Spring Sports Preview

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Sports Preview Spring 2018

COTTAGE GROVE•YONCALLA•NORTH DOUGLAS•ELKTON

GAME TIME

Coach outlooks Game schedules Player interviews

Cottage Grove

Sentinel

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Table of Contents

Photos and words by Zach Silva

Cottage Grove Baseball ................................................PG.4 Cottage Grove Softball ................................................PG. 5 Cottage Grove Track and Field ....................................PG. 6 Cottage Grove Boys Golf.............................................PG. 7 Cottage Grove Girls Golf .............................................PG. 8 North Douglas Baseball .............................................PG. 10 Cottage Grove North Douglas Softball .............................................. PG. 11 Elkton and North Douglas/Yoncalla Track ................PG. 13 Elkton/Yoncalla Baseball ...........................................PG. 15 Elkton/Yoncalla Softball ............................................PG. 16

Cottage Grove Schedules BASEBALL

3/13 2:00 p.m. 3/15 4:00 p.m. 3/16 1:00 p.m. 3/19 4:30 p.m. 3/21 4:30 p.m. 3/23 3:00 p.m. 3/23 5:00 p.m. 3/24 12:00 p.m. 3/28 9:30 a.m. bor (Hidden Valley Tournament) 3/28 5:00 p.m. (Hidden Valley Tournament) 4/3 4:30 p.m. 4/6 3:00 p.m. 4/6 5:00 p.m. 4/10 4:30 p.m. 4/13 3:00 p.m. 4/13 4:30 p.m. 4/20 3:00 p.m. 4/20 5:00 p.m. 4/24 4:30 p.m. 4/27 3:00 p.m. 4/27 5:00 p.m. 5/1 4:30 p.m. 5/4 3:00 p.m. 5/4 5:00 p.m. 5/8 4:30 p.m.

vs. Henley vs. Douglas vs. Molalla @ Pleasant Hill @ Cascade @ North Bend @ North Bend @ Marshfield vs. Brookings-Har@ Hidden Valley vs. Junction City @ Elmira/Crow @Elmira/Crow vs. Sweet Home vs. Sisters vs. Sisters vs. Sutherlin vs. Sutherlin vs. Elmira/Crow @ Junction City @ Junction City @ Sisters @ Sweet Home @ Sweet Home @ Sutherlin

SOFTBALL 3/13 4:30 p.m. vs. Pleasant Hill 3/15 4:00 p.m. @ Douglas 3/19 4:30 p.m. @ Valley Catholic 3/21 4:30 p.m. vs. Cascade 3/22 4:00 p.m. vs. Gladstone 3/23 4:00 p.m. vs. Marshfield 3/26 1:00 p.m. vs. Harrisburg (Seaside Spring Break Invitational) 3/26 1:00 p.m. vs. Regis (Seaside Spring Break Invitational) 3/27 9:00 a.m. @ Valley Catholic (Seaside Spring Break Invitational) 3/29 1:00 p.m. vs. North Marion 4/3 4:30 p.m. @ Junction City 4/6 3:00 p.m. vs. Elmira 4/6 4:30 p.m. vs. Elmira 4/10 4:30 p.m. @ Sweet Home 4/13 3:00 p.m. @ Sisters 4/13 4:30 p.m. @ Sisters 4/20 3:00 p.m. @ Sutherlin 4/20 5:00 p.m. @ Sutherlin 4/24 4:30 p.m. @ Elmira 4/27 3:00 p.m. vs. Junction City 4/27 5:00 p.m. vs. Junction City 5/1 4:30 p.m. vs. Sisters 5/4 3:00 p.m. vs. Sweet Home 5/4 5:00 p.m. vs. Sweet Home 5/8 4:30 p.m. vs. Sutherlin

GIRLS GOLF 3/12 3/16 3/19 4/9 4/16 4/23 4/30 5/3 5/7-5/8

1:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. TBD

TRACK AND FIELD

Santiam Golf Club Fiddler’s Green Salem Golf Club Creekside Golf Course OGA Course Santiam Golf Club Agate Beach Quail Valley District Tournament

3/13 3/16 3/21 4/5 4/10 4/13 4/18 4/20 4/24 4/27 5/3 5/7

4/5 4:00 p.m. Junction City @ Cottage Grove 4/7 10:15 a.m. Jim Robinson Twilight Invitational (Roseburg High School) 4/12 4:00 p.m. Cottage Grove and Sweet Home @ Sisters 4/14 11:00 a.m. Meet of Champions (Willamette University) 4/19 4:00 p.m. Cottage Grove and Junction City @ Sutherlin 4/21 11:00 a.m. Elmira Relays 4/27 3:00 p.m. Stayton Invite 5/4 2:00 p.m. Wally Ciochetti Invitational (Cottage Grove) 5/10 TBD Sky-Em District Championship (Sisters) 5/18 TBD OSAA State Championship (Hayward Field)

BOYS GOLF 11:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. TBD TBD 12:00 p.m. TBD

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Cottage Grove Baseball

Pitcher Wyatt Sayles delivers a strike at practice.

