Polk County Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 24, 2016 11A
Gone Golfing
14th Annual
Fall Fling
A Gardening Festival
Educational Gardening Event
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Dallas High School Principal Steve Spencer attempts to sink a putt on hole No. 9 at
Dallas Golf Club at the Dallas Quarterback Club’s 22nd annual golf tournament on
Saturday morning. The four-person scramble raised money for Dallas youth football
programs.
Miller: Central finished
12-14 overall in 2016
Continued from Page 10A
While Miller went above
and beyond his duties to
help his student-athletes,
Central also had a major im-
pact on him during his
tenure.
“I tell the players all the
time that they don’t realize
how great of a place Central
is because they’ve grown
up here, but as an outsider,
you don’t find many places
like here that support, care
and love their sports like
the Panther community,”
Miller said. “I will miss that,
but look forward to being a
fan and supporter from
afar.”
From his leadership guid-
ing the baseball team to vol-
unteering in the fall and
winter, Miller leaves a posi-
tive legacy at Central.
“We’re certainly going to
miss him,” Hedrick said.
“He was really easy to work
with and was a committed
Panther.”
Hedrick said the school
has begun searching for a
new coach and hopes to
make a hire as soon as possi-
ble.
“We want to allow that
person to come in and work
with the kids in the class-
room and weight room,”
Hedrick said. “That way,
when the spring hits, they’re
not coming in totally new.”
Wolves: Gott was as an
assistant at Chico State
Continued from Page 10A
Gott served as an assistant
coach at Chico State prior to
arriving at Western Oregon.
WOU gave him his first
chance at being a college
head coach, though he may
have a difficult challenge
ahead of him.
He inherits a program
that has won 13 games over
the past two seasons, but he
sees a team that is hungry to
change its course.
“I think right now we’re
seeing a group of girls who
are hungry,” Gott said. “They
are dedicated and willing to
do the hard work and put in
the time.”
The Wolves bring forth an
inexperienced roster, with
just four players — Alisha
Bettinson, Sheila Limas De
La Cruz, Sydney Blankinship
and Christie Colasurdo —
returning from last year’s
squad.
Bettinson led WOU in
kills in 2015, while Colasur-
do led the Wolves in digs —
but WOU’s starting lineup
remains up for grabs for
now.
“I think the big thing is
establishing what our stan-
dards are and what we are
trying to accomplish every
day in the gym,” Gott said.
“We’re starting to get estab-
lished a little bit who we
think some of our starters
could be, but we’ll be play-
ing around with lineups.”
Western Oregon opens its
season at the Concordia
Labor Day Tournament Sept.
1-3 in Portland.
Until then, the Wolves will
be hard at work finding the
right mix of players.
The Wolves have been
one of the GNAC’s bottom
dwellers in recent seasons,
but Gott sees reasons for
optimism and he believes
WOU has what it takes to
surprise the competition.
“I think we have a strong
base,” Gott said. “We have a
talented team. We’re going
to be able to do a lot of
good things this year. We
have a system that is a
good fit for this type of pro-
gram and university and I
think we’ll see their confi-
dence grow throughout the
season.”
Jones: Coach hopes to
build soccer program up
Continued from Page 10A
The Dragons have long
been one of the Mid-
Willamette Conference’s
worst teams. Getting his
players to believe they be-
long while building the pro-
gram up is a balancing act
Jones works on each and
every practice.
“Culture is one of the
most difficult things to
change, but having a very
different team this year will
help,” Jones said. “As we
work hard, the team will
have to decide there is no
reason they shouldn’t win.”
That can be something
Jones presses on his team
but ultimately, his players
will decide whether they
buy into it or not.
Jones hopes to lead Dal-
las’ soccer program into
contention in the MWC.
That’s a goal that will likely
take time to work up to.
The Dragons took the
first, if small, steps forward
in 2015. Jones hopes to help
continue that progress for-
ward.
