Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 11, 2016 11A
DALLAS GIRLS GOLF
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
Baseball: Central at
Corvallis, 3:30 p.m. Dallas
at South Albany, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 1 p.m.
Girls tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 8 a.m.
Softball: Central at Cor-
vallis, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at
Lebanon, 4:30 p.m. Taft at
Perrydale, 4:30 p.m.
Track and field: Central,
Dallas at Mid-Willamette
Conference District champi-
onship at Central, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 12
Baseball: Great North-
west Athletic Conference
championship: Western
Oregon vs. Montana State,
Billings at Nampa, Idaho, 11
a.m. Western Oregon vs.
Northwest Nazarene, 2:30
p.m.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 8 a.m.
Girls tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 1 p.m.
Softball: Central Linn at
Perrydale, 4:30 p.m.
Track and field: Central,
Dallas at Mid-Willamette
Conference District cham-
pionship at Central, 4 p.m.
Curtis clinches trip to state championship
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Dallas junior
Kailee Curtis has established
herself as one of the area’s —
and state’s — best golfers.
Curtis finished in a tie for
third at the Special District 1
regional tournament last
Tuesday and Wednesday at
Quail Valley in Banks, earn-
ing a return trip to the state
champi-
onships.
“ I t ’ s
such a big
relief and
an honor,”
C u r t i s
said. “I’m
the first
Curtis
girl from
our school to ever go. It’s
such a big honor and one
of my proudest moments
State championships
What: OSAA 5A Girls Golf State Championships.
When: Exact tee times will be released by Wednesday
(today). All tee times will be between 7:30 and 9 a.m. on Mon-
day and Tuesday.
Where: Quail Valley Golf Course (Banks).
for myself.”
As Curtis developed on
the course, it’s been her
growth in letting her mis-
takes go that has been the
difference.
“I’ve gotten more mental-
ly strong,” Curtis said. “In
basketball, if you make a
mistake you have a split sec-
ond and then you go back
on defense and recover. In
golf, you’re thinking about (a
mistake) for the next four
minutes until your next shot
and you’re out on the course
for four hours. I’ve learned
to shake those mistakes off.”
See CURTIS, Page 12A
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
Dallas, Central race to state
FRIDAY, MAY 13
Baseball: Central at
Corvallis, 4:30 p.m. South
Albany at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Central Linn at Perrydale, 3
p.m. Great Northwest Ath-
letic Conference champi-
onship: TBA vs. TBA, noon.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 8 a.m.
Girls tennis: Central,
Dallas at MWC District
Tournament at Timberhill
(Corvallis), 1 p.m.
Softball: Dallas at Sil-
verton, 5 p.m.
Track and field: Falls
City, Perrydale at Special
District 1 championships
at Portland Christian, 11
a.m. Western Oregon at
Great Northwest Athletic
Conference champi-
onships (at WOU), 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 14
Track and field: Falls
City, Perrydale at Special
District 1 championships at
Portland Christian, 11 a.m.
Western Oregon at Great
Northwest Athletic Confer-
ence championships (at
WOU), 9:30 a.m.
MONDAY, MAY 16
Girls: Dallas at OSAA
5A state championships at
Quail Valley, TBA.
TUESDAY, MAY 17
Baseball: Central at
West Albany, 5 p.m. Perry-
dale at East Linn Christian,
4:30 p.m.
Girls: Dallas at OSAA
5A state championships at
Quail Valley, TBA.
Softball: Perrydale at
Taft, 4:30 p.m.
—
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
DHS basketball to
host metal drive
DALLAS — Dallas High
School’s boys basketball
team will hold its annual
scrap metal drive on May 21
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
People interested can
contact Trent Schwartz at
503-623-8336 ext. 3105 or
via email at trent.-
schwartz@dsd2.org by May
19.
Leave a description of the
metal, address and where
the metal will be located.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Dallas senior Kyleen Benz hopes to qualify for the 5A state championship meet for the fourth time in her high school career.
Benz takes aim at a fourth trip to state
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — For the first time in her high
school career, Dallas senior thrower Kyleen
Benz is having a blast.
