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By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
Afer a key win over the Churchill Lancers on Tuesday, Feb. 5, the Thurston Colts girls basketball team has moved itself into the playoff hunt. The 50-46 win puts the Colts in fourth place in the Midwestern League.
The opening quarter got out to an even start, with neither team able to pull far ahead of the other. The Colts did manage a four point lead with under a minute remaining after Natalie Smith had a great spin move in the key for the basket, but Churchill would respond to close the gap 8-6 at the buzzer.
Thurston dug in hard in the second, taking a 17-11 lead after Whitney Hughes passed the ball to Courtney Welling for a three-pointer. Two successful free throws by Hughes would expand their lead 19-12 to end the first half.
Showing that they deserve their second place position in the MWL, the Lancers put together a strong attack in the third. They managed to close the gap to three with just a few seconds remaining, although they would find themselves with the final posession of the quarter down at the Thurston goal. Churchill’s Susan Smith would keep the inbounds pass to go the length of the court. With three seconds remaining she attempted the final shot well outside the arch, which left the crowd wondering why she didn’t attempt to get closer first. But apparently she knew her range perfectly, and sunk the basket to tie the score at 31-31.
Churchill would take their second, and final, lead of the game at the start of the fourth. Thurston quickly nixed that idea, taking an early six point lead after a successful free throw attempt, a rebound by Brittney Burroughs and a three-pointer by Natalie Smith. However, the Colts would find themselves in foul trouble in the fourth, finding themselves with seven fouls to Churchill’s four. The Lancers came back within one, but Thurston managed clinch the victory after Elise Nelson sunk two at the line to go up by eight. Despite eight free throw opportunities for the Lancers in the final 30 seconds, they weren’t able to capitalize on their chances and Thurston would get the win.
The Colts, which now sit 6 1/2 games out of first and just 1/2 out of third, were supposed to play at Marshfield on Thursday, Feb. 7. However, that was a different date than originally scheduled and due to a communication error, the game was not played. That game will be made up on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Coos Bay. Because of the change, the Pirates game against the Millers on Feb. 22 has been moved up a day to Feb. 21. Both games with be played at 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
MWL district title slips through the Colts grip
By Maren Fawkes
For the Beacon
There was standing room only at Willamalane Pool on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 for the Midwestern League District swim meet this year. While the Thurston Colts hopes and expectations had been high this year, the meet didn’t go quite as it had planned. Despite team member absences during final events, the Colts will be sending 19 swimmers to the state competition.
For the second year in a row the Colts boys team finished in second place with 390 points behind North Eugene in the district final, winning the 200-yard medley relay and finishing second in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Colts girls team also won the 200-yard medley relay, but finished fifth overall with 259 points.
Jialin Hu the Colts’ coach was disappointed with the team members who failed to show up for their final events and let the team down, but overall he was proud of the team. “They tried their best. North Eugene is a good team and they swam great,” said Hu.
The Colts boy’s team qualified for the state meet in both the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay as well as individual events, which is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. Senior Sam Carter will be returning to state for the 100-yard breaststroke and the 100-yard butterfly. Junior Wyman Tan also qualified for an individual event at state in the 50-yard freestyle with a very impressive time of 23.63 seconds.
Along with Carter and Tan, the 200-yard freestyle relay team is comprised of Ryan Hannum and Lindsey Brown with Timothy Lewellen, Brian Biancalana, Chris Stark and David Varin as alternates. The Colts 200-yard medley relay team is made up of Carter, Tan, Brown and Joseph Valdez with Lewellen, Varin, Robert Eastin and Matthew Woodward as alternates.
But the Colts girl’s team isn’t about to let the boys have all the fun. The girls 200-yard medley relay team will also be competing at state represented by Hailey Prociw, Holly Brown, Carianne Follett, and Nikki Lee with Hayley Rhoades, Kacy Durfee, Jenny Lee and Zi Wang as substitutes.
Looking forward to state, Hu plans to have his team focused and ready.
“With a hard competition there’s more challenge. We will try to work on technique and try to improve speed to get ready for state,” he said.
Although at the last minute Springfield High School didn’t qualify for the state meet, the Millers ended its season on a high note.
According to Millers’ coach Jackie James, most of the Springfield swimmers only swim for a few months of the year compared to some of the kids they were competing against who swim all year round.
“Though some of the kids were disappointed... they all actually did really really well. I think just about all the kids had personal best times between the two days,” said James.
For more information on the upcoming state meet please visit the OSAA website at http://www.osaa.org.
For the Beacon
There was standing room only at Willamalane Pool on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 for the Midwestern League District swim meet this year. While the Thurston Colts hopes and expectations had been high this year, the meet didn’t go quite as it had planned. Despite team member absences during final events, the Colts will be sending 19 swimmers to the state competition.
For the second year in a row the Colts boys team finished in second place with 390 points behind North Eugene in the district final, winning the 200-yard medley relay and finishing second in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Colts girls team also won the 200-yard medley relay, but finished fifth overall with 259 points.
Jialin Hu the Colts’ coach was disappointed with the team members who failed to show up for their final events and let the team down, but overall he was proud of the team. “They tried their best. North Eugene is a good team and they swam great,” said Hu.
The Colts boy’s team qualified for the state meet in both the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay as well as individual events, which is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. Senior Sam Carter will be returning to state for the 100-yard breaststroke and the 100-yard butterfly. Junior Wyman Tan also qualified for an individual event at state in the 50-yard freestyle with a very impressive time of 23.63 seconds.
Along with Carter and Tan, the 200-yard freestyle relay team is comprised of Ryan Hannum and Lindsey Brown with Timothy Lewellen, Brian Biancalana, Chris Stark and David Varin as alternates. The Colts 200-yard medley relay team is made up of Carter, Tan, Brown and Joseph Valdez with Lewellen, Varin, Robert Eastin and Matthew Woodward as alternates.
But the Colts girl’s team isn’t about to let the boys have all the fun. The girls 200-yard medley relay team will also be competing at state represented by Hailey Prociw, Holly Brown, Carianne Follett, and Nikki Lee with Hayley Rhoades, Kacy Durfee, Jenny Lee and Zi Wang as substitutes.
Looking forward to state, Hu plans to have his team focused and ready.
“With a hard competition there’s more challenge. We will try to work on technique and try to improve speed to get ready for state,” he said.
Although at the last minute Springfield High School didn’t qualify for the state meet, the Millers ended its season on a high note.
According to Millers’ coach Jackie James, most of the Springfield swimmers only swim for a few months of the year compared to some of the kids they were competing against who swim all year round.
“Though some of the kids were disappointed... they all actually did really really well. I think just about all the kids had personal best times between the two days,” said James.
For more information on the upcoming state meet please visit the OSAA website at http://www.osaa.org.
Miller boys fall to Willamette
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
The Miller boys fought hard in their game against Willamette on Friday, Feb. 8, but the Wolverines pulled away in the second half to defeat Springfield 60-44.
Springfield won the tip-off and took a quick 2-5 lead, but Willamette quickly caught up to go up by two. Fighting hard, Springfield’s Cody Pryce grabbed the defensive rebound and passed to Trent Davis, who found himself under the basket for an easy two points to tie it up at 7-7 with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. But the Wolverine’s LeRon Bennett responded with a three-pointer and they would end up leading 10-9 at the end of the first eight minutes.
Willamette struggled to score in the opening minutes of the second quarter, which the Millers made sure to take advantage of. Brock Auxier hit a long three-pointer to take the lead, but they would quickly loose it after Willamette capitalized on free throw opportunities. Trading leads, the Millers would eventually regain it with a shot by Robbie Church near the end of the half, but a three-pointer by Willamette’s Michael Seiler would be the final lead change of the game and give the Wolverine’s a 25-23 at the buzzer.
Springfield kept it close in the beginning of the second half, trailing by as little as one point. But the Wolverines went on a 10-point run to lead 39-29 with over half the third quarter remaining. Springfield would cut the lead to six with Pryce’s successful trip to the line, but a three-pointer, field goal and free throw would give the Wolverine’s a 47-35 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Still digging hard the Millers tried to stage a comeback, but Willamette basically clinched the victory when Bennet successfully made a shot, quickly stole the ball from the Millers, and Tommy Barnett would convert it for another two points to go up 54-42 with 2:40 remaining. Free throw opportunities and a rebound would give the Wolverines the eventual 60-44 victory.
