Polk County Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 13, 2016 11A
WESTERN OREGON TRACK AND FIELD
Dobson hurdles over doubts
By Lukas Eggen
Leading the pack
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — The moments before the
gun goes off signaling the start of a race may
seem like just seconds to the crowd, but it
can seem like an eternity for those waiting to
compete.
“You’re not sure when the gun is going to
go off so you’re just kind of waiting for it,”
Western Oregon sophomore Kaleb Dobson
said. “Usually, athletes like a really fast gun so
they can set and just get out. It’s a lot harder
to hold yourself up and then have to take off
when you’re in a set position for a while.”
On Friday, an extended pause before the
starting gun did little to throw Dobson off.
The sophomore won the 110-meter hur-
dles at the John Knight Twilight meet at
WOU on Friday, finishing in 15.12 seconds.
“I got out really well to the first hurdle,”
Dobson said. “The first three hurdles are
probably the best part of my race. I’ve been
working in practice on shuffling in between
hurdles.”
Friday, in front of a home crowd and with
sunny, warm conditions, was a moment
Dobson said makes track and field so spe-
cial.
—
There was something about the hurdles
that attracted Dobson, even from his middle
school days.
“It just looked really fun,” Dobson said.
In eighth grade, he joined the hurdles
squad. When he hit high school, he felt
ready to try the 110 hurdles for the first time
— that is until he hit the track and the first
one loomed.
“My freshman year in high school, I
couldn’t run the 110-meter hurdles, because
I kept turning my lead leg in because I was
• Western Oregon’s men’s and women’s
track and field teams placed first at the John
Knight Twilight meet Friday at WOU.
• Suzanne Van De Grift won the women’s
800-meter run in 2 minutes, 14.28 seconds.
Cody Warner placed first in the 100 (10.92
seconds) and long jump (22 feet, 7¼ inches).
Wesley Gray won the triple jump (48-2¾).
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon sophomore Kaleb Dobson races ahead in the men’s 110-meter hur-
dles on Friday afternoon at the John Knight Twilight meet at WOU.
scared of the height,” Dobson said.
It wasn’t until his sophomore season —
thanks in part to a growth spurt — that he
overcame his fear and competed in the 110
hurdles, even though there were a few
bumps and bruises along the way.
“Oh yeah, there’s definitely a trial and
error,” Dobson said with a laugh. “As I grew
taller, that’s when I became a better hurdler.
I started with the 300 hurdles (which are
CENTRAL ROUNDUP
Amador: Pirates jump out to 5-2 start
Baseball wins two of
three against Lebanon
Itemizer-Observer staff report
INDEPENDENCE —
Central’s baseball squad
won two of three games
against Lebanon last week.
The Panthers dropped the
opening game 6-5 on April
5 before winning 11-1 on
April 6 and 2-1 on Friday.
Jackson
Holstad
hit a pair
of home
r u n s ,
while Luis
Amador
hit one
during the
Pa n t h e r s
Amador
10-run
victory on April 6. Central
racked up 11 hits.
On Friday, pitcher Peter
Mendazona earned a com-
plete game win for the Pan-
thers.
Central opened a three-
game series against Silver-
ton with a 2-1 victory on
Monday.
The Panthers (7-3 overall,
5-2 Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence) play at Silverton
Wednesday (today) and Fri-
day at 4:30 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS DEFEATS
LEBANON: Central’s boys ten-
nis team defeated Lebanon 6-
2 on Thursday. Kevin Cable,
Anthony Martinez and Adam
Rangel
earned sin-
gles victo-
ries for the
Pa n t h e r s ,
while the
doubles
pairs of
B r i c e
Spread-
bur y and
Cable
Hassan El-
telbany, Brian Larson and
Nathaniel Miller, and Luis Vera
and Clark Gallagher won in
doubles play. The Panthers
opened the week with a 5-3
loss to Crescent Valley on April
5. Cable, Chris Polanco and
Rangel earned singles points
against the Raiders. Central
played at Silverton Tuesday
after press time and hosts Cor-
vallis Thursday at 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS FALLS TO
RAIDERS: Central’s girls tennis
team fell to Crescent Valley 8-0
on April 5 before defeating
Lebanon 5-3 on Thursday. The
Panthers all fell in straight-sets
to Crescent Valley.
shorter than the 110 hurdles) and that
helped build up my confidence. I started off
small and gradually progressed into the hur-
dler that I am now.”
Dobson set a personal record in the 110
hurdles at the Willamette Invitational March
26, finishing in 14.98 seconds.
