TD Riverhawk Sports Notes by Billy Brost - Nov. 2

By Billy Brost

Happy Monday! Hard to believe it is November 1st already! I hope everyone had a great Homecoming and Senior Night Week, along with a fun Halloween weekend! I want to start this week’s notes by saying how very proud I am of the behavior of ALL of our students at Friday night’s game versus Rex Putnam. This is what we hope to see at home varsity football games going forward in the future! Thank you to everyone that assisted the athletic department in hosting an almost seamless event, and kudos to Coach Wallace, Mic, Coach Pearson, Coach Helyer, Coach Taylor and Robyn for putting on a phenomenal Senior Night and Homecoming event! I also want to send out a special thank you to our defending state champion cheer squad and our marching band for coming out to help us celebrate both boys’ and girls’ soccer Senior Nights at Sid White this past week. The athletes and the families really appreciated the additional support and experience of having “school spirit” in full force during their final home games.

TDHS Athletic Director Billy Brost

We are now coming to the end of our Fall athletics season, and I am proud of how our student-athletes represented our community, their families, and The Dalles High School. We have two programs in the postseason, boys’ soccer open the postseason on Wednesday at LaSalle in the first round of the OSAA 5A soccer tournament, while both our boys and girls cross country teams head to Lane Community College in Eugene this weekend for the State Cross Country Championships. JV football concludes their season tonight in Portland at Rex Putnam. The remainder of our teams have concluded their Fall seasons, and now look to prepare for Winter Sports. Let’s get this week’s notes going!

The Week That Was:

-JV football concluded their home schedule by playing a hard-fought game against Redmond, losing 14-12. Great defensive play was the theme of the night, and our young Riverhawks football players are starting to come together in what should be a very bright future!  

-On Girls’ Soccer Senior Night, the Riverhawks played a tight game against Redmond, trailing 1-0 until the end, when a second goal was scored, with the final tally being Redmond 2, The Dalles 0.

-While the girls enjoyed their final home game of the season, the boys were on the road Tuesday at Redmond. Clinching a spot in the state tournament, the boys came away with a 2-1 win against the Panthers.  

-The varsity cross country programs began their postseason by going to Pendleton at The Golf Course at Birch Creek. In the end, the boys’ team brought home the IMC District Championship, edging Hood River by a single point. The girls came in second, scoring 59, right behind Hood River. Both teams have qualified for the state meet in Eugene this week at Lane Community College. 

Individual results:

For the boys, Juan Diego Contreras won the boys’ individual title, running a time of 15:47.0. Sophomore Leo Lemann finished fourth, running a 16:44.2. Senior Conor Blair ran 17:40.4, Egan Zieganhagen ran a 17:45.6 to place tenth, Vincent Zieganhagen took 13th by running a 18:00.2, Trey Hodges placed 17th with a time of 18:48.0, and Kayden McCavic finished 20th with a time of 18:51.0. On the girls’ side of the ledger, freshman Alaina Casady took third with a time of 20:40.3, senior Caitie Wring placed seventh, running 21:02.0. Junior Fiona Dunlap finished 11th with a time of 22:01.0. Gabrielle Kahler ran a 23:54.2 for an 18th place finish. Caitlin Frakes and Lucy Booth finished the race in 20th, and 21st place, respectively.  

-The boys’ soccer team got their Senior Night Thursday against rival Hood River. A physical game ensued, and in the end, a 3-3 draw completed the Riverhawks’ home slate in 2021. Luckily, the boys’ season continues at LaSalle on Wednesday for the first round of the State Soccer Tournament.  

-The girls traveled up the gorge to Hood River and completed their 2021 season by playing to a 2-2 tie with the Eagles.  

-Friday night witnessed Senior Night celebrations for Cross Country, Band, Cheer and Football as The Dalles hosted Rex Putnam in the 2021 Homecoming Game. An explosion of points on both sides made for a competitive ballgame, with Putnam getting the better of the Riverhawks in the end, winning by a final of 55-41. The loss concludes the season for varsity football.  

The Week Ahead:

-JV football is headed into Portland to finish their season this evening against Rex Putnam (4950 SE Roethe Rd, Milwaukie, OR 97267). Kick-off is at 4:30 p.m.  

-Riverhawk boys’ soccer hits the road on Wednesday evening for the opening round of the 5A State Soccer Tournament. The Dalles takes on LaSalle, which is a #16 vs. #1 matchup. The link for the tournament bracket can be found here. The first-round playoff game begins at 7 p.m. at LaSalle High School (11999 SE Fuller Rd, Milwaukie, OR 97222). Admission for this OSAA State playoff event is as follows: First Round – Semifinals (School Sites) Adults – $8 Students – $5. Passes: ONLY the OSAA Gold Card, OSAA VIP, Media passes, and Soccer Media passes that will admit the bearer only with photo ID, are to be honored at any OSAA State Championship event. No school, athletic district, officials association, etc., passes are to be accepted. 

-Riverhawks’ cross country will be heading to Eugene on Friday, in preparation for the State Cross Country meet at Lane Community College. A map of how to get to LCC can be found by clicking here. A map of the championship course can be found by clicking here. The OSAA is using 100% digital ticketing for this event. Digital tickets for the championship event can be purchased by clicking here or by downloading the Oregon Live app here.

Odds and Ends:

-The entire TDHS athletic family would like to congratulate head cross country coach Jill Pearson on her selection as the Intermountain Conference Boys’ Cross Country Coach of the Year. 

-Winter sports practices begin on Monday, November 15th. Please use Family ID to sign up your student-athlete for their desired sport. Also include a cell number and an email address so coaches and the athletic department can send out important information to families. 

-Kurtz Gymnasium reopened last Tuesday, and hosted Homecoming Volleyball Wednesday evening. It was nice to see our students and staff enjoying our “home” gym after being without it for the past several months. 

-The athletic department is beginning the process of planning a Fall Sports Banquet for our teams that competed in sports this past Fall. Stay tuned as more details will be shared once they are finalized.  

That was the week that was, and what’s coming up in Riverhawkland! I encourage you to come out and support our student-athletes, practice social distancing, be safe, and as always, GO RIVERHAWKS!

A.D. Brost