A Cottage Grove coach watches the team getting ready for the season.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Emry Foster:

The seniors of the Cottage Grove baseball team are excited to officially be the ones calling the shots this year. “Well the thing I’m most excited for is the growth on the team,� said senior catcher Jaace Cross. “Especially with our senior leaders because last year it was a little rough with our senior leaders. I ended up becoming, in my junior year, becoming one of the senior leaders.� “The seniors this year had a leadership role last year. The seniors last year kind of slacked, but I mean, it feels good to be officially the leader,� noted senior left fielder Payton Frieze. For Cottage Grove it will take more than just leadership to get back to the level of success it had two seasons ago when it finished the season

ranked fourth in state. While the Lions finished last season a game over .500 and fourth in Sky-Em, they have pieces in place this season to be able to compete with the top teams in their league. Their success this year starts with bringing back their starting outfielders in seniors Frieze, Emry Foster and sophomore Hunter Sharkey. Junior all-league pitcher Wyatt Sayles will also be on the mound while Cross, who is looking to play at the collegiate level next season, brings consistency from behind the plate. “This is his third year starting. He’s a senior behind the plate so it’s really nice to have a senior catcher that can take command and do things,� said head coach Dan Geiszler.

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On how the team got better in the offseason: In the offseason our entire team, our entire team from senior to freshmen put in a lot of work. So I’m excited to see that carry on the actual field and the actual game. Lot of BP, lot of batting practice, lot of fielding practice. We have pitchers before school come in at 6:30 in the morning and practice pitching and everything. Yeah, a lot of hard work and determination. We lost some good seniors last year, it’s going to be tough to in a sense replace them. There’s definitely some players that haven’t seen varsity level yet. ‌Like I said, with as much work as they’ve been putting in the offseason I think we’ll go out there and do just fine. On what this team does well:

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Actual teamwork. We’re a pretty close team. Team bonding, team breakfasts. We do all that kind of stuff so I think communication and teamwork. As a team, getting each other up, not getting down you know if we’re down a lot. Keeping each other up if one of us makes a mistake, stuff like that. Yeah, the positivity will carry us a far distance. On a teammate that will have a good season: Payton Frieze. ‌He’s been my best friend since kindergarten we’ve played ball together since we were both three-years-old. It’s cool playing up all the way to see us both in the outfield together all through our senior year. It’s nice to have a brother on the field.

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Cottage Grove Softball

Maria Pardee (left) works on hitting with the help of Emma Fain (right).

Tori Taylor develops her pitching at a recent practice.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Tori Taylor:

There is only room for improvement for the Cottage Grove softball team. After finishing 1-43 over the last two seasons – with no wins last year – the team is looking for a fresh start. “We’re trying to reevaluate everything. We want to create a culture around softball versus just coming in and looking at it as another sport,” said head coach Cheryl Frieze. “We really want to develop the whole piece of it. That way, I feel like we can develop that and we can make a strong statement that that’s going to make us become more successful all-around.” The culture the team is looking to build first starts with the attitudes of the players. “In the past year we’ve struggled just to bring ourselves up so I’m

hoping this will be the year that we can kind of build ourselves up more as a team and win more games,” said senior Kate Johns. With 28 girls out for the team this year, there is a sense of cautious optimism that they will have the ability to make games competitive in the upcoming season. For Frieze, she is trying to get away from the cloud of last season’s losses. “It was just rough. I’m super competitive so I always like to win but sometimes the cards just don’t fall that way and so I think this year, all the girls are excited,” she said. “They’re growing, they’re pushing themselves already and I think that’s just going to push us over. If we can just get a few wins in and kind of have that taste, it’s just going to push them further.”

