Sports

Jared Bertotti stretches out to catch the ball while tagging the base, getting an out for the Cougars in their game against Feather River College Friday, March 15. Photo by Maddie Musante

March 27 — The Lassen Community College Cougars faced the Feather River College Golden Eagles in a home game Friday, March 15 and again in a doubleheader Saturday, March 16 in Quincy. Feather River shut out the Cougars, 8-0, in the first game and won both games on Saturday, 3-2 and 7-1.

Both teams started slowly in Friday’s game, with no runs scored in the first three innings. However, the action picked up in the fourth inning when the Golden Eagles scored four runs. Lassen was able to keep Feather River from going on another one-inning scoring spree, but the Golden Eagles did score another four runs throughout the remaining five innings, earning them the win.

Avery Brandon pitched 4.2 innings for the Cougars, allowing six hits and five runs. Brandon had six strikeouts and one walk. Colby Duncan pitched 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and two walks, allowing nine hits and three runs. Jared Engasser went two for three in his at bats and hit a double for Lassen.

The winning pitcher was Feather River’s Michael Bennett, who pitched eight innings. Bennett had 10 strikeouts and one walk, allowing three hits and no runs. Brock Asher hit two RBIs and a double for Feather River. Jake Bray had two RBIs and a homerun.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Feather River edged out Lassen by one run. Cory Louber pitched six innings for the Cougars with two strikeouts and two walks. He allowed five hits and one run. Dennis Morelli pitched 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs while getting one strikeout and three walks. Morelli also had an RBI.

Jace Puckett was the winning pitcher, pitching 5.2 innings for Feather River. He had four strikeouts and allowed three hits and one run. Jake Bray hit a double for the Golden Eagles. Jose Sierra, Chadwick Kaalekahi and Mike Egami each had RBIs.

In the second game on Saturday, Lassen had a promising start, scoring in the first inning. However, the momentum didn’t keep up, as Lassen was unable to score again. Feather River again went on a four-run scoring streak, this time in the sixth inning and continued to score throughout the remainder of the game.

Weston Caindec pitched six innings for the Cougars with one strikeout and one walk, allowing seven hits and four runs. Logan Garling pitched one inning, getting one strikeout and allowing three hits and two runs. Tobin Gutkes pitched an inning with one strikeout and two walks. Gutkes allowed two hits and one run. Josh Correa hit a double for Lassen. Jared Engasser had an RBI.

Matt Thomas pitched six innings for the Golden Eagles, getting one strikeout and allowing four hits and one run. Kaimana Perreira-Alquiza hit an RBI double for Feather River. Jose Sierra, Brandon Coborn and Mikeo Rita each had RBIs. Justin Bohn hit a double and stole two bases. Rita also stole two bases.

After the games against Feather River, the Cougars’ conference record was 2-4. Lassen went on to face College of the Siskiyous in away games Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23.

Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. in Litchfield, Calif. partnered with the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation to put on a three-day pheasant hunt for veteran soldiers. Jonathan Belli, top left, Dave Ramirez, Larry Ayers, Vince Herbert, Jim Brown, Adam Ingram, bottom left, Max Fregoso, Chris Berg, Howard Hanlon, and Wyatt the dog pose with the pheasants they got during a hunting excursion Monday, March 18.  Photo by Maddie Musante

March 26 — When Jim Brown and Howard Hanlon, of Hunting Buddies Hunting Company in Litchfield, Calif., were approached by the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation to host a special pheasant hunt for veteran soldiers, the pair didn’t hesitate to put together an unforgettable weekend. In fact, within 10 days the hunt was on and five soldiers were having the time of their lives hunting pheasant on Hunting Buddies’ 191 acres of land with the gorgeous high desert scenery as a backdrop.

Larry Ayers, Adam Ingram, Jonathan Belli and Vince Herbert of the United States Army and Chris Berg of the United States Marine Corp, along with Max Fregoso, who worked with Brown and Hanlon to organize the event, enjoyed three days of pheasant hunting with Hunting Buddies Sunday, March 17 through Tuesday, March 19.

Fregoso and his wife started the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation in 2010 as a way to support soldiers, veterans and military families in coping with combat, deployment and adjusting to coming home after war. According to its brochure, the mission of the foundation is to connect soldiers, veterans and military families with the great healing power and natural blessings of nature. Since it’s birth, the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation has taken hundreds of soldiers and their family members on various outdoor adventures.

When he started the foundation, Fregoso said he planned to take just a few guys on a hunting trip or two in the first year. However, word spread amongst soldiers and their friends and within 40 days of the foundation’s birth 18 men were out hunting together. “It just grew and grew,” Fregoso said. And grow is exactly what the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation has done. Last year Fregoso took 138 people on outdoor excursions, including trips to Tahoe for family members of deployed soldiers and a summer trip to Lake Shasta that included 56 soldiers and their families. This year Fregoso will organize another summer trip to Lake Shasta, this time with 70 people, houseboats, ski boats, bass boats and wakeboards.

“You’ve got young guys like this coming out of the military and, you know, in this economy its tough for them to find jobs and different things to do. So our focus is getting them not only into a new hobby or something they used to do, but getting them connected with the right people for jobs … it’s not just going out and having a good time on a one-time hunt,” Fregoso explained while hanging out with the guys after a pheasant hunt on the Hunting Buddies’ land.