The loss keeps the Millers in fourth place in the Midwestern League, but they trail a playoff spot by two games, and first place by six.
Springfield Beacon
The Miller boys fought hard in their game against Willamette on Friday, Feb. 8, but the Wolverines pulled away in the second half to defeat Springfield 60-44.
Springfield won the tip-off and took a quick 2-5 lead, but Willamette quickly caught up to go up by two. Fighting hard, Springfield’s Cody Pryce grabbed the defensive rebound and passed to Trent Davis, who found himself under the basket for an easy two points to tie it up at 7-7 with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. But the Wolverine’s LeRon Bennett responded with a three-pointer and they would end up leading 10-9 at the end of the first eight minutes.
Willamette struggled to score in the opening minutes of the second quarter, which the Millers made sure to take advantage of. Brock Auxier hit a long three-pointer to take the lead, but they would quickly loose it after Willamette capitalized on free throw opportunities. Trading leads, the Millers would eventually regain it with a shot by Robbie Church near the end of the half, but a three-pointer by Willamette’s Michael Seiler would be the final lead change of the game and give the Wolverine’s a 25-23 at the buzzer.
Springfield kept it close in the beginning of the second half, trailing by as little as one point. But the Wolverines went on a 10-point run to lead 39-29 with over half the third quarter remaining. Springfield would cut the lead to six with Pryce’s successful trip to the line, but a three-pointer, field goal and free throw would give the Wolverine’s a 47-35 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Still digging hard the Millers tried to stage a comeback, but Willamette basically clinched the victory when Bennet successfully made a shot, quickly stole the ball from the Millers, and Tommy Barnett would convert it for another two points to go up 54-42 with 2:40 remaining. Free throw opportunities and a rebound would give the Wolverines the eventual 60-44 victory.
The loss keeps the Millers in fourth place in the Midwestern League, but they trail a playoff spot by two games, and first place by six.
Newman, Akins bound for Western Oregon
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
There’s been a lot of buzz around the country this past week. Wednesday, Feb. 6 was National Signing Day for many of the nation’s college-bound athletes, and Springfield got to be apart of the excitement.
Michael Akins and Travis Newman each signed a letter to play Division-II football in Western Oregon University (WOU) in Monmouth last Wednesday. It was a great accomplishment for the two best friends from Thurston. Having met in Kidsports during eighth grade it didn’t take the pair long to realize they wanted to go to college together.
“(We’ve wanted to) since freshman year at least,” Newman said.
The boys were recruited by a number of schools together, including Willamette, Lewis and Clark and Linfield. Akins was also recruited by the Colorado School of Mines, Cornell and Cal-Poly Pomona. Newman was also looked at by Portland State.
The boys settled on WOU after taking a campus visit.
“We took a visit and really liked it,” Akins said, citing the family environment and small town as factors.
Newman will be starting out his career with the Wolves as a running back, while Akins will hold a defensive back position.
Thurston coach Justin Starck is excited to see the boys advance to the next level. He said both boys are easy to coach and although they were already solid players at the beginning of their careers, have seen improvement.
“They’re both real good students and smart, smart players,” he said.
Both players are three-year lettermen, and Newman earned an honorable mention all-league as just a sophomore. This year both Newman and Akins earned first team honors on offense, and defensively Akins earned first team and Newman received second.
And although the boys are certainly excited about playing football at the next level, they are also keeping academics in mind. In fact, they received academic scholarships in additional to their one for football. Newman is a 3.86 GPA athlete and plans on majoring in general business, while Akins, a 4.0 student, is currently undecided.
“I wanted to major in engineering,” he said, “but they don’t offer that program.”
Western signed a total of 26 players on Signing Day, including another area student – Jameson Martin out of Marist High.
"This is our best class in terms of size and speed," head coach Arne Ferguson said. "Our focus this year was to get players that can contribute in one to two years. We feel like we got some kids that will be a great fit in this program, and we are lucky to have them."
Springfield Beacon
There’s been a lot of buzz around the country this past week. Wednesday, Feb. 6 was National Signing Day for many of the nation’s college-bound athletes, and Springfield got to be apart of the excitement.
Michael Akins and Travis Newman each signed a letter to play Division-II football in Western Oregon University (WOU) in Monmouth last Wednesday. It was a great accomplishment for the two best friends from Thurston. Having met in Kidsports during eighth grade it didn’t take the pair long to realize they wanted to go to college together.
“(We’ve wanted to) since freshman year at least,” Newman said.
The boys were recruited by a number of schools together, including Willamette, Lewis and Clark and Linfield. Akins was also recruited by the Colorado School of Mines, Cornell and Cal-Poly Pomona. Newman was also looked at by Portland State.
The boys settled on WOU after taking a campus visit.
“We took a visit and really liked it,” Akins said, citing the family environment and small town as factors.
Newman will be starting out his career with the Wolves as a running back, while Akins will hold a defensive back position.
Thurston coach Justin Starck is excited to see the boys advance to the next level. He said both boys are easy to coach and although they were already solid players at the beginning of their careers, have seen improvement.
“They’re both real good students and smart, smart players,” he said.
Both players are three-year lettermen, and Newman earned an honorable mention all-league as just a sophomore. This year both Newman and Akins earned first team honors on offense, and defensively Akins earned first team and Newman received second.
And although the boys are certainly excited about playing football at the next level, they are also keeping academics in mind. In fact, they received academic scholarships in additional to their one for football. Newman is a 3.86 GPA athlete and plans on majoring in general business, while Akins, a 4.0 student, is currently undecided.
“I wanted to major in engineering,” he said, “but they don’t offer that program.”
Western signed a total of 26 players on Signing Day, including another area student – Jameson Martin out of Marist High.
"This is our best class in terms of size and speed," head coach Arne Ferguson said. "Our focus this year was to get players that can contribute in one to two years. We feel like we got some kids that will be a great fit in this program, and we are lucky to have them."
Milers repeat as champions
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
For the third consecutive year, the Springfield Millers cheerleading squad has emerged as state champions. They finished with a score of 77.64, edging out second place finishers and cross-town rivals, Thurston, who finished with 74.79 points.
“Overall it was probably the best performance we’ve done all year,” said Springfield coach Janet Fryback. “The guys and girls did a great job. They performed great and had tons of energy and excitement and just did a great job.”
It’s certainly not easy being defending champions, especially for the third time in a row. For the seniors on the team, it was their third consecutive state championship so they certainly had a lot of pressure to do just as well as their previous two trips.
“It’s tough,” Fryback said. “Especially when you have Thurston on your fanny every year. Almost half are sophomores so they’d never been to sate before. It was a challenge for them but they did a wonderful job.”
But despite their second place finish, Thurston actually had the better performance, initially beating the Millers by about a point. But the Colts received a deduction for throwing a sign too hard to give the Millers the victory.
“To actually have (Springfield) beat and have a subjective call be what really took us out of it is hard,” said Thurston coach James Underwood. “It was a pretty brutal loss but I’m proud of our kids.”
Last year the Millers edged out the Colts by less than one full point, and by about six points the year before. Fryback estimated Springfield has won about 15 championships in the school’s history.
According to Underwood, having your biggest competition in the state just a few miles away has been one of the driving factors for the Colts.
“The message I always preach to my kids is that competition breeds success,” he said. “We get better in life because we have to compete with others. To know that five minutes down the road is our biggest competition (is huge). I think that keeps it at the forefront of their mind the entire year.”
This year’s state meet does not mark the end of competition for the two teams. The Millers will be performing at the Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Championship on Feb. 23 and the Pacwest St. Patty’s Day National’s in March. Both will be held in Portland.
The Colts have earned a bid to nationals in Anaheim this March. Last year they finished in fourth place.
“We’re hoping to do better this year,” Underwood said.
Springfield Beacon
For the third consecutive year, the Springfield Millers cheerleading squad has emerged as state champions. They finished with a score of 77.64, edging out second place finishers and cross-town rivals, Thurston, who finished with 74.79 points.
