TD Riverhawk Sports Notes by Billy Brost, Jan. 1, 2022
By Billy Brost
Happy Monday and an even happier New Year to all of you from us in The Dalles High School Athletic Department! We hope you are staying warm and safe, as temperatures have sunk and roads and streets within the community have become virtual ice skating rinks.
We return to school, a month or so into our Winter Sports’ season, and all of our teams are preparing for the end of the non-conference competition, and are setting their sights on IMC play–the last go around for our athletes in this conference before we move to the 4A Tri-Valley Conference at the start of the 2022-23 school year. We’ve got plenty of activities and events coming up, so let’s get right to it and see what Riverhawks’ athletics have going on this week…
The Week Ahead…
Tuesday, January 4th:
-Boys’ basketball hosts Goldendale with JV2 action at Wahtonka Gym, tip-off at 5:30 p.m. Across town at the same time, the JV team will be facing Goldendale’s JV squad at Kurtz Gym. Varsity will tip-off at 7 p.m.
-Riverhawks’ grapplers will head up the river to Hood River Valley, for a dual with HRV and Ridgeview. Weigh-ins commence at 4 p.m., and matches begin at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, January 5th:
TDHS Athletic Director Billy Brost
-No rest for the weary, as all three boys’ basketball teams hit the road to visit Hillsboro. Games are stacked, with JV2 beginning at 4:15 p.m., JV to follow at 5:45 p.m., and varsity starting at 7:15 p.m. (3285 SE Rood Bridge Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97123)
-The ladies return to the hardwood as well, hosting Hillsboro. JV action starts at 5:00 p.m., while JV2 action at Wahtonka starts at 5:30 p.m., and varsity starts earlier than usual, with a 6:30 p.m. tip time in Kurtz Gym.
Thursday, January 6th:
-The Riverhawk swimmers return to the road, once again visiting St. Helens and friend Daunte Gouge. The meet is being held at Eisenschmidt Lane Pool (1070 Eisenschmidt Ln, St Helens, OR 97051). The pool opens at 3 p.m. with the meet kicking off at 4 p.m.
-Honoring the late TDHS wrestling coach, Dennis Radford, the wrestling team will host their one home meet of the season at Kurtz Gym, The First Annual Dennis Radford Triad, with Pendleton and Hood River Valley coming in to take on our Riverhawks. It is also Senior Night for our wrestlers. Weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m., with the meet beginning at 5 p.m., with recognition and remembrance of Coach Radford prior to the meet, and Senior Night festivities between duals. There will be no charge for this meet, as we’d like to see the community come out in full force and help us celebrate the life and career of Dennis Radford, by supporting the largest Riverhawks’ wrestling team since the Radford Era.
Friday, January 7th:
-Both the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs hit the road with soon-to-be conference rival, Estacada (355 NE 6th Ave, Estacada, OR 97023), playing host. Boys’ JV action gets things started at 4 p.m., with JV2 following at 5:30 p.m., and varsity at 7 p.m. The ladies JV team starts off their evening at 4 p.m., with varsity to follow at 5:30 p.m., and JV2 finishing the night at 7 p.m. It’ll be a full night of Riverhawks’ basketball!
-Riverhawks’ wrestling will also be on the road, as they travel to Cleveland High School (3400 SE 26th Ave, Portland, OR 97202) in Portland, for this year’s Don York Wrestling Tournament. This is a two-day event that runs Friday and Saturday. Friday’s action begins at noon.
Saturday, January 8th:
-Riverhawks’ swimmers, after starting the week in St. Helens, will leave Friday evening en route to Baker City High School (2500 E St, Baker City, OR 97814) in eastern Oregon for their meet on Saturday. The pool opens for warm ups at 8 a.m., with the meet starting at 10 a.m.
-As previously stated, the wrestlers continue on Day 2 of the Don York Wrestling Tournament at Cleveland High School (3400 SE 26th Ave, Portland, OR 97202) in Portland. The girls-only bracket of the tournament is Saturday only. The action begins at 9 a.m.
-Last but certainly not least, our Riverhawks’ ski team hits the mountain for their first competition of the season. They will be competing in the Kelly Hewitt Memorial Race at Mt. Hood Meadows (14040 OR-35, Mt Hood, OR 97041). Start time TBA.
Odds and Ends…
-The previously-planned work on the floor of Kurtz Gym has been pushed back to after spring break.
-We are still awaiting the arrival and installation of the heating units for Kurtz Gym. With that said, dress warmly if you plan to attend events.
-Riverhawks’ athletic events such as basketball and wrestling are broadcast on the NFHS Network. You can see upcoming events and pay either a monthly or annual subscription fee to view all things Riverhawks’ athletics that are broadcast on the network both road and home by clicking here.
-We will continue to not charge admission fees for Riverhawks’ athletic events that are non-league or one-off events such as non-conference basketball games or our wrestling meet this season. The goal is to get Kurtz Gym packed again to support our student-athletes and our coaching staffs. We will begin charging admission fees for IMC play and any postseason contests we host.
-The Riverhawks’ BSN Sideline Store has some new gear to pick up and right now, you can get 20% off your order through the end of January on purchases of $85 or more! Click here to see some great Riverhawks’ items!
-Riverhawks’ Boosters have set up shop right outside Kurtz Gym! They have some great items to pick up to help support Riverhawks’ athletics. Stop by on your way into Kurtz and support our student-athletes!
-Riverhawks’ basketball games with Gladstone have been bumped up one day, from January 13th to January 12th. Game times are updated on our OSAA page and can be found by clicking here. The boys will be travelling to Gladstone, while the girls host at Kurtz Gym. Both sets of games are now January 12th. Girls’ game times can be found here. We moved these games up, as Redmond asked to move the IMC league openers up one day to meet transportation and officials needs. Times will be updated once they are confirmed with Redmond.
-With winter weather having canceled multiple contests for our athletes, be sure to check in on our social media accounts for the latest updates, changes and possible postponements and cancellations to sporting events for our Riverhawks. TDHS Athletics Facebook can be found here. TDHS Athletics on Instagram can be found here. Finally, you can follow TDHS Athletics on Twitter by clicking here.
-Finally, the next Riverhawks’ Booster Club meeting is set for Monday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m. The club is growing, but we need your help! You can attend the next Zoom meeting and take some ownership in supporting TDHS Athletics by getting involved. The link for the Booster Club Zoom can be found here.
DISTRICT POLICY REGARDING INDOOR MASK MANDATES:
During the months of August and early September, we saw a rapid increase in 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 basketball, wrestling, 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.
That’s what’s coming up as we return to school in Riverhawkland! I encourage you to come out and support our student-athletes, practice social distancing, be safe, stay warm, take your time on the roads, and as always, GO RIVERHAWKS!
A.D. Brost
