Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 12, 2016 12A
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12
Boys Soccer: Central at
Lebanon, 4 p.m. Silverton
at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Cross-country: Central,
Dallas at Lebanon, TBA.
Girls Soccer: Lebanon
at Central, 4 p.m. Dallas at
Silverton, 6 p.m.
Volleyball: Central at
Dallas, 6 p.m. Perrydale at
Jewell, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 13
Football: Central at
Lebanon, 7 p.m. Corvallis
at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Volleyball: Central at
Philomath, 5 p.m. Crosshill
Christian at Falls City, 5:30
p.m.
Women’s Soccer: West-
ern Washington at Western
Oregon, 3 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 14
Football: Triangle Lake
at Falls City, 7 p.m. Perry-
dale at Sherman, 7 p.m.
Boys Soccer: McNary at
Central, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 15
Cross-country: Central,
Dallas at George Fox XC
Classic, 10 a.m. Western
Oregon at Mike Hodges In-
vitational, 10:30 a.m.
Football: Western Ore-
gon at Central Washington,
1 p.m.
Volleyball: Western
Oregon at Montana State
Billings, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 18
Boys Soccer: Dallas at
Central, 6 p.m.
Girls Soccer: Central at
Dallas, 4 p.m.
Volleyball: Corvallis at
Central, 6 p.m. Dallas at
Woodburn, 6 p.m. Falls
City at Jewell, 5:30 p.m.
Perrydale at C.S. Lewis, 6
p.m.
Women’s Soccer: West-
ern Oregon at Concordia,
7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19
Cross-country: Central
at Woodburn (at
Willamette Mission State
Park), TBA. South Albany,
Corvallis, Crescent V alley
at Dallas, TBA.
—
Highburger, Wolves show some attitude
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Some-
thing was missing from
Western Oregon’s football
team. Coming off a 31-2 loss
to Azusa Pacific on Oct. 1,
WOU’s defense needed its
swagger back.
“I think we needed a
week to galvanize,” redshirt
sophomore Bo Highburger
said. “… It takes an attitude
that nobody’s going to score
on us on defense. You take it
as a personal insult if they
do.”
Western got its groove
back on Saturday.
The Wolves held Simon
Fraser without an offensive
touchdown and minus 8
rushing yards during a 33-7
victory.
Highburger, like he has for
much of the 2016 season,
played a key role, recording
three tackles, including 1.5
tackles-for-loss and one
forced fumble.
See WOLVES, Page 13A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon’s Bo Highburger (44) closes in on Simon Fraser’s quarterback.
PREP FOOTBALL
A whole new world
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Falls City junior Jacob Oberg decided to play organized football for the first time this fall.
Oberg adjusts to life on the
gridiron and in America
Schedules Subject to Change
By Lukas Eggen
QUICK HITS
Cross Creek
men’s club results
DALLAS — Cross
Creek’s men’s club results
for Oct. 4:
Low gross/low net
Gross: 1, Ben Talon-
Kayne, 39; 2, Bob Mc-
Cleery, 40.
Net: 1 (tie), Ken
Dankenbring, Lynn Hurt,
Derrill Weaver and Ed
Johnson, 35.
Revis, Johnson
earn weekly honor
MONMOUTH — West-
ern Oregon’s football play-
ers saw receiver Paul Revis
and linebacker Tyler John-
son earn offensive and de-
fensive Player of the Week
honors from the Great
Northwest Athletic Confer-
ence.
Revis set two school
records against Simon
Fraser on Saturday. Revis
hauled in 17 catches for
250 receiving yards —
both single game records
for WOU.
Johnson recorded six
tackles, including three
tackles for loss, two sacks
and an interception.
Both players helped the
Wolves defeat the Clan 33-
7.
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Falls City junior Jacob
Oberg always enjoyed watching others play
football.
This fall, he decided to join the Moun-
taineers on the gridiron.
“The first time you get hit, it’s kind of a
wake-up call,” he said. “You’re like, whoa.”
Oberg isn’t just adjusting to life on the
gridiron.
This school year is his one chance to expe-
rience high school in America, and he plans
to take full advantage before his time runs
out.
Since the year 2000, the Oberg family has
lived primarily in Ouagadougou, the capital
of Burkina Faso in Africa, where they per-
form missionary work, including building
churches, digging wells and helping with
medical issues.
The family returns to the states once every
three to four years while his dad speaks to
churches about his experiences.
“We’re usually in West Africa for three or
four years at a time, then we come to the
states for a year,” Oberg said.
That means this school year is his one
chance to live it up the best he can — though
he’s had to adjust to getting comfortable
with a different culture.
