Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 18, 2016 10A
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
Baseball: Dallas at
Clackamas, 5 p.m.
Softball: Central at
Newport, 4 p.m.
Running down a dream
THURSDAY, MAY 19
Baseball: Country Chris-
tian at Perrydale, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at OSAA Class 5A
State Championships at
Portland Tennis Center,
noon.
Track and field: Class
1A State Championships,
Hayward Field, Eugene,
10 a.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
Baseball: OSAA 5A
state play-in round: Eagle
Point at Central, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at OSAA Class 5A
State Championships at
Portland Tennis Center, 9
a.m.
Softball: OSAA 5A state
play-in round: Central at
Crater, 4:30 p.m. North Eu-
gene at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Track and field: Class
5A State Championships,
Hayward Field, Eugene, 9
a.m. Class 1A State Cham-
pionships, Hayward Field,
Eugene, 2:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 21
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at OSAA Class 5A
State Championships at
Tualatin Hills Tennis Cen-
ter, 9 a.m.
Track and field: Class
5A State Championships,
Hayward Field, Eugene,
9:30 a.m.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Central sophomore Jaxon Hutchinson, left, sprints toward the finish line in the final of the boys 200-meter run on Thursday afternoon.
Panthers will send athletes in 12 events to state meet in Eugene
CLASS 5A TRACK AND FIELD
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
Baseball: Class 5A State
Playoffs, First Round, TBA.
Softball: Class 5A State
Playoffs, First Round, TBA.
—
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
Santiam Christian
sends three local
kids to state
DAY TON — Santiam
Christian’s track and field
team saw three Polk County
athletes qualify for the
OSAA Class 3A state cham-
pionship meet on Thursday
and Friday in Eugene.
Rebeka Preston placed
first in the girls 400-meter
run and was second in the
200. She was also part of the
4x400 relay team that
placed first and the 4x100
relay squad that placed sec-
ond at the West Valley dis-
trict meet at Dayton on Fri-
day and Saturday. August
Thornton won the boys
1,500 and Zach Watson fin-
ished second in the 800.
Hole in one at
Cross Creek
DALLAS — Ben Long
recorded a hole in one on
May 2 at Cross Creek Golf
Course. Long recorded the
ace on hole 14, a 141-yard
par 3. Long used a pitching
wedge.
Registration open
for new event
DALLAS — Registration is
open for the city of Dallas’
triathlon field games on
June 4 at 11 a.m. at Dallas
City Park.
Cost is $20 per team with
two members per team.
Games include bocce ball,
cornhole and disc golf. All
games will be explained. A
free barbecue will kick off
the day’s festivities. Dead-
line to register is June 1. For
more information: David
Brautigam, 803-831-3559.
www.polkio.com
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Reba Hoffman, Bethanie Altamirano, Alex Alvarez and
Elizabeth Chavez celebrate after winning the 4 x 100 relay.
When: Friday, 9 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Gates open at 8 a.m.
Where: Hayward Field, University of
Oregon, Eugene.
Admission: Adults, $10; students and
children, $5.
Central qualifiers: BOYS — Jaxon
Hutchinson, soph., 200-meter run (seeded
13th); Isaac Burgett, soph., 400 (seeded
seventh); Samuel Cole, sr., shot put (seeded
eighth); Josh Dickson, soph., 300 hurdles
(seeded 11th); Kyle Miller, sr., javelin (seed-
ed sixth); Peter Mason, jr., long jump (seed-
ed 16th); Alec Barba, jr., high jump (seeded
18th); 4 x 100 relay (Casey Brown, Isaiah
Abraham, Jaxon Hutchinson, Nick Burgett,
seeded 10th); 4 x 400 relay (Isaac Burgett,
soph.; Joshua Peterson, sr., Juan Rivera, sr.,
Nick Burgett, sr.; seeded seventh).
GIRLS — Bethanie Altamirano, soph., 400
(seeded fourth); Reba Hoffman, sr., triple
jump (seeded eighth); 4 x 100 relay (Elizabeth
Chavez, fr., Alex Alvarez, sr., Bethanie Altami-
rano, soph., Reba Hoffman, sr., (seeded
fourth).
PERRYDALE TRACK AND FIELD
Perrydale headed to
state in three events
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
PORTLAND — Rain on
Saturday did little to damp-
en Perrydale’s track and
field squad at the Special
District 1 Championship on
Friday and Saturday.
The Pirates qualified ath-
letes to state in three
events.
Senior Taylor Price won
the 100-meter hurdles.
She was also was part of
the 4x100 relay team, along
with Anna McGill, Hannah
Hallock and Kieley Griffin,
that earned a wildcard
berth at state.
Price also finished sec-
ond in the 300 hurdles, but
declined to run in it to
focus on her other two
events.
See PIRATES, Page 12A
CLASS 1A TRACK AND FIELD STATE
CHAMPIONSHIPS
When: Thursday, 10 a.m.; Friday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Admission: Adults, $10; students and children, $5.
Perrydale qualifiers: GIRLS — Taylor Price, sr., 100-
meter hurdles (seeded second); Sarah Clark, sr., javelin
(seeded sixth), shot put (seeded ninth), 300 hurdles (seed-
ed 10th); 4 x 100 relay (Anna McGill, sr., Hannah Hallock, sr.,
Taylor Price, sr., Keiley Griffin, fr., Shylar Halverson (alter-
nate), seeded sixth).
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — When Central sopho-
more Jaxon Hutchinson stepped onto the
track prior to the boys 200-meter final on
Thursday, he, like his competitors, hoped a
trip to the state championship awaited at the
finish.
Unlike his competitors, Hutchinson was
racing for far more than a district title.
“Two years ago, when I was in eighth
grade, I won the 200-meter race at districts
and my dad was there for that,” Hutchinson
said. “A few months ago, my dad passed
away. This race was really important for me.
This race was for my dad and God upstairs. I
wanted to make him proud.”
What happened next was nothing short of
spectacular.
Hutchinson outdueled Silverton’s Austin
Haskett to become district champion, finish-
ing in 23.06 seconds — .07 seconds ahead of
Haskett.
“That was amazing,” Hutchinson said. “All
day, I had been dreaming about what I was
going to do if I won. I didn’t think I actually
would. It was a good moment.”
See DREAM, Page 11A
DALLAS TENNIS
Gniadecki takes second
Gillette and Dudley earn trip to state tourney
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
CORVALLIS — At the be-
ginning of the season, Dallas’
boys tennis team was on a
mission: upset the traditional
balance of power in the Mid-
Willamette Conference.
At the district tournament
last Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday, the Dragons did
just that.
Senior Thomas Gniadecki
and the doubles pair of Joe
Gillette and Josh Dudley
clinched berths to state.
“I was happy,” Gniadecki
said. “This is what this sea-
son has been all about.”
Gniadecki placed second
in the singles bracket, while
Gillette and Dudley took
fourth in the doubles brack-
et.
See DALLAS, Page 12A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas senior Thomas Gniadecki returns a shot against
Corvallis’ Sam Larson on Friday evening.
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