His first-place finish on Friday marked the
third time he’s placed in the top two in four
races this season.
A key to his success may come as a sur-
prise: Training with the cross-country team
in the fall.
“You get really close because you’re with
the team in the morning and in the after-
noon,” Dobson said. “It’s a great chance for
me to get started here and get a base under-
neath me.”
That base has allowed him to become one
of the conference’s best — entering the week
with the second fastest time in the 110 hur-
dles in the conference.
He knows that for as far as he’s come since
his first days as a hurdler, there’s still a long
way to go.
“I got low in my hips,” Dobson said.
“That’s the weak part of my race. I have to
stay high in my hips throughout the whole
race.”
If Dobson can improve on that, one of the
conference’s top hurdlers may become the
man to beat going forward. But that’s a
worry for another day, he said.
Friday was all about enjoying the crowd
and a rare chance to compete at home.
“We don’t always get to compete at home,”
Dobson said. “ It’s a good feeling to see the
fans who don’t get to travel to some of these
meets and are here now supporting us. They
get to see what we’re all about on the track.”
Ag a i n s t
Lebanon,
Tomok a
Naru was
the Pan-
thers’ lone
winner in
singles
play.
The dou-
Bruning
bles pairs
of Renee Bruning and Danielle
Chance, Andrea Garibay and
Julia Hamar, Olivia Teague and
Diana Huerte, and Annika Rid-
dle and Katelyn Trevino swept
doubles points to clinch the
victory.
The Panthers hosted Silver-
ton Tuesday after press time
and plays at Corvallis on
Thursday.
SOFTBALL GOES 1-2: Cen-
tral’s softball team went 1-2
last week, falling to Lebanon
12-2 on April 5 and Silverton
7-4 on April 6 before defeating
Corvallis 7-1 on Friday. Central
(4-4 overall, 3-3 MWC) hosted
Woodburn Tuesday after press
time. The Panthers play at
South Albany Wednesday
(today) before hosting Dallas
Friday at 4 p.m. Central will
play at Crescent Valley on
Tuesday and hosts Lebanon
on April 20 at 4:30 p.m.
Continued from Page 10A
“I was hoping I was able
to improve from last year,”
Amador said. “I think I have.
I’ve gotten
faster since
my fresh-
man year.”
The re-
sults so far
this year
have been
encourag-
ing.
Amador
Against
St. Paul, she threw a three-
hitter in seven innings of a
work, helping the Pirates to
a 9-6 win over their rivals on
April 6.
During a 9-0 win over
Regis on April 5, she threw a
complete game with no
walks, helping Perrydale to a
5-2 mark overall.
It’s not just solid defense
carrying the team. The Pi-
rates are exploding at the
plate, scoring nine or more
runs in five of its first seven
games.
Against St. Paul, Sierra
Starr went three for four
with four RBIs. Anna McGill
recorded three hits, one RBI
and three runs scored
against Regis.
“We definitely had a lot of
improvement,” Amador said.
“We are a younger team now,
but we’re doing really great
and are holding on our own.”
The Pirates, which host
Siletz Valley Wednesday
(today), Santiam on Thursday
and on April 20, have gotten
off to a strong start, and she’s
excited about Perrydale’s po-
tential going forward.
“I’m proud of how we’re
playing and how we’ve held
our own,” Amador said. “I
think if we keep doing what
we’re doing, we’ll be OK.”
FALLS CITY TRACK AND FIELD
Macnab, Varney win at Life Invite
Itemizer-Observer staff report
ALOHA — Falls City sen-
iors Ryan Macnab and Brit-
tany Varney led the Moun-
taineers’ track and field
team at the Life Invitational
on Thursday.
Macnab won the boys shot
put with a throw of 38 feet, 1
¾ inches, took second in the
discus with a mark of 99-0
and finished sixth in the
javelin with a throw of 126-3.
Varney won the shot put
with a mark of 32-0, second
in the discus with a throw of
87-7 and
finished
10th in the
javelin (62-
10).
The girls
4 x 100-
m e t e r
relay team
Varney
of Amara
Houghtaling, Rachel Beaty,
Milli Limberg and Madelyn
Hendrickson finished third
in 57.74 seconds.
Austin Burgess took sec-
ond in the long jump (18-10),
R o b e r t
Kempfer
placed third
in the triple
jump (36-5)
and Dylan
Young fin-
ished third
in the 110-
Macnab
meter hur-
dles (19.31 seconds).