“Overall it was probably the best performance we’ve done all year,” said Springfield coach Janet Fryback. “The guys and girls did a great job. They performed great and had tons of energy and excitement and just did a great job.”
It’s certainly not easy being defending champions, especially for the third time in a row. For the seniors on the team, it was their third consecutive state championship so they certainly had a lot of pressure to do just as well as their previous two trips.
“It’s tough,” Fryback said. “Especially when you have Thurston on your fanny every year. Almost half are sophomores so they’d never been to sate before. It was a challenge for them but they did a wonderful job.”
But despite their second place finish, Thurston actually had the better performance, initially beating the Millers by about a point. But the Colts received a deduction for throwing a sign too hard to give the Millers the victory.
“To actually have (Springfield) beat and have a subjective call be what really took us out of it is hard,” said Thurston coach James Underwood. “It was a pretty brutal loss but I’m proud of our kids.”
Last year the Millers edged out the Colts by less than one full point, and by about six points the year before. Fryback estimated Springfield has won about 15 championships in the school’s history.
According to Underwood, having your biggest competition in the state just a few miles away has been one of the driving factors for the Colts.
“The message I always preach to my kids is that competition breeds success,” he said. “We get better in life because we have to compete with others. To know that five minutes down the road is our biggest competition (is huge). I think that keeps it at the forefront of their mind the entire year.”
This year’s state meet does not mark the end of competition for the two teams. The Millers will be performing at the Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Championship on Feb. 23 and the Pacwest St. Patty’s Day National’s in March. Both will be held in Portland.
The Colts have earned a bid to nationals in Anaheim this March. Last year they finished in fourth place.
“We’re hoping to do better this year,” Underwood said.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thurston girls can’t find rhythm
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
Thurston Colts girls basketball team knew they would have their hands full for their game against Willamette, last years 5A state champions. The Colts managed to keep a win within reach in the first half, but Willamette’s Aly Bruns let loose in the second half to run away with a victory. Thurston ended up suffering at 33-58 loss. Despite Willamette’s 58 points, coach Michelle Tuma is still pleased with the Colts defensive game.
“I thought we played excellent defense,” she said. “We held Willamette's inside game, especially AJ Smith, to five points which came from a three-pointer and two free throws. Kristen Walters and Whitney Hughes did an excellent job defending her and forcing her to go outside her normal game.”
Thurston’s offense got off to a strong start, going shot-for-shot until the score was tied at six points apiece. From there the Wolverines would pull into the lead, where they would remain the rest of the game. The Colts kept it close, only trailing by six at the end of the first quarter.
Willamette went on a small scoring frenzy to open the second quarter, but the Colts would dig hard at the end of the half to keep it close. Natalie Smith hit a quick three pointer and a field goal, and despite coverage, Whitney Hughes would score to bring the score 21-16 with about a minute to play. But a buzzer shot from Willamette near the half court line would sink, expanding the Wolverine lead 23-16 at the half.
Not too long after the third quarter started, it was clear Willamette was about to run away with the game. Although the Colts managed three quick points, Bruns found her rhythm and would increase the Wolverine lead to 33-19 with a quarter and a half to go. Thurston managed to sink some shots, but would be down by 20 at the end of the third.
“Against a team like Willamette, who are the defending state champions and in my opinion even better than they where last year, you have to pick your poison,” Tuma said. “We decided to focus on stopping their inside game and hope our quickness would allow us to get out on their shooters. Unfortunately, the second half we did not communicate as well on defense and allowed their shooters, Katie Collins and Aly Bruns, get open looks from the three point line.”
Clearly in a scoring rut, the Colts couldn’t find the basket until just over two minutes remained in the game, excluding one free throw. Elise Nelson scoring on a field goal and a three-pointer, and Hughes sinking a last minute shot.
“We had great looks, but did not go up with the confidence or the belief that we could make them…you can only do so much when you shoot so poorly,” Tuma said.
The Colts only managed to sink 23 percent of their shots in the game.
After a loss to Churchill on Friday, Jan. 18, the Colts are tied for Marshfield for fifth place in the Midwestern League.
Thurston’s next game will be at home at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25. They will play Springfield.
Springfield Beacon
Thurston Colts girls basketball team knew they would have their hands full for their game against Willamette, last years 5A state champions. The Colts managed to keep a win within reach in the first half, but Willamette’s Aly Bruns let loose in the second half to run away with a victory. Thurston ended up suffering at 33-58 loss. Despite Willamette’s 58 points, coach Michelle Tuma is still pleased with the Colts defensive game.
“I thought we played excellent defense,” she said. “We held Willamette's inside game, especially AJ Smith, to five points which came from a three-pointer and two free throws. Kristen Walters and Whitney Hughes did an excellent job defending her and forcing her to go outside her normal game.”
Thurston’s offense got off to a strong start, going shot-for-shot until the score was tied at six points apiece. From there the Wolverines would pull into the lead, where they would remain the rest of the game. The Colts kept it close, only trailing by six at the end of the first quarter.
Willamette went on a small scoring frenzy to open the second quarter, but the Colts would dig hard at the end of the half to keep it close. Natalie Smith hit a quick three pointer and a field goal, and despite coverage, Whitney Hughes would score to bring the score 21-16 with about a minute to play. But a buzzer shot from Willamette near the half court line would sink, expanding the Wolverine lead 23-16 at the half.
Not too long after the third quarter started, it was clear Willamette was about to run away with the game. Although the Colts managed three quick points, Bruns found her rhythm and would increase the Wolverine lead to 33-19 with a quarter and a half to go. Thurston managed to sink some shots, but would be down by 20 at the end of the third.
“Against a team like Willamette, who are the defending state champions and in my opinion even better than they where last year, you have to pick your poison,” Tuma said. “We decided to focus on stopping their inside game and hope our quickness would allow us to get out on their shooters. Unfortunately, the second half we did not communicate as well on defense and allowed their shooters, Katie Collins and Aly Bruns, get open looks from the three point line.”
Clearly in a scoring rut, the Colts couldn’t find the basket until just over two minutes remained in the game, excluding one free throw. Elise Nelson scoring on a field goal and a three-pointer, and Hughes sinking a last minute shot.
“We had great looks, but did not go up with the confidence or the belief that we could make them…you can only do so much when you shoot so poorly,” Tuma said.
The Colts only managed to sink 23 percent of their shots in the game.
After a loss to Churchill on Friday, Jan. 18, the Colts are tied for Marshfield for fifth place in the Midwestern League.
Thurston’s next game will be at home at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25. They will play Springfield.
Colts blazing start leads to win
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
Coming off a tough loss in the league opener to North Eugene, the Colts redeemed themselves with a huge win over Willamette on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Thurston got off to a blazing start in the first quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 5-21. From there, they slowed the game down, but would eventually come away with an 18-point victory over the Wolverines.
“I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and focus and really executed well the first quarter,” said Thurston coach Doug Piquette. “We were ok the rest of the game, but did not play particularly well on offense. We were very impatient and did not play as a team.”
Thurston got off to an immediate four point lead, and the Colt defense only allowed one field goal during the first eight minutes. Willamette’s other three points came off free throws. The Colts led 4-19 until the final minute of the quarter, when Willamette sunk one of their free throws and Michael Rondeau reached for the rebound to extend the lead to 21-5.
The second quarter started off quickly as well, but a missed backwards alley-oop from Drew Wiley would send him down to the court floor hard. The end result was an injury that would slow him down for the remainder of the game.
“Drew Wiley was great in the first quarter,” Piquette said. “He sprained his ankle and that seemed to take him out of the air for a while.”
Without Wiley, the Colts leading scorer, they only managed to score eight points in the second, but would still lead 16-29 heading into the locker room for halftime.
Things picked up again for Thurston in the third, with Akins leading the way. He scored the Colts first seven points of the quarter. Joey White also had a strong third quarter.
“(He) played his most complete game of the year,” Piquette said. “He was great on both sides and really played more aggressively on the offensive side of the ball.”
The Colts lead was just too big for the Wolverines, and although they had a strong second half, Thurston’s defense kept them from scoring many points. Despite a steal and a three-pointer by Willamette in the final minute, they would suffer a 36-54 loss.
“Our defense was great,” Piquette said. “I liked how hard we played and how well we executed what we wanted to do defensively.”
