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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
Polk County Sports SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27 Boys basketball: Perry- dale at Livingstone Adven- tist, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Cor- vallis at Central, 7 p.m. Dal- las at Lebanon, 7 p.m. Wrestling: Central at Sil- verton, 6 p.m. Crescent Val- ley at Dallas, 6 p.m. Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 27, 2016 10A PERRYDALE GIRLS BASKETBALL Pirates set for showdown with Country By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer THURSDAY, JAN. 28 Boys basketball: Ed- dyville Charter at Falls City, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Ed- dyville Charter at Falls City, 5:30 p.m. M e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l : Northwest Nazarene at Western Oregon, 7 p.m. Women’s basketball: Western Oregon at West- ern Washington, 5:15 p.m. FRIDAY, JAN. 29 Boys basketball: Cen- tral at Woodburn, 7 p.m. Silverton at Dallas, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Wood- burn at Central, 7 p.m. Dal- las at Silverton, 7 p.m. Track and ield: West- ern Oregon at UW Invita- tional, all day. SATURDAY, JAN. 30 Men’s basketball: Cen- tral Washington at Western Oregon, 4 p.m. Women’s basketball: Western Oregon at Simon Fraser, 5:15 p.m. Wrestling: Central at Monroe Invitational, TBA. MONDAY, FEB. 1 Boys basketball: Falls City at St. John Bosco, 7 p.m. Perrydale at Country Christian, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Falls City at St. John Bosco, 5:30 p.m. Perrydale at Country Christian, 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY, FEB. 2 Boys basketball: South Albany at Central, 7 p.m. Woodburn at Dallas, 7 p.m. Swimming: Lebanon, Central at Dallas, 4 p.m. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3 Boys basketball: Perry- dale at Falls City, 7 p.m. Girls basketball: Cen- tral at South Albany, 7 p.m. Dallas at Woodburn, 7 p.m. Perrydale at Falls City, 5:30 p.m. Wrestling: Woodburn at Central, 7 p.m. Silverton at Dallas, 6 p.m. — Schedules Subject to Change LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Perrydale freshman Shylar Halverson (center) looks to pass after recovering a loose ball against St. Paul on Saturday afternoon. The Pirates lost 36-15. PERRYDALE — Perrydale’s girls basketball team showed it can be good, even domi- nant, against some of the Casco League’s worst teams. Now, players hope to show they can hang with the league’s best — top-ranked Country Christian. — With little doubt, Perry- dale has come a long way since its season opener — a 61-point loss to Willamina. The Pirates defeated Jew- ell 25-23 on Tuesday and C.S. Lewis 52-7 on Friday before dropping a nonleague con- test to St. Paul 36-15 on Sat- urday. Prior to the loss, Per- rydale had won eight games in a row. “ T h e younger girls are learning to step up and bat- t l e,” P i - r a t e s c o a c h McGill Terry New- ton said. “ We fo- cused on defense (early in the sea- son). Then we focused on offense. Newton It takes time to transition from the defensive part to the of- fense, but the girls are growing.” See SHOWDOWN, Page 11A The natural Dallas sophomore discovers way to experience passion first-hand By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Throughout his life, Dallas sophomore Grant Mc- Farland has always loved basketball. During the winter, he’s there to cheer his Dallas Dragons on during basketball games. He was there to see his favorite profes- sional team, the Portland Trail Blazers, earn a win against the L.A. Clippers. But for as big of a basketball fan as McFarland is, he never ex- perienced the thrill of competing on the court. McFarland was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that af- fects nerves in his lower back. “It affects the spinal cord. It just wrecks sensitivity (in the lower body) and my back is real fragile,” McFarland said. He can get around using a walker, but chooses to use a wheelchair so he can get around faster. While he remains mo- bile, he couldn’t play the sport he loved to watch — that is until he found an outlet that’s allowed him to grow as a basketball player and a person. — McFarland had played around on a basketball court before, beginning in 2014, but never thought he’d get a chance to com- pete in a team setting. See NATURAL, Page 12A QUICK HITS LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas sophomore Grant McFarland will compete with the Junior Wheel Blazers in a tournament this weekend in Fairview. Central unveils Hall of Fame class INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral High School revealed its 2016 Hall of Fame class. The class will be hon- ored in a ceremony on April 30 at 6 p.m. Cost is $5. The Hall of Fame will honor the 1982 boys tennis team and the 1983 football team, both of which won state titles. In addition, athletes Joe Mendazona, Johanna Koch Dillard, Dick Britton, Jordan Pratt, Floyd Graves and Darryl “Mouse” Davis, Meri- torious Clyde McMillan and coach John Oliver will be honored. DALLAS WRESTLING Coxen rises to the moment Junior learns not to let anyone intimidate him on the mat By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer STAT SHEET 1 The number of Great Northwest Athletic Conference losses Western Ore- gon’s men’s basketball team has this year. The set- back came against Central Washington on Dec. 31, 2015. WOU and CWU play on Thursday. www.polkio.com LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas junior Clay Coxen looks to pin his opponent against South Albany on Jan. 20. DALLAS — When junior Clay Coxen stepped onto the mat for his first high school wrestling match, the mo- ment consumed him. “I was worried about everything,” he said. “I wor- ried about the crowd. I wor- ried about the other guys who looked bigger than me.” This season, Coxen is out to show he won’t be intimi- dated by anyone. — It wasn’t until his sopho- more year that he began to truly feel comfortable on the mat. “Last year, I had a differ- ent attitude going into the season,” Coxen said. “I real- www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209 ized that it doesn’t matter. You just have to go out there and perform.” Now an upperclassmen, Coxen has his eyes set on winning a district title and placing at state. Wrestling primarily at 170- and 182-pounds, the junior has a 29-5 mark so far this season, including a first-place finish at the McKay Holiday Classic in December and a third-place finish at the Pacific Coast wrestling tournament on Jan. 2. “In practice, I’m just try- ing my hardest every day,” Coxen said. “I have some of the best workout partners in the state to help me and some of the best coaches.” See COXEN, Page 12A www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports DALLAS 121 Main St • 503-623-8155 INDEPENDENCE 1710 Monmouth St • 503-838-6340 Mon -Fri 8am - 6pm • Sat 8am - 5pm • www.LesSchwab.com
