Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 21, 2016 12A CENTRAL ROUNDUP Football squad earns first victory Itemizer-Observer staff report PORTLAND — The Cen- tral football team picked up its first win of the season after defeating Glencoe 50- 26 on Friday. Quarter- back Peter Menda- zona threw for 327 yards and t h r e e touch- downs to Berroa lead the Panthers. Peter Mason had seven catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. “Pete’s a very good quar- terback,” coach Shane Hedrick said. “He m a k e s good deci- sions and throws the ball to get receivers open. He’s Mason gotten bet- ter as you want him to do each week.” Running back Alvin Berroa had 11 rushes for 116 yards and three touch- downs. Marcos Cedillo and Mason each had one inter- ception on defense. AJ Morales and Sam Crow had six tackles. “We made plays where we should have made in weeks one and two and played a more consistent game,” Hedrick said. “The one glar- ing difference on offense is last week we had 45 offen- sive snaps. We had 75 on Fri- day. The kids are healthy and have more confidence. They have adopted schemes and things that we have thrown at them well.” The Panthers (1-2 overall) open Mid-Willamette Con- ference play by hosting South Albany Friday at 7 p.m. “It looks like it’s going to be a very tight ball game,” Hedrick said. “South Albany is one of the better teams in the conference. The desire is there and the guys will have a chance to come out and perform well, prove them- selves and take a step for- ward.” GIRLS SOCCER SPLITS MATCHES: Central’s girls soc- cer team defeated North Mari- on 1-0 on Sept. 13 before falling to Cascade 4-0 on Thursday. Kaitlyn Dorn scored for the Panthers against North Marion off an assist from Alli- son Wells. “We were able to hold our ground and play tough to prevent getting scored on,” coach Veronica Lepe said. “The last 15 minutes were really intense, and North Marion had some great shots, but our goalie Lupita Campos had some great saves.” Central plays at Roosevelt Thursday at 7 p.m. VOLLEYBALL SPLITS LEAGUE MATCHES: Central’s volleyball team defeated Cres- cent Valley on Sept. 13 before falling to Lebanon on Thurs- day. The Panthers defeated the Raiders 25-12, 23-25, 26- 24, 25-23 and lost to Lebanon 25-17, 25-20, 25-14. Central also took part in the Dallas Tournament on Saturday. The Panthers defeated Blanchet Catholic 25-19, 25-23 and lost to Silverton 25-18, 17-25, 15- 12. Central played Dallas Tues- day after press time. The Pan- thers play at Corvallis on Thursday before hosting Woodburn Tuesday at 6 p.m. CROSS-COUNTRY EXCELS AT INVITATIONAL: Central’s girls cross-country team placed third at the Silver Falls Oktoberfest Invitational on Sept. 14, while the boys took fourth. Bailie Hartford led the girls, tak- ing fifth Hartford overall with a time of 20 minutes, 23 sec- onds. Zach Meyer led the boys took 12th in 17:31.8. The Pan- thers will compete at the Mid- Willamette Conference District Preview Meet Wednesday (today) at 3 p.m. at Willamette Mission State Park in Gervais. Dallas: Brooks steps in to coach Dragons Continued from Page 11A “We really pulled togeth- er after what happened,” Olivia Dalke said. “I saw a family out there.” The result was an inspir- ing performance against an undefeated 6A school that had scored 14 goals in four matches coming in. “I’m really proud of how we played,” Jenifer Webb said. “We played together the most, wanted it the most and it just felt right. The other games, I don’t know how to describe it, but it didn’t feel right like this. … We know how to play soccer. Nothing is going to change that.” Just as important was the support shown. At various points in the match, players from the football team, volleyball team, cheerleading squad and parents were on the sidelines cheering Dallas on. In the days leading up to the match, the community’s support helped give players strength. “I’ve never felt alone,” Webb said. “There’s always been someone there and often times multiple peo- ple. It’s really nice to have.” One pillar of that sup- port will be Brooks, who knows he’s stepping in under difficult circum- stances, but won’t let that derail a promising season for the Dragons. A coaching change is never easy during calm times, but there’s reason to believe Brooks can provide stability. Brooks has a long history of coaching youth soccer