Polk County
Sports
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26
Baseball: Central at
Woodburn, 3:30 p.m. Silver-
ton at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Silverton at
Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Girls tennis: Dallas at Sil-
verton, 4 p.m.
Softball: Dallas at South
Albany, 4:30 p.m. Western
Oregon at Saint Martin’s
(DH), 1 p.m.
Track and field: Dallas at
Central, 4 p.m. Falls City at
Tiger Invitational, 3:30 p.m.
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 26, 2017 10A
PREP SOFTBALL
Dallas puts league on notice
Dragons blank Panthers 13-0 to improve to 8-0 in MWC play
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The last time Dallas’ softball
team squared off against Central, it was a de-
fensive battle with the Dragons pulling out a
2-1 victory.
Things were a bit different on Friday.
Solo home runs from the Dragons’ Jordan
Dippel and Lauren Wallace in the first inning
gave Dallas a 2-0 lead entering the third in-
ning.
“I’m always thinking get a base hit,” Wal-
lace said. “If I do that, the home runs will
come. That’s my mentality at the plate. As
soon as I felt it off the bat, I knew it was gone.”
Wallace hit an RBI double to help kick start
a third inning that saw the Dragons pour on
11 runs against the Panthers, en route to a 13-
0 victory — the team’s seventh in a row.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27
Baseball: Santiam at Per-
rydale, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Crescent
Valley at Central, 4 p.m.
Girls tennis: Central at
Crescent Valley, 4 p.m.
Softball: Lebanon at Dal-
las, 5 p.m. Perrydale at Santi-
am, 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Baseball: Central at
Woodburn, 3:30 p.m. Dallas
at Silverton, 4:30 p.m.
Kennedy at Perrydale, 4:30
p.m. Western Oregon at
Central Washington (DH),
noon.
Softball: Silverton at
Central, 4 p.m. Lebanon at
Dallas, 4 p.m.
Track and field: Central
at Nike/Jesuit Twilight Re-
lays, 2:30 p.m. Dallas at Rob
Allen Twilight Invitational,
4:30 p.m. Western Oregon at
Oregon State High Perform-
ance Meet, TBA.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
Baseball: Western Men-
nonite at Perrydale, 1 p.m.
Western Oregon at Central
Washington (DH), noon.
Softball: Corvallis at Dal-
las, noon. Saint Martin’s at
Western Oregon (DH), noon.
Track and field: Perrydale
at Portland Christian Invita-
tional, 11 a.m. Western Ore-
gon at Oregon State High
Performance Meet, TBA.
SUNDAY, APRIL 30
Softball: Central Wash-
ington at Western Oregon
(DH), noon.
MONDAY, MAY 1
Girls golf: Dallas at Emer-
ald Valley Invite (Eugene), 10
a.m.
Softball: Perrydale at
Sheridan, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 2
Baseball: South Albany
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Cres-
cent Valley at Dallas, 4:30
p.m. Perrydale at Country
Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Boys tennis: Corvallis at
Central, 4 p.m. Dallas at
South Albany, 4 p.m.
Girls tennis: Central at
Corvallis, 4 p.m. South Al-
bany at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Softball: South Albany at
Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at
Crescent Valley, 4:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3
Baseball: Central at
South Albany, 4:30 p.m. Dal-
las at Crescent Valley, 4:30
p.m.
Boys golf: Central, Dallas
at Regionals (at Quail Valley
in Banks), TBA.
Softball: Crescent Valley
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at
Corvallis, 4:30 p.m. Perrydale
at Amity, 4:30 p.m.
—
“They’re being aggressive
early and making sure
they’re having quality at
bats,” coach Brandi Jackson
said. “That doesn’t necessar-
ily mean getting a home run
or a base hit. That can mean
going deep in the count
making the opposing pitch-
Simmons
er throw more pitches.”
Central entered the game on a five-game
winning streak.
“We knew we’d have to come out with lots
of energy,” Olivia Nelson said. “We knew
they beat some good teams, so we’d have to
bring our A game to crush them.”
Wallace finished the game with three hits
and four RBIs. Ashlee Lichtenberger added
three hits and three RBIs.
See DALLAS, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas scored 13 runs against Central on Friday after-
noon, including 11 in the third inning.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas’ Olivia Nelson, right, throws toward first base on Friday afternoon.
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
Falls City ready to climb to state
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — When jun-
ior Jeremy Labrado arrived
in Eugene for the 1A state
track and field champi-
onships last May, he was
overwhelmed.
“I’ve learned not to think
about the moment too
much,” Labrado said. “I
went to state last year and
thought about it way too
much, and I scratched.”
Labrado hopes to get an-
other crack at state this
spring — and he’s not the
only one Falls City coach
Ronnie Simmons thinks will
be headed to Eugene.
The Mountaineers’ track
and field
t e a m s
most re-
c e n t l y
competed
at Sheridan
on Thurs-
day where
the girls
Labrado
took sec-
ond and the boys finished
fifth.
