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Local schoolkid puts ‘Best’ foot forward in Shamrock Run

Sports
Track & Field

March 17, 2019

Local schoolkid puts ‘Best’ foot forward in Shamrock Run

Twelve-year-old Taft Elementary School student Ryan Best placed in the top 20 among nearly 300 competitors from throughout the Great Pacific Northwest on Sunday in the 8-kilometer race in the Shamrock Run in Portland.

Best placed 19th among 287 runners 14 and under and 593rd in the 3,283-runner 8K field in a time of 43:05 in the largest running and walking event in Oregon.

Results + Photos

Founded in 1979, the Shamrock Run Portland is the third largest race in the Western United States. Nearly 25,000 celebrated the 41st edition Sunday at Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.

The Shamrock Run features races at 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), 8 kilometers (4.97 miles), 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) and a half-marathon (13.1 miles) with a field limit of 3,000 runners. The Shamrock Run also offers the Shamrock Stride – a four-mile fitness walk – and the “Leprechaun Lap,” a 1km (0.6-mile) run/walk for children age 10 and younger.

Taft cooks up winning recipes at SkillsUSA Oregon culinary competition

Local News

Jim Fossum

March 17, 2019

Taft High’s Caden Stout and Joe Russo won first-place honors under the leadership of State Adviser of the Year Julia Westbrook this weekend at the annual SkillsUSA Oregon culinary competition in Clackamas.

Stout was first in the Customer Service and Culinary Arts categories, and Russo first in Culinary Arts for Taft.

Taft’s Kealy Boyd placed second in Early Childhood Teaching, while Haley Callin was sixth in Commercial Baking.

Taft was third in the Quiz Bowl and Related Technical Math competitions.

Lincoln City Police Crime Log March 8-14

Crime
Local News
Police

Justin Werner

March 15, 2019

The Lincoln City Police Dispatch Daily Desk Log is a public record of police calls. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Friday, March 8

Extra Patrol Request – 2518 NW Jetty Ave. – Extra patrol requested at residence for heavy transient traffic through corner lot.

Theft – 7:44 a.m. – 1235 SW Fleet Ave. – Empty mail package reported at location. Victim advised package contents had been stolen.

Theft – 1:39 p.m. – Famous Footwear reported employee theft of $2,000.

Assisting Outside Agency – 2:29 p.m. – 5010 SE Highway 101 – Caller at south Ace Hardware requested a welfare check on a sleeping or passed out male. Brian Campbell (3/5/81) cited and released on warrant out of Lebanon Municipal for contempt of court and third degree theft.

Domestic – 2314 SW Bard Rd. – Caller reported she was thrown during a domestic disturbance and her vehicle was stolen by the same individual. Vehicle was entered into LEDS/NCIC and found shortly thereafter. Anthony Demicell (7/17/75) was arrested on a probable cause warrant charging menacing, harassment, second degree kidnapping and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Saturday, March 9

Medical Assist – 1:39 a.m. – 1281 SW 62nd St. – Report of a highly intoxicated female, possible overdosed, in and out of consciousness. Officers on stand by with medics and at SNLH.

Assisting Outside Agency – 4:51 a.m – SW 34th St. & SW Anchor Ave. – Officer investigated a suspicious vehicle at location. Maribel Rodriguez-Ortiz (12/25/95) taken into custody on multiple warrants out of Washington County and transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Burglary – 9:13 a.m. – 3794 SE Highway 101 – Shed broken into at location. STIHL leaf blower stolen.

Burglary – 9:33 a.m. – Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, 828 NE Highway 101 – Shed at business broken into. Cases of beer stolen.

Found Property – 1:50 p.m. – Sea Gypsy – Housekeeping found a pistol left in a room after guest had checked out. Firearm seized for safekeeping.

Trespass – 9:17 p.m. – Safeway – Rhanda Blain (9/5/94) Arrested for trespassing and possession. Blain had warrants out of Lincoln and Marion counties and was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Sunday, March 10

Warrant Arrest – 7:27 a.m. – 1535 NW 20th St. – Lawrence Joseph Fauls (12/29/85) arrested for felony warrant out of Lincoln County for second degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. He was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Burglary – 11:31 a.m. – Beach Baby Resale – Store broken into through the back warehouse. Cash register emptied. Books and random clothes taken.