Ingram chimed in, saying it was his third time participating in an event that was organized by Fregoso. “September was the first time I did a hunt since I was 14 years old, so he kind of brought me out of a slump,” he said. Ingram is now hooked on hunting again and has invited several friends who are also veteran soldiers on hunting trips with the foundation. According to Ingram and Fregoso, a lot of the events gain participants through word of mouth, which is part of the foundation’s goal—to get veterans talking to one another and enjoying the outdoors together.

“A lot of times this is the first time these guys have held a weapon since being in Afghanistan or Iraq,” Fregoso said. He added that a lot of times soldiers tell him hunting trips are their first time being able to hold a weapon without the fear of somebody shooting back at them.

Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. was the perfect place for Fregoso and the soldiers he works with to enjoy a weekend of pheasant hunting. With the help of several local businesses, Brown and Hanlon showed the group a great time. Brown was amazed at the support they received from the community, saying he was able to walk into local businesses and explain the hunt they were organizing and received sponsorships and donations with no hesitation. On Sunday, Gould Ficardt, owner of Way Station Bar in Greenville, traveled to Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. and cooked the soldiers a dinner of corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Ingram had such a good time at Hunting Buddies he plans to bring his son back for some hunting. “My son’s getting of age, so after hooking up with Howard and Jim, I’m going to bring him up and have him do a pheasant hunt,” he said.

The weekend was a huge success for all involved. The five veterans enjoyed hunting 75 pheasants on the Hunting Buddies’ picturesque property and plan to return for more outdoor adventures with the Fregoso foundation.

For more information on the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation, or if you know a veteran soldier interested in getting outdoors, visit fregosofoundation.org or call (916)-275-5372.

Westwood High School senior Destiny Richardson prepares to field a ball in the Lady Jacks’ non-league game against Quincy High School Saturday, March 16.  Photo courtesy of Scott Nordstrom

March 21 — The Westwood High School girls’ softball team traveled to compete in the Los Molinos tournament Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16.

In their first game against Fall River High School, the Lady Jacks won 11-7. They then went on to beat Big Valley High School, 15-5.

On Saturday, Westwood went up against Quincy High School. The game ended in a loss for Westwood. The final score was 4-1.

Local fireman, Joe Johnson, competed in the 2013 Scott Firefighter Stairclimb to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Johnson raced up 1,311 steps in full firefighting gear.  Photo submitted

March 19 — Local firefighter Joe Johnson set out to prove he and other federally employed firefighters are made of the right stuff, and that’s exactly what he did when he finished the 2013 Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in the top 15 percent of competitors in his age group.

The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb takes place each year in downtown Seattle, Wash. More than 1,000 firefighters from all over the world race up the 1,311 steps of the Columbia Center in full structural firefighting gear (boots, pants, coats, gloves, helmets and a breathing apparatus). Participants are required to fundraise a certain amount of money prior to the event and proceeds support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. According to the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb website, the stairclimb supports the mission of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising and entry fees.

Johnson, who has been a fireman for 11 years, is currently stationed at Ravendale Fire Station. He spent 10 years as a member of the Diamond Mountain Hot Shot fire crew before deciding to transfer to an engine so he could spend less time traveling and more time with his daughter.

Johnson got the idea to compete in the stairclimb from his boss, whose brother has participated in the event for the past four years. “It started off kind of as a joke at work,” Johnson said. However, something that started as a joke quickly turned serious, as he became determined to compete in the stairclimb. According to Johnson, registration for the event opens online at a specific time and sells out almost immediately. Last year, the event sold out in about an hour. This year it sold out in 11 minutes. Luckily, Johnson was prepared and was able to complete his registration in about eight minutes.

Registering for the event was only the beginning for Johnson, who spent 12 weeks training for the physically grueling event.

“I did everything from CrossFit in full gear to the Versaclimber and running stairs. I went to Reno and ran the Grand Sierra,” he said. The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev. has 27 flights of stairs, compared to the Columbia Center’s 69. According to Johnson, the race actually ended on the 73rd floor. Johnson also mentioned that he ran, hiked and biked in full firefighting gear while training.

When the day of the race arrived, Johnson said he was nervous. Although he had wrestled and participated in small competitions before, he had never competed in an event as large and physically intense as the stairclimb.

“This was huge. This was the crown jewel, the big daddy. There were people from nine different countries. There were a lot of people,” he said.

However, his nervousness was quelled by all the friendly and welcoming people he met before the race began.

Overall, the race went well for Johnson who said he had a few minor hiccups, but still competed at a high level and made it to the finish. “I definitely was somewhat hypoxic by the time I got to the top, but it felt good,” Johnson said.

He finished the race number 157 out of 950 people in his age group.

“It was a competition and I really had to prove myself,” he said, “as far as I know, I’m the first federal employee to do this competition, so that was another incentive … to show that we can compete.”

There is no doubt Johnson reached his goal of competing at a high level and proving himself, all while supporting a noble cause.

For more information on the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb and a video of the event, visit www.llswa.org.