On her softball career at Cottage Grove: It’s been rough but I definitely have faith in us this year. So far the incoming freshman, I see nothing but hard work out of them and they can really help with the team. And mentally, I think all of us are in a better state because last year was not good. On the team’s mental state last season I thought it was going to bring us together by losing a couple of games but it tore us apart because everyone just got down on each other. But I mean, we tried bringing it up but some girls just didn’t want to. I’d say it’s easier to bring a couple people up then a whole team down. Because it’s really like, if one person is effected you can help change them easier then you can bring everyone else down. So as a leader, I try to do that. So if I see someone having a

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bad game, or they didn’t catch a ball just shake it off and do better next time. There’s a whole season to improve. A teammate she is excited to watch this season Kate Johns has definitely improved a lot. I played with her my freshman year and she’s a rockstar and can do anything. She’s a rockstar first basemen. It’s really easy having her. Just look at her and it brightens my mood being a pitcher and just look over and she’s smiling so I’m smiling. On what would make a successful season End of the day, I just don’t want any more crying in the dugout. If we can make it through some games, get some wins, hey, that’s a plus. One win, I’ll take it. Last season, didn’t win a game but came close. We’re that close.

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Cottage Grove Track and Field

Cottage Grove sprinters complete a speed workout.

Team Rundown:

There are high hopes heading into the track season for Cottage Grove. On the boys’ side, the sky is the limit for the team. “Going into this year, I think this is the first time in the last three years that I – and as much as I hate to say it because I don’t like to be a favorite – I think the boys are this year,” said head coach Ricky Knutson about the team's chances at districts. “We really only graduated two guys that scored at the district meet. We bring back almost every single guy.” Included in that list are Jacob Woods (100, 200, long jump), Konrad Raum (1500, 3000) Erick Giffen (high jump, triple jump), Hunter Hall (javelin, shot put), Markus Julien (triple jump) and Jared Simmons (discus) who are all among the top returners in their respective

Cottage Grove sprinters and distance runners work on their core strength.

events. With a loaded team coming back, there is both a level of confidence that this team has what it takes to compete for a state title – or even earn its first trophy at the state meet since 1977 – and a level of caution about counting its chickens before they hatch. “Things have to go well. We have to be healthy, we have to get a little lucky and we have to have a really strong performance at Hayward Field once we get people qualified,” said Russo. “Because obviously, we can’t overlook the district meet.” On the girls' side there is an air of uncertainty hanging over the Cottage Grove team. “There are a lot more unknowns on the girls’ side. So, it’s going to be fun to see – a lot of girls are going to have opportunities,” said Knut-

son. A year after finishing second by just five points at the district meet, the Lions enter the season with a Hannah Albrecht-sized hole on their team. Albrecht, a senior last season, scored 26 individual points at the district meet last season in addition to being on the 4x400 relay team that claimed second place. “I think the most exciting thing on the girls’ side is seeing who is going to step up and fill in some of those spots. We’re going to have really rely on girls that are brand new,” said Knutson. The top returners on this year’s team include Zarah Wemple (100, 200), Cassidy Herbert (shot put, discus) Faryn Dahlen (100 hurdles), Tyra Gordon (100 hurdles), Keara Murphy (high jump, triple jump) and Sydney Boxberger (triple jump).

Team Perspective with Jacob Woods On what he’s looking forward to this season I’m looking forward to training to get better. I really want to beat the school record this year (in the 100). It’s 10.98. (My personal record is) 11.17. It’s been the record a long time. At least more than 10 years. That’s the biggest goal. And then pretty much just PR in everything and I actually want to win state in the 100, too. On the success of this team I definitely feel that our team can get the league title again considering how many people we brought through our senior year and everything. But all the guys that come out this year and hopefully a few more come and we can definitely get some points in the state meet and it’s possible to place and it’s also, it would be hard, but it’s possible to get that first place.

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Cottage Grove Boys Golf

Coach Kent Russo goes over grip technique with his team.

The team hits some balls at a recent sunny practice.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Jonny Bench:

More than anything, head coach Kent Russo is brutally honest about his team. “I just let them know that they’re not good yet. You guys have a long way to go,” he said. “And they know – it’s not a secret. They go out and play with some guys that are decent and then they know, ‘Oh, I do have a long way to go.’ You can’t hide it.” From reminders at practice to the team-issued schedule that has the date of the state tournament listed with the words “no chance” next to it, there is an air of reality that is rarely seen on teams. Part of this stems from the fact that last season was the first time in eight years the Lions did not send anyone to the state tournament. “This year, we’re starting over… So these are the experienced guys,”

said Russo pointing to juniors and seniors on the team. “But their game is really green. They really haven’t figured it out yet.” Russo notes that the way to get better in golf is to simply constantly be playing the game. And for high school students that means grabbing a friend and spending free time out at the golf course and just getting better. “If you can throw a baseball halfway decent, you’re always going to be able to throw a baseball. You can hit a baseball. You can run track, obviously you might not be as fast if you take time off, but you can still do it. This game, if you don’t get to a particular skill level, you’re never going to get there unless you work at it,” he said.

