Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 22, 2017 10A
SCHEDULE
2016-17 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION GIRLS
BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
Baseball: Central at
Corvallis, 4:30 p.m. Wood-
burn at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Waldport at Perrydale,
4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Woodburn
at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Girls tennis: Dallas at
Woodburn, 4 p.m.
Softball: South Albany
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas
at Crescent Valley, 4:30 p.m.
Waldport at Perrydale, 4:30
p.m.
Track and field: Central
at Woodburn, 3:45 p.m. Falls
City at Sherwood, 4 p.m.
Stepping
Up
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
Boys tennis: South Al-
bany at Central, 4 p.m. Cor-
vallis at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Girls tennis: Central at
South Albany, 4 p.m. Dallas
at Corvallis, 4 p.m.
Softball: Perrydale at
Sheridan, 4:30 p.m.
Track and field: Dallas
vs. Silverton (at Kennedy
High School), 4:15 p.m. Per-
rydale at Jim Barks/Grizzly
Bear Open, 2 p.m.
Mendazona carves out
leading role for Panthers
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Early in the season, coach Julie
McDonald spoke with the Central’s girls basketball team
about defining roles.
Guard Meagan Mendazona was ready to earn a leading
role despite being a freshman.
“I’ve always been a leader on my teams and I’m willing
to step up if I am able,” she said.
On some teams, seeing a freshman carve out a key role
could be troublesome.
Not so for the Panthers.
“Even though I’m a freshman, my teammates respected
me,” she said. “It allowed me to improve and do what I
could to help the team.”
Mendazona led or was second in nearly all statistical
categories for the Panthers, helping Central to a third-
place finish in the Mid-Willamette Conference and a trip
to the state playoffs.
Her 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game were a re-
sult of a rare combination of offensive skills and a willing-
ness to fight for rebounds in the paint. Her leadership
made her the Itemizer-Observer’s girls basketball Player of
the Year.
—
In Mendazona’s world, basketball is king.
See MENDAZONA, Page 11A
FRIDAY, MARCH 24
Baseball: Corvallis at
Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at
Woodburn, 4:30 p.m. Perry-
dale at Amity, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Sandy at
Dallas, 4 p.m.
Softball: Crescent Valley
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas
at Corvallis, 4:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at Saint Martin’s (DH), 1
p.m.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon at Central Washington
(DH), 1 p.m.
Track and field: Western
Oregon at Willamette Invi-
tational, TBA.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26
Baseball: Western Ore-
gon at Saint Martin’s (DH),
noon.
Softball: Western Ore-
gon at Saint Martin’s (DH),
noon.
Spring is here
MONDAY, MARCH 27
Baseball: Dallas vs.
Philomath (at Newport),
9:30 a.m. Dallas vs. Sius-
law/Mapleton (at Newport),
2:30 p.m.
Softball: Central at New-
port, 9 a.m. Central vs.
Banks (at Newport), 1 p.m.
Dallas vs. Mountain View (at
North Medford), 2 p.m. Dal-
las vs. Henley (at North
Medford), 6 p.m.
Junior pitcher Jaret Stew-
art throws against South
Eugene on Thursday after-
noon.
The Dragons lost 10-9 to
South Eugene in the
team’s season-opener.
Dallas also lost to Glad-
stone 9-6 on Friday.
The Dragons were sched-
uled to play at Woodburn
Tuesday after press time.
Dallas hosts Woodburn
Wednesday (today) at 4:30
p.m. before playing at
Woodburn on Friday,
weather permitting.
The Dragons will compete
at the Newport Spring
Break Tournament on
Monday and Tuesday. Dal-
las will return home to
host Lebanon on April 4.
TUESDAY, MARCH 28
Baseball: Dallas vs.
Sweet Home (at Newport),
9:30 a.m.
Softball: Central vs.
Pleasant Hill (at Newport), 1
p.m. Central vs. Taft (at
Newport), 3 p.m. Dallas vs.
Sprague (at North Med-
ford), 4 p.m. Dallas vs.
Grants Pass (at North Med-
ford), 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
Baseball: Lewis-Clark
State at Western Oregon, 2
p.m.
Track and field: Falls
City, Perrydale at Canby All-
Comers, noon.
—
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
CENTRAL TENNIS
Cross Creek
men’s club results
Huerte ready to serve up success
DALLAS — Cross
Creek’s men’s club results
for March 14:
Low gross/low net
Gross: 1 (tie), Greg Fish-
er and Lee Taylor, 43; 3, Bill
Karjala, 44.
Net: 1, Judson Baker, 36;
2, Lynn Hurt, 37; 3, Vern
Smith, 38; 4 (tie), Ed John-
son, Bob Hughes and Dar-
rel Smedstad, 39.
Pirates compete at
Estacada
ESTACADA — Perry-
dale’s track and field team
competed at the Estacada
Small School Invite on Sat-
urday.
Joshua Crawford led the
boys with a sixth-place fin-
ish in the 300-meter hur-
d l e s ( 5 1 . 7 7 s e co n d s ) .
Amity Deters took fifth in
the girls 300 hurdles
(55.52) and sixth in the
long jump (13 feet, 5½
inches).
For more results:
www.polkio.com.
www.polkio.com
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Central jun-
ior Diana Huerte knew she
possessed the skills and
the knowledge — but she
still had to take a deep
breath before her season-
opening tennis match on
Thursday.
“I was nervous,” she said.
“But I received some advice
from one of my friends be-
fore the match that the
nerves are only in your
head.”
Once Huerte stepped
onto the court, all those
nerves faded away.
“Everything came back to
me,” Huerte said. “My fore-
hand, my serve, I remem-
bered everything I was
taught, and I thought I did
pretty well.”
Huerte defeated Dallas’
Makayli Laizure 6-1, 6-3 — a
solid start to what she hopes
Tennis time
• Central’s girls tennis team lost to Dallas 6-2 on Thursday af-
ternoon in the team’s season-opener.
• Diana Huerte defeated Makayli Laizure 6-1, 6-3 and Olivia
Teague defeated Kinzi Boer 8-6, 6-2 to earn the Panthers two
victories.
• Central played Woodburn Tuesday after press time. The
Panthers travel to South Albany Thursday at 4 p.m. The Pan-
thers will be off from league matches during spring break.
is an exceptional spring.
—
Huerte had been exclu-
sively a volleyball player
through middle school. She
had rarely picked up a tennis
racket let alone thought
about playing on a team.
That changed her fresh-
man year when teammate
Olivia Teague convinced her
that trying tennis could be
fun, and the two agreed to
play doubles together.
They figured it would take
them time to get comfort-
able, but success came
quickly.
The duo made varsity, and
Huerte played doubles again
as a sophomore on varsity.
It was after the 2016 sea-
son that Central coach Dave
Eble talked with Huerte
about her tennis future.
“He told me I was pretty
good and could possibly try
playing club (tennis),”
Huerte said.
She now plays club tennis
at Salem Tennis and Swim
Club throughout the year —
and discovered a love and
desire for breaking out on
her own.
See HUERTE, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Central junior Diana Huerte earned a 6-1, 6-3 win over
Dallas’ Makayli Laizure on Thursday afternoon.
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