Gorge sports roundup for March 15, 2023
Gorge sports roundup for March 15, 2023, with All League honors and spring sport previews
Sophomore Zak Poole and junior Marina Castaneda led Hood River Valley’s selections to the 2022-23 Northwest Oregon Conference all-league basketball teams.
When 12 seniors said goodbye after last baseball season it freed up a lot of seats on the Hood River Valley team bus, but it didn’t do the Eagle lineup any favors – to say the least.
Two prominent factors come into play when assessing The Dalles High School’s girls track and field fortunes this upcoming season. First, the Riverhawks return all but one point scorer from their 2022 district meet team. And second, the Riverhawks are competing in a smaller enrollment classification this spring.
How those factors translate into The Dalles High’s success in the Class 4A Tri-Valley Conference remain to be seen, but it’s a good starting point.
Hood River Valley’s track and field foray into the Northwest Oregon Conference will include a few unknowns, as the Eagles join Canby and Centennial as the league’s newbies this season.
After enjoying remarkable success last year, the Dufur High Rangers girls golf team is expecting a similar or even better season this year, while Horizon Christian School in Hood River is restarting the sport this spring.
Seniors Piper Hicks and Ella Zimmerman will lead the Bruin girls on the track and junior Jessica Polkinghorn in the field events. Hicks was a two-event district meet placer a season ago (sixth 100 and seventh 200 meters) and also ran on Columbia’s district champion 4x100 relay and third place 4x200 relay. Zimmerman was runner-up to graduated teammate Chanelle Reyes in the 300 hurdles and finished third in the 100 high hurdles. She ran a leg on CHS’s third-place 4x400 relay at district in 2022. Polkinghorn had second, third and fourth place finishes at district (shot, javelin, discus).
A solid and experienced Columbia High Bruins baseball team is expecting to have another successful season when they begin their WIAA Class 1A schedule this week.
The Bruin Baseball Boosters is sponsoring a shotgun style golf tournament on May 20, 2023, at Indian Creek Golf Course in Hood River. They are looking for 25 four-person teams.
The Columbia High Bruins softball team had spectacular season a year ago and with nearly everyone returning this year, they’ll appear to be a top contender again in the WIAA Class 1A division.
Three area Class 1A baseball teams begin their season with a number of games scheduled this week.