“It’s a pretty big culture
shock,” Oberg said. “The
U.S. is a lot wealthier than
Africa. It’s pretty poor over
there. The culture is just dif-
ferent. It’s hard to explain.”
Among the biggest dif-
ferences are weather — it
Oberg
remains hot year-round
where Oberg lives in Africa — and language.
French is the primary language spoken in
the town Oberg lives in Africa.
But he’s also learned that certain precon-
ceived notions about Americans aren’t true.
“Let’s face it, over there, they think of
Americans as people who eat a lot and have
plenty,” Oberg said. “I see that’s not always
the case. I can see that it’s very different here,
but it’s also kind of the same.”
On the football field, Oberg has been
learning on the fly, but he is excelling, earn-
ing a starting spot on the offensive and de-
fensive line.
“I always hear the coaches’ voices in the
back of my head telling me, don’t get too far
deep or close in the pocket,” Oberg said.
He still needs a reminder from time to
time about where he should be, but his en-
thusiasm is infectious.
See OBERG, Page 13A
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Falls City’s
football team has been here
before. Each of the last two
seasons, the Mountaineers
have had a chance to make
the state playoffs — some-
thing they haven’t done
since 1982.
Each of those times, Falls
City fell short.
The Mountaineers hope
the third time’s the charm.
Falls City hosts Triangle
Lake Friday at 7 p.m. A win,
and the Mountaineers
clinch the Special District 3
north title — and an auto-
matic berth to the state
playoffs.
“I don’t hide it; I put
pressure on them,” coach
Laric Cook said. “I tell
them, it’s time (we make
the state playoffs). It’s been
too long. Each of the last
two years we should have
won a league title, but we
didn’t because our kids did-
n’t stay true to what needed
to be done. This group is a
little bit different. They’re a
little more driven.”
Showing the desire is
part of the equation. Trust-
ing the game plan will be
key against Triangle Lake.
Having the discipline to
trust their preparation has
been a struggle in previous
years,
See STATE, Page 13A
Playoff potential
• Falls City hosts Triangle Lake Friday at 7 p.m.
• A win and the Mountaineers clinch the Special District 3
north title and earn an automatic berth to the state playoffs.
• Falls City has not been to the state playoffs since the 1982
season.
• Triangle Lake is on a three-game win streak.
Dragons hope third set sparks playoff run
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
117
www.polkio.com
By Lukas Eggen
PREP VOLLEYBALL
STAT SHEET
The num-
ber of re-
ceiving
yards for-
mer Western Oregon foot-
ball player Tyrell Williams
had on Sunday for the
NFL’s San Diego Chargers.
Williams recorded five
catches for 117 yards and
a touchdown during the
Chargers’ 34-31 loss to the
Oakland Raiders on Sun-
day. For the season,
Williams has 21 catches
for 358 yards and two
touchdowns. San Diego is
1-4 this season.
Falls City on the brink
of a state playoff berth
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas sophomore setter Emma Classen returns a hit
against Corvallis on Thursday night.
DALLAS — In a span of
less than 10 minutes against
Corvallis on Thursday, start-
ing outside hitter Maggie
Blair and middle blocker
Tristin Savage went down
with injuries.
It would have been easy
for the Dragons to lay down
in the third set.
Instead, Dallas gave the
Spartans a challenge, lead-
ing for much of the set, be-
fore falling 25-23, 25-13, 26-
24.
“It’s crazy, that’s the only
way I can explain it,” coach
Shana Lavier said. “Two
starters go down with in-
juries, and my girls played
with more heart and hustle
(in the third set) than I’ve
seen all season. It was cool
to watch.”
Dallas
showed in
that third
set it could
keep up
with the
MWC’s top
team. The
Dragons
Savage
kept pos-
sessions alive with digs, ex-
tending and winning long
points, and minimizing er-
rors.
For at least one set, Dallas
went blow for blow with the
league’s top team.
“We knew we had nothing
to lose and played with all
our heart,” sophomore
Emma Classen said.
The question becomes
can the Dragons channel
that energy for an entire
match. The answer may de-
cide whether Dallas qualifies
for the state play-in round.
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That third set is what
Lavier hopes inspires the
Dragons for a late season
push — one that Dallas badly
needs if it wants to extend
its season. Dallas entered its
match at Silverton on Mon-
day losers of four in a row in
league play. The Dragons
entered the week in seventh
place in the Mid-Willamette
Conference — one game be-
hind South Albany after a
three-set loss to Silverton on
Monday.
The top six teams ad-
vance to the postseason.
Blair will return Wednes-
day (today) but Lavier said
there is no timetable for Sav-
age’s return.
On paper, losing two
starters so late in the season
could be a nail in the coffin
for the team’s postseason
hopes.
See DRAGONS, Page 13A
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