Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 13, 2016 10A
PERRYDALE FOOTBALL
QUICK HITS
Petersen gets
hole-in-one
INDEPENDENCE — Ron
Petersen recorded a hole-
in-one on Monday at Oak
Knoll Golf Course in Inde-
pendence.
Petersen recorded the
ace on the 179-yard, Par 3
third hole.
Cross Creek
men’s club results
DALLAS — Cross Creek’s
men’s club results for July
6:
Low gross/low net
Gross: 1, Lee Gamaney,
37; 2, Paul Disney, 38; 3,
Kevin Moen, 39.
Net: 1, Denny Klassen,
28; 2, Ken Ross, 32; 3 (tie),
Wayne Baughman and
Michael Winkley, 34; 5 (tie),
Lynn Hurt, Ed Johnson and
Larry Hatcher, 35.
Riddell to lead Pirates in 2016
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
PERRYDALE — When Per-
rydale athletics director Dan
Dugan began his search for
a new head football coach,
he turned to Central athlet-
ics director Shane Hedrick
for any suggestions.
“Shane told me you just
need one: Duane Riddell,”
Dugan said.
Riddell
was hired
in late June
to take
over from
C h r i s
Gubrud,
w
h
o
stepped
Riddell
down as
coach earlier this year in
order to watch his son play
football at Eastern Washing-
ton and his daughter play
volleyball at Linn Benton.
Riddell didn’t think for
long before jumping at the
chance to coach the Pirates’
football program.
“I’m a 67-year-old man
who has coached all of his
life,” Riddell said. “I got a call
regarding the opening and I
thought heck yeah, that’d be
fun. I’m really interested and
Perrydale has a great reputa-
tion academically and ath-
letically.”
Riddell’s coaching career
began in 1972 and has in-
cluded stops at Central —
where he led the Panthers to
the 1983 state champi-
onship — McKay, Gervais
and McNary.
“Duane is one of the bet-
ter football coaches to have
ever gone through Central
without a doubt,” Hedrick
BASKETBALL
Globe trotter
Registration
open for camps
Alexander heads to Vegas, then Germany
DALLAS — Registration
is open for Dallas’ youth
boys and girls basketball
camps.
All camps will run July
Wednesday (today)
through Friday.
Girls coach David
Brautigam and boys coach
Trent Schwartz and their
staff will teach fundamen-
tal basketball skills, includ-
ing ball handling, shooting,
post and guard breakdown
moves and defensive posi-
tioning.
The youth camp, for stu-
dents in kindergar ten
through third grade, will
run from noon to 1 p.m. at
Lyle Elementary School.
Cost is $25.
A second camp for high
school-aged students will
be from 2 to 6 p.m. at the
Dallas High School gym.
Cost is $50.
Both gyms will open at
11:30 a.m. for parents
who must drop off their
kids during their lunch
break.
For more information:
David Brautigam,
david.brautigam@dalla-
sor.gov or Trent Schwartz,
trent.schwartz@dsd2.org.
By Lukas Eggen
Central junior
baseball team
wins state title
ALOHA — The Central
(Monmouth-Indepen-
dence) Junior Baseball
team won the 2016 Midget
American Championship
Tournament on Sunday in
Aloha.
The squad, consisting of
8 to 10-year-olds, defeated
Philomath 4-3 in the first
round on Thursday, Sher-
wood 16-3 in the second
round on Friday and Glen-
coe twice (11-6 on Satur-
day and 8-6 on Sunday) to
win the state title.
The team advanced to
the state playoffs by de-
feating West Albany at dis-
tricts to earn the No. 1 seed
from the Valley League.
Full bracket is available
online at www.bsbproduc-
tion.s3.amazonaws.com/p
ortals/7347/docs/ma%20b
racket%2016.pdf.
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Las Vegas has long been a city where
people go to bet big with the hope of hitting the jackpot.