“This year is just kind of laid back,” Benz
said. “I’m enjoying it now,
which kind of sucks. I
wait until my last
year to enjoy the ex-
perience.”
It’s not that she didn’t
have fun competing,
but in previous years
she put pressure on herself
to perform.
“I was focused more on the success,”
Benz said. “This year, it’s about making
memories and helping other people get
better.”
See BENZ, Page 13A
www.polkio.com
What: Mid-Willamette Conference track
and field championships.
When: Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.; Thursday, 4
p.m.
Where: Central High School.
Admission: Adults, $6; students, $4.
Who: Athletes from Central, Dallas, Cor-
vallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, Silverton,
South Albany and Woodburn high schools.
What’s at stake: Winners and second-
place finishers from each event at the district
meet automatically qualify for the Class 5A
state track and field championships, May 20-
21 at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Any athlete meeting a predetermined
qualifying standard may also qualify for
state, regardless of number.
For results: www.polkio.com.
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Central’s track and field teams
won’t have to go far when the Mid-Willamette Conference
track and field championships begin Wednesday (today).
The Panthers will host the two-day
meet, and coach Eli Cirino hopes Central
will be ready to put on a show for a home
crowd.
“We have had a fun and exciting sea-
son and are very optimistic about getting
a few kids to state,” Cirino said.
Senior Samuel Cole is ranked second
in the shot put and third in the discus.
Fellow thrower Kyle Miller is seeded sec-
Cole
ond in the discus and fourth in the
javelin — leading to the possibility that Cole and Miller
may be fighting for one spot to state against each other.
See CENTRAL, Page 13A
PREP TENNIS
FALLS CITY TRACK AND FIELD
Panthers face an
Hendrickson learns to
uphill battle
leave doubts behind her
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
Polk Pedalers to
hold camping trip
DALLAS — Polk Pedalers
bicycle club will hold its
overnight campout Satur-
day and Sunday.
Cyclists will meet at 8
a.m. Saturday at Courtyard
Coffee House, 156 SE Mill St.,
Dallas. An 80-mile ride will
be taken with an overnight
campout.
Children must be accom-
panied by an adult. Carpool-
ing is available.
For more information:
503-623-6533.
MWC Track and Field
Championships
Panthers ready for big
challenges at districts
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Falls City sophomore
Madelyn Hendrickson (left)
practices on Thursday.
FALLS CITY — Falls City
sophomore Madelyn Hen-
drickson will take to the
track this weekend, fighting
for a trip to the 1A state
track meet later this month.
Hendrickson enters the
Special District 1 champi-
onships ranked third in the
100-meter hurdles and sec-
ond in the long jump.
That she’s in this position
at all is a testament to just
how far she’s come since
her freshman year.
—
There was just some-
thing about the hurdles
that drew Hendrickson in.
“When I was in fifth
grade, during my first day
of track practice I kept look-
ing at the hurdles,” she
said. “Coach asked me if I
wanted to try them out. I
fell in love with it.”
When she entered her
freshman year, she was
ready to do some big things
on the track.
“I thought, ‘I’ve done
hurdles forever. I can be a
one-man wolf pack,’” Hen-
drickson said.
She would soon find out
just how wrong she was.
T h e t ro u b l e s t a r t e d
when, for the first time, her
hurdles race didn’t go as
smoothly as planned.
See FALLS CITY, Page 12A
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Cen-
tral’s boys and girls tennis
teams have a difficult task
ahead of
them at the
M i d -
Willamette
Conference
District
t e n n i s
champi-
onships.
T h e
Bruning
three-day
tournament, held at Timber-
h i l l Te n n i s L o d g e i n
Corvall,is begins Wednesday
(today) and continues on
Thursday and Friday.
The top four singles and
www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209
doubles
pairs earn
a trip to the
s t a t e
champi-
onships.
The boys
team’s top
doubles
Cable
pair of
Brice Spreadbury and Has-
san Eltelbany was seeded
sixth on Monday night. The
pair received a scare on May
3 when Spreadbury rolled
his ankle during a match. He
missed the regular season fi-
nale, but recovered enough
to rejoin Eltelbany.
Senior Kevin Cable will
enter the singles bracket
ranked third.
See TENNIS, Page 13A
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