Found Property – 12:08 p.m. – LCPD – Citizen turned in a case containing identification and a key to a Hertz rental car.

Crash – 5 p.m. – SE Highway 101 & SE 32nd St. – Two vehicle non-injury rear-end crash not blocking roadway. One car towed by Car Care to Gerber Tire.

Theft – 5:28 p.m. – Chinook Winds Casino – Cell phone stolen from casino deli around 1-2 a.m. Phone is a Pixel 3 in a pink case with a cat sticker.

Extra Patrol – 5:39 p.m. – NE 47th St. – Report of a 2003-04 Chevy Econoline (or similar) van driving slowly around the neighborhood looking at houses. Van has no plates and rear bumper has dents.

Assisting Outside Agency – 6:28 p.m. – 1216 SE 48th Pl. – Caller reports she was punched in the face. Patricia Schiess (3/8/72) arrested for statewide felony warrant out of Lincoln County for dangerous drugs parole violation. She was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Shoplifting – 7:33 p.m. – Safeway – Two people took hand baskets of meat and vegetables and left westbound on 40th St. Report taken.

Monday, March 11

Assisting Outside Agency – 7:03 a.m. – NE 10th St. & NE Highway 101 – Report of a vehicle parked blocking the street. Officers made contact and found two persons inside. Ryan C. Clark (11/14/81) taken into custody for statewide felony warrant for burglary parole violation.

Assisting Outside Agency – 11:16 a.m. – NW 34th & NW Port – Devan Lafontaine (3/13/94) arrested on a warrant out of Marion County for failure to appear on a trespass charge. He was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Peace Officer Hold – 4:01 p.m. – 3755 SW Highway 101 – Caller reported he was upset about a breakup and wanted to commit suicide. Officer transported him to SNLH on a POH.

Found Property – 8 p.m. – LCPD – During a traffic stop, the officer discovered a license for another person in the suspects wallet. License taken for safekeeping. Victim contacted and says she wishes to have it mailed to her.

Tuesday, March 12

Crash – 1:03 a.m. – 400 Block NE Highway 101 – Benjamin Pasciyo (1/25/90) arrested for reckless driving, reckless endangering and criminal mischief after officers came upon the scene of a crash.

Burglary – 9:21 a.m. – 6937 NW Logan Rd. – Vacation rental broken into and items stolen.

Found Property – 2:50 p.m. – Caller at police station to turn in a ring that was left behind by Jesanna Rothstein (9/22/87) when she was asked to leave last Thursday.Property taken for safekeeping.

Assisting Outside Agency – 7:43 p.m. – 2945 NW Highway 101, #315 – Lloyd Gross (11/29/93) arrested for violating a restraining order and transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Wednesday, March 13

Assisting Outside Agency – 10:30 a.m. – 1410 SE Highway 101 – Salvador Guerrero (3/14/87) arrested on warrant out of Marion County and transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Hit and Run – 11:38 p.m. – Victim reports his vehicle was hit in the last 30 minutes. Report taken.

Disorderly Conduct – 4:38 p.m. – Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, 3043 NE 28th St. – Received multiple calls, including a 911 of a female causing a disturbance in the emergency department waiting room. Robyn Austin (3/19/93) arrested for disorderly conduct and her probation officer placed a detainer. She was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

DOA – 4:45 p.m. – 2701 NW Highway 101, #41 – Heather Peters (7/22/48) Officers arrived. Peters DOA. Released by DA and ME. Picked up by Pacific View.

Thursday, March 14

Theft – 3:54 a.m. – 3043 NE 28th St. – Taxi 101 reporting an intoxicated rider unable to pay for fare. Report taken.

Criminal Mischief – 10:48 a.m. – Oceanlake Christian Church – Report of a hose bib broken off the building. Also report of heavy transient traffic from the gully.

Extra Patrol Request – 1605 NW 26th St. – Caller reports she has Ring video showing a person trying to break into her vacation rental. Caller requests an extra patrol due to history of burglaries at residence.

