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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
Polk County Sports 12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 24, 2017 PREP TRACK AND FIELD Deming places second in 300 hurdles By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer EUGENE — It wasn’t the dream ending he hoped for, but Dallas senior Jacob Deming highlighted a strong showing from Dallas’ track and field team at the OSAA Track and Field State Cham- pionships on Friday and Sat- urday. Deming capped off a strong state meet by taking second in the 300-meter hurdles. Deming also placed fifth in the long jump and 11th in the triple jump. Deming’s time of 38.53 seconds in the 300 hurdles was a new person- al record. “Overall, I’m happy with the time and with myself,” Deming said. “(State) is defi- nitely different than any- thing else I’ve done. You have this sense of awe.” Deming was one of sever- al Dragon athletes to place at state. Jacob Collins took fourth in the pole vault (13-6¼); Aaron White placed eighth in the triple jump (42-5¾); Trevor Cross finished 10th in the 3,000 (9:08.99); and Jacob Ronco took 11th in the javelin (144-10). For the girls, Jenifer Webb and Stefani Tallon finished seventh and eighth (16.11 and 16.18) in the 100 hur- dles. Kayley Sayer placed seventh in the long jump (16-3¼); Hailey VanWell took ninth in the triple jump (33-11¼); and Amelia Burgess finished 11th in the discus (105-11). “The kids did well and should be proud,” coach Bill Masei said. “It was a good weekend for Dallas track and field.” For the athletes compet- ing, state brought excite- ment, nerves and a wide range of emotions. “It was difficult knowing it was my last time jumping,” Sayer, a senior said. “Every- thing is running through my head, but it’s an honor to be here.” For Aaron, a senior, who competed at state for the third time, the moment was just as magical as the first time he stepped onto Hay- ward Field. “It’s really fun,” Aaron said. “It’s just this crazy ex- perience. Track has always been my sport, the thing I’ve been best at. Being here three years in a row and being around these athletes is amazing.” He said sharing the mo- ment with his father/coach Jason White made the mo- ment even more special. “My favorite memory is having my dad as my coach,” Aaron said. “He’s someone who knows the sport and it’s a special rela- tionship.” Aaron and Deming weren’t the only pair to share state together. Webb and Tallon competed to- gether one last time in the 100 hurdles. “It means more to us be- cause it’s our last year,” Webb said. “We’ve been playing sports together since, like, sixth grade.” Even the way they fin- ished was symbolic of the friendship they’ve shared through the years. “How funny that we ended up going out the way we came in — nice and close,” Tallon said. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Freshman Hailey VanWell placed ninth in the triple jump. Dallas senior Jacob Deming leaps over a hurdle during a preliminary heat on Friday. He placed second in the final. PREP TRACK AND FIELD Shaw shines in first year of jumping By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer EUGENE — Falls City sophomore Jaime Shaw was- n’t going to do track and field. Instead, she was plan- ning on relaxing during the spring until curiosity got the better of her. “I always loved running and all my friends were doing it, so I thought I might as well give it a try,” Shaw said. Initially she thought she would be a runner, but she soon changed course. “I like being active, but I’m not a very good long-dis- tance runner, and I’m not fast enough to be a short- distance runner, so I decid- ed to try jumps,” Shaw said. That turned out to be a good decision. Shaw finished eighth in the triple jump at the 1A Track and Field State Cham- pionships on Friday in Eu- gene. “It’s kind of surreal,” she said. “I’m happy I made it to the state finals.” The Mountaineers placed in four events during the state meet. The girls 4 x 100- meter relay team of Amara Houghtaling, Natalie Batie, Brittney Potts and Madelyn Hendrickson placed sixth (54.30 seconds), while the boys 4 x 100 team of Jeremy Labrado, Nathan Kempfer, Charlie Gilson and Austin Burgess took 11th (47.36). Labrado also took ninth in the triple jump (11.59 me- ters). “I saw our athletes rise to the occasion and post per- sonal records in all the events they competed in,” coach Ronnie Simmons said. “It was great weather and just an awesome time to sit back and watch.” PREP BASEBALL Panthers fall to Marist Catholic in play-in round By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral’s baseball team saw its season come to an end on Friday after losing to Marist Catholic 7-1 in a state play- in game. The Panthers finished the season with a 17-9 record overall. “I thought we had a very good season,” coach Reed Rainey said. “Obviously, we wanted to go further in the playoffs than we did, but winning 17 games and fin- ishing third in the confer- ence has to be considered a good season.” Central saw a mixed bag during the season. “Our pitching and defense were very good throughout the season,” Rainey said. “We don’t have any power arms, but we competed very well on the mound and I was proud of the way all our pitchers progressed. Defense was the key to many of our wins.” While defense was a strength, the offense never found the consistency nec- essary. “We had a couple of kids put up big numbers, but overall our offense did not match our pitching and de- fense,” Rainey said. “A lot of that has to do with experi- ence. We started four sopho- mores and three juniors, and the lack of varsity experience and overall baseball experi- ence was evident through- out the season. The positive is they gained valuable expe- rience that will help us in the long run.” Moving forward, the Pan- thers will have to replace graduating seniors Jackson Holstad, Luis Amador and Humberto Alarcon. That won’t be easy as the trio formed the core of the team’s offensive production, but Rainey is optimistic for the future. “We have a young team, and if we get stronger over the summer and continue to gain experience and knowl- edge, we will have a compet- itive team again next sea- son,” he said. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Falls City sophomore Jaime Shaw finished eighth in the triple jump at the OSAA Track and Field State Champi- onships on Friday. Shaw participated in track and field for the first time dur- ing the 2017 season. The Mountaineers placed in four events during state meet, held in Eugene, on Thursday and Friday. Dallas: Dragons have won 20 games in a row Continued from Page 11A Dallas has excelled in all three areas during Mid- Willamette Conference play. The Dragons led the MWC in runs scored (257) and fewest runs allowed (91), and enters the playoffs with confidence. The Dragons boast ar- guably one of the deepest and most talented lineups in 5A, but just as important as talent is playing up to their potential every time they step onto the field. “Consistency is some- thing we have focused on all year,” Jackson said. “Being consistent on both sides of the ball is key.” Consistency is something the Dragons have had in spades. Catcher Lauren Wallace was named the league’s co- player of the year, while Kaelynn Simmons earned Pitcher of the Year honors. In addition, Olivia Nelson earned first team all-league honors; Jayden Wynia, Zoe Whitlow and Ashlee Licht- enberger received second team all-MWC recognition; and Emma Classen and Jordan Dippel earned hon- orable mentions. Jackson was named Coach of the Year. The key to Dallas’ success is never being satisfied and knowing from here on out, one bad game could mean the end of the season. “The girls know that with success we have had during league that opposing teams from here on out are hun- gry to beat us,” Jackson said. “We do a great job of playing our game and play- ing to win, not playing not to lose. There is a big differ- ence.” The winner advances to the quarterfinals on Friday against the winner of No. 9 Lebanon vs. No. 8 Eagle Point. The state semifinals will take place May 30. PREP GIRLS GOLF Curtis takes 13th at state Itemizer-Observer staff report CRESWELL — Dallas sen- ior Kailee Curtis placed 13th at the OSAA 5A Girls Golf State Championships May 15-16. Curtis shot a 36 over par over two days. Curtis shot a 96 in the first round and a 48 in the sec- ond round. The second round was reduced to nine holes due to weather. Pendleton’s Haley Greb and Summit’s Olivia Loberg tied for first with a 5 over par. JULI LICHTENBERGER/for the Itemizer-Observer Dallas’ softball team opens the state playoffs at home Wednesday (today).