It seems fitting that the city would serve as the setting
where former Western Oregon men’s basketball player
Devon Alexander will go all-in as he tries to find his pro-
fessional basketball home.
Alexander will compete at the Mavericks Sports Invi-
tational, which began Tuesday and runs through Thurs-
day. The three-day camp is by invite-only and attracts
players from the United States and overseas. Alexander
has said he just wants the opportunity to show what he
can do.
His chance has finally come.
“I know everyone is looking on
paper and going, hang on, who is this
Division II kid coming out to compete,”
Alexander said. “I understand there’s
going to be some Division I athletes,
some Euro guys that played profes-
sional basketball looking to get an even
better job or to keep their job. I’m ex-
cited to prove that I can compete at
Alexander
this high level.”
The Maverick Sports Invitational assigns participants
into teams of eight players. Tuesday was spent working
with coaches and learning the team’s offensive schemes.
Wednesday (today) and Thursday will be spent playing
games against other teams.
The Invitational is in its 14th year and has seen 240
alumni play professionally in the U.S. or internationally.
McKinley Bryant, a managing partner at Mavericks
Sports, said the invitational provides a chance for lesser-
known players to make a name for themselves.
See GLOBE, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Former Western Oregon men’s basketball player Devon Alexander will travel to Frankfurt, Germany next week for a tryout.
AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL
Dirtbags put aside rivalries for now
By Lukas Eggen
3
www.polkio.com
DeMarini Dirtbags
The Itemizer-Observer
STAT SHEET
The number of days
the Mavericks
Sports Invitational
lasts in Las Vegas.
The basketball showcase
ends on Thursday.
said. “He has an extensive
background in coaching.
More importantly, he’s a
people person. There’s a
balance to coaching, espe-
cially at the high school
level, between the X’s and
O’s and loving and caring
for the kids. Duane has
what I would call the ingre-
dients to have a solid pro-
gram.”
See RIDDELL, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Demarini Dirtbags pitcher Tucker Weaver delivers a
throw against the Corvallis Marketmen on Wednesday.
POLK COUNTY — Athletes often cite
chemistry as a key to success. On a team
where players have little to no experience
playing with each other, developing chem-
istry can be difficult.
Not so for the DeMarini Dirtbags.
The Dirtbags, an American Legion base-
ball team, features a collection of players
from Dallas, Central, West Salem and
McMinnville high schools. Among them in-
clude Tucker Weaver and Tanner Earhart
from Dallas and Peter Mendazona, Luis
Amador, Luke McBeth and Humberto Alar-
con from Central.
“Being part of a rivalry, you don’t really
think of those guys on the other team as
people, more as players,” Weaver said. “I
know that sounds really cruel, but I think
that’s the best way I can describe it.”
Once the summer season hits, those dif-
ferences are put aside for a greater goal.
“Last year, I met Luis Amador and Pete
www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209
• The DeMarini Dirtbags entered July 8 in
third place in the American Legion Area III
standings with a 5-3 record.
• The Dirtbags features players from Dallas,
Central, West Salem and McMinnville.
• The Dirtbags advanced to the state semi-
finals in 2015.
• A full schedule is available online at
www.polkio.com.
Mendazona,” Weaver said. “I got along with
those guys and still do. They’re great to be
around. Becoming teammates and friends
with them really changed the way I looked at
our rivalry. … Coming into this year during
school ball, I tried to be a little more open to
guys on Central because I knew there was a
good shot at more coming along.”
During the American League season, each
team has a collection of talented players.
Luckily for the Dirtbags, a common pas-
sion unites them.
See DIRTBAGS, Page 11A
www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports
BG 50 Handheld Blower
NEW! $139.95
MS 170
Chain Saw
with 16” bar
MS 250 Chain Saw
FS 38
String
Trimmer
$129.95
$159.95
with 18” bar $359.95
SUPPORTING THE
COMMUNITY & OUR
LOCAL SPORTS
130 Main St., Rickreall • 503-623-2365 • www.rickfarm.com