Leading the Colts in their defense was Tim Autele.
“He is a warrior. He causes a lot of problems for opposing guards and really spearheaded our defense,” Piquette said.
Following a win over Churchill on Friday, Jan. 18, the Colts are now tied for second place in the league with Churchill. Both teams have a 2-1 record and are one game behind North Eugene.
Next, the Colts will play host to the Millers in their first match-up of the season on Friday, Jan. 25. The game starts at 7 p.m.
Springfield Beacon
Coming off a tough loss in the league opener to North Eugene, the Colts redeemed themselves with a huge win over Willamette on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Thurston got off to a blazing start in the first quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 5-21. From there, they slowed the game down, but would eventually come away with an 18-point victory over the Wolverines.
“I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and focus and really executed well the first quarter,” said Thurston coach Doug Piquette. “We were ok the rest of the game, but did not play particularly well on offense. We were very impatient and did not play as a team.”
Thurston got off to an immediate four point lead, and the Colt defense only allowed one field goal during the first eight minutes. Willamette’s other three points came off free throws. The Colts led 4-19 until the final minute of the quarter, when Willamette sunk one of their free throws and Michael Rondeau reached for the rebound to extend the lead to 21-5.
The second quarter started off quickly as well, but a missed backwards alley-oop from Drew Wiley would send him down to the court floor hard. The end result was an injury that would slow him down for the remainder of the game.
“Drew Wiley was great in the first quarter,” Piquette said. “He sprained his ankle and that seemed to take him out of the air for a while.”
Without Wiley, the Colts leading scorer, they only managed to score eight points in the second, but would still lead 16-29 heading into the locker room for halftime.
Things picked up again for Thurston in the third, with Akins leading the way. He scored the Colts first seven points of the quarter. Joey White also had a strong third quarter.
“(He) played his most complete game of the year,” Piquette said. “He was great on both sides and really played more aggressively on the offensive side of the ball.”
The Colts lead was just too big for the Wolverines, and although they had a strong second half, Thurston’s defense kept them from scoring many points. Despite a steal and a three-pointer by Willamette in the final minute, they would suffer a 36-54 loss.
“Our defense was great,” Piquette said. “I liked how hard we played and how well we executed what we wanted to do defensively.”
Leading the Colts in their defense was Tim Autele.
“He is a warrior. He causes a lot of problems for opposing guards and really spearheaded our defense,” Piquette said.
Following a win over Churchill on Friday, Jan. 18, the Colts are now tied for second place in the league with Churchill. Both teams have a 2-1 record and are one game behind North Eugene.
Next, the Colts will play host to the Millers in their first match-up of the season on Friday, Jan. 25. The game starts at 7 p.m.
Still struggling Miller girls fall to Pirates
By Maren Fawkes
For the Beacon
Closing out the first round of the season the Millers lose their fifth game to the Marshfield Pirates, 29-45. Despite the loss varsity girls coach, Chuck Wenger is confident his team will “get their feet under them.”
Coming into the match-up the girls were hoping to end their four game slide in Midwestern League games. The game started off quick and sloppy for both teams with bad passing that was the cause of careless turnovers. The Miller’s were able to capitalize on the multiple possessions by taking a four point lead following four steals by Samantha Stoner in the first two minutes.
Unable to build momentum, the Millers continued into the second quarter struggling to sink shots. Stoner had numerous steals and rebounds that kept the game from getting out of reach. She had good instinct toward the basket and was able to draw off defenders and get the foul. The Pirates were off to a quick lead as the Miller’s trailed behind.
Thwarting Springfields attempts to catch up, Marshfield’s leading scorer Brianna George had the Miller’s defense on their heels with her ball fakes and smart passing. The Pirates held a four point lead going into half time.
The Miller’s seemed sluggish at the beginning of the second half, while the Pirates came out shooting and moving the ball around. They pushed their lead into the double digits by hitting open high percentage shots.
Once Marshfield had established a comfortable lead towards the end of the third quarter, they moved away from a run-and-gun offensive style to a clock management style. It seemed like the Miller’s felt the pressure of the ticking clock making a few mental mistakes and sending the Pirates to the line too often.
The game was hard fought on both ends of the court, but with the Miller’s struggling to sink shots they were just unable to match the Pirates intensity.
“I’m actually really proud of the girls,” Chuck Wenger said. “I can’t say enough for some of the girls who are working really hard to come together as a team. The big thing is we’ve got to start shooting better. The girls need to have confidence in their shots because just getting the shots to go down can change the whole season.”
Wenger is optimistic about the future. “We know we have two rounds left and we’re just going to take it four minutes at a time.”
The next game for the Miller’s was at home against Willamette on Tuesday Jan. 22. Results of that game were unavailable as of press time.
“Willamette is always a challenge. They haven’t lost a game, at least not in the Midwestern League... The last time we played well against them, but for us it’s about getting the girls’ confidence back.”
For the Beacon
Closing out the first round of the season the Millers lose their fifth game to the Marshfield Pirates, 29-45. Despite the loss varsity girls coach, Chuck Wenger is confident his team will “get their feet under them.”
Coming into the match-up the girls were hoping to end their four game slide in Midwestern League games. The game started off quick and sloppy for both teams with bad passing that was the cause of careless turnovers. The Miller’s were able to capitalize on the multiple possessions by taking a four point lead following four steals by Samantha Stoner in the first two minutes.
Unable to build momentum, the Millers continued into the second quarter struggling to sink shots. Stoner had numerous steals and rebounds that kept the game from getting out of reach. She had good instinct toward the basket and was able to draw off defenders and get the foul. The Pirates were off to a quick lead as the Miller’s trailed behind.
Thwarting Springfields attempts to catch up, Marshfield’s leading scorer Brianna George had the Miller’s defense on their heels with her ball fakes and smart passing. The Pirates held a four point lead going into half time.
The Miller’s seemed sluggish at the beginning of the second half, while the Pirates came out shooting and moving the ball around. They pushed their lead into the double digits by hitting open high percentage shots.
Once Marshfield had established a comfortable lead towards the end of the third quarter, they moved away from a run-and-gun offensive style to a clock management style. It seemed like the Miller’s felt the pressure of the ticking clock making a few mental mistakes and sending the Pirates to the line too often.
The game was hard fought on both ends of the court, but with the Miller’s struggling to sink shots they were just unable to match the Pirates intensity.
“I’m actually really proud of the girls,” Chuck Wenger said. “I can’t say enough for some of the girls who are working really hard to come together as a team. The big thing is we’ve got to start shooting better. The girls need to have confidence in their shots because just getting the shots to go down can change the whole season.”
Wenger is optimistic about the future. “We know we have two rounds left and we’re just going to take it four minutes at a time.”
The next game for the Miller’s was at home against Willamette on Tuesday Jan. 22. Results of that game were unavailable as of press time.
“Willamette is always a challenge. They haven’t lost a game, at least not in the Midwestern League... The last time we played well against them, but for us it’s about getting the girls’ confidence back.”
Millers get first league victory over Marshfield
By Maren Fawkes
For the Beacon
The crowd was on its feet as the Springfield Millers varsity boys used good old fashioned hustle and defense to squeak out a win against the Marshfield Pirates. The game came down to the wire with the deciding points scored in the last 40 seconds.
Marshfield won the opening tip-off and took a quick eight point lead by hitting a few open shots. The Pirates tight zone defense had the Millers off to a shaky start by forcing them to shoot from the perimeter. The Millers reaction to the offensive on-slot of the Pirates was to pressure the ball from the in-bound point with an aggressive full-court press. Through determination and pressure the Millers were able to quash the early first quarter scoring threat put on by the Pirates. Successfully slowing the scoring by the Pirates, the Millers fought back to take the lead by the end of the first half by a single point.
“We missed some easy shots in the first half,” Springfield coach Dusty Auxier said.
Despite the misses the Millers were able to keep the game close and to build momentum going into the break.
Adam Porter came out hot for Marshfield in the second half, dominating on defense and scoring the first three baskets of the third quarter. Marshfield began to pull away at the end of the third quarter, but by switching from a man-on-man to a zone defense the Millers were able to slow them down.