On his history with golf: I’ve been golfing for a really long time. My parents started me young. They actually gave me that little plastic golf set from the Dollar Tree. So I’d go out in my backyard and do that. So I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. And I really started getting into it once I started the team here at the high school. Now I’m kind of relearning everything over the course of four years and (Russo) been a huge help, he’s been a great coach. I still have a lot to learn. On how they stack up in league: I feel like we’re definitely not at the bottom but we’re not at the top either. I don’t think we’re in the middle either, I think we’re above average of the other schools. But yeah, who knows.

On what he’s looking forward to in the upcoming season: I’m looking forward to varsity. I’ve never been on a varsity team. So this will be my first year and I feel like I definitely have earned it because I’ve been playing JV for the other three years. It’s very exciting. I’ve never been on varsity for anything. It’s also scary because you’ve got some pretty good competitors on varsity, and I don’t know. We’re working on it. There’s a lot more matches (on varsity) and it’s also a lot more competitive. The JV is nice because it’s pretty relaxed. You’re just going out to have fun but with the varsity it’s more competitive.

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Cottage Grove Girls Golf

Jennifer Husk discusses how to hold a golf club with the team.

A Cottage Grove golfer takes some chip shots at practice.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Jennifer Husk:

From Taiwan to China to Rhode Island to Cottage Grove, first year head coach Jennifer Husk has had a journey to where she is today. Husk who moved to the area in November with her husband to be a part of the church Hope in the Grove, was excited to see that there was a coaching position open. “I used to be a professional golfer so this was like my dream job to be a coach so here I am,� she said. After having a small team last year that saw players graduate or move to new sports this year, Husk is currently unsure if she will have one or two players on her team this season. “I’m excited. And I know, I know I was hoping to have a huge team. Let’s have 10 kids out here, that’d be great. But you know, you got to start somewhere and I’m excited

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that they’re excited to be here,� said Husk. She plans to stay around in Cottage Grove and is looking to work to build up a program. And to do that, she sees an important step is getting kids interested. “That’s the thought to build a program. (Athletic Director) Gary (Roberts) and I have been talking about how to do that. And I think we really need to get in the middle school. And get some help out there somehow with the PE program and get golf in that,� she said. “So that’s what I’m kind of hoping to do. ...Having a couple of junior clinics and then trying to keep that interest because that’s the hard part. Because golf takes a lot of time, a lot of time, a lot of effort.�

On when she started golfing I was 14. Like these two girls, their dad’s played. My whole family played my mom, my dad and my brother. I was in to other sports but they were always on the golf course so I started taking it up and got serious probably by the time I was in high school. By the end of high school I was a lot more serious, went to college on a golf scholarship and after school I played professionally. It was a lot of fun. And playing professionally you’re basically living in a hotel every week and living out of your car. The hardest question to answer is where are you from. I had no home but my car, my little Honda. So I did that for awhile. And had fun playing. On what she’s excited about For coaching I’m excited to take

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these girls here that I do have, I don’t think they’ve ever had this one-onone kind of attention with golf. So they just play because their families started playing. And just to share that excitement that this game can bring. Frustration too but more the excitement, we’re focusing on that side. I mean this is one of those games that you can do forever. It’s not like football or baseball or basketball or soccer where after you get injured so many times you’re not going to be able to walk. On living in Cottage Grove Somebody once asked me where would you want to live if you could live anywhere, near the mountains or near the ocean. And I was like both. I didn’t know a place existed so here we are between the mountains and oceans.

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North Douglas Schedules SOFTBALL

BASEBALL 3/13

4:30 p.m.

vs. Glendale

3/13

4:00 p.m.

vs. Glendale

3/17

12:00 p.m.

vs. Lost River

3/17

12:00 p.m.

vs. Lost River

3/17

2:00 p.m.

vs. Lost River

3/17

2:00 p.m.

vs. Lost River

3/21

2:00 p.m.

vs. Regis

3/22

4:30 p.m.

@ Central Linn

3/24

1:00 p.m.

@ Bandon

4/3

4:30 p.m.

@ Lowell

3/24

3:00 p.m.