“I’ve enjoyed watching
some of the more experi-
enced players take the
younger players and en-
courage and work with
them,” Jones said. “I love to
see the team trusting each
other and having higher ex-
pectations of each other.
We still have a lot to work
on, but I see improve-
ment.”
Soccer: Plans began to
pick up steam in 2014
Continued from Page 10A
Getting the land ready to
become a soccer field posed
challenges — mainly ensur-
ing the ground’s composi-
tion was suitable for a sports
complex.
“I would say (the biggest
issue) was the rocks,”
Penna said. “It had been a
river bottom, historically.
There was a fair amount of
river rock mixed with dirt
that had to be either re-
moved or covered with
more dirt.”
Volunteers finished plac-
ing goals and painting lines
over the weekend — just in
time for the opening party
on Saturday.
The fields will be open to
the community.
Clyne said Academy FC
will host tournaments and
games on the fields. The
YMCA has expressed an in-
terest in using the fields,
while Central Youth Sports
has expressed possible inter-
est, he added.
The path to the Inde-
pendence Sports Park has
been a long one — but with
the unveiling just days
away, all those responsible
for bringing the park to
fruition hope it will be well
worth the wait.
“This is very exciting,”
Penna said. “It’s been a work
in progress for many years
and the community’s pa-
tience and persistence is
about to be rewarded.”
Sat., Sept. 17, 2016
Must register by Sept. 2
Door Prizes and a Silent Auction
with a $100 shopping spree, Art,
Wine Tastings and Wine Tours
Speakers at the event this year are:
Toni Gattoni will present “You Can Garden for
Life!” A Master Gardener, teacher and small
business owner, her presentations are packed
with information and delivered with passion.
Learn how you can make a few changes in your
gardening techniques to save you time, money
and energy and allow you to continue your
hobby into your golden years.
Ann Ralph will show you how to grow your
own fruit trees even in a tiny yard. Ralph was
hooked on growing fruit trees from the
moment a slice of fresh nectarine touched
her tongue. Author and avid pruner, she has
been creating small scale trees for years and
speaks about it with an evangelical zeal.
Maggie Stuckey will present “The Bountiful
Containers.” Author of 11 books about
gardening and cooking, She will share tips
and techniques to grow edible treats you’d
usually find in a regular garden — from
containers. She knows this firsthand, since
she has “a handkerchief-sized patio.”
Additional afternoon educational options and workshops
range from $10 to $25 depending on your selection.
★ Bee All You Can Bee •Tips on how you can help pollinators. • Rich
Little will discuss the 800 species of bees in Oregon • How you can
enhance your yard and garden to protect bee habitats. $15.
★ Successful Solutions for Problem Areas in your yard or garden.
Al’s Garden Center presents local TV gardening celebrity Judy
Alleruzzo, who wil address successful solutions for common yard
and garden problems. $10.
★ Salad Trays and Tables, learn to build your own! Don Huff of Red
Baron Box Company in Dallas will demonstrate how to build a salad
tray. Workshop fee will provide you with a “ready to assemble” kit and
directions. You can build it with help from Huff – or take it home and
build it there. $25.
The event is sponsored by: Old Mill Feed &
Garden, Capitol Auto Group, Les Schwab Tires
(Dallas, Independence & West Salem), Citizens
Bank in Dallas, and Petals & Vines in Monmouth
Polk County Master Gardeners is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
The Oregon Master Gardener Program is one of the oldest
in the nation. It was started in 1976.
$30 Pre-Registration Required
(includes catered lunch)
Must register by Sept. 2
No Registrations at the Door • Limited Enrollment
Register online at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/polk/2016-Fall-Fling,
download a registration form at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
polk/mg or pick one up at the OSU Extension, Polk County Master
Gardener office 289 E. Ellendale, Suite 301, in Ellendale Plaza, Dallas
Event will be held at the
National Guard Readiness Center
12830 Westview Dr., Dallas, OR