Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 8, 2017 13A
PREP WRESTLING
SCHEDULE
PREP WRESTLING
Central looks
for strong
showing
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8
Boys basketball: Dallas
at Milwaukie, 7:15 p.m.
Girls basketball: Cres-
cent Valley at Central, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Corvallis, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 9
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at Fresno Pacific, 6 p.m.
Boys basketball: Perry-
dale at Oregon School for
the Deaf, 7 p.m.
Girls basketball: Perry-
dale at Oregon School for
the Deaf, 5:30 p.m.
Men’s basketball: West-
ern Oregon at Western
Washington, 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball:
Montana State Billings at
Western Oregon, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 10
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at Fresno Pacific (DH), 2
p.m.
Boys basketball: South
Albany at Central, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Crescent Valley, 7
p.m. Falls City at C.S. Lewis,
7 p.m.
Girls basketball: Cres-
cent Valley at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Swimming: Central, Dal-
las at Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence District Championships
at Corvallis, 12:30 p.m.
Track and field: Western
Oregon at the Husky Clas-
sic, TBA.
Wrestling: Central, Dal-
las at Mid-Willamette Con-
ference District Champi-
onships at Corvallis, 11 a.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 11
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at Fresno Pacific, 11
a.m.
Boys basketball: Falls
City at Jewell, 4 p.m.
Girls basketball: Central
at Wilsonville, 3:30 p.m. Falls
City at Jewell, 2:30 p.m.
Men’s basketball: West-
ern Oregon at Simon Fraser,
7 p.m.
Swimming: Central, Dal-
las at Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence District Championships
at Corvallis, 1:30 p.m.
Track and field: Western
Oregon at Husky Classic,
TBA.
Wrestling: Central, Dal-
las at Mid-Willamette Con-
ference District Champi-
onships at Corvallis, 11 a.m.
MONDAY, FEB. 13
Softball: Western Ore-
gon at Hawaii Pacific (DH), 1
p.m. (HT).
TUESDAY, FEB. 14
Boys basketball: Central
at Lebanon, 7 p.m. Dallas at
Silverton, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15
Girls basketball:
Lebanon at Central, 7 p.m.
Silverton at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon at Chaminade (DH),
4:30 p.m. (HT).
—
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
Panther wrestlers
place at tourney
SALEM — Three Pan-
ther wrestlers placed at
t h e O re g o n Fo l k s t y l e
Championships Jan. 28
and 29.
Brock Pierce placed
second in the school
boy/girl 152-pound class.
Kevin Villa finished sec-
ond in the Cadet 195 class
and Liliana Alvarez took
second in the Bantam 70
class.
WOU football
welcomes 31
MONMOUTH — West-
ern Oregon football
signed 31 players on Na-
tional Signing Day on Feb.
1.
T h e Wo l v e s s i g n e d
players from four states,
including Oregon (13),
Washington (12), Califor-
nia (five) and Nevada
(one).
“We are excited about
the athleticism, size and
length of our recruiting
class,” coach Arne Fergu-
son said.
Western Oregon fin-
ished 4-6 overall and 3-5
in Great Northwest Ath-
letic Conference play
during the 2016 cam-
paign.
A full list of players is
available online at
www.wouwolves.com.
www.polkio.com
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas wrestler Ryan Bibler, right, is among those looking to qualify for state this weekend.
Back for more
Dragons look to reclaim district championship
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Selective memory.
That’s what Dallas’ wrestling team
aims to have ahead of the Mid-
Willamette Conference District Cham-
pionships Friday and Saturday at Cor-
vallis High School.
“You have to remember what got
you here, but forget about the ac-
complishments because none of that
matters,” senior Cody Janssen said.
“All that matters right now is dis-
tricts.”
For now, the goal is simple — quali-
fy as many wrestlers as they can for
state and win a district title.
Last year, the Dragons finished sec-
ond as a team — the first time in six
years they didn’t win a district title. It’s
safe to say wrestlers want to reclaim
that title.
“We got something taken from us
last year,” Dawson Barcroft said. “But
now, we’re back.”
But the Dragons also know that dis-
tricts isn’t the ultimate goal, and this
year could provide a golden opportu-
nity to win state.
—
Dallas appears to have several
wrestlers who could contend for a trip
to state. Among those include Tanner
and Treve Earhart, Clay Coxen,
Janssen, Barcroft, Joseph Foster and
Ryan Bibler, but expect a few wrinkles
come districts.
See DALLAS, Page 14A
District championships
What: Mid-Willamette Conference District Wrestling Championships.
When: Friday, 11 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.
Where: Corvallis High School.
