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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2015)
Polk County Sports CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30 Boys basketball: Dallas at Abby’s Holiday Tourna- ment at North Medford, TBA. Girls basketball: Dallas at Nike Interstate Shootout at Lake Oswego High School, TBA. Wrestling: Central, Dallas at Northwest Duals, 9 a.m. THURSDAY, DEC. 31 Men’s basketball: West- ern Oregon at Central Washington, 4:30 p.m. Women’s basketball: Simon Fraser at Western Oregon, 3 p.m. FRIDAY, JAN. 1 Wrestling: Dallas at Pacif- ic Coast Tournament, 1 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 2 Boys basketball: Moun- tain View at Central, 3 p.m. Girls basketball: Moun- tain View at Central, 1:30 p.m. Men’s basketball: West- ern Oregon at Northwest Nazarene, 6:30 p.m. Women’s basketball: Western Washington at Western Oregon, 7 p.m. Wrestling: Central at Bob Bishop Invitational, 9 a.m. Dallas at Paciic Coast Tour- nament, 1 p.m. TUESDAY, JAN. 5 Boys basketball: Falls City at Perrydale, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Beaver- ton at Central, 7 p.m. Sunset at Dallas, 7 p.m. Falls City at Perrydale, 5:30 p.m. Swimming: Corvallis at Dallas, 4 p.m. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6 Wrestling: Central, Dallas at Lebanon, 3 p.m. — Schedules Subject to Change QUICK HITS WOU announces Hall of Fame class MONMOUTH — Western Oregon University an- nounced its 2016 Hall of Fame inductees: Bruce Hamilton, Casey Cosler, Tony Burris, Robert Day, Bridget Johnson-Tetteh and Tyler Walker. Hamilton played football and baseball from 1946-49. He was inducted into the NAIA District II Hall of Fame. Burris played football from 1985-86 when he was a two-time NAIA honorable mention All-American at quarterback. Cosler played women’s basketball from 1985-87. She holds the school record for most ield goals in a sin- gle game (18) and ranks fourth in career scoring (1,222 points). Day played men’s bas- ketball from 2001-04. He is WOU’s all-time scoring leader with 2,110 points. Johnson-Tetteh compet- ed in track and ield from 2003-06. She holds the school records in the hep- tathlon with 5,080 points. She currently serves as the associate commissioner of the Great Northwest Athlet- ic Conference. Walker played softball from 2007-10. She earned honorable mention All- American recognition in 2009, one of only two WOU softball players to be named All-American. WOU will recognize its Hall of Fame class on Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $40 or $220 for a table of six and $275 for a table of eight. For more information: www.wouwolves.com/new s/2015/11/12/ATH_111215 4752.aspx. www.polkio.com Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 30, 2015 12A Bringing the energy Stepp hopes to bring the X factor for the Central Panthers By Lukas Eggen Central The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Madison Stepp entered the 2015-16 season with a pretty good idea where he’d fit in for Central’s boys basketball team. “I felt like I would be able to start, play some good de- fense and be that ‘energy guy,’” Stepp said. The senior post has more than fit the bill so far this year. — Stepp likes to get physical. As a tight end during foot- ball, Stepp was called upon to both block in the tre- nches and be a re- ceiver. “Pl a y i n g football has definitely helped me with basketball and vice versa,” Stepp said. “Football helped make me a lot quicker, which has al- lowed me to play better this year.” In the spring, Stepp plays rugby through a club team — a sport that not only in- creases physical strength, but his endurance as well. “It’s a different pace,” Stepp said. “You’re constant- ly moving so you have to get used to that.” During basketball, Stepp isn’t afraid to step into the paint and get physical with whoever he’s guarding. “When he plays in con- trol, Madison does some great things on the court,” Central coach Tim Kreta • Central lost to Roo- sevelt 66-51 on Monday night. • Junior Peter Mason led the Panthers in scoring with nine points. • Central (4-4 overall) hosts Mountain View Satur- day at 2 p.m. in the team’s final nonleague game of the season. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Central senior post Madison Stepp looks to split a pair of Roosevelt defenders during the Panthers’ 66-51 loss on Monday night. said. “We can all see that.” — Up until seventh grade, Stepp appeared headed in a different direction for his winter sport — wrestling. “In middle school, you can do both sports, so I de- cided I wanted to try to play basketball,” Stepp said. Without any prior basket- ball exper ience, Stepp showed natural talent and determination. He made the school’s “B” team that season, but bas- ketball had become his new focus during the winter. “I liked it better than wrestling,” Stepp said. “I felt like I got to use my athleti- cism more in basketball.” Basketball provided him with an avenue to be aggres- sive and use his physical skills the most. He just had to learn how to make sure his physical tools didn’t get the best of him. “Sometimes he’s a football player on the basketball court,” Kreta said. “He’s learning the finesse side of the game. I love him to death.” Once he arrived at high school, the then-freshman had a new reality check. “I was surprised how much faster the game is now than it was in middle school,” Stepp said. He didn’t let his lack of ex- perience hold him back, though. See ENERGY, Page 13A Here’s to an Nelson finds her voice athletic 2016 Junior becomes vocal leader for Dragons DALLAS GIRLS BASKETBALL By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Dallas girls basketball coach David Brautigam had a simple mes- sage for junior point guard Olivia Nel- son — it was time to step up. “A f t e r the first game, coach talked to me about being more of a leader on the court,” Nelson said. With three key players out with injuries, Nelson’s leader- ship has been more impor- tant than ever. From a physical stand- point, she has become one of the Dragons’ most complete all-around players. “O l i v i a i s t h e g l u e,” Brautigam said. “She keeps us all together. She is physically a great point guard and brings a lot to the table. She can break her man down, get other play- ers involved and is awesome as an on-ball defender.” See NELSON, Page 13A LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas junior Olivia Nelson has become the Dragons’ starting point guard this season. Ah, the New Year is al- most upon us. The time when anything seems possible. A time when an inspirational m ov i e q u o t e g e t s m e pumped up to set ridicu- lously ambitious (for me) goals, because how hard could that really be? A time when the possibilities seem endless — until I remember my favorite cooking tool is a microwave and my athletic career peaked before the age of 18. Those darned resolu- tions. Those promises of a better life that we commit to for a shorter length of time than some celebrity marriages. Those goals that are supposed to make me feel better, but instead re- veal that, alas, I’m not quite the awesome, athletic, and multi-talented superhu- man I thought I was. History should suggest I temper my expectations for 2016. Will I? Of course not! What better way to hold myself accountable than printing my sports resolu- tions? There may be tri- umphs (I use that word loosely). There may be fail- www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209 DALLAS 121 Main St • 503-623-8155 • www.LesSchwab.com INDEPENDENCE 1710 Monmouth St • 503-838-6340 Mon -Fri 8am - 6pm • Sat 8am - 5pm L UKAS E GGEN Commentary ures, but 2016 will be one to remember. In no particular order: Enter the Monmouth- Independence Fourth of July Tennis Tournament — It’s a little known fact I once had a promising tennis ca- reer at a young age. By promising I mean I took tennis lessons one summer and beat three other stu- dents (two of whom had the agility of an overweight sloth and the hand-eye co- ordination to match). OK, so I’m no Roger Federer. Or Tinotenda Chanakira (No. 2,255 in the Association of Tennis Professional’s men’s singles rankings as of Mon- day). I can, however, hit the ball over the net … some- times. Whether it lands in play, on someone else’s court face or over the fence is a whole different matter. See 2016, Page 13A www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports