A10
FRIDAY
May 24, 2019
Spring Sports
SeasideSignal.com
Seaside Golf
Marist edges boys golf
team for state title
Gary Henley/Seaside Signal
Seaside senior Gretchen Hoekstre focuses in for the win at the 4A state track meet.
STATE CHAMPION
Seaside’s Hoekstre learns
from legendary coach
By GARY HENLEY
Seaside Signal
I
t’s one of the great mysteries on the
north Oregon coast.
How do the local high school track
teams produce so many great throwers?
As in discus tossers, shot putters and
javelin throwers?
Seaside’s Gretchen currently the No. 1
high school female shot putter in the nation
(we haven’t had many of those), and she
hopes to fi nish up her prep career this week-
end with a couple more state titles.
For those who know her, it couldn’t hap-
pen to a better person or a harder worker.
“She’s doing great. She looks like she’s
ready to go in and do great at the NCAA
level,” said local legend Bobek. “I’m real
proud of her and glad I got to meet her.”
It’s fair to say that Bobek knows what
she’s talking about.
Astoria’s record-setting thrower from
2006 to 2009 is a six-time state champion,
winning the discus and shot put titles as a
sophomore, junior and senior. She placed
second in both events as a freshman in
2006.
Bobek ended up at that track mecca in
Eugene, the University of Oregon, where
she fi nished her career with a school record
in the discus on her fi nal throw, in the 2014
NCAA championships at Hayward Field.
In addition to big points for the Ducks, it
resulted in All-American status for Bobek.
And now Hoekstre is about to bring one
chapter of her career to a close, with just as
much promise as Bobek had 10 years ago.
Or more. Not even Bobek had a 50-foot shot
put in high school, like the one Hoekstre
uncorked May 3 in the Nike/Jesuit Relays.
Hoekstre considers Bobek a hero, and
met the former Astoria athlete at this year’s
Daily Astorian Invitational — where Hoek-
stre broke Bobek’s meet record in the shot.
(Said Bobek, “It had to happen some-
time, right?”)
Hoekstre says, “(Bobek) has like, all
the records. She’s so good and so much
fun to watch. It was really cool to have her
there. And even she was super-excited with
my throw, even though I think I broke her
record.”
Hoekstre’s private coach is currently
Lex Strom.
“We started working together right at the
end of last season, and I wouldn’t be where
I am without him,” she said.
Back to the present, Hoekstre no doubt
will be looking to not only win state titles
this weekend in the discus and shot put, but
set some new personal bests.
And Hoekstre has a way of meeting and
exceeding her goals. She’s been doing it her
whole career.
“At the beginning of the season I told
my coach my goal is to throw 47 feet,” in
the shot put, she said. “And my coach said,
‘that’s a pretty big goal. We’ll see if we can
get you there.’
“And obviously, we’re there. That’s hap-
pened every year so far. I set a goal that I
think is pretty big, and I end up getting it
pretty early in the season.
“My sophomore year was to break the
school record, which was 39-4. And four
meets in, my fourth meet ever, I threw 40
feet. The next year was, ‘I want to hit 42.’
And I hit 43 in Banks. It’s been really cool
to see that hard work does pay off. Because
sometimes you don’t see it. It’s been nice to
see those numbers grow.”
Just for reference, the girls 4A Oregon
state meet record is 48-7, a mark held by
Christy Ward of North Valley since 1988.
The discus state meet record was set by
(guess who?) Bobek, at 152-10. Hoekstre’s
current best is 154-2.
Certainly doable for Hoekstre, who
wants national records.
The National Federation High School
record for the shot put is currently 54-10¾,
set by Michelle Carter of Austin, Texas in
2003.
“All these girls from Georgia, Califor-
nia, Texas and Kentucky, those girls are
throwing huge numbers, and then someone
asked, ‘why can’t you? Why not you?’
“And I said, ‘I don’t know.’ That’s where
I’m at,” Hoekstre said. “My goal is to be
the best, and to prove to everyone else that
some girl from a small town in Oregon can
do it.”
The defending state champions from
the 5A level, playing on their home
course in the 4A state tournament …
that was a tough combination to beat, as
the Seaside Gulls discovered Monday
and Tuesday.
The Gulls gave it their best shot, but
the Marist Spartans — who dropped
down from Class 5A to the 4A level fol-
lowing the 2017-18 school year — won
their second straight state title with a
solid two-round effort in the 4A boys
golf state championship at Emerald Val-
ley Golf Club in Creswell.
