WP Athletes Sign College Letters

WAITSBURG - Hard work really does pay off for two Waitsburg athletes who signed letters of intent and claimed scholarships this week.

Three-sport athlete Dal­ton Estes will focus his energy on football at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Ore. Estes will red- shirt his freshman year, pre­paring to play wide receiver for the Mountaineers.

Estes signed his letter of intent on Monday, Feb. 25 with the support of some of his football teammates.

Cross-country and track aficionado Seth Deal, who became a three-sport athlete his senior year, is prepar­ing to head to Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Ida. Deal signed his letter of intent on Thursday, Feb. 21 at home.

Jeff Bartlow, who has worked with both Estes and Deal said he is really proud of both students.

"I've known them both since they were younger," Bartlow said. "They both worked hard and they both deserve (scholarships)."

Bartlow said Estes and Deal were a good example of how hard work can pay off.

"Physically, their payoff is that they get to do the things they love to do and get paid for it to a degree," Bartlow said.

Estes'signature marks the third student from Waitsburg High School to be recruited with an athletic scholarship in the last two years, Bartlow said. Along with Estes and Deal, Bartlow's son Zach also signed with Eastern Oregon University and is at­tending the school this year on a football scholarship.

Estes played shooting guard and point guard in basketball; wide receiver, slot receiver, running back, quarterback, kicker and return specialist in football; and short stop, left field, cen­ter field, pitcher, catcher and second base in baseball. He is considering pre-physical therapy or teaching math as majors, but is currently undecided.

"When I went down for my visit, at the end (of a talk with the coach) he said 'I want you,' so that was nice," Estes said.

Estes said he visited the school on Valentine's Day and fell in love with the small campus. He also said he is excited to play with Zach Bartlow again.

Jeff Bartlow said Estes garnered more than 1,000 yards as a running back and 700 yards receiving playing for Waitsburg.

Deal ran cross country and track all four years of high school and played basketball his senior year. He is currently undecided on his field of study. At Lewis-Clark State College, Deal will run cross country and track, coached by Dr. Michael Collins. Collins has coached at Lewis-Clark for 16 years, Deal said, and the program is one of the top in the NAIA.

"There's not a harder worker than Seth Deal," Bartlow said. "If there is, I'd like to meet him."

Bartlow said Deal is very conscientious and works hard to take care of himself.

"(Deal) wants to be the best he can be," Bartlow said. "He eats right, sleeps right, he does it all. He's tak­ing care of his body."

Deal is a record holder on Waitsburg High School's track team and Bartlow said he anticipates Deal will break that record this year.

Bartlow also commended Estes and Deal for their dedication to schoolwork, noting that Deal is a 4.0 student and Estes has about a 3.4, making them better candidates for the scholar­ships they received.

Bartlow also anticipates that other students will get offers in the coming years, as long as they impress the right people and get the word out about student tal­ent.