Polk County
Sports
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10
Boys basketball: Cres-
cent Valley at Central, 7
p.m. South Albany at Dal-
las, 7 p.m.
Wrestling: Central at
Crescent Valley, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 11
Boys basketball: Liv-
ingstone Adventist at Falls
City, 7 p.m.
Girls basketball: Liv-
ingstone Adventist at Falls
City, 5:30 p.m. Columbia
Christian at Perrydale, 6
p.m.
M e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l :
Western Washington at
Western Oregon, 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball:
Western Oregon at Mon-
tana State Billings, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 12
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at California State Uni-
versity, East Bay, 2 p.m.
Boys basketball: Cen-
tral at Lebanon, 7 p.m. Dal-
las at Corvallis, 7 p.m. Falls
City at C.S. Lewis, 7 p.m.
Perrydale at Crosshill Chris-
tian, 7 p.m.
Girls basketball:
Lebanon at Central, 7 p.m.
Corvallis at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Falls City at C.S. Lewis, 5:30
p.m. Perrydale at Crosshill
Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon vs. Western New Mexico
at Dixie State Tournament, 9
a.m. Western Oregon vs.
Dixie State at Dixie State
Tournament, 2 p.m.
Track and ield: West-
ern Oregon at Husky Clas-
sic, all day.
SATURDAY, FEB. 13
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at California State Uni-
versity, East Bay (DH),
noon.
M e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l :
Simon Fraser at Western
Oregon, 7 p.m.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon vs. University of
Hawaii at Hilo at Dixie
State Tournament, 9 a.m.
Western Oregon vs. Cali-
fornia Baptist at Dixie
State Tournament, 11:30
a.m.
Track and ield: West-
ern Oregon at Husky Clas-
sic, all day.
SUNDAY, FEB. 14
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at California State Uni-
versity, East Bay, noon.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon vs. Dixie State at Dixie
State Tournament, 11:30
a.m.
Track and ield: West-
ern Oregon at University of
Washington Indoor Open,
all day.
TUESDAY, FEB. 16
Girls basketball: Silver-
ton at Central, 7 p.m. Dal-
las at Crescent Valley, 7
p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17
Boys basketball: Cen-
tral at Silverton, 7 p.m.
Crescent Valley at Dallas, 7
p.m.
—
Schedules Subject to Change
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 10, 2016 10A
DALLAS SWIMMING
CENTRAL
SWIMMING
Ford focused
on districts
Relay teams
look to make
a big splash
The Itemizer-Observer
Junior looks to claim another MWC title
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Dallas junior Jolie-Rae Ford hopes to book a return trip to the state swimming championships this weekend.
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
Battle For State Berths
DALLAS — There was a
time when Dallas junior
Jolie-Rae Ford may have
ended her swim career in
favor of a very different di-
rection.
“I was actually into gym-
nastics,” Ford said. “I think
I was 8, maybe 9, and I was
doing both gymnastics and
swimming. I’m not sure if I
had quit basketball yet. My
mom told me that the prac-
tice times were running
into each other and I had to
make a choice right there.”
Ford enjoyed her time as
a gymnast, although she
was far from the most tal-
ented.
“I was very bad,” Ford
said. “I learned how to walk
the balance beam and
learned how to do a cart-
wheel on it and that was
What: Mid-Willamette Conference District Swimming
Championships.
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Osborn Pool, Corvallis.
Who: Dallas, Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon,
Silverton and South Albany.
Admission: Adults, $6; students
(with I.D.), $4; children,
$4.
What’s at stake: The
winner of each individ-
ual and relay event auto-
matically qualifies for the
Class 5A state swim meet, sched-
uled Feb. 19-20 at Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic
Center in Gresham. Available wildcard spots are given to the
fastest competitors, up to 12 participants.
POLK COUNTY — The
Polk Pedalers bicycle club
will meet Saturday at 8 a.m.
at the Courtyard Cofee
House, 156 SE Mill St., Dal-
las.
A 20-mile ride near Airlie
will take place. There is no
cost to attend. All ages are
welcome, but children
must be accompanied by
an adult. Helmet required.
and carpooling is available.
For more information:
503-623-6533.
www.polkio.com
about it. Like most land
things, I’m not very good at
it.”
It turns out Ford was
most at home in the water.
“Running is about all I
can do because you don’t
have to worry about land
skills,” Ford said.
Ford chose swimming.
As she found success com-
peting with the Blue Dol-
phins Swim Team, Ford
began to look ahead to high
school.
“My mom and dad and I
would go to (Dallas High
School) basketball games to
watch our cousin,” Ford
said. “We would look up at
the record boards and say,
‘you’re going to get that
record Jolie.’”