Harassment – 11:45 a.m. – 2700 NW Highway 101 – Caller reports a male, “Soapy,” was harassing a female on the bus. “Soapy” was asked to leave and he refused. Emigdio Lopez Reyes (4/30/76) arrested for interfering with public transportation, cited and released.

Extra Patrol Request – 3715 SW Coast Ave. – Extra patrol requested for transients camping in the area. Officer found a 3 foot by 3 foot area embedded into the overgrowth about five feet up the stairs. No camping equipment found, but neighbors have been cleaning up trash from the location.

Extra Patrol Request – 1642 NW 26th St. – Report of transients camping in back yard of residence.

Warrant Arrest – 10:34 p.m. – 2015 NW Highway 101 – Caller reports a disturbance between two males and a female at location. Brent Michael Cunningham (3/14/90) arrested on out of state warrant for parole violation assault with cautions. He was transported to Lincoln County Jail.

Seniors pace Taft to season-opening baseball win over Toledo

Baseball
Sports

Jim Fossum

March 14, 2019

Bleiz Kimbrough fields a popup at first base

Kam Kessler and Bleiz Kimbrough combined on a three-hitter and fellow senior Cody Knott drove home two runs Thursday as the Taft High baseball team opened its season with a 4-3 home victory over Toledo.

“This was our first game of the year and it showed,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “We had some of the typical first-game jitters. We made a few errors that we will need to clean up that are out of character for us. Mentally, we just didn’t have the right approach for tonight’s game.”

Taft broke a 3-3 tie following a three-run third inning by the Boomers with the game’s winning run in the bottom of the fifth off starter and loser Jaxon Rozewski.

“We found a way to get a win when we did not play our best baseball,” Hilgers said. “Sometimes, you just have to scrap and hope you find yourself on the winning side and that is where we were tonight. We were happy to win, but we understand we need to get better in order to compete at a higher level moving forward. We will be addressing some of our weaknesses in the near future and look to start playing towards our potential.”

Taft scored twice in the first inning and once in the fifth to make a winner of Kimbrough, who struck out six in three innings of relief of Kessler, who left with a one-hitter in the fifth.

Knott doubled for the game’s only extra-base hit, while senior outfielder Tyee Fisher had a single and an RBI and junior catcher Eli DeMello a single and scored a run for the Tigers.

“We got the win, but we’re not satisfied,” Kessler said. “We’re going to have to work hard in practice. Everybody’s gotta get on the same page.”

Taft returns to action at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Santiam Christian.

Kam Kessler pitches as Bleiz Kimbrough holds a runner on.

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Taft 4, Toledo 3
TOLEDO               AB  R  H BI  TAFT              AB  R  H BI
Coren Loper           3  1  0  0  Darius Smith       2  2  0  0  
Mason McAlpine        2  1  1  0  Eli DeMello        3  1  1  0  
Donovan Villanueva    3  0  0  0  Cody Knott         3  0  1  2  
Marcus Cross          4  1  0  0  Kam Kessler        1  0  0  0  
Ashton Retherford     3  0  0  0  Tyee Fisher        3  0  1  1  
Bubba Barnhart        1  0  0  0  Trenton Hall       3  0  0  0  
Ryder Smith           2  0  1  0  Trenton Fisher     2  0  0  0  
Spencer Tower         3  0  0  0  Bleize Kimbrogh    3  0  0  0  
Jaxon Rozewski        3  0  1  0  Jordan Hall        2  0  0  0  
                                   Fco Ramos         0  0  0  0  
                                   Ethan Thomas      0  1  0  0  
TOTALS               24  3  3  0  TOTALS            22  4  3  3

TOLEDO                    003 000 0 -- 3  
TAFT                      201 010 x -- 4  

LOB--Toledo 7, Taft  4. E--Donovan Villanueva,
Marcus Cross, Bleize Kimbrogh, Eli DeMello, Cody Knott.
2B--Cody Knott. HBP--Mason McAlpine, Coren Loper.
SACB--Donovan Villanueva. SB--Donovan Villanueva, Mason
McAlpine, Jaxon Rozewski, Kam Kessler, Darius Smith.

