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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 2017)
Polk County Sports 12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 17, 2017 Panthers: Altamirano wins 200-, 400-meter races Continued from Page 10A Coaches convinced her to give the high jump a shot — despite her strug- gling with the event as a freshman. “I wanted to focus on triple jump because last sea- son wasn’t a great season for me in the high jump,” Henke said. “Coaches pushed me to do high jump, too.” Turns out that was a good call. Henke won a district title in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 1 inch. “I was really nervous, but I love districts,” Henke said. “Watching all the girls com- pete on Friday, I kept think- ing, ‘I’m ready.’ On Saturday, it was all about not over- thinking, because if you do, you’re not going to perform at your best.” The mark was a new per- sonal record for Henke. As a reward, Henke is headed to state for the first time. The full scope of her ac- complishment hasn’t set in yet, but she’s excited to see what will happen. “I keep thinking about LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Sophia Henke won the girls high jump on Saturday. what that means because it’s completely new to me,” Henke said. “I think it’s a re- ally neat opportunity, and I want to thank my coaches for helping me. It’s crazy.” — Moments after junior Bethanie Altamirano won the girls 200-meter run LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Bethanie Altamirano won the 200- and 400-meter runs. (26.49 seconds), there were tears in her eyes. Despite also winning the 400 (59.78) earlier that day, Altamirano figured the 200 would be out of reach. “I did not expect to win,” she said. “I thought I was going to get second (in the 200). I think I need to have confidence with myself, but I had a huge smile on my face. It was crazy.” Now, Altamirano is head- ed back to Eugene. “It’s just as exciting,” she said. “It feels like it’s new and like I’ve never done this before.” But Altramirano has been there before and has her sights set on competing for a state title, especially in the 400. Her biggest hurdle has little to do with her abilities. “I need to be more confi- dent with myself,” she said. “Last year at state, I thought there’s no way I can beat all these girls. I need to work on that.” — Burgett qualified for state in the 400, placing second in the 400 (51.57). Mason took second in the long jump (21- 1¾). The boys 4 x 400 relay team of Hutchinson, Josh Dickson, Zach Meyer and Burgett placed second (3:29.10). Jaydon Aydelotte earned a wild card berth in the 110 hurdles. PREP TRACK AND FIELD Falls City heads to state in four events By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer PORTLAND — Falls City track and field coach Ronnie Simmons made a change with the girls 4 x 100-meter relay team. The lineup remained the same, but the handoffs be- tween Amara Houghtaling, Natalie Batie, Brittney Potts and Madelyn Hendrickson, was tweaked with only weeks left before districts. “What was funny is that the girls went along with the new handoff and apparently didn’t think it was late in the season to switch things up,” CLASS 1A TRACK AND FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Falls City qualifiers: BOYS — 4 x 100-meter relay (Jeremy Labrado, Nathan Kempfer, Charlie Gilson, Austin Burgess, seeded 12th); Jeremy Labrado, jr., long jump (seeded 12th). GIRLS — 4 x 100-meter relay (Amara Houghtaling, Natalie Batie, Brittney Potts, Madelyn Hendrickson, seeded seventh); Jaime Shaw, soph., triple jump (seeded eighth). Simmons said. “Well, the proof is in the pudding.” The relay team took first at the Special District 1 dis- trict championships on Sat- urday, finishing with a time of 54.85 seconds. The boys 4 x 100 relay team of Jeremy Labrado, Nathan Kempfer, Charlie Gilson and Austin Burgess placed second (47.73). “I always felt we had the right lineups,” Simmons said. “The biggest issue was getting the time to work to- gether as a team.” Labrado also quali- fied for state in the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, Labrado 10½ inches and Jaime Shaw earned a trip to state after taking second in the girls triple jump (31-4). “For both Jeremy and Jaime the reason for their personal success is obvious- ly their natural athletic abili- ties and also how much time they put into mastering their craft,” Simmons said. PREP BASEBALL LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Amara Houghtaling helped the girls 4 x 100-meter relay team qualify for sate. PREP SOFTBALL Panthers draw Marist Central to host Churchill Catholic in play-in game in state play-in round By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral’s baseball team hopes a strong end to the regular season leads to success in the postseason. The Pan- thers entered the week win- ners of five of its last six games and will host Marist Catholic in a state play-in game Friday at 4:30 p.m. “We have played very well the last three weeks, espe- cially offensively,” coach Reed Rainey said. “We are playing with a lot of confi- dence and spirit right now.” Pitching and defense had always been a strength, but the offense is beginning to catch up, Rainey said. That makes the Panthers a dangerous, complete team entering the postseason. Marist Catholic has had an up-and-down season and enters with a 13-13 record overall, but does boast a win over Crater, ranked second in the state by the OSAA. “Marist is a good team that plays all three phases of the game well,” Rainey said. “They play in a very compet- itive conference, so they will be well seasoned and have experience against good teams. This will be a very tough game.” The winner advances to the first round of the state playoffs on May 24. “If we continue to swing the bats well, we will be a tough team for anyone to play,” Rainey said. “I’m very proud of the kids. They’ve worked hard and deserve this. The community sup- port has been outstanding as well.” STATE PLAY-IN GAME What: Marist Catholic (13-13 overall, 9-12 Midwestern League, sixth place) vs. Central (16-8 overall, 13-8 Mid- Willamette Conference, third place). When: Friday, 4:30 p.m. Where: Central High School. Admission: Adults, $6; students $4. What’s at stake: The winner advances to the first round of the state playoffs on May 24. The loser is eliminated. Giving Their All By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer I N D E PE N D E N C E — Central’s softball team will host Churchill in the state play-in round on Friday. The Panthers finished league play with an 11-4 record, finishing in fourth. Central won its final league games against Cor- vallis 6-2 and 18-4 on May 10. The Panthers lost to Dallas 14-4 on May 9. Churchill finished 10-14 overall and 8-10 in Mid- western League play, tak- ing fifth in the league standings. The winner will advance to the first round of the state playoffs on May 24. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Central lost to Dallas 14-4 on May 9 before defeating Corvallis 6-2 and 18-4 on May 10. Returning a Shot LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas’ Molly Peffley attempts to return a shot during the Mid-Willamette Conference District Tennis Championships on Thursday. The Dragons’ boys and girls tennis teams competed in Corvallis. “They played tough and we had several make it into the second day of the tournament, which is a huge accomplishment,” girls coach Julie Hertel said. Dallas’ teams did not have anyone advance to state. Central’s Hassan Eltelbany returns a shot at the Mid-Willamette Conference District tennis championships on Thursday. The Panthers’ boys and girls teams competed in Corvallis. “All of us wish it wasn’t over so soon,” boys coach Patty Youngren said. “But many returning players looked great on the court.” Neither team had any player advance to state.
