TD Riverhawk Sports Notes by Billy Brost - Oct. 11

By Billy Brost

Happy Tuesday! Another week of the Fall sports season has come and gone, and we’re headed down the home stretch of the 2021 season! Let’s go through the week that was, what’s coming up, and some odds and ends from the department!

 UPDATED DISTRICT POLICY REGARDING INDOOR MASK MANDATES:

Hello TDHS Families,

During the months of August and early September, we saw a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases both locally and nationally.  At that time, we chose to take a more cautious route regarding masking for athletes indoors.  We stand by this decision as all of our fall teams have been able to compete without any cancelations or closures of conference and league athletic events. 

Thankfully, we are starting to see cases decrease in this area and feel we can safely operate without requiring masks for our indoor athletes.  Currently, this will affect our volleyball and cheer teams.  Coaches and fans will still be required to mask at all indoor events.  Hopefully, we continue to see cases drop as we move into the winter athletic season. 

Feel free to contact the athletic office if you have any questions.

 The Week That Was: 

-JV Football lost at home versus Pendleton by the final of 36-6.

-On Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Boys’ varsity soccer team lost a heartbreaker to Redmond, 1-0.

-Also on Tuesday, the Girls’ varsity soccer team dropped their IMC matchup at Redmond, 5-0.

-On Thursday, Oct. 7, the Boys’ varsity soccer team played to a 2-2 tie with Gorge rival Hood River.

-The big victory of the week came from our Girls’ varsity soccer program, which defeated Hood River at home, 2-1. This was the program’s first win against Hood River in 13 years! Outstanding job ladies!

-Also on Thursday, our cross country program traveled to Heppner for the Mustang Invite. Kaitie Wring paced the Lady Hawk runners with a third-place finish, coming in at 21:03.3. Alaina Casady placed sixth with 21:42.0 and Fiona Dunlop placed seventh with 21:54.2. The Girls’ team brought home the hardware, winning the meet with 45 points! Congratulations ladies! Excellent work on the trails!

-Leo Lemann placed fifth for the boys, running a 16:41.0 to pace The Dalles to a second-place team finish with 78 points.

-Volleyball opened their varsity home schedule with a “Pink Out” Night at Wahtonka, hosting Crook County. A hard-fought battle between the two squads left the Lady Hawks coming up short, losing in straight games 22-25, 24-26, and 19-25. It was a great turnout by fans and students alike. Great job to the parents and supporters of the program to have the gymnasium pinked out for the teams!

-Finally, on Friday, the 110th edition of one of the oldest rivalries in Oregon high school football returned to The Dalles, as the Riverhawks hosted Gorge and IMC rival, Hood River. We hosted a “Black Out” night, where fans and students were encouraged to don their black Riverhawks’ gear for the game. Unfortunately, the Eagles came out on top, winning 54-6. Our defending state champion cheer squad braved the cold to support football. Way to work hard ladies!

The Week Ahead:

-On Monday, Oct. 11, our JV2 football team traveled to Hood River for a game, losing by the final of 22-0.

-Also on Monday, our Freshman/Freshman team once again hosted Horizon Christian, losing in straight games.

-On Tuesday, varsity volleyball hosted Pendleton at Wahtonka. JV2 game is at 4 pm, JV game is at 5 pm, and varsity starts at 6:30 p.m. This is a CAMO Night event! Everyone wear your camo gear!

-On Wednesday, we are tentatively trying to schedule a Freshman/Freshman volleyball game at Dufur. Details will be updated once we’ve finalized game time.

-Thursday, Oct. 14, once again is our busy day, as Boys’ soccer travels to Crook County for soccer. JV begins at 3 pm, varsity starts at 4:30 p.m.

-Also on Thursday, the Lady Hawks soccer program hosts Crook County, with both JV and varsity starting at 4:30 p.m.

-Volleyball remains home, as they will host Ridgeview at Wahtonka. JV2 begins at 4 pm, JV is at 5 pm, and varsity is at 6:30 p.m.

-Cross County heads east to Pendleton for an IMC District Preview Meet. The Girls’ 5000m race begins at 3 pm, while the Boys’ race starts at 4 pm. The meet is being held at the Golf Course at Birch Creek (69772 Pendleton-John Day Hwy, Pendleton, OR 97801).

-Freshman/Freshman volleyball travels to Hood River for another matchup with Gorge opponent, Horizon Christian. Games begin at 5 p.m.

-Varsity football hits the road this week, traveling to Ridgeview High School for an IMC matchup. The kick-off is at 7 pm. (4555 SW Elkhorn Ave, Redmond, OR 97756).

Odds and Ends:

-With road closures on Hostetler, please use the West 10th Street entry gates of the Wahtonka campus to enter fields for activities.

-Kurtz Gymnasium is getting closer to completion on our retro-fitting project. We fully expect a return to use in time for the end of first-trimester gym classes, along with basketball practices kicking off in mid-November.

-We are in preparations of bringing back Powderpuff Football for Homecoming this year! Stop by the athletic office and speak to Lindsay Brock if you have a student who is interested in participating!

-We are always looking for volunteers to assist us in running events, especially football games! If you are interested in helping us out, please contact AD Brost at brostb@nwasco.k12.or.us.

-The Athletic Department was awarded a D-21 mini-grant for Fall, 2021. The department plans on using these funds to purchase a new, portable, Bluetooth-compatible public address system that will be used at soccer, cross country, and volleyball events. Thank you to District 21 Foundation for supporting the student-athletes of our community!

-Our Riverhawks’ Athletics Facebook page continues to gain steam! We are now over 100 followers! Let’s keep this thing growing. You can follow our Riverhawks’ Athletics Facebook page by clicking here.

-We also have a Riverhawks’ Athletics Instagram account. You can follow it by clicking here.

-FamilyId is now open for Winter sports season sign-ups. Please make sure that you provide not only a primary telephone number, but a cell phone and email address to ensure you stay up to date on important notifications from coaches and the athletic department as needed.

-Winter Sports practices begin on Monday, November 15th.

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

This story is sponsored by :

The Dalles Iron Works

Welding, Machining & Fabrication Since 1905 at 720 E. 2nd St., The Dalles.

Jon Keyser and his crew can solve your problems big or small, ranging from the manufacture of ornate iron gates to repairing heavy equipment. His team includes wife Holly and son Jon Jr. who have spent years dedicating themselves to community good, most notably on the Dufur Volunteer Fire & Ambulance.