@ Bandon

4/7

2:00 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/3

4:30 p.m.

@ Lowell

4/7

4:00 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/7

2:00 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/9

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

4/7

4:00 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/12

2:00 p.m.

@ Oakridge

4/10

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

4/12

4:00 p.m.

@ Oakridge

4/14

2:00 p.m.

@ Oakridge

4/18

4:30 p.m.

vs. Scio

4/14

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakridge

4/24

4:30 p.m.

vs. Mohawk

4/24

4:30 p.m.

vs. Mohawk

4/27

2:00 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ North Douglas)

4/27

2:00 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ North Douglas)

4/27

4:00 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ North Douglas)

4/27

4:30 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ North Douglas)

5/8

4:30 p.m.

vs. Yoncalla/Elkton

5/1

4:30 p.m.

@ Monroe

5/11

2:00 p.m.

@ Yoncalla/Elkton

5/4

2:00 p.m.

vs. Monroe

5/11

4:30 p.m.

@ Yoncalla/Elkton

5/4

4:30 p.m.

vs. Monroe

5/14

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakland

5/14

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakland

5/17

2:00 p.m.

vs. Oakland

5/17

2:00 p.m.

vs. Oakland

5/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakland

5/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakland

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North Douglas Baseball

A pair of North Douglas players take cuts during practice.

Carson Burris winds up to deliver a pitch.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Carson Burris and Kyle Bowen:

The Warriors baseball team is a program built on tradition. “I’ve got some kids that I’ve coached their dads,” said head coach Jeff Davis who has coached for over 30 years. “We’ve got enough tradition here that we can bank on some of our tradition to make us competitive.” For North Douglas, that tradition comes in the shape of having consistent numbers out and having an active youth baseball program. As recently as 2015 they finished the season ranked sixth in state and are looking to get back to that level of success. Their biggest obstacle's to the top of the league are the 2A teams (Monroe and Oakland) that finished above them in the standings and in the top six in the state. The Warriors

finished 1-6 against those teams last year. “The big schools are the ones for us to chase. Twice the kids as we have here. That’s not an excuse but the reality is if three out of every 10 kids are athletes, that’s 15-20 more athletes,” said Davis. Despite losing their number one pitcher from last year, North Douglas is still in a position where they believe pitching can be their biggest asset. Included in that group are Carson Burris, Brian Erickson and Koldan Frieze who all will see time on the mound this year. “We’ve got about six that we can run out there and they can throw somewhere near the plate,” said Davis who notes that “generally, we come in the spring and we say all of you are pitchers.”

CALL FOR A QUOTE

On their roles as seniors Kyle Bowen: Our role is to take up leadership and make sure they’re comfortable enough, make them comfortable enough to step up. Make them part of the rotation so they’re not feeling like they’re left out or behind. Carson Burris: Kind of make everyone feel welcome and that they can be part of the program, too. They don’t have to just sit back because they’re underclassmen. Have them be a part of it and kind of groom them for a couple years from now when they’ll be the guys up here. On what that looks like KB: Definitely leading by example. Again, everyone participates and makes sure there’s no stragglers and no one being pushed to the side. CB: Showing focus in practice and

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when there’s a time to lighten up, show them that not everything is routine. You can have a break in the routine and have a little fun. A lot of focus. They’re both great teams and I mean, they’re not unbeatable. So it’s just elevated focus and do what we can inside and hopefully we can get outside soon. Always have a positive attitude. Do what we can with the time that we have. Even if we can’t get outside and just focus on everything and give it your best. On this year’s team CB: We’ve got quite a few returning pitchers that got quite a bit of time last year. And I feel like our offense is definitely going to be better than last year.

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North Douglas Softball

A North Douglas pitcher fires away during an indoor practice.

Bailey Holcomb reaches for a ground ball at a recent practice.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Amy Dooley:

With just seconds to play in the Skyline League third-place girls basketball game this winter, North Douglas’ softball season was drastically altered. As Nicki Derrick fouled an Elkton player in an attempt to extend the game, she tore her ACL. Last year, Derrick a freshman last season, was named both 1A state player of the year and pitcher of the year as she led the Warriors to a state softball title. In addition to throwing a no-hitter in the state playoffs, Derrick was also an offensive threat and hit over 10 homeruns last season. With Derrick out for the year and the graduation of an all-state shortstop, catcher and second basemen, the Warriors come in to the season with questions. Regardless of what they are missing, North Douglas is returning three all-state players in

Sofia Alcantar (center field), Sofia Black (third base) and Riley Black (first place). They also have Hope. “We have Hope Morgan, who was our second pitcher last year. Has a lot of skill, lot of ability. I think she’s starting on a lot of other teams in our league. It’s a blow (to lose Nicki) but I think we’ll be alright. She’s a capable backup,” said assistant coach Daron Dooley. The team is also adds Whitney Anderson who is joining the team from Crow. With no softball team at Crow, Anderson played on the school’s baseball team last season but will now be joining the Warriors via co-op. North Douglas will be in a battle with the 2A teams in their league that include Oakland and Monroe.

