Several players from Clark County won multiple medals during the sixth USA Pickleball Association national championship tournament.
Christine Barksdale of Vancouver won five medals, including two gold medals, during the tournament that concluded on Sunday in Buckeye, Ariz. Among her medals was a bronze in the women’s open singles tournament.
Enrique Ruiz of Washougal won two gold medals and one silver playing in doubles.
Barksdale’s gold medals — both repeat championships from 2013 — were in the singles tournament for women 35 and older and in the mixed doubles tournament for ages 19 and older. She teamed with Wes Gabrielson of McMinnville, Ore. to win that tournament.
Teaming with Joy Leising of Portland, Barksdale placed second in both the women’s open and the women 35-and-older doubles tournaments.
Ruiz, who has twice won the open singles national title, focused on doubles in this tournament. He and Gabrielson won the men’s open doubles title and placed second in the men’s 19-and-older doubles competition. Ruiz teamed with Gigi Lemaster of Peoria, Ariz., to win the open mixed doubles title.
Other players from Clark County who earned medals were Paul Porch and Mike Wolfe. Porch and Wolfe teamed up to earn the bronze medal in men’s doubles for players 65 and older. Porch also played mixed doubles with Sally Dobson of Las Vegas, earning a silver medal.
Pop Warner league crowns champions
The East County Jets beat the East Vancouver Venom 49-19 on Sunday to win a Great Northwest Conference Pop Warner football championship.
As the Division 2 champion for players ages 9-12, the Jets will take on Inland Pop Warner of Spokane in the first round of the regional playoffs. That will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas. The winner of that game will play the following weekend in Spokane for a spot in the Pop Warner Super Bowl tournament in Florida.
Also on Sunday, the East Vancouver Venom will take on the Salem Celtics at noon in a Division 3 playoff game between teams that did not qualify to advance to nationals.
The Sunday games at Doc Harris Stadium begin with a 10 a.m. game in the 8-11 age division between the Portland Steelers and the Salem Celtics.
Title caps strong 2014 for Union rugby team
Chris Berry, Avery Longrie and Brendon Curle scored the tries for the Union team that won the Rugby Oregon High School Fall 7s championship on Nov. 1. Curle, Nehru Faalevao and Longrie made conversion kicks.
Union never trailed in a 18-12 win over Prairie.
Other members of the Union team were Jake Burchett, Max Burchett, Devon Edwards, Dallin Foote, Kalvin Inthavong, Kolby Inthavong, Isiah Jimenez, Robards Jordan, Austin Lewis, Gurtej Singh, Andrew Sperling, Tristin Sperling, Alex Taylor and TreVon Turner.
The Union program began in the spring, when the team finished second to Prairie in the Rugby Oregon 15-a-side division for teams that get players from only one high school. Combined with the spring season, Union’s first-year team won 43 of the 49 matches it played.
The seven-a-side version of rugby will be included in the 2016 Olympics. Matches are short. In the fall league, games included two seven-minute halves.
High school hockey team loses, 6-2
Alex Stoneham from Union High School scored twice Sunday, but Team North lost 6-2 to East Portland in a Winterhawks Varsity Hockey League game.
Team North, which includes players from around Clark County, fell to 1-4 on the season.
The team returns to action at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday against South Portland. The games are at the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton.
Fastpitch softball teams seek players
The Washington Illusion 18 Gold-Harris and the Washington Illusion 16A fast pitch softball teams are looking for players to finalize their 2015 rosters. The focus for both teams is getting area players seen by college coaches. Girls interested in trying out can email juliebrentharris@comcast.net or call Brent Harris at 360-957-0668.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending email to paul.danzer@columbian.com, or call 360-735-4521.