In the fourth quarter, with the help of Cody Pryce who began connecting on high-percentage shots and playing hard-nose defense, Springfield was able to keep the game even for most of the fourth.
“I can’t say enough about him. Cody did a great job defensively and held off against their leading scorer,” Auxier said.
The teams continued to battle back and fourth, going shot for shot at each end.
Finally, with two minutes left the game tied up at 41 each. Springfield’s Trent Davis, who missed a couple of inside shots in the first half, seemed to heat up, scoring seven points and leading the team in rebounding. The Millers brought the ball up court and found Davis, who sunk a mid-range jumper to put the Millers up by two points with 37 seconds left in game. After a Marshfield time out, the Millers buckled down on defense and a driving Pirates guard was blocked by Davis. The energy from the parents and students in the crowd seemed to fuel the Millers. With 20 seconds left to go the final inbound pass was stolen by a Springfield player who was immediately fouled, and the Millers had the game in hand.
“Well it was good to get on the boards, it was our first league win,” Auxier said. “And we played a very tough Marshfield team. The win gives us a chance to get back in the hunt.”
The Millers next contest will be at Thurston on Friday, Jan. 25. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
For the Beacon
The crowd was on its feet as the Springfield Millers varsity boys used good old fashioned hustle and defense to squeak out a win against the Marshfield Pirates. The game came down to the wire with the deciding points scored in the last 40 seconds.
Marshfield won the opening tip-off and took a quick eight point lead by hitting a few open shots. The Pirates tight zone defense had the Millers off to a shaky start by forcing them to shoot from the perimeter. The Millers reaction to the offensive on-slot of the Pirates was to pressure the ball from the in-bound point with an aggressive full-court press. Through determination and pressure the Millers were able to quash the early first quarter scoring threat put on by the Pirates. Successfully slowing the scoring by the Pirates, the Millers fought back to take the lead by the end of the first half by a single point.
“We missed some easy shots in the first half,” Springfield coach Dusty Auxier said.
Despite the misses the Millers were able to keep the game close and to build momentum going into the break.
Adam Porter came out hot for Marshfield in the second half, dominating on defense and scoring the first three baskets of the third quarter. Marshfield began to pull away at the end of the third quarter, but by switching from a man-on-man to a zone defense the Millers were able to slow them down.
In the fourth quarter, with the help of Cody Pryce who began connecting on high-percentage shots and playing hard-nose defense, Springfield was able to keep the game even for most of the fourth.
“I can’t say enough about him. Cody did a great job defensively and held off against their leading scorer,” Auxier said.
The teams continued to battle back and fourth, going shot for shot at each end.
Finally, with two minutes left the game tied up at 41 each. Springfield’s Trent Davis, who missed a couple of inside shots in the first half, seemed to heat up, scoring seven points and leading the team in rebounding. The Millers brought the ball up court and found Davis, who sunk a mid-range jumper to put the Millers up by two points with 37 seconds left in game. After a Marshfield time out, the Millers buckled down on defense and a driving Pirates guard was blocked by Davis. The energy from the parents and students in the crowd seemed to fuel the Millers. With 20 seconds left to go the final inbound pass was stolen by a Springfield player who was immediately fouled, and the Millers had the game in hand.
“Well it was good to get on the boards, it was our first league win,” Auxier said. “And we played a very tough Marshfield team. The win gives us a chance to get back in the hunt.”
The Millers next contest will be at Thurston on Friday, Jan. 25. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Colts fall to 2007 champs in league opener
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
Although it was only the first league game of the season, the matchup between the Thurston Colts and North Eugene Highlanders on Thursday, Jan. 10 felt more like a state playoff game. The standing room only crowd was full of energy, particularly the student sections, and doing everything in their power to distract the other team. It must have worked, at least for the North Eugene fans, as the Colts slow start would eventually lead to a 53-45 loss against the No. 1 team in the state.
Thurston struggled to get momentum in the opening quarter, and only managed to score three points in the first eight minutes – an opening dunk by Drew Wiley and a free throw by Maddie Boehm.
“We came out really nervous and tight at the beginning. We basically wasted the first quarter but after that we did ok,” said coach Doug Piquette. “We had a real slow start but other than that we put ourselves in position to win.”
Things picked up for the Colts in the second quarter, but they still struggled to convert offensively. They also found themselves in foul trouble, eventually having seven fouls to the Highlanders three. With so many chances at the line North managed to score quickly in the second, but Thurston continued to chip away. Thurston brought the score within five after a trip up at half court that would eventually be settled by an incoming Tim Autele that would lead to a Wiley score, as well as a great three-pointer, also by Wiley. But North quickly responded with a three-pointer by Drew Laird to close out the half 19-11.
“I told them all the things that were going wrong were things we could fix,” said Piquette of his halftime speech.
Thurston fought back in the third to bring the score within three, the closest it would get all game. North found themselves in foul trouble, allowing Thurston to score five of their points that quarter off free throws. They also managed to hold North to 14 points that quarter.
“We did enough defensively to win, we just didn’t capitalize on opportunities,” Piquette said.
Fighting to keep the lead they held all game, North came out blazing in the fourth, making two consecutive three-pointers and a free throw to bring the score 42-30. Thurston didn’t manage to score until the 5:40 mark of the quarter, a pass from Wiley to Michael Akins for two. But it was just too late for the Colts. They drew the fouls against North in the final minutes, but the deficit was just too big. North’s Tyler Brown sealed the deal with two on the drive with just 1:27 left on the clock, bringing the score 49-38.
“I thought we had a chance to win but we couldn’t get over the hump,” Piquette said. “We missed a bunch of free throws and a couple easy shots here and there. We’ve got to be real careful making mistakes like that against teams like them. They just feast on turnovers and missed opportunities.”
Thurston’s players of the game were Akins and Wiley, who had 14 and 13 points respectively.
“I thought Michael Akins did a good job on attacking…Drew Wiley the same thing. They did a lot to take him away but he still got some points here and there. Defensively he did a pretty good job on Conklin except for a couple times when they didn’t double team him in time,” Piquette said.
But Thurston still has two more chances to conquer the Highlanders, who are also last year’s 5A State Champions. The two will battle it out at Thurston on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., and then again at North on Friday, Feb. 15, also at 7 p.m.
Despite the loss, however, Thurston won’t change much on their game plan.
“We’ll take a look at the film, but I’m sure we’ll do a lot of the same,” Piquette said. “We’ll do some different things on offense, but defensively we did (fine). We just need to get better at what we were trying to do.”
Springfield Beacon
Although it was only the first league game of the season, the matchup between the Thurston Colts and North Eugene Highlanders on Thursday, Jan. 10 felt more like a state playoff game. The standing room only crowd was full of energy, particularly the student sections, and doing everything in their power to distract the other team. It must have worked, at least for the North Eugene fans, as the Colts slow start would eventually lead to a 53-45 loss against the No. 1 team in the state.
Thurston struggled to get momentum in the opening quarter, and only managed to score three points in the first eight minutes – an opening dunk by Drew Wiley and a free throw by Maddie Boehm.
“We came out really nervous and tight at the beginning. We basically wasted the first quarter but after that we did ok,” said coach Doug Piquette. “We had a real slow start but other than that we put ourselves in position to win.”
Things picked up for the Colts in the second quarter, but they still struggled to convert offensively. They also found themselves in foul trouble, eventually having seven fouls to the Highlanders three. With so many chances at the line North managed to score quickly in the second, but Thurston continued to chip away. Thurston brought the score within five after a trip up at half court that would eventually be settled by an incoming Tim Autele that would lead to a Wiley score, as well as a great three-pointer, also by Wiley. But North quickly responded with a three-pointer by Drew Laird to close out the half 19-11.
“I told them all the things that were going wrong were things we could fix,” said Piquette of his halftime speech.
Thurston fought back in the third to bring the score within three, the closest it would get all game. North found themselves in foul trouble, allowing Thurston to score five of their points that quarter off free throws. They also managed to hold North to 14 points that quarter.
“We did enough defensively to win, we just didn’t capitalize on opportunities,” Piquette said.