On the outlook for the season: You know, after you finish a state championship it’s always hard to come back and try to top that. And I don’t think that’s the mentality we have. We just have the mentality to come in and have fun and build a good team again. No one can replace Nicki. We just have to not have the mentality that we can’t do this without her. We have to have the mentality that we can do this for Nicki. So I think that’s important. The key to their success: We work really hard on our fundamentals. We’ll have a fundamental hitting practice. Before we get in the cage we will show that we can swing the bat the right way. Or field the ball

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11

the right way before we field some grounders. On a teammate she’s excited for: I like Sofia. She’s our centerfielder from last year. She’s really fast. She was just a freshman last year so she has a lot of room to grow. I’m excited to see where she can go with it. On getting a new teammate from Crow: We’ve actually never been in a coop before. They’ve had them with Elkton but this is our first time. She’s super sweet and seems like she’s a really good player so we’re excited to see what she can do. If she wants to play, we’ll let her.

1A Track Schedules

12

NORTH DOUGLAS/ YONCALLA

ELKTON

3/17 10:00 a.m. son High School)

J-Town Small School Invite (Jeffer-

3/20

3:30 p.m.

Marshfield Icebreaker

4/3

4:00 p.m.

Bandon Small Schools

4/5

4:30 p.m.

Oakland Home

3/15 3:30 p.m. (Sutherlin High School)

Frank Good Preamble Classic

3/23 High School)

TBD

Warrior Co-Ed Relays (Oakridge

4/7 High School)

10:00 a.m.

Maynard Mia Invitational (Glide

4/7 11:00 a.m. (Douglas High School)

Peterson Memorial Invitational

4/14 (Marshfield)

10:00 a.m.

Prefontaine Rotary Invitational

4/11

2:30 p.m.

Waldport Small School Invite

4/14

10:00 a.m.

Prefontaine Rotary Invitational

4/19

4:30 p.m.

Oakridge Home Meet

4/19

4:30 p.m.

Oakridge Home

4/27

TBD

Jack Blum Invitational Reedsport

5/4

4:30 p.m.

Jack Blum Invitational (Reedsport

Oakland Twilight Meet

4/27 4:00 p.m. Community Charter School)

5/5 11:00 a.m. (Gilchrist High School) 5/12 TBD

Gilchrist Small School Invitational

5/4

4:30 p.m.

Oakland Twilight

Skyline Districts

5/12

TBD

Skyline Districts

5/17

OSAA State Championship

5/17

TBD

OSAA State Championship

TBD

13

Elkton and North Douglas/Yoncalla Track

Hannah Maxwell sprints down a wet street during track practice.

Elkton Rundown:

With no track within 30 miles of their school, the Elkton track and field team makes the most of what it has. “Everything is measured out believe it or not,” said coach Ken Maxwell. “Two laps around the school equals 460 meters.” Warming up in the parking lot, running around the school and finding hills nearby to run on, the six-person team does a little of everything. While the number of team members is the same as it was last season, this year provides more opportunities as there are now four girls on the team. “I’m really excited we’re going to have a relay team this year for the 4x100. We haven’t done that since my sophomore year,” said senior Hannah Maxwell. In addition to a relay team, Hannah, Ken’s daughter, is looking to get back to state in the triple jump.

Justice Cox (left) and Rilie-Jo Olds (right) practice starting out of blocks.