Falls City will compete at
the Up and Comers Invita-
tional Friday at Philomath
High School. First event be-
gins at 4 p.m.
Breaking: Samuel smashes previous personal records
Continued from Page 10A
“While Sara was in junior
high and high school,
Samuel joined us for most of
the practices, starting at a
very young age,” James Cole
said. “... He’s been around
the track his entire life.”
At the age of 7 Samuel got
his first shot at throwing,
competing in the turbo
javelin.
By the age of 10, he was
competing in his first youth
national championship in
the shot put.
“I saw the accomplish-
ments (my family) made and
the fun they had,” Samuel
said. “My sister, Sara, set new
records. I just wanted to fol-
low in her shoes.”
By the time Samuel hit
high school, Cole was ready
to etch his own legacy in the
Panthers’ history books.
After a promising fresh-
man campaign, Cole’s seem-
ingly huge potential took a
big hit.
Cole tore the labrum in his
right shoulder early in foot-
ball season during his soph-
omore year.
He would need surgery to
repair it, but Cole informed
football coach Shane
Hedrick that surgery could
wait until after the season.
The surgery occurred
without any complications,
but left Samuel with a diffi-
cult path ahead of him.
“The recovery was long
and grueling,” James said.
Samuel, who is right
handed, was forced to com-
pete throwing with his left
arm for several meets.
He was eventually able to
return to using his right arm
for meets, but the effects of
his injury lingered through
his junior year.
“Returning to throwing on
the right side with full confi-
dence has taken a while,”
James said. “Normal day-to-
day operations post surgery
are one thing. Pushing a 12-
pound ball or 3.5-pound dis-
cus with reckless abandon is
another.”
As a freshman, Cole set
marks of 115 feet, 2 inches in
the discus and 39 feet, 6
inches in the shot put.
By the end of his junior
year, his personal records in
both events stood at 125 feet,
7 inches (discus) and 46 feet,
1 inch (shot put) — modest
improvements given the po-
tential he showed so early in
Track and field
• Central’s boys and girls
track and field teams de-
feated Dallas in a dual meet
on April 6.
his high school career.
“Last year, I didn’t focus
on technique,” Samuel said.
“I was only thinking about
how far can I throw it. That
got me pretty much
nowhere.”
Samuel wasn’t about to let
an injury determine his ath-
letic fate.
“Samuel’s work ethic is un-
paralleled,” James said. “I’ve
been nudged out of a deep
sleep countless times this
winter, answering the call to
go lift weights or compete the
rest of a workout cut short by
other commitments.”
That work ethic has paid
off handsomely.
“ I t ’s b e e n a w e s o m e
watching Samuel break
through this year,” head
coach Eli Cirino said. “It gets
our whole team excited
when he throws a ‘bomb.’”
Samuel has already set
new personal records in
both throwing events. He’s
reached 140 feet, 7 inches in
the discus and 49 feet, 4
inches in the shot put, both
of which are second in
school history.
“Right now, the focus is on
the technique,” Samuel said.
“No t s o m u c h o n t h e
strength part of it. I’m the
strongest I’m going to be
right now. I need to buckle
down and work on drills.”
And, as has been the case
throughout his career, his fa-
ther will be by his side help-
ing him along the way.
“I can get 24/7 coaching,”
Samuel said. “Whenever I
have a question, he’s always
there to answer them. We
talk about throwing all the
time. I think sometimes I
take him for granted because
he’s always there. He’s right
most of the time, but some-
times hearing advice from
someone else helps.”
The chance to see Samuel
grow up as an athlete has
been a privilege, James said.
Getting more time to spend
with his son has been even
more gratifying.
“There is nothing better
than spending time with
the ones we love, as every
m o m e n t i s p r e c i o u s ,”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Central senior Samuel Cole prepares to throw the shot
put during a meet at Central High School on April 6.
James said.
Track and field has be-
come part of Samuel’s iden-
tity; something that helps
bring his family together.
Now he’s sharing every-
thing he’s learned with the
Panthers’ younger throwers.
“I like it,” Samuel said. “It
helps with my throws if I can
teach it to somebody else. It
helps me apply it, think
about what I’m doing and
understand it better. It’s a
great learning experience.”
It’s that role that has made
those who care about him
the most proud.
“Not only has Samuel
been our top thrower, but he
is also an extremely positive
team leader,” Cirino said. “...
That group of throwers is
very tight and they definitely
look to Samuel to lead. ... He’s
earned everything he gets.”