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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2017)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 7, 2017 13A QUICK HITS Williams to hold free football camp MONMOUTH — West- ern Oregon football alum and wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers Tyrell Williams will hold a free offensive skills camp June 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp will take place at WOU and is open to quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends in grades seven through 12. Williams will present along with Western Ore- gon football players. The camp is limited to the first 150 students. To register: GameOn- TY16@gmail.com. Cross Creek men’s club results DALLAS — Cross Creek’s men’s club results for May 30: Low gross/net Gross: 1, Mike Largent, 30; 2 (tie), Ted Bennett, Bill Karjala, Ken Dankenbring, J i m S c h r o e d e r, L e e Gamaney and Terry Reed, 32. Net: 1, Jason Fahlman, 21; 2 (tie), Al Fahlman and John Mangini; 4, David White, 26; 5, Lynn Hurt, 27; 6 (tie), Glen White, Dave Voves, Vern Smith, Bob Bennett, Brian Reed, Ken Ross and Derrill Weever, 28. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas’ softball team celebrates after placing second at state. The Dragons advanced to the 5A state championship game on Saturday. PREP SOFTBALL Dragons place second Dallas dispatches Silverton in semifinals before falling to Marist Catholic By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer Booster Club to offer sports physicals DALLAS — Dallas Booster Club will hold sports physicals on June 19 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Oregon Family Health, 607 SE Jefferson St., Dallas. Cost is $25 (cash or check only) and proceeds will support Dallas High School athletics. Please arrive by 7:45 p.m. so physicals can be completed by 8:30 p.m. Student-athletes need a sports physical once every two years. Pop Warner re- quires yearly physicals. Forms will be available on site. WOU softball camp registration open MONMOUTH — West- ern Oregon softball will host its annual Elite Soft- ball Camp June 19-21 at the WOU softball field. The camp will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 19 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 20-21. An optional session from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday will also be available. The camp is aimed at working with softball play- ers entering ninth through 12th grades. Camp instructors will work with individuals on all aspects of the game with a emphasis on preparing athletes for ad- vanced-level competition with the chance to show- case skills to WOU coaches and possibly other col- leges. Cost is $225 per person and includes a camp T- shirt and shorts. Registration is available o n l i n e a t w w w. w o u - wolves.com/documents/2 017/5/9//SB_elite_camp_fl ier_updated_2_1_.pdf?id= 2168 For more information: Mo Jimenez, 360-910- 1939. STAT SHEET 2 The number of Dal- las teams that ad- vanced to the state semifinals or cham- pionship game during the 2016-17 school year. Foot- ball went to the semifinals, while softball made it to the 5A state championship game on Saturday. 44 The number of games Dallas’ softball team has won over the past two season. Dallas went 25-5 this spring. www.polkio.com CORVALLIS — In the mo- ments after Dallas’ 12-7 loss to Marist Catholic in the 5A state softball championship on Saturday, coach Brandi Jackson addressed her team. The loss stung — but Jack- son wasn’t about to let dis- appointment ruin the mo- ment. “You have nothing to hang your heads about,” she told her players. Emma Classen gave the Dragons a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first a f t e r recording a two-RBI single. But M a r i s t Catholic Simmons scored six runs in the third to take the lead for good. T h e Dragons kept the pressure Classen on Marist, scoring in all but two innings, but Marist Catholic seemed to have the answer at every turn. Marist ended the game with 21 hits. “I never like to put it in the umpire’s hand, but there were a lot of questionable calls, when you’re not get- LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Ashlee Lichtenberger slides into home plate during Dallas’ 12-7 loss to Marist Catholic on Saturday afternoon. ting the corners (of the plate called strikes) and you have to bring the ball against an amazing hitting team … I don’t have words for that,” Jackson said. “But no matter what, the umpire is part of the game, and we have to push through and try to work with it.” See DRAGONS, Page 14A By The Numbers 23 0 2 The number of games Dallas’ soft- ball team won in a row during the 2017 regular sea- son and playoffs. The number of times Dallas’ soft- ball team had been to a state champi- onship game be- fore this year. The number of seniors Dallas will lose to gradua- tion: Olivia Nelson and Ashlee Licht- enberger. LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Jayden Wynia attempts to bunt against Marist Catholic on Saturday afternoon. Hess honored as assistant coach of the year By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Mark Hess’ coaching career began with a bang. “Greg Smith, who was a longtime PE teacher in Dal- las, I played legion baseball for him,” Hess said. “The next year, I was too old for Legion and Greg asked my- self and another player to coach the state legion team for the summer.” The team won state. “That was kind of fun,” Hess said. “Actually, it was a lot of fun.” That started a coaching career that has spanned nearly four decades. He’s coached at Dallas High School, McKay High School, Taft middle and high schools, and LaCreole Mid- dle School. Sports include baseball, football, boys and girls basketball, and softball. Since 2005, he has helped coach LaCreole football and served as an assistant at Dal- las High in baseball, football and softball at various points. Partly under his guidance, athletic teams have racked up the accomplishments. He can add one of his own now. Hess was honored as the Oregon Athletic Coaches As- sociation’s Assistant Coach of the Year for Oregon in May. “I’ve worked for a lot of great guys,” Hess said. “Tracy Jackson is one of them. Bill (Masei) is one of them. Scot (McDonald) all those guys, they do great stuff and put in a lot of time and effort. I just surround myself with great people.” — Hess knew something was up when Masei had a myste- rious request. “He told me to make sure (May) 20th is clear for you,” Hess said. “I knew some- thing was going on. I found out I was nominated and my first thought was there are a lot of great coaches in our school district who are a lot www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209 more deserving than I was.” Those who have worked with him beg to differ. “It was a great honor for me to present this award to a friend and colleague of mine,” Masei said. “He’s not only an outstanding coach, but an outstanding educator as a PE teacher at LaCreole Middle School.” When Hess started his coaching career, he had dreams of becoming a head baseball coach. See HESS, Page 14A www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports
