oregon (1-3 overall) lost to California State, Chico 65-54 on Satur- day. WOU will play at the Mines Thanksgiving Tourna- ment in Golden, Co. against Regis and Colorado School of Mines on Friday and Satur- day. VOLLEYBALL LOSES FINAL MATCHES: The West- ern Oregon volleyball team ended its 2015 season with a pair of losses to Alaska Fair- banks and Alaska Anchorage last week. The Wolves fell to the Nanooks 27-25, 25-19, 25- 20 on Thursday and the Sea- wolves 25-21, 25-16, 25-11 on Saturday. WOU ends the sea- son with an 8-21 record over- all and a 5-15 mark in GNAC play. Online Scoreboard Looking for Scoreboard? Scoreboard will be posted online Wednesday (today). Head online to www.- polkio.com to view that and more. Continued from Page 10A Janesofsky rushed for three touchdowns, while Keenan Bailey and C.J. Marsters scored one each. The Pirates struggled to contain the Rangers’ of- fense, especially quarter- back Bailey Keever who threw for five touchdowns and ran for another. “ T h e p ro b l e m i s we couldn’t contain the quarter- back,” Gubrud said. “The QB runs all over the place, and we have guys who are a little bit outmatched have to cover for a little bit too long. In eight-man football, there’s a lot of field. When you have the wrong matchup and the QB can buy all that time, you’re vulnerable. That’s just how it works.” Although the Pirates (10- 1 overall) saw their state title dreams fall just short, Perrydale’s return to Class 1A was largely successful, winning the Special Dis- trict 4 league title and fin- ishing the regular season undefeated. “That’s something no- body can take away from us and was our biggest accom- plishment,” Bailey said. Saturday’s loss prevented players the chance to end the season on the perfect note. “The team played well, LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Haylen Janesofsky dives for a touchdown on Saturday afternoon. but it was just a bad situa- tion,” Janesofsky said. The 2015 season proved to be a memorable one for the Perrydale Pirates, but for players and coaches, it ended one game too early. “ I l ov e t h e s e k i d s ,” Gubrud said. “I’ll never for- get them. This was just a dis- appointing way to end the season.”