Fighting to keep the lead they held all game, North came out blazing in the fourth, making two consecutive three-pointers and a free throw to bring the score 42-30. Thurston didn’t manage to score until the 5:40 mark of the quarter, a pass from Wiley to Michael Akins for two. But it was just too late for the Colts. They drew the fouls against North in the final minutes, but the deficit was just too big. North’s Tyler Brown sealed the deal with two on the drive with just 1:27 left on the clock, bringing the score 49-38.
“I thought we had a chance to win but we couldn’t get over the hump,” Piquette said. “We missed a bunch of free throws and a couple easy shots here and there. We’ve got to be real careful making mistakes like that against teams like them. They just feast on turnovers and missed opportunities.”
Thurston’s players of the game were Akins and Wiley, who had 14 and 13 points respectively.
“I thought Michael Akins did a good job on attacking…Drew Wiley the same thing. They did a lot to take him away but he still got some points here and there. Defensively he did a pretty good job on Conklin except for a couple times when they didn’t double team him in time,” Piquette said.
But Thurston still has two more chances to conquer the Highlanders, who are also last year’s 5A State Champions. The two will battle it out at Thurston on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., and then again at North on Friday, Feb. 15, also at 7 p.m.
Despite the loss, however, Thurston won’t change much on their game plan.
“We’ll take a look at the film, but I’m sure we’ll do a lot of the same,” Piquette said. “We’ll do some different things on offense, but defensively we did (fine). We just need to get better at what we were trying to do.”
Humanitarian award given to local youth
By Maren Fawkes
For the Beacon
Playing for the Springfield High School junior varsity indoor soccer team, Liberty Siegle takes the field with just under five minutes left in the first half. Crossing center field, she dribbles past two South Eugene defenders and hooks the ball deep into the low far corner of the net to score the third goal of the game making it 2-3.
Displaying the same quiet confidence and determination off the soccer field, Siegle has spearheaded an effort to raise funds and to enlist volunteers to support TOPSoccer, a program that makes soccer possible for disabled children.
Siegle has been playing soccer since she was five and has learned a lot about the sport from her father, Jonathan, who both referees and coaches soccer. Siegle plays on a club team for the Eugene Metro Futbol Club as well as for the Springfield High School junior varsity indoor team. She is also the youngest United States Soccer Federation certified referee in the state.
“I like soccer because it really is a team sport, where everybody has to work together,” said Siegle.
This 13-year-old home-schooled eighth grader first became involved in the TOPSoccer program last summer as a part of her bat mitzvah. She studied a passage in the Torah that talked about honest weights and measures and applied it to how people view others.
“I view this passage as giving us guidance about the way we judge people,” said Siegle in her d’var last August. “We assume that disabled people can’t do things like soccer and other sports, but we’re wrong and TOPSoccer proves that.”
To that end, Siegle asked how she could make a donation. Instead of having people give her money at her bat mitzvah, she asked them make a donation to TOPSoccer.
“I wanted to make it a community thing so they felt like they contributed and made a difference,” said Siegle.
Combining a family tradition of charity and her passion for soccer, Siegle raised and donated over $550 for TOPSoccer.
Mac Wilson, the coaching director for the Eugene Metro Futbol Club and area TOPSoccer started the program in the Eugene/Springfield area ten years ago. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl between the ages of four and 19 who has a mental or physical disability. People who participate in this program work with buddies who teach them the fundamentals through shooting, passing and dribbling exercises. Wilson nominated Siegle because “it’s impressive for a 13-year-old to not be self-centered and be that giving.”
“Even if I don’t get an award I think that there is a reward in doing TOPSoccer,” said Siegle, who enjoys working with the kids and watching them learn something new. “It gives me that warm feeling.”
Siegle continues working with the organization as co-coordinator of the volunteers. She recruits other members on her soccer team and through the soccer club to volunteer as buddies.
“Liberty is very genuine and good with the kids,” said Wilson “She really enjoys herself on the field and it shows.”
As a result of her efforts she has been awarded the state wide TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year Award. She will receive her award at the Oregon Youth Soccer Association Annual Awards Dinner in Portland on Jan. 26.
For more information on the TOPSoccer program or club soccer please visit the Eugene Metro Futbol Club website at http://www.eugenemetrofc.org.
For the Beacon
Playing for the Springfield High School junior varsity indoor soccer team, Liberty Siegle takes the field with just under five minutes left in the first half. Crossing center field, she dribbles past two South Eugene defenders and hooks the ball deep into the low far corner of the net to score the third goal of the game making it 2-3.
Displaying the same quiet confidence and determination off the soccer field, Siegle has spearheaded an effort to raise funds and to enlist volunteers to support TOPSoccer, a program that makes soccer possible for disabled children.
Siegle has been playing soccer since she was five and has learned a lot about the sport from her father, Jonathan, who both referees and coaches soccer. Siegle plays on a club team for the Eugene Metro Futbol Club as well as for the Springfield High School junior varsity indoor team. She is also the youngest United States Soccer Federation certified referee in the state.
“I like soccer because it really is a team sport, where everybody has to work together,” said Siegle.
This 13-year-old home-schooled eighth grader first became involved in the TOPSoccer program last summer as a part of her bat mitzvah. She studied a passage in the Torah that talked about honest weights and measures and applied it to how people view others.
“I view this passage as giving us guidance about the way we judge people,” said Siegle in her d’var last August. “We assume that disabled people can’t do things like soccer and other sports, but we’re wrong and TOPSoccer proves that.”
To that end, Siegle asked how she could make a donation. Instead of having people give her money at her bat mitzvah, she asked them make a donation to TOPSoccer.
“I wanted to make it a community thing so they felt like they contributed and made a difference,” said Siegle.
Combining a family tradition of charity and her passion for soccer, Siegle raised and donated over $550 for TOPSoccer.
Mac Wilson, the coaching director for the Eugene Metro Futbol Club and area TOPSoccer started the program in the Eugene/Springfield area ten years ago. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl between the ages of four and 19 who has a mental or physical disability. People who participate in this program work with buddies who teach them the fundamentals through shooting, passing and dribbling exercises. Wilson nominated Siegle because “it’s impressive for a 13-year-old to not be self-centered and be that giving.”
“Even if I don’t get an award I think that there is a reward in doing TOPSoccer,” said Siegle, who enjoys working with the kids and watching them learn something new. “It gives me that warm feeling.”
Siegle continues working with the organization as co-coordinator of the volunteers. She recruits other members on her soccer team and through the soccer club to volunteer as buddies.
“Liberty is very genuine and good with the kids,” said Wilson “She really enjoys herself on the field and it shows.”
As a result of her efforts she has been awarded the state wide TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year Award. She will receive her award at the Oregon Youth Soccer Association Annual Awards Dinner in Portland on Jan. 26.
For more information on the TOPSoccer program or club soccer please visit the Eugene Metro Futbol Club website at http://www.eugenemetrofc.org.
Late pressure by Colts leads to Miller Loss
By Emily Panter
Springfield Beacon
The first of three Miller/Colt girls basketball match-ups remained close for the entire game, that is, until the fourth quarter. Springfield led 31-28 at the end of the third, but heavy pressure from the Colts in the fourth would eventually lead to a 42-48 loss for the Millers.
Things got off to a quick start for the Millers, taking a four point lead in the first minute before Thurston got on the board with a basket by Whitney Hughes. A three-pointer by Natalie Smith would tie the game at five just minutes later. The Colts ended up taking the lead halfway through the quarter with a basket by Hughes, but they would only be able to extend their lead by four, and would lead 12-13 at the end of the first.
“Overall I thought we played well until the last quarter,” said Springfield coach Chuck Wenger. “I’m just a little disappointed we didn’t handle their pressure in the fourth quarter.”
The Millers would tie it up with just under six minutes remaining in the half when Samantha Stoner made one of her two free throws, but the Colts responded back with a made free throw of their own. Springfield would take the lead for the rest of the half with a basket by Carly King, followed by a Miller three-pointer to go up 20-19. Two free throws by Kenzie Smith would leave it 22-19 at the half.
Despite heavy pressure in the third, the Millers managed to maintain their lead, eventually taking a 28-23 lead. But offense for the Millers would stall with over half the period remaining as they would only manage three more points, a free throw and a basket by Sabra Lindahl. Thurston put forth a lot of pressure in the quarter to bring it 31-28 at its close.
