Gorge sports roundup for Nov. 30
Gorge sports roundup for Nov. 30, 2022
A large 26-member The Dalles High Riverhawks wrestling team opens the 2022-23 season Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Dennis Radford Memorial Triad at The Dalles High School’s Kurtz Gym.
A large group of 45 Hood River Valley High Eagle boys and girls wrestlers started practice Nov. 14 in preparation for the Class 5A 2022-23 season which starts Nov. 30.
Riverhawks ski team in preparation for the 2023 season. The Riverhawks have six skiers on the girls team and 11 skiers on the boys team.
Columbia High School called on a familiar face to turn around its boys basketball fortunes earlier this year when it hired John Hallead to lead the program.
Hallead, a former Bruin football and baseball head coach, takes over a program that last won a game in 2019, and a Trico League game in 2017. Hallead has a staff of assistants Brady Trullinger, Tommy Nortz, and Jenny Hallead. Trullinger was a guard on Columbia’s 2017 team.
The Hood River Valley girl’s basketball off-season was driven by last year’s results. The Eagles are led by head Coach Steve Noteboom, who has been at the helm since 2019. Last season the team started strong winning three of their first four games and entered conference play with an even 5-5 record. A tough Intermountain Conference (IMC) league held the Eagles winless in the second half of the year.
The Dalles High Riverhawks swim team started practice Nov. 14 at the Gorge Athletic Club in The Dalles with 15 swimmers on the boys and girls squads.
An entirely new league and an entirely new varsity starting lineup await Hood River Valley boys basketball fans this winter.
There will be some unusual familiarity in the Bruin basketball system this winter, whenever the Columbia High girls’ team takes the court. The unusual part stems from the fact that the team has an entirely new coaching staff, albeit one that is very familiar with its players.
First-year Head Coach Justin Frazier and assistant Clinton Curtis have been long-time youth coaches for various Gorge sports, including traveling basketball. Chris Lloyd and Rebecca Scully will coach the CHS junior varsity program.
It’s very likely that this season could be similar to last year in terms of who the top Big Sky League girls basketball playoff contenders will be in 2023.
The Big Sky West Division champion Trout Lake High Mustangs and runner-up South Wasco will likely be the top squads again this season. Big Sky Champion Echo High Cougars (19-6 last year) and the Ione/Arlington High Cardinals (16-6) each have starters returning from their 1A state playoff teams.