 TOLEDO                       IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Jaxon Rozewski (L)             5    3    4    3    3    5    0
Mason McAlpine                 1    0    0    0    1    1    0
 TAFT                 
Kam Kessler                    4    1    3    0    4    2    0
Bleize Kimbrogh (W)            3    2    0    0    0    6    0

PB--Ashton Retherford, Eli DeMello. WP--Jaxon Rozewski (4).
SO--Ryder Smith, Donovan Villanueva (2), Marcus Cross (2),
Spencer Tower, Bubba Barnhart, Coren Loper, Bleiz Kimbrough,
Trenton Hall (2), Trenton Fisher, Jordan Hall (2). BB--Ryder
Smith, Mason McAlpine, Bubba Barnhart (2), Kam Kessler (2),
Trenton Fisher, Darius Smith.

Tiger baseball

Toledo drops the boom on Taft High softball team

Softball
Sports
Videos

Jim Fossum

March 14, 2019

Toledo drops the boom on Taft High softball team

Toledo scored twice to take the lead in the fourth inning and added three runs in the seventh to overcome freshman Chloe Peterson’s second home run in as many games Thursday and down the Taft High softball team, 6-3.

“Today was a learning loss,” coach Sandy Stuart said. “We have a young team and we are working on some positioning things defensively and today some of our weaknesses showed.”

Taft, which opened its season Monday with a 12-2 five-inning home victory over Gervais, scored once in the first, sixth and seventh innings behind two hits from Peterson and junior catcher Hailee Danneker, and one each from senior Emma Coulter, her freshman sister, Olivia, and sophomore Kayla Lininger.

“Our freshman hit well again tonight,” Stuart said. “Chloe had some great defensive plays in right field and an excellent home run in the seventh to give us a little bit of momentum. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”

Lininger, Peterson and freshman Addie Gates scored for Taft, while the Coulter sisters and Peterson drove in one run each.

Emma Coulter (1-1) struck out seven and walked three in going the distance for the Tigers.

“We came out a little bit nervous, but I am confident we will build off the loss and be able to grow as a team,” Stuart said. “Our captains dealt with the loss well and had some encouraging words after the game, so we are in a great place for our leaders to help our younger players grow.”

Taft will return to action at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Santiam Christian.

1 of 4

Toledo 6, Taft 4

TOLEDO               AB  R  H BI  TAFT                 AB  R  H BI
K Otis                4  1  2  0  Kyla Knott            3  0  0  0  
M Metcalf             4  0  0  0  Addie Gates           3  1  0  0  
R Richards            2  2  2  0  Hailee Danneker       3  0  2  0  
M Fisher              4  1  2  3  Emma Coulter          4  0  1  1  
J Elmore              4  0  0  0  Claira Tolan          3  0  0  0  
H Mann                4  1  2  2  Kayla Lininger        3  1  1  0  
J Hernandez           4  0  0  0  Olivia Coulter        3  0  1  1  
M Frederic            3  0  0  0  Corey VanDamme        2  0  0  0  
K Flatt               2  1  0  0   Makena Cole          1  0  0  0  
                                  Chloe Peterson        3  1  2  1  
TOTALS               31  6  8  5  TOTALS               28  3  7  3

TOLEDO                        000 210 3 -- 6  
TAFT                          100 001 1 -- 3  

LOB--Toledo 7, Taft  7. E--K Otis, Caitlyn
Rundstrom, Olivia Coulter, Hailee Danneker, Claira Tolan
(2). 2B--R Richards (2), M Fisher, Kayla Lininger, Hailee 
Danneker. HR--Chloe Peterson. HBP--Addie Gates. SACB--Kyla 
Knott. SB--K Flatt, R Richards (2).

 TOLEDO                          IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
M Frederic                       7     7    3    3    1    6    1
 TAFT            
Emma Coulter                     7     8    6    5    3    7    0

PB--Hailee  Danneker. WP--M Frederic (2). SO--K Flatt (2), J
Hernandez, M Metcalf, K Otis, J Elmore, M Frederic, Kyla 
Knott (2), ADDIE GATES, Makena Cole, Claira Tolan, Corey
VanDamme. BB--K Flatt, R Richards (2), Hailee  Danneker.

