TD Riverhawk Sports Notes by Billy Brost - Sept. 27

From The Dalles High School Athletic Director:

By Billy Brost

It was a packed weekend of athletics with college football, the NFL season entering Week 3, and the MLB pennant races coming down to the wire! It was also a huge week for Riverhawks’ athletics as well! Fall is in the air, with the occasional hot day here and there, but the leaves are changing, and as I write this, the weather is overcast and cool…perfect for high school and youth athletics in our great community. Let’s take a closer look at the week that was, what’s coming up, and some odds and ends. It’s this week’s “Notes from the Nest”!

The Week That Was:

-This past Monday, Sept. 20, our JV2 football team hit the road to Redmond, and came up short, losing by a final of 34-12. Progress is being made by the Baby Hawks, and the future of the football program is in good hands.

-Our Lady Riverhawks’ varsity volleyball team went on the road last Tuesday, Sept. 21, to Pendleton for a conference matchup, and dropped a tough 3-2 match by scores of 18-25, 17-25, 26-24, 25-21, and 15-5. The JV ad JV2 squads both came away with victories!

-Meanwhile back at Wahtonka on Tuesday, Sept. 21, the Boys’ varsity soccer team dropped their conference game against Rex Putnam by a score of 3-1. The JV score was unavailable.

-The Girls’ varsity soccer team also had their hands full on Tuesday, traveling to Rex Putnam, where they dropped their game 5-0. The JV score was unavailable.

-Varsity volleyball was right back on the road the following day, Sept. 22, at Ridgeview, where they lost 3-1 by scores of 26-24, 12-25, 16-25, and 15-25. JV lost, and the JV2 scores were not available.

-Last Thursday, Sept. 23, Boys’ varsity soccer got a big conference victory against Crook County, winning 3-1. The JV score was not available.

-Girls’ varsity soccer, highlighted by a hat trick of headers by Emily Adams in a Riverhawks’ 6-0 victory!

-On Friday, Sept. 24, our Freshman/Freshman volleyball team opened their season at home versus Horizon Christian. They battled throughout, before dropping the match 3-0.

Bob Thouvenel

-Also on Friday, it was a big day for our boys’ and girl’s cross country programs, as they honored longtime TDHS Coach, Bob Thouvenal. His 50+ years of service have been and will continue to be the foundation in which the cross country and track programs in our community have been built. Thank you Bob for continuing to serve the student-athletes of our community!

Race-wise, The Dalles won both the boys’ and girls’ varsity team 5000m races, with the boys posting 25 points, and the girls posting 20 points. The races were highlighted by excellent performances from Juan Diego Contreras with a winning time of 17:02.2, Leo Lemann’s third-place finish of 17:54.4, Egan Ziegenhagen’s fifth-place finish with a 19:09.4, and Conor Blair’s sixth-place finish of 19:21.3. On the ladies’ side of the ledger, Alaina Casady took third with a 23:00.3, senior Caitie Wring finished fifth with a 23:20.4, and Fiona Dunlap came in tenth with a 24:58.9. 

-Later that evening in Milwaukee, our varsity football team set a school record with 720 yards of total offense, scoring 70 points AFTER the end of the first quarter, in an absolute romp of LaSalle by the final of 76-44. Riley Brock led the passing attack for the Hawks with 281 yards in the air with 4 touchdown passes. He also had a touchdown run! Manatu Tunai had 20 carries for 213 yards and a score. Riis LaRoux also broke the century mark on the ground, with 8 carries for 137 yards and a score. Manatu also had a pair of receptions for 31 yards, and LeRoux added 3 catches for 27 yards. Jaxon Pullen dominated the air game, being on the receiving end of 6 catches for 194 yards receiving and 3 scores. The Riverhawks totaled 439 rushing yards. It was a big first win and conference win of the season for The Dalles. Congratulations to Head Coach Lynn Helyer, his staff and all of the players for a well-played game!

-On Saturday, Sept. 25, the JV volleyball team traveled to Mountain View High School in Bend, and competed in a JV tournament. Scores were not available.

-Also on Saturday, to conclude the Riverhawks’ athletic weekend, the varsity volleyball team won the silver bracket of play at the Oregon City Tournament. The ladies beat Centennial, Central and Beaverton 2-0 each, to bring home the victories! Congratulations to Head Coach Julie Summers, her staff and the players for representing our school and community well on the road this weekend!

 The Week Ahead:

-Today, Sept. 27, the JV2 football team hosts LaSalle at Wahtonka. Kick-off is at 5 p.m.

-On Tuesday, Sept. 28, our soccer programs are both in action, as the girls travel to Pendleton for a JV/Varsity match. Both games begin at 4:30 p.m. The boys JV and varsity host Pendleton at Wahtonka, with games beginning at 4:30 p.m. as well.

-On Thursday, Sept. 30, Riverhawks’ football hits the road as they continue league play at Pendleton. The game will be played at the Round Up grounds. Kick-off is at 7:00 p.m.

-Also on Thursday, the Gorge Rivalry is in full effect, as the Lady Hawks’ volleyball program heads to Hood River to take on the Lady Eagles. JV and JV2 begins at 5 p.m., while varsity starts at 6:30 p.m.

-The full slate of sports continues on Thursday, as the Lady Hawks soccer team hosts Ridgeview at Wahtonka. Games begin at 4:30 p.m., while the boys’ JV and varsity squads head to Ridgeview for IMC conference games. Games begin at 4:30 p.m.

-Friday, Oct. 1, continues the busy week of athletics, as our cross country program heads to the Willamette Valley in McMinnville, for the Flat & Fast Invite at Joe Dancer Park. The girl’s race at 3:15 p.m., while the boys start their run at 4 p.m.

-The Freshman/Freshman volleyball team also heads up the river to Hood River, as they get a rematch with Horizon Christian. Game time is at 5 p.m.

-The Varsity Football Team travels to Pendleton for a 7 p.m. match-up.

-Concluding our week of athletics, our varsity and JV volleyball programs will look to continue their tournament success this weekend, as the varsity plays at Roosevelt and JV2 head down I-5 to South Salem.

Odds and Ends:

-The department is preparing FamilyId for Winter Sports sign-ups. Please ensure your student-athlete has their updated physical completed and turned into the Athletic Office.

-TDHS Band Director Mic Kelly and the TDHS Cheer squad will be getting some love soon, as the department is preparing to upload a ringtone of our band playing the school fight song, with support from cheerleading. The link will be posted when it is ready for download.

-Girls’ volleyball against Hood River on Thursday will be broadcast via the NFHS Network. You can subscribe and watch the action here.

 NWCSD #21 COVID-19 Athletics Protocols:

-For indoor sporting events, all guests, participating athletes, bench athletes, coaches, event workers, volunteers, and officials are required to wear masks at all times.

-For outdoor sporting events, all guests, bench athletes, coaches, volunteers and workers are required to wear masks. Game officials and participating athletes do not have to wear masks while competing in game-action. 

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. Billy Brost