Ford has certainly lived
up to expectations, setting
multiple school records
during her high school ca-
reer.
Last year, she qualified
for the state swimming
championships in the 200-
and 500-yard freestyle, in-
cluding setting the school
record in the 200 freestyle.
“It was my first district
title and it was a great race
against Molly Beamer from
South Albany,” Ford said. “It
made me so much more
confident.”
The junior blossomed
from a talented newcomer
to team leader.
See FORD, Page 11A
INDEPENDENCE — Cen-
tral swim coach Jennifer
Tress hopes for big things
from her boys and girls relay
teams.
The relay squads will be
battling for a trip to the state
swimming championships at
the Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence district meet on Friday
and Saturday at Osborn Pool
in Corvallis.
The boys 200-yard medley
relay team
of Daniel
Glade, Au-
gust Thorn-
ton, Orion
Waight and
W y a t t
Rochefort,
the boys
4
0
0
Waight
freestyle
relay team of Glade, Thorn-
ton, Isaiah Compton and
Waight and the girls 200
freestyle relay team of Annie
Taylor, Kate Taylor, An-
neMarie Hasbrook and Julis-
sa Amador all are expected to
be in contention to get to
state, Tress said.
“If they really buckle down
and get focused, we have a
chance to go in those relays,”
Tress said.
Tress said Glade and
Rochefort also will battle in
the 50 freestyle for an indi-
vidual spot to state.
See SPLASH, Page 11A
PERRYDALE BOYS BASKETBALL
PROVING THEMSELVES
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
P E R RY D A L E — Fo u r
games and four wins in six
days has Perrydale’s boys
basketball team on the brink
of an outright Casco League
title.
The Pirates defeated
Country Christian 50-30 on
Feb. 1, Falls City 54-38 on
Feb. 3, St. John Bosco 67-39
on Friday and Southwest
Christian 60-47 on Saturday.
“When we started last
summer, we talked about
what we could be,” Perry-
dale coach Mike Lowry said.
“We worked for it and
worked for it, and now
QUICK HITS
Polk Pedalers to
meet on Saturday
By Lukas Eggen
they’re
starting to
see what
we can be.”
The Pi-
rates close
out the reg-
ular season
at Crosshill
Janesofsky
Christian
on Friday. Perrydale has al-
ready clinched a share of a
league title. Win, and the Pi-
rates win the Casco League
outright.
Since starting the season
0-3, Perrydale has gone 18-2.
“We’re more refined as a
team,” Keenan Bailey said.
“Being back in the league, it’s
like football all over again. We
have to prove ourselves.”
Brant Barnes scored 16
points against Falls City and
11 points against St. John
Bosco, both team highs,
while Haylen Janesofsky
scored 20 points against
Southwest Christian.
Five different players
scored in double figures dur-
ing the three games: Janesof-
sky, Barnes, Bailey, Spencer
Bibler and Devin Cruick-
shank.
“Everyone is chipping in a
little,” Lowry said. “At the
start of the year, for us to get
to 60 points, Haylen would
have to get to 25. He doesn’t
have to anymore.”
See PIRATES, Page 12A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Perrydale forward Keenan Bailey prepares to shoot a free
throw against Falls City on Feb. 3.
CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL
Panthers keep postseason hopes alive
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — It seemed
like déjà vu for Central’s
boys basketball team on
Friday night. Central’s late
fourth-quarter lead was
erased as Dallas senior
Everett Minahan’s late
game heroics sent the
game to overtime.
Unlike last time, Central
would have its own story-
book ending — a victory
that could save its season.
Entering the extra period
tied at 35, the Panthers fo-
cused on the positive.
“We kept saying we’re still
in this game,” Alec Barba
said. “We just need to keep
our composure and keep
doing what we do.”
Thanks to some timely
free-throw shooting, Central
p u l l e d
away for a
47-37 win.
Add in a
50-23 win
over South
Albany on
Feb. 2, and
t h e Pa n -
Barba
thers en-
tered the week in a four-way
tie for fifth place in the Mid-
Willamette Conference with
Dallas, South Albany and
Crescent Valley.
The wins snapped a six-
game losing streak for the
Panthers. It took complete
trust from players in what
the coaches were preaching
to stay the course.
“It takes a lot of trust to
believe in what a coach
says if you haven’t experi-
enced it,” Central coach
Tim Kreta said. “Now that
www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209
they’ve been on one side of
the coin and experienced
almost winning and doing
it their way, they’ve slowly
gave up the reins and start-
ing doing things for each
other.”
Barba has been a big
part of Central’s most re-
cent victories. He hit six
free-throws in overtime
against Dallas.
See PANTHERS, Page 12A
www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports
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