Who: Dallas, Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, Silverton, South Albany
and Woodburn high schools.
Admission: Adults, $6; students, $4.
What’s at stake: The top four placers in
each weight class qualify for the OSAA Class
5A state wrestling championships, to be
held Feb. 24-25 at Veterans Memorial Coli-
seum in Portland.
INDEPENDENCE —
Central’s wrestling team is
ready to stomp the compe-
tition at the Mid-
Wi l l a m e t t e Co n f e re n c e
District Wrestling Champi-
onship Friday and Saturday
at Corvallis High School.
“We are
expecting
o
u
r
wrestlers to
be at their
best for the
district
tourna-
m e n t ,”
coach Van
Negrete
Holstad
said. “This is the time to peak
for us.”
Districts represents a chal-
lenge for Holstad — getting
his players mentally pre-
pared without putting too
much pressure on them.
“We try to have them ap-
proach the
district
tourna-
ment the
same as
other big
tourna-
ments,”
Holstad
said. “It is
Crow
difficult
due to the fact that it is a
state qualifier, but they need
to come out and wrestle hard
the entire tournament.”
The Panthers hope to be
a major player at districts in
Corvallis with several
wrestlers, including Sam
Crow, David Negrete, Noah
Worthington and Chris
Polanco, all who should be
in contention for a trip to
state.
See CENTRAL, Page 14A
PREP SWIMMING
Glade brings strong state of mind
Glade, Holstad among Central’s best hopefuls to qualify for the state meet
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
There was a moment that
Central junior swimmer
Daniel Glade had an
epiphany.
“You can go as far as you
let your mind lets you go,”
Glade said. “You realize if
you believe you can do it,
you can.”
It was at the Mid-
Willamette Conference Dis-
trict swimming champi-
onships his
freshman
ye a r t h a t
he found a
mental
strength
that had
e l u d e d
him.
Glade
“I got
into a certain state of
mind,” Glade said. “I had
this focus that I hadn’t had
before.”
Glade set personal
records that year and
made it to state as part of
the 200-yard medley relay
team.
After missing out on qual-
ifying for state last season,
he’s looking to book a return
trip as a junior.
“I would feel a lot of joy,”
Glade said. “Going to state
my freshman year with
Nathan (Glade) and Ryan
(Rosas) and Orion (Waight)
was a great experience. It’d
be awesome to relive that in
a way.”
See GLADE, Page 15A
Battle For State Berths
What: Mid-Willamette Conference District Swimming
Championships.
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Osborn Pool, Corvallis.
Who: Dallas, Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, Sil-
verton and South Albany.
Admission: Adults, $6; students (with I.D.), $4; children, $4.
What’s at stake: The winner of each individual and relay
event automatically qualifies for the Class 5A state swim meet,
scheduled Feb. 17-18 at Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic
Center in Gresham.
Available wildcard spots are given to the fastest competi-
tors, up to 12 participants.
PREP SWIMMING
Ford tries for ‘perfect’ finish
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — This isn’t any-
thing new for Dallas senior
swimmer Jolie-Rae Ford.
She’s been a fixture as a
top contender at the Mid-
Willamette Conference dis-
trict championships ever
since she arrived as a fresh-
man — earning a trip to the
state championships in
each of her first three sea-
sons.
When she enters the pool
in Corvallis on Friday and
Saturday, the situation will
be familiar — but the cir-
cumstance new.
“It’s a little weird to think
it’s my last year,” Ford said.
“It doesn’t feel different —
just a little strange. … In the
past, I always thought, ‘well I
can try that next year.’ I can’t
do that now. I think it’s going
to be a lot of fun. I’m excited
to see what
we can do
there. I
want to
make this
one mem-
orable.”
Ford, a
lifelong
Ford
swimmer,
has always felt at home in
the water, and it’s shaped
her into the person she is
today
“I have a much better
work ethic and teamwork
ability than a lot of people
do,” Ford said. “With swim-
ming, you usually don’t
know anyone who is on the
team, and you have to learn
to work with them in a short
amount of time. That’s a
great skill to have.”
Without swimming, Ford
isn’t sure she’d be an athlete
at all, let alone one who is
looking for her fourth trip to
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Dallas senior Jolie-Rae Ford hopes to qualify for state for the fourth time.
the state meet.
“I think I’d be a complete-
ly different person,” Ford
said. “I probably wouldn’t
have done any sports at all.
If I did, it’d be gymnastics.
That’s crazy.”
With the swim season
winding down, Ford hopes
to continue swimming com-
www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209
petitively in college. But she
knows nothing will match
the experience she’s had in
high school.
See FORD, Page 14A
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