at various levels, including at Santiam Christian High School. He also coaches for Dallas United and has coached several of Dallas’ players in youth leagues. “My immediate step is to support these girls,” Brooks said. “Some of them have had four coaches. The tran- sition from coach to coach has discouraged some of the girls. Knowing some of them over the years, it’s discourag- ing to me to see that. It’s been difficult on them. I want to support them and get them through this time. Whatever has happened, that’s behind them. We’re moving forward. It didn’t just impact the girls. The high school has been impacted. The community has been impacted. We need to pull together as a community and say, ‘what’s the best thing for all of us.’” On the field, he believes the Dragons have the talent and depth necessary to make a run to the state playoffs. “I expect us to do very well in league,” Brooks said. “They’ve got the foot skills. We have players who can put the ball in the back of the net. We have some things to correct, and we’ll work on some things, and I am working to understand where they are comfortable on the field.” But all that is for the fu- ture. On Thursday, it was all about family and taking the first step in moving for- ward. “I saw that no matter what happens to us, we’ll always come back stronger together, and it really showed (on Thursday),” goalkeeper Ashlee Lichten- berger said. After the match, players — with hands locked — thanked every fan for sup- porting them. It was a sign of a strength — one that showed the Dragons are stronger than any one individual. WESTERN OREGON ROUNDUP Volleyball defeats Central Washington Itemizer-Observer staff report MONMOUTH — Western Oregon’s volley- ball team defeated Central Washington 25- 19, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-13 on Saturday to earn its first home win of the season. Alisha Bettinson matched a career high with 22 kills to lead the Wolves. She also had 13 digs. Maddie Mehciz recorded 58 assists. Amanda Short posted a career-high of 18 kills. WOU lost to Northwest Nazarene 25-20, 25-19, 25-21 on Thursday. Western Oregon plays at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday. FOOTBALL FALLS TO MONTANA STATE: Western Oregon’s football team lost to Montana State 55-0 on Saturday. WOU (1-2 overall) held the Bobcats scoreless for much of the first quar- ter, but five turnovers led to an easy win for Mon- tana State. MSU held WOU to 92 total passing yards. Running back Steven Long had 49 yards on the ground. Western Oregon resumes Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at Humboldt State Saturday at 6 p.m. RIBICH TAKES SECOND: Western Oregon men’s cross-country runner David Ribich placed second at the Sundodger Invitational Saturday in Seattle. Ribich finished the 8-kilometer run in 24 minutes, 4.9 seconds. He was the top Division II finisher. The men placed seventh in the team stand- ings. Dustin Nading took 12th in 24:48.20, and Justin Cross White took 48th in 25:40.9 to lead the men’s team. The women placed 14th. Kennedy Rufener fin- ished 37th, recording a time of 22:25.9 in the 6- kilometer race. Suzanne Van De Grift placed 47th in 22:39.2. WOU will return to action on Oct. 1 at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem. SOCCER SPLITS: Western Oregon’s women’s soccer squad defeated Oregon Tech 3-1 on Sept. 14 before falling to Western Washington 2-0 on Saturday. The Wolves closed out its nonconference sea- son with a win over Oregon Tech. Taylor Higa scored the team’s first goal in the ninth minute. After Oregon Tech tied the match, Mariah Konyn scored the game-winner in the 40th minute on an assist from Sydney Thomas. WOU added an insurance goal in the second half as Meli Cortez scored in the 88th minute off an assist from Higa. The Wolves (3-5 overall, 0-1 GNAC) play at Mon- tana State Billings on Thursday before hosting Northwest Nazarene Saturday at 1 p.m. MEN’S BASKETBALL ADDS ASSISTANTS: Western Oregon men’s basketball coach Jim Shaw announced a pair of additions to his coaching staff on Sept. 14. Gage Aker and Zach Payne will serve on Shaw’s staff as assistant coaches. Aker spent the previous two years as an assis- tant coach at Montana State-Northern, where his responsibilities included scouting, recruiting, player development and operational aspects. Payne spent the previous three years