Labrado took second in
the boys triple jump (37
feet), third in the long jump
(17-6 ½) and fifth in the high
jump (5-4).
“In track, you have this
mentality that it’s you
against everyone else,”
Labrado said. “You don’t
have anyone helping you,
Burgess
except in
relays.”
Labrado
ranks sec-
ond in Spe-
cial District
1 in the
long jump
and third
in the high
jump.
“It would mean a lot to get
back to state knowing how
much I’ve improved and
how much the competition
improved,” Labrado said.
Simmons said Labrado is
on the verge of a big break-
out in his events.
“He has sacrificed, and I
think you will see the results
of what I’m talking about in
the very
near fu-
ture,” Sim-
mons said.
Austin
Burgess
took first in
the 400-
meter run
Hendrickson i n 5 5 . 0 3
seconds and fourth in the
200 (25.08).
The sophomore ranks in
the top 10 in the league in
numerous sprint events.
“The guys that are faster
than me aren’t that much
faster,” Burgess said. “If
someone is in front of me, I
push myself harder. I have
another cylinder in me that I
can tap into.”
Fo r t h e
girls, Brit-
tney Potts
took sec-
ond in the
4
0
0
(1:10.00);
Natalie
B a t i e
Potts
placed sec-
ond in the 800 (3:03.00) and
Madelyn Hendrickson fin-
ished second in the 100 hur-
dles (18.92).
Jaime Shaw placed third
in the triple jump (30-5).
With districts on the hori-
zon, Simmons said athletes
will be honing in on their
best events while balancing
busy schedules.
See TRACK, Page 11A
PREP BOYS TENNIS
Schedules Subject to Change
For more than love of the game
QUICK HITS
Senior honors family each time he steps onto the tennis court
Scrap metal drive
returns May 20
By Lukas Eggen
DALLAS — Dallas’ boys
basketball program will
hold its fifth annual scrap
metal drive May 20 from 8
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Email Trent Schwartz,
trent.schwartz@dsd2.org or
call 503-623-8336, ext. 2105
to arrange a pickup by May
18. Name, address and brief
description of the scrap and
where to pick it up at the
address is required.
Acceptable items include
iron, cast iron, tin, cars, ap-
pliances, copper, brass, alu-
minum, stainless wire and
copper wire.
Refrigerants, asbestos,
petroleum by products, an-
tifreeze and other harmful
substances will not be ac-
cepted. For more informa-
tion on what is acceptable:
www.cherrycitymetals.com
/recycling.
All proceeds will help
pay for Dallas’ boys basket-
ball team, including equip-
ment, tournament fees and
jerseys.
INDEPENDENCE —
When Central senior Chris
Polanco steps onto the ten-
nis court, he’s playing for
more than himself.
He plays for the fans in at-
tendance.
He plays for his friends
who have supported him
throughout his high school
career.
Most of all, he plays for
family as a way to thank
them for giving him some-
thing that had eluded him —
a home.
“The biggest thing is this is
for my grandmother (coach
Patty Youngren),” Polanco
said. “I’m doing this all for
her. When I see the few peo-
ple who show up to our
matches, it makes me want
to put on a respectable face
when I go out because I’m
representing our team, our
school and my grandma.”
—
Po l a n c o w a s n’t s u re
www.polkio.com
The Itemizer-Observer
Tennis
• Central’s boys tennis team lost to Dallas 6-2 on April 18 and
Woodburn 7-1 on Thursday.
• Hassan Eltelbany defeated Caedmon Blair 6-1, 6-1 and Esai
Leos defeated Hyrum Johnson 3-6, 7-6, 10-8 against Dallas.
• Cade Magill and Dylan Hopkins defeated Woodburn’s Ibzon
Delapoz and Jorge Perez 3-6, 6-1, 10-6 on Thursday.
• Central played South Albany Tuesday after press time. The
Panthers host Crescent Valley Thursday at 4 p.m. and Corvallis
Tuesday at 4 p.m. Central closes out the regular season at Sil-
verton on May 4 at 4 p.m.
whether this would be
home.
Polanco, born in Arizona,
was part of the foster care
system and had moved mul-
tiple times in Arizona and
Oregon.
Six years ago, he thought
that was about to end.
“I was going to be adopt-
ed when I lived in Arizona,
but it didn’t work out,”
Polanco said.
He was instead placed
with the Holliday family in
Oregon.
Moving around had made
it difficult for Polanco to ever
feel settled and at home, but
there was something differ-
ent this time.
“They are really nice and I
chose to stay here, and they
took me in,” he said.
Panthers tennis coach,
and Chris’ grandmother,
Patty Youngren said the con-
nection between Chris and
the Hollidays was clear from
the beginning.
“Kids are immediately
family members,” she said.
“We don’t let go. … His par-
ents are very kid-first orient-
ed. They do amazing things
as a family and are very di-
rect.”
See POLANCO, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Chris Polanco serves during a match earlier this season.
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