Marist held an 18-stroke lead over
second-place Seaside after Monday’s
fi rst round, and the mighty Spartans
pushed their fi nal margin to 32 strokes
following Tuesday’s fi nal round.
Marist carded a 314 team score to
fi nish with a two-round total 627, while
the Gulls fi nished at 659, following their
331 on Day 1 and 328 Tuesday.
Defending 4A state champion Val-
ley Catholic placed a distant third with a
707 team score.
Seaside’s second-place fi nish under
coach Jim Poetsch was its best since
winning back-to-back state titles in
2014 and 2015. The Gulls also won
state championships in 1971 and 1975
under coach Ed Rippet.
Girls takes ninth at state
The Seaside girls started the day
in ninth place in the team standings,
and that’s where the Lady Gulls fi n-
ished after the fi nal round of action in
the Class 4A/3A/2A/1A girls golf state
tournament.
St. Mary’s held on to the No. 1 spot
and fi nished as the team champion, as
Day 2 action wrapped up at Eagle Crest
Ridge Course in Redmond.
St. Mary’s had a 35-stroke lead on
Valley Catholic after one round, and
won by 67 strokes over the Cowapa
League champion Valiants, 638 to 705.
Heppner/Ione took third with a
741, followed by Woodburn (787), La
Grande (802) and Astoria (828). Seaside
fi nished ninth (854).
Sophomore Baylee Hammericksen
of St. Mary’s also held on to her top
spot on the player leaderboard, and fi n-
ished as tournament medalist with a 139
(69-70).
Riverdale sophomore Yvonne Vin-
ceri shot a 70 on Day 2 and fi nished at
146 for second place, followed by fresh-
man Riley Hammericksen of St. Mary’s
(151).
Seaside sophomore Tristyn McFad-
den shot a 92 (down from 98 in Mon-
day’s round), for a 190, tied for 18th.
Every Seaside golfer improved on
their respective fi rst round scores.
Sydney Rapp fi nished with a 213
(108-105), and she was followed by
Caitlin Hillman (117-106—223), Emma
Arden (117-111—228) and Elise Seppa
(132-140—272).
Gulls return to state playoffs for fi rst time since 2010
Seaside Signal
It’s on to state for the
Seaside baseball team.
A long road trip (900-
plus miles, round trip) that
turned into a three-day stay
in Ontario was worth it for
the Gulls, who defeated the
Tigers 6-3 Saturday morn-
ing, in a Class 4A play-in
game.
A two-run home run by
Seaside’s Brayden John-
son in the sixth inning high-
lighted the win, the Gulls’
fi rst post-season victory in
12 years.
The Gulls left Thurs-
Seaside’s Gulls ready for state tournament play.
day for the Friday game in
Ontario, where rained post-
poned the play-in game to
Saturday.
The 11th-ranked Tigers
fi nish 12-9 overall, while
Seaside (11-12 overall),
advances to the round of 16,
where the Gulls were sched-
uled to play Wednesday at
Henley.
In Saturday’s win, Sea-
side pitchers Travis Fen-
ton and Payton Westerholm
scattered eight hits with
seven strikeouts and two
walks, while Ontario’s Seth
Forsyth went the distance,
allowing nine hits with
seven strikeouts and a walk.
Seaside scored a run in
the fi rst inning (a double
by Alex Teubner driving in
Duncan Thompson), before
the Tigers answered with
two runs in the bottom of the
second.
The Gulls came right
back with two in the top
of the third, with a single
by Teubner scoring Gage
McFadden for the go-ahead
run.
After Ontario tied the
game, Seaside took the
lead for good in the fourth,
when the Gulls loaded the
bases with one out, and Fen-
ton scored on an error. The
Tigers got out of the inning
without any further damage.
From there, Westerholm
and the Gulls kept Ontario
scoreless over the fi nal four
innings.
In the sixth, Justin Morris
reached base on a bunt, and
came in moments later on
Johnson’s two-run homer.
McFadden, Teubner and
Isaias Jantes all had two hits
apiece for Seaside, which
had four stolen bases.
It was Seaside’s fi rst
playoff victory since May
18, 2007, when the Gulls
defeated Sweet Home 12-6
in a fi rst round game. Sea-
side lost in the round of 16
at Henley, 12-4.
Wednesday’s game will
mark Seaside’s fi rst appear-
ance in the state playoffs
since 2010, when the Gulls
lost a fi rst round game at
Sutherlin, 14-6.
Meanwhile,
Seaside’s
last play-in appearance
was in 2011, a 6-4 loss at
Gladstone.
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this Season!
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