as an as- sistant coach at Whitworth University. LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Jenifer Webb looks to advance the ball upfield against McNary on Thursday. Pirates: Perrydale to face crucial stretch Continued from Page 11A “The toughest part has been learning how to give e n c o u r a g i n g w o rd s ,” Desnoyers said. “It did take a week or two to find words that didn’t come off as kind of mean.” But as Desnoyers has grown into her role as a team leader, the Pirates have grown on the court. Perrydale defeated Falls City 25-13, 25-13, 25-20 on Sept. 13 after defeating Lowell on Sept. 9. “They showed more trust i n e a c h o t h e r,” c o a c h Denise Dickey said. “There was more communication and they’re starting to feel more comfortable in their roles. They’re focused on not hitting as hard as you can, but focusing on ball placement.” Part of that comfort came from leaders lending a helping hand and advice during practices and matches. “The younger girls, they’re improving every sin- gle day,” Desnoyers said. “We’ve worked hard to make everyone feel com- fortable and happy on the court.” The Pirates host C.S. Lewis Thursday before p l a y i n g He p p n e r a n d D u f u r o n Fr i d a y a n d Willamette Valley Chris- tian on Monday. The Pirates, which en- tered the week with a 3-5 mark overall and 1-2 in Casco League play, knows each match becomes more crucial if they want a chance to get to the post- season. “We want to secure a spot in the league playoffs,” Dickey said. “That’s what I’m focused on. I’m tweak- ing the lineup still. I’m try- ing to get my best offensive players in a position that they can score more consis- tently.” The key will be players fully embracing their roles and adjusting to changes on the fly. “They need to be more aggressive,” Dickey said. “The younger girls are used to middle school ball where they served 10 points in a Perrydale • Perrydale’s volleyball team defeated Falls City on Sept. 13. • The Pirates played Jew- ell Tuesday after press time. • Perrydale entered the week in fourth place in the Casco League standings behind Crosshill Christian, Willamette Valley Christian and Falls City. • The Pirates host C.S. Lewis Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before playing Heppner and Dufur at Dufur on Fri- day. row. They’re learning to play the point through the end. Instead of being OK with the ball hitting the floor and saying we’ll get the next one, they need to return those.” Desnoyers is confident Perrydale has what it takes to make a run. “We’re playing to win,” she said. “There’s been a lot of change, but I think we can do it. I believe in my team and I think that we’re going to have a good sea- Goals: Central has scored 21 goals in 2016 Continued from Page 11A The Panthers have scored 21 total goals four less than the team managed all of last season. “Tony has been leading the attack and has done it well,” Orozco said. “He and senior Jose Herrera have been contributing to the team immensely by being good leaders, and their ex- perience has helped the team on all aspects of the sport.” The team has also been dominant on defense. The two goals the Panthers al- lowed against North Marion were the first surrendered all season long. “Our defensive game has been great,” Orozco said. “I’m very pleased with how the boys are playing.” The 2015 squad advanced to the first round of the state playoffs. That’s the bare minimum they hope to achieve this fall. “We’re hungry for more,” Rincon said. “I’m a senior, but to see the other players have that hunger, I like it.” The desire for success is one thing. Translating that desire to results is another. The chemistry that comes with experience playing with each other has helped. More importantly, the team found its perfect mix of seri- ousness and fun. “Last year, we’d get down on each other sometimes,” Rincon said. “Not anymore. We got out of that phase. We have more positive vibes. We go out there and get it.” Central hosts La Salle Thursday at 4 p.m. before closing out nonleague play at Newberg on Tuesday. Then comes league play — the next step on Central’s march toward what it hopes is another postseason berth. “We talk about having to climb the mountain,” Rin- con said. “To get to the top, you have to be willing to take things to another level. We are, and we want to climb higher and high- er.”