Yoncalla/North Douglas Rundown: Just two years ago there were only four people on the Yoncalla/North Douglas track and field team. Last season there were 15 and this season the number has ballooned up to 26. “Now I don’t have enough assistants, that’s the problem,” said second year coach Eric Sprinkle. “I’m spread pretty thin.” Sprinkle, with the help of his fiancé, are happy with this problem. The pair started coaching at the middle school three years ago and are now bringing the two rival schools together to compete in the sport they love at the high school level. “We are here together, we are one team. It doesn’t matter where you spend your eighthour school day because after

Play with class Win with class Lose with class Youth, community, conservation & safety ... it’s what we do!

that you’re here and we’re all together,” said Sprinkle. On this year’s team, there are number of state-caliber competitors. While Laaron Lopez was the only returning athlete to make it to state last season, he is looking to be joined by teammate Brody Best (800) and on the girls’ side by Justice Cox (100, 200) and Rilie-Jo Olds (200, discus, shot put) who finished in the top 10 in all her events last season. “I just need to not worry about my peers as much,” said Olds on what it will take for her to get to state this year. “I’m always bad about trying to look good for someone else, I need to look good for myself and just work good for myself and that’s what will get me there.”

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Team Perspective with Justice Cox On last season I finished in third last year and had a really bad hip problem and tore my hip-flexor totally in half, I was in a wheel-chair actually. Yeah, after a season. And then I went onto crutches and then I built myself back up. So I still have a hard time which, it made my time go down a bit which stressed me out, but hopefully I can build up the strength in it to be where I was at least. On a teammate she is excited for Rilie-Jo. She’s really good at the 200, she’s not as fast as I am, but she’ll get there. She’s definitely working really hard to get there so I hope she does. On combining with North Douglas I like it because we get to be surrounded by kids that aren’t in our school and it’s – we get to make more friends because the new people come and we’re like, well this is how it is at our track and we invite you. We love to have them here.

14

Elkton/Yoncalla Schedules BASEBALL 3/13

4:15 p.m.

vs. Myrtle Point

3/15

4:30 p.m.

@ Perrydale

3/20

4:30 p.m.

@ Creswell

3/21

4:30 p.m.

@ Myrtle Point

3/23

4:30 p.m.

@ Riddle/Days Creek

3/24

12:00 p.m.

@ Coquille/Pacific

4/2

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakland

4/4

2:00 p.m.

@ Oakland

4/4

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakland

4/9

4:30 p.m.

@ Lowell

4/12

2:30 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/12

4:30 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Mohawk

4/20

2:00 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ Elkton)

4/20

4:30 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ Elkton)

4/24

4:30 p.m.

vs. Monroe

4/27

2:00 p.m.

@ Monroe

4/27

4:30 p.m.

@ Monroe

5/1

4:30 p.m.

vs. Coquille/Pacific

5/3

4:30 p.m.

vs. Creswell

5/8

4:30 p.m.

@ North Douglas

5/11

2:00 p.m.

vs. North Douglas

5/11

4:30 p.m.

vs. North Douglas

5/14

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakridge

5/17

2:00 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

5/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

SOFTBALL 3/12

4:30 p.m.

Reedsport

3/15

4:30 p.m.

@Perrydale

3/20

4:30 p.m.

@Creswell

3/22

4:30 p.m.

vs. Days Creek

3/23

4:30 p.m.

vs. Reedsport

3/26

12:00 p.m.

@ Glendale

3/26

2:00 p.m.

@ Glendale

4/2

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakland

4/4

2:00 p.m.

@ Oakland

4/4

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakland

4/9

4:30 p.m.

@ Lowell

4/12

2:30 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/12

4:30 p.m.

vs. Lowell

4/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Mohawk

4/20

2:00 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ Yoncalla)

4/20

4:30 p.m.

@ Mohawk (@ Yoncalla)

4/24

4:30 p.m.

vs. Monroe

4/27

2:00 p.m.

@ Monroe

4/27

4:30 p.m.

@ Monroe

5/3

4:30 p.m.

@ Days Creek

5/8

4:30 p.m.

@ North Douglas

5/11

2:00 p.m.

vs. North Douglas

5/11

4:30 p.m.

vs. North Douglas

5/14 Center) 5/17

4:30 p.m.

@ Oakridge (Willamette Activity

2:00 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

5/17

4:30 p.m.

vs. Oakridge

15

Elkton/Yoncalla Baseball

Austin Luzier prepares a pitch on a rainy day that forced the team into the Elkton gym.

Jeff Tibbetts works through a fielding drill at practice.

