INDEPENDENCE — After Van Holstad stepped down as head wrestling coach at Central High School, assistant coach Arnold Garcia stepped up.

INDEPENDENCE — Things have come full circle for Jeff Centoni.

INDEPENDENCE — There will be a new face on the volleyball courts this year at Central High School.

INDEPENDENCE – Jose Becerra will be the new coach of the boys varsity soccer team this fall, following the resignation of Joe Orozco.

INDEPENDENCE — Emiliano Alarcon had one goal for his final baseball season with the Central High School Panthers: Enjoy it as much as possible.

DALLAS — Last year, when he was first nominated as the I-O’s Athlete of the Year for boys track and field, Malaki Connella, who recently graduated from Dallas High School, said soccer was his passion — over track and field.

DALLAS — EmmaMae Johnson began and ended her final season of girls golf at Dallas High School by setting personal records.

INDEPENDENCE — Allison Wells is the kind of softball player who you can count on for anything.

DALLAS — It takes two to tango.

PERRYDALE — Amity Deters finished out the 2019 track and field season by capturing the high jump, long jump and triple jump 1A state championship titles.

DALLAS — The Dallas High School athletics office announced on May 7 that Jordan Sollman is officially the new head coach for the Dragons boys basketball team, following the resignation of former head coach Trent Schwartz.

KEIZER — For the first time since 1958, the Central Panthers baseball team became the 5A Oregon State Athletics Association state champions, capturing the title over the Pendleton Buckaroos by winning 11-4 at Keizer Station Volcano Stadium on June 1.

INDEPENDENCE — As seniors prepare to walk across the stage this weekend in their caps and gowns to receive their long-awaited high school diplomas, many of them do so welcoming a new adventure on the other side.

EUGENE — The Dallas Dragons softball team fell 5-1 against the Ridgeview Ravens at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene at the state championship game on Saturday.

INDEPENDENCE – The Central High School Panthers baseball team advanced to the semifinals after an explosive performance last week, taking a 2-0 shutout against Hillsboro (14-13 overall, 11-7 Northwest Oregon Conference) and a 6-4 triumph against La Salle (17-11 overall, 15-3 NWOC).

GRESHAM – With constant rain beating down on the track for the two-day event, the Central High School and Dallas High School track and field teams competed in the OSAA 5A Track and Field State Championships, held at Mt. Hood Community College May 24-25.

HOOD RIVER – The Dallas High School Dragons softball team is headed to the semi-finals after victories against Putnam and Hood River Valley last week.

INDEPENDENCE — Friday, the Panthers fell at Ridgeview 3-2 in the quarterfinals game, ending the season ranked third in league.

MONMOUTH – The Perrydale High School Pirates girls track and field team clinched fourth place overall in the 1A Special District 1 state track and field championships, hosted by Western Oregon University on May 17-18, and senior Austin Burgess of Falls City High School secured a state champi…

LEBANON – After an exciting and emotional two days at the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference Track and Field Districts, hosted by Lebanon High School on May 15-16, the Central High School Panthers and Dallas High School Dragons collected a handful of individuals who will move on to the state meet …

Central

INDEPENDENCE – The Central High School Panthers ended their regular season last week with an 8-3 victory at North Salem (10-14 overall, 7-9 MWC), and 5-1 and 6-1 wins, respectively, against South Albany (8-19 overall, 4-12 MWC) to claim the title of Mid-Willamette Conference league champions.

Central

DALLAS — The Dallas High School baseball team picked up a well-deserved 2-3 win against Corvallis on May 8 after suffering a 6-1 loss at the Spartans’ home field on May 6. 

CORVALLIS — Playing through the first hot, 85-degree weather of the season, the Central and Dallas high school boys and girls tennis teams competed at the three-day OSAA 5A Tennis Districts at Timberhill Athletic Club in Corvallis on May 8, 9 and 10.

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PERRYDALE – Perrydale High School hosted its first-ever track and field meet, hosting 10 other teams, including Falls City High School, on May 4, the boys and girls teams both clinching first-place honors. The boys racked up 133 points, and the girls claimed 142.5.

INDEPENDENCE – The Dallas High School softball team came ready to play in the second game of the Polk County rivalry series against Central High School on May 3, winning 13-1 on the Panthers’ home field.

DALLAS — The Dallas High School Dragons girls tennis team fell 5-3 to Crescent Valley on April 30 at home for the last game of the regular season.

INDEPENDENCE — Coming off a 10-0 shutout against Crescent Valley (18-3 overall, 8-2 Mid-Willamette Conference) on April 28, the Central High School Panthers baseball team struggled to execute at-bats against Corvallis on May 1, but managed to post a 4-3 win with a late run in the seventh inning.

Dallas boys golf trio qualifies for regionals 

DALLAS — The Dallas High School Dragons softball team clinched two victories, opening the week with a 2-0 shutout on April 23 at Corvallis (4-10-1 overall, 3-5 Mid-Willamette Conference).

INDEPENDENCE —   It was a week of victories for the Central High School Panthers girls tennis team, sweeping Lebanon 8-0 on April 23 and defeating North Salem 6-2 at home on April 25.

INDEPENDENCE — The Central High School Panthers softball team opened last week with a 7-4 victory at Lebanon on April 23, followed by a 2-1 win against North Salem on April 24 to notch six wins in a row.

INDEPENDENCE – Despite battling against harsh winds and cold weather, the Central High School Panthers clinched a 5-2 victory on their home field on Tuesday in the first game of the two-game Polk County rivalry series against the Dallas High School Dragons.

INDEPENDENCE — The Central High School Panthers boys team were swept 8-0 by the Crescent Valley High School Raiders on April 16.

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PERRYDALE — Lacking defensive energy, and unable to manufacture enough hits to make up for it, the Perrydale High School Pirates softball team fell 20-9 in a five-inning game to Neah-Kah-Nie on April 17.

DALLAS — It’s been four years since the Central High School Panthers softball team defeated their Polk County rival.

DALLAS — With rain sprinkling the courts to start off the match, the Dallas High School Dragons girls tennis team engaged in a Polk Rivalry tennis match on their home court against the Central High School Panthers, defeating them 7-1, making their record 4-1 so far in league.

INDEPENDENCE – As the rain kept hitting the ground, so did the feet.

DALLAS — Dallas High School sophomore Haydn Millard made school history on April 7.

NORTH SALEM – Trevor Cross almost lapped a few of his competitors during his final 60 meters of the 1,500-meters race, and crossed the finish line with a grin spread across his face and arms thrown up for a first-place title of 4:09.92.

INDEPENDENCE — Van Holstad says he’s a wrestling junkie.

DALLAS — There will be a lot of growth coming from the inside out of Dallas High School’s Dragons baseball team this season.