Cleanup to begin for Lincoln City’s Community Pride Week

Local News

News Release

March 14, 2019

Lincoln City is preparing for its annual Community Pride Week in April.

To kick off the event, the City will offer its services of picking up miscellaneous items such as yard clippings, brush, limbs, scrap metal goods, furniture, plastics, etc.

Starting March 25, call North Lincoln Sanitary Service at 541-994-5555 to arrange for pickup. You can leave a message after hours. Deadline for calls is 5 p.m. Monday, April 22.

This event is co-sponsored by North Lincoln Sanitary and the City of Lincoln City. Here are a few guidelines:

This service is provided to North Lincoln Sanitary customers with residential homes inside Lincoln City city limits.
Small items must be bagged, not weighing over 40 pounds.
Yard debris such as longer limbs and bare lumber must be neatly stacked or bundled with a maximum of 6 feet in length. Leaves and small items should be bagged or boxed.
There is a limit of 4 cubic yards per stop.
The following items cannot be picked up: a) Due to DEQ regulations, construction and demolition debris, including but not limited to items such as carpet, flooring, ceiling tiles, drywall, etc.; b) Tires, oil products, large appliances, hide-a-beds, hazardous materials, and home garbage (note: North Lincoln Sanitary can still pick these up at another time, but they have to be handled outside of the City cleanup.)
All items need to be “curb” side and ready for pickup Tuesday at 7 a.m. and will be picked up through the remainder of the week as the list of stops is worked through.

Oregonians urged to share prescription drug use information

Local News

News Release

March 14, 2019

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is ready to hear about prescription drug price increases from consumers, health insurance companies and drug manufacturers.

The Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act (HB 4005), from the 2018 Legislative Session, established Oregon’s drug price transparency program. The new law requires prescription drug manufacturers and health insurance companies to report specific drug price increases to the department’s Division of Financial Regulation.

All Oregonians are encouraged to report an increase in the cost of their prescription drugs to the division one of three ways:

Email [email protected]“>[email protected]
Call 888-877-4894 (toll free)
Visit dfr.oregon.gov/drugtransparency

“We are excited to bring one of the nation’s first prescription drug price transparency programs to Oregonians,” Andrew Stolfi, insurance commissioner, said. “It will help people better understand why drug prices increase, and help legislators make informed decisions on how to control rising costs.”

Consumer reports and the pricing of new prescription drugs will be made available as soon as information is received and reviewed. Insurer and drug manufacturer price increase reports will be available later this fall.

The division will provide annual reports to Oregon State Legislature based on the information provided by consumers, and the data reported by health insurers and prescription drug manufacturers.

This program is designed to report drug price increases only. If a consumer has a problem with their health insurance or prescription drug coverage they should contact our consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free). To learn more about Oregon’s Prescription Drug Price Transparency Program, visit dfr.oregon.gov/drugtransparency.

About DCBS: The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov.

About Oregon DFR:

The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov and http://dfr.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx.

Gray whale week slated March 23-31 along Oregon Coast

Local News

News Release

March 14, 2019

Spring Whale Watch Week returns to the Oregon Coast March 23-31 to celebrate more than 20,000 Gray whales expected to migrate north past Oregon over the next few months.

Trained volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here program will be stationed 10 a.m.-1 p.m. each day at 24 sites along the coast, ready to help visitors spot the migrating mammals. A map of the volunteer-staffed sites is available on whalespoken.org.

The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

Visitors to the center can enjoy interactive whale exhibits and take in the panoramic ocean views.

Binoculars are provided. Rangers from Oregon State Parks will also be on hand to answer questions about the whales.

An online live stream of whale activity in Depoe Bay returns this spring too; watch it on the Oregon State Parks YouTube channel during the event.

Gray whales migrate north along the coast of the western U.S. annually during spring; they return to Alaskan waters after wintering in the warm lagoons off the coast of Baja, Mexico. Many of the Gray whales will be accompanied by their new calves, born during the winter. The first large groups of whales pass by Oregon mid-March and the migratory stream typically continues into June.

For more information about coast parks and campgrounds, visit oregonstateparks.org.