Springfield managed to hold onto their lead for two minutes, but a basket and a made free throw by Natalie Smith would give the Colts a 34-36 lead. Thurston put forth a lot of pressure in the final minutes of the game, preventing the Millers from any offensive threats, and capitalizing on three throw opportunities to finish the game with a 42-48 win.
“The whole game swung on not handling the pressure in the last five minutes,” Wenger said.
Thurston coach Michelle Tuma was unavailable for comment as of press time.
The next cross town match-up will be Friday, Jan. 25 at Thurston starting at 5:30. The boys teams will play at 7 p.m. that same day.
Springfield Beacon
The first of three Miller/Colt girls basketball match-ups remained close for the entire game, that is, until the fourth quarter. Springfield led 31-28 at the end of the third, but heavy pressure from the Colts in the fourth would eventually lead to a 42-48 loss for the Millers.
Things got off to a quick start for the Millers, taking a four point lead in the first minute before Thurston got on the board with a basket by Whitney Hughes. A three-pointer by Natalie Smith would tie the game at five just minutes later. The Colts ended up taking the lead halfway through the quarter with a basket by Hughes, but they would only be able to extend their lead by four, and would lead 12-13 at the end of the first.
“Overall I thought we played well until the last quarter,” said Springfield coach Chuck Wenger. “I’m just a little disappointed we didn’t handle their pressure in the fourth quarter.”
The Millers would tie it up with just under six minutes remaining in the half when Samantha Stoner made one of her two free throws, but the Colts responded back with a made free throw of their own. Springfield would take the lead for the rest of the half with a basket by Carly King, followed by a Miller three-pointer to go up 20-19. Two free throws by Kenzie Smith would leave it 22-19 at the half.
Despite heavy pressure in the third, the Millers managed to maintain their lead, eventually taking a 28-23 lead. But offense for the Millers would stall with over half the period remaining as they would only manage three more points, a free throw and a basket by Sabra Lindahl. Thurston put forth a lot of pressure in the quarter to bring it 31-28 at its close.
Springfield managed to hold onto their lead for two minutes, but a basket and a made free throw by Natalie Smith would give the Colts a 34-36 lead. Thurston put forth a lot of pressure in the final minutes of the game, preventing the Millers from any offensive threats, and capitalizing on three throw opportunities to finish the game with a 42-48 win.
“The whole game swung on not handling the pressure in the last five minutes,” Wenger said.
Thurston coach Michelle Tuma was unavailable for comment as of press time.
The next cross town match-up will be Friday, Jan. 25 at Thurston starting at 5:30. The boys teams will play at 7 p.m. that same day.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Willamette defense stops Millers
The Springfield Millers girls got off to a rough start in their Midwestern League opener against Willamette on Friday, Jan. 4. Although they played strong defensively they struggled with baskets, suffering a 32-47 loss.
Although the scoring pace was slow, things started out strong for the Millers. The first quarter produced a lot of loose balls, but neither team was able to capitalize much on the turnovers. Both Kenzie Smith and Samantha Stoner came away with steals in the first eight minutes, but the team was only able to score seven points total. Two of those came from Ashlee “Po” Schnetzky, who had a great spin move past the defender to drive the ball in the basket.
“I'm not disappointed with our effort, just a little disappointed with the outcome,” said coach Chuck Wenger. “We didn’t execute nearly as well as we should have offensively. Defensively I thought we did a pretty good job.”
Springfield continued to put on pressure in the second quarter, but they found themselves in serious
rebound trouble. Although it only resulted in two points for the Wolverines, the visitors managed over five offensive rebounds on just one play.
Feeling confident having held Willamette to just 23 points at the half, the team focused on their offensive game plan during half time.
“We just have to execute on offensive,” Wenger said. “We’re not a strong rebound team, we’ve got to go the boards harder.”
The Millers opened the second half with another steal by Stoner, but again, they were unable to convert. Springfield, clearly looking tired, closed the gap to eight points with a field goal by Smith. That was the closest they would come all night.
“Probably one of the best things we did was keeping Aly Bruns from going loose,” Wenger said. “Other than free throws, she didn’t do much. Ashlee (Schnetzky) and Lindsey Leighton switched off on her and did a terrific job. Those two just did an outstanding job, basically taking her out of the job.”
Bruns was held to just 10 points.
Throughout the game, the Millers managed to find themselves at the bad end of some poor calls by the officials. Schnetzky was charged with a foul when she was no where near the infraction, and later Willamette didn't get charged when Schnetzky's arm was clearly hit while making a shot. Sabra Lindahl ended up fouling out the fourth quarter after a call many Miller fans felt shouldn't have even been made.
“We let them get to the free throw line way too often,” Wenger said. “Attempt wise it was 31-12. We actually made more field goals in the game than they did, but they were 20-4 at the free throw line.”
Leading the Millers offensively were Smith and Stoner, who had 12 and 7 points, respectively.
“Kenzie really came on and played well in the fourth quarter, particularly offensively,” Wenger said. “We did a better job getting the ball to her. She played well.”
Stoner played hard, Wenger said, despite recovering from a concussion.
“She's not at 100 percent yet, hopefully that will happen this week,” he said.
“I thought it was a good game,” Wenger said. “The kids played with a lot of emotion. This is a group capable of doing very well, we've just got to execute on both ends of the floor.”
The Millers hosted the Thurston Colts on Tuesday, Jan. 8. A game story will appear in next weeks edition.
Their next game will be Friday, Jan. 11 at Churchill High School. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
2007 Sports in Review
Mohawk becomes 1A powerhouse
With only 90 kids in the entire school, it can be hard to develop strong championship teams. But the Mohawk Indians managed to do it in not one, but two sports this past year.
The first came in boys basketball. Mohawk faced Damascus Christian in the final game, who was trying to win back-to-back championships for the first since, fittingly, Mohawk had in 2002 and 2003. It took two overtimes to settle the battle, with Danny Reiter hitting two free throws with 33.6 seconds left in the second overtime to give the Indians a 65-54 win.
The football team’s journey was just as exciting. Proving they had a high-powered offense with a nearly 50-point-per-game average, the Indians kicked it up a knoch in their first playoff game against Powder Valley in a 90-12 routing. Their 90 points was the most amount of points ever scored in a state playoff game. That was just their first of many records set during the post-season. In a semi-final win over Crane to advance to the championship game, Mohawk kicked a field goal to win 37-34 with seven seconds remaining. That historic kick was not only the Indian’s first attempt in three years, either a field goal or point after, but the first goal in Oregon's eight-man football history, and the first in a 1A playoff game since 1947, when teams played with just six men.
Although no records were set in the championship match against Imbler, Mohawk still got the win to clinch the state title 22-16.
With only 90 kids in the entire school, it can be hard to develop strong championship teams. But the Mohawk Indians managed to do it in not one, but two sports this past year.
The first came in boys basketball. Mohawk faced Damascus Christian in the final game, who was trying to win back-to-back championships for the first since, fittingly, Mohawk had in 2002 and 2003. It took two overtimes to settle the battle, with Danny Reiter hitting two free throws with 33.6 seconds left in the second overtime to give the Indians a 65-54 win.
The football team’s journey was just as exciting. Proving they had a high-powered offense with a nearly 50-point-per-game average, the Indians kicked it up a knoch in their first playoff game against Powder Valley in a 90-12 routing. Their 90 points was the most amount of points ever scored in a state playoff game. That was just their first of many records set during the post-season. In a semi-final win over Crane to advance to the championship game, Mohawk kicked a field goal to win 37-34 with seven seconds remaining. That historic kick was not only the Indian’s first attempt in three years, either a field goal or point after, but the first goal in Oregon's eight-man football history, and the first in a 1A playoff game since 1947, when teams played with just six men.
Although no records were set in the championship match against Imbler, Mohawk still got the win to clinch the state title 22-16.
State success across the board
Springfield and Thurston teams had a strong showing at the state level this year in a variety of sports. Both high school sent teams to the state cheerleading competition, with the Colts finishing in second by less than one point, and the Millers taking home the gold.
“Thurston and Springfield traditionally have two of the strongest cheer programs in the state,” said Springfield coach Janet Fryback.