Team Rundown:

Team Perspective with Jeff Tibbetts:

It is no secret that pitching can make or break a team. Last year, Elkton/Yoncalla was broken. “Last year we got to a point in time where we paired everybody up and we worked on pitching mechanics as a team. I had 15 guys working on how to step in and out of the rubber. How to make a move to first base. Crazy stuff,� said head coach Bill Shaw. “I put people on the mound who couldn’t throw a strike to save your soul. We did some crazy things to survive that.� After finishing 7-16 and in the bottom half of the league, this year’s team – complete with experienced pitchers that Shaw has confidence in – is primarily made up of freshman and juniors with a handful of players who are new to the sport and are looking for a path to catch up to

the Oaklands and North Douglas’ of the league. While inexperience is a central part of the team, success for them came last season via the play of Jaydn Woody. In his first year of playing baseball Woody caught on quickly and made second-team all-league. “It just kind of happened. It was pretty cool but it just kind of happened,� said Woody. As the Elks, who are co-opted with Yoncalla, try to make more happen, Shaw is working to find ways to put together the puzzle that is this team. “I’m putting together pieces and parts. I’ve got a lot of guys that have played baseball before but they haven’t played together. So we’ve got some work to do as far as figuring out who our middle infield is and transitions and communication. And finding a catcher,� he said.

Have a Starring Season, CG Lions!

On travelling from Yoncalla to Elkton I enjoy it a lot because you get to go to another school with new friends. I got one of my best friends here in Elkton just because of us co-opting last year. I enjoy it a lot. You get annoyed with a lot of people that you have to go to school with all day, come to another school, new friends and new faces throughout the day. It gets to you a little bit. Like for me it’s hard because I don’t always get to see my family as much as I would like to because it’s an hour commute. On their leauge Our league is always tough. Good baseball teams. We got Oakland which is returning almost everyone. We got Monroe, oh gosh, they’re a baseball program. I strive to be like Monroe. They’re a good program. North Douglas is always good.

3 Cheers for the LIONS!

ÂŽ

Oakridge is pretty decent always. We got to come out and play. We’re returning quite a bit from last year but even with what we’re returning three or four first-year guys that started for us last year. I mean, we’re real junior heavy and freshman heavy which is fun to see some young guys step up. And I think we’re gonna have some young guys really step up for us this year. On how they will get better this year For us it’s just going to be focus. We all have the skill, we’re all talented enough. It’s just staying focused and work on the stuff we need to work on. Trying to get that experience for us and take that and put it on the field.

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16

Elkton/Yoncalla Softball

Tayla Swearingen prepares to catch a ball while playing third base.

Team Rundown: When it comes to the Elkton/ Yoncalla softball team, softball experience is not something that the team has. Of the 12 players on the team, half of them are freshmen and three have never played the sport before. These new players are joining returning players who have played a handful of years at most. “No habits are better than bad habits,� said head coach Dan LaChapelle. “They’re moldable without having to break them first.� After going 7-16 last season, the team graduated five players and with two more not coming back this season there are plenty of spots to fill. LaChapelle noted that the lack of players is a result of the two schools being half an hour apart creating problems for whichever school they are at for the season (this year they

Jenae Hulsey throws home from first base during practice.

are playing at Yoncalla). Regardless of player that are not there, the team has back a few players including infielder Kieryn Carnes who in her first year playing softball last season was named second team all-league. At pitcher the team will be relying on Jenae Hulsey to help lead the way. “I’ve never really played. I’ve been working on pitching a lot and (LaChapelle) is talking about putting me in a game,� she said. “It’s exciting and nervous. I can’t wait, it’s going to be fun.� Regardless of any setbacks or who is or who is not playing, LaChapelle wants what any coach wants: to get better. “Just to play our best. I don’t care about the wins and losses as long as we’re not beating ourselves and we’re playing our game and having a good time.�

Team Perspective with Jamie Glenn: On softball experience I’ve played for four years. I’ve really liked the atmosphere. It’s just a lot different then volleyball and basketball because I feel like there’s a lot more toughness involved with it. Because in volleyball and basketball you don’t have a ball coming at your face at like 100 miles per hour. And you’re forcing yourself to stop and make a good throw and hit decent. I just started catching last year. My other two years I was in the outfield. I stepped up to the plate, no pun intended, last year catching. I really like it. On competition in league I’d stretch to say Monroe is a bigger threat then North Douglas. On co-opting with Elkton I feel like at first with the incoming freshman to them it takes a little bit

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of getting used to. But as you grow older and you form a bond with the other school it’s a lot more variety and to me that’s exciting. On what to expect from the season I think we’re going to have a really good season this year. We have a lot of young, inexperienced players but we have athletes. A teammate that I think will do really well is Jenae Hulsey on her pitching ability because she’s pretty accurate and throws a nice fastball. It’s exciting to watch her grow. I’m excited to finish out my senior year with a bunch of girls that I know are here because they love to play and to send me off on a positive note.

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