Iconic Lincoln City restaurant king of the ‘Hilltop’ again

Business
Features
Local News

Justin Werner

March 13, 2019

Hilltop Inn Lincoln City — Photos by Justin Werner

Hilltop Inn Family Dining in Lincoln City has reopened its doors after seven years with a soft opening under new ownership with some improvements and virtually the same menu ahead of a grand opening two weeks from now.

Co-owners Jesus Santuario and Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant co-owner Benson Galvan have remodeled the inside and outside by painting, cleaning, pressure washing and upgrading computers and other equipment. On top of the improvements, the restaurant will offer free WiFi.

“There wasn’t that much to do,” Santuario said. “The place was pretty much the way you see it.”

The new owners put in a Veteran’s parking space close to the front door.

“That’s where a flag is going to be,” Santuario said. “We also have three spots for motorcycles.”

A grand opening at the eatery at 1910 SE Highway 101 will be held in two weeks, Santuario said. The soft opening is designed to test point-of-sale systems and get customer feedback on the meals and service.

“We are offering different specials every day, and based on what the people say is what makes it on the menu,” he said. “It’s going to be a people’s restaurant … a customer’s restaurant.”

With the cooperation of former owner Judy Hardy, Hilltop Inn will feature 90 percent of the old menu’s recipes, which date as far back as 1959, when the restaurant was built.

Hilltop Inn changed hands in 1989 when Judy and Doug Hardy bought the restaurant and turned it into a Denny’s and operated the franchise for a couple of years until a disagreement with Denny’s corporate led to the Hardy’s going independent.

After more than 20 years of serving home-style meals to its patrons, Hilltop Inn closed its doors in 2011 after Doug Hardy became ill. He passed away at his Otis home on May 5, 2014.

The building sat vacant for over seven years until the new owners purchased the landmark eatery in December.

“Everything they are doing here is pretty good,” said a restaurant patron and Vietnam veteran. “It’s better than before.”

Hilltop Inn will be open 6 a.m.-3 p.m. until summer, when they will stay open later and offer dinner.

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UPDATED: Taft’s Scott goes ‘Mad’ with three top-10s in Sherwood Icebreaker

Sports
Track & Field

Jim Fossum

March 13, 2019

Senior Mad Scott placed in the top 10 three times against several Class 6A schools as Taft High unveiled its large contingent of runners and field athletes Wednesday in the season-opening Sherwood Icebreaker.

“Sherwood was a great way to shake off some dust and get moving.” first-year Taft coach Sam Moore said. “I am so proud of the way our athletes competed with schools of all levels.”

Scott was third in the boys shot put and javelin, and ninth in the discus for the Class 3A Tigers.

Taft, which has nearly 60 students competing in track this season, enjoyed several other top-10 finishes.

Junior Kaden Wright placed fourth in the 100-meter dash; senior Jacob Mayoral sixth in the 400-meter dash; junior Tristin Beach eighth in the discus; sophomore Degan Sawyer 10th in the shot put and javelin; and junior Elin Fitch 10th in the high jump.

COMPLETE RESULTS

Freshman Kadence James was fourth in the high jump; freshman Aubrey Sciarrotta sixth in the 100-meter dash; senior Maleah Smith eighth in the shot put; sophomore Elizabeth Kirkendall eighth in the discus; freshman Jaelyn Olmeda ninth in the 400-meter run; and sophomore Rylee Senner 10th in the 100 meter dash.

“We had more PRs [personal records] than not, with most athletes getting marks right around their lifetime bests,” Moore said.

The Tigers’ 4×100 boys relay team of Wright, freshman Brayan Mateo-Perez, sophomore William Calderon and senior Logan Mclendon placed third.

“Our athletes have been working hard, and for them to see improvement this early in the season was very reassuring for them and this process,” Moore said. “We will continue to develop our speed, improve our conditioning and look forward to a bright season.”

Taft was joined by C.S. Lewis Academy, Damascus Christian, Delphian, Lakeridge, Reynolds, Sherwood, Southwest Christian and St. Stephen’s Academy in the annual kickoff event at Sherwood High School.

Taft returns to the track Thursday, March 21, at the Special District 2 Icebreaker at Scio High School against Amity, Blanchet Catholic, Dayton, Oakland, Pleasant Hill, Santiam Christian and Willamina.