Also during the winter season, the Thurston wrestling team ran away with the district title to send 14 wrestlers to the state meet.
The spring and fall seasons proved such as fruitful for the Colts, with Alicia Omlid taking first in state for girls golf. The team finished fourth overall. Meanwhile, the Springfield boys sent their first team to state since 1990. Their fifth place finish the school's high performance ever, as well as their lowest state tournament score.
Certainly each team had their share of success during the fall season, but the most memorable performance was that of the Thurston boys soccer team. For the first time in 20 years, the Colts won a Midwestern League Title. Winning the championship was no easy task, but the team had home field advantage over Churchill to clinch the title.
Colts pull huge upset
Going into the season, the Churchill Lancers softball team had a 64-0 record. North Eugene managed to give the team their first loss in several seasons, but they were still undoubtedly the team to beat. In a late-season matchup between the Lancers and the Thurston Colts was key, as it was nearing playoff seeding. A win would move the Colts closer to the second place position in the Midwestern League.
The game was hardly a thriller, scoreless until the seventh inning. Each team had produced a fair amount of threats but they weren’t able to capitalize, frequently leaving runners stranded on base. The Colts had two runners on base and two outs after a controversial call. With senior Kelsey Rogers up to bat, the Colts were focused. Rogers, waiting for the perfect pitch, found it, smacking the ball to center field. Chloe Alverson rounded third and, running with all her might, slid into home. She was called safe and the Colts pulled out a 1-0 win.
Thurston advanced to the state playoffs, but lost in the second round to Sherwood High School.
The perfect game
The Springfield bowling team managed to bowl a perfect 300 in the Mixed Baker High School Tournament. According to the United States Bowling Congress, the perfect score was the first 300 game bowled by a mixed team in the state of Oregon, at either the high school or collegiate level. It was also only the seventh 300 game in the nation for a mixed team at either level. The members on the team were Alex Graham, Brandon Ewing, Rachael Englund, Kelsee Leno and Chris Keown.
I was certain of one thing - I wouldn't be a sports reporter
Some of you may be aware that the Springfield Beacon just celebrated its one year anniversary. Everyone on our staff has learned a lot about the newspaper business this year, myself included. Being fresh out of journalism school when I was hired, I had no idea what to expect.
There was one thing I could pretty much count on though; I wouldn’t be writing sports.
Ok, so I turned out to be wrong about that too. I remember during my interview for this job, former editor Matt Hall asked if I had any interest in sports. Without even missing a beat I firmly responded no. I admitted I enjoyed watching sports, mainly football, but had no interest in actually writing them.
For the first month of publication, Matt frequently asked me if I wanted to learn sports, and my answer was always no. Finally I caved in. Not because I changed my mind about learning, or because I thought it was something I should learn. I was bribed. By simply agreeing to learn, I would be 50 cents an hour richer. Knowing full well I wouldn’t be making much money in this business, I accepted his offer.
I started out doing features on players and any other story I could find to avoid actually covering a game. But it was bound to happen eventually, and I had to dive straight into basketball. I won’t actually admit to you how little I know about the sport, as it’s just embarrassing. I’m frequently asking my boyfriend questions about the game that any real sports reporter should know.
But what I didn’t realize how much basketball was a blessing in disguise. Spring sports were just around the corner. My first softball game was a non-league match between Springfield and Cottage Grove. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so wet in my life. I finally asked to seek refuge in the concession stand because I was so cold and wet. A big thanks to the moms running the stand who let me squeeze into the tiny booth. From there on out I made sure that I was always prepared for the elements. For about three months I made sure I had a towel, a coat, fingerless gloves and an umbrella in my car so that I would be able to brave the cold or rain.
Even when I agreed to learn how to do sports, I never thought that I would become the Beacon’s main sports reporter, let alone the only one. Budget cuts have left me trying to cover both Springfield and Thurston athletics, as well as keep an eye on Mohawk and McKenzie. That’s not an easy job, let me tell you (If anybody wants to volunteer to help with coverage, or to just submit scores call me! 741-9111). Only being able to realistically cover two games a week means that other teams aren’t getting the coverage they deserve. I feel like I am constantly letting somebody down or not being fair and covering one team more than the other. I try my best though. I sit down at the beginning of the season and figure out what games I want to cover, making sure that I have an equal number of boys and girls coverage, and that Thurston has the same amount of games in the paper that Springfield does. It never works out as well as I plan with games getting postponed, or played on the wrong day in one case, and come the end of the season I try and keep closer tabs on the games that will have a bigger effect on seeding in the playoffs.
Don’t take this as complaining though. There are certainly aspects of sports reporting that I love. It lets me spend a good portion of my hours out of the office and I get to watch some amazingly talented athletes. Plus, I think of Thurston and Springfield as my teams. I realize reporters are supposed to be objective but it’s hard. When I go to games I might be frantically trying to write down the play-by-play, but I also find myself cheering on our teams. After a tough loss I’m just as down as the next fan.
So, yes, I realize I’m not the world best sports reporter. I don’t even pretend to be. But I am trying my hardest to at least get coverage of your kids in the paper. Just bare with me a while longer while I try to figure out how to be a good sports reporter.
And if there is anybody out there who would like to give suggestions on how the paper can improve our sports section or would like to help out, let me know!
There was one thing I could pretty much count on though; I wouldn’t be writing sports.
Ok, so I turned out to be wrong about that too. I remember during my interview for this job, former editor Matt Hall asked if I had any interest in sports. Without even missing a beat I firmly responded no. I admitted I enjoyed watching sports, mainly football, but had no interest in actually writing them.
For the first month of publication, Matt frequently asked me if I wanted to learn sports, and my answer was always no. Finally I caved in. Not because I changed my mind about learning, or because I thought it was something I should learn. I was bribed. By simply agreeing to learn, I would be 50 cents an hour richer. Knowing full well I wouldn’t be making much money in this business, I accepted his offer.
I started out doing features on players and any other story I could find to avoid actually covering a game. But it was bound to happen eventually, and I had to dive straight into basketball. I won’t actually admit to you how little I know about the sport, as it’s just embarrassing. I’m frequently asking my boyfriend questions about the game that any real sports reporter should know.
But what I didn’t realize how much basketball was a blessing in disguise. Spring sports were just around the corner. My first softball game was a non-league match between Springfield and Cottage Grove. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so wet in my life. I finally asked to seek refuge in the concession stand because I was so cold and wet. A big thanks to the moms running the stand who let me squeeze into the tiny booth. From there on out I made sure that I was always prepared for the elements. For about three months I made sure I had a towel, a coat, fingerless gloves and an umbrella in my car so that I would be able to brave the cold or rain.
Even when I agreed to learn how to do sports, I never thought that I would become the Beacon’s main sports reporter, let alone the only one. Budget cuts have left me trying to cover both Springfield and Thurston athletics, as well as keep an eye on Mohawk and McKenzie. That’s not an easy job, let me tell you (If anybody wants to volunteer to help with coverage, or to just submit scores call me! 741-9111). Only being able to realistically cover two games a week means that other teams aren’t getting the coverage they deserve. I feel like I am constantly letting somebody down or not being fair and covering one team more than the other. I try my best though. I sit down at the beginning of the season and figure out what games I want to cover, making sure that I have an equal number of boys and girls coverage, and that Thurston has the same amount of games in the paper that Springfield does. It never works out as well as I plan with games getting postponed, or played on the wrong day in one case, and come the end of the season I try and keep closer tabs on the games that will have a bigger effect on seeding in the playoffs.
Don’t take this as complaining though. There are certainly aspects of sports reporting that I love. It lets me spend a good portion of my hours out of the office and I get to watch some amazingly talented athletes. Plus, I think of Thurston and Springfield as my teams. I realize reporters are supposed to be objective but it’s hard. When I go to games I might be frantically trying to write down the play-by-play, but I also find myself cheering on our teams. After a tough loss I’m just as down as the next fan.
So, yes, I realize I’m not the world best sports reporter. I don’t even pretend to be. But I am trying my hardest to at least get coverage of your kids in the paper. Just bare with me a while longer while I try to figure out how to be a good sports reporter.
And if there is anybody out there who would like to give suggestions on how the paper can improve our sports section or would like to help out, let me know!
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