NED HICKSON , SPORTS EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3523 ❘
SPORTS @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 29, 2015 ❘
SECTION B
Siuslaw News
Sports & Recreation
By Mark Vasto
J OHNSON
LACES UP TO COACH
Siuslaw cross country and track
coach Chris Johnson is one of the
winningest coaches in Siuslaw
athletics history.
B Y S TAN P USIESKI
For the Siuslaw News
The Wayback
Machine
For the past few
weekends, I’ve had the
chance to watch some
old sports movies with
my nephews, or, I
should say, I watch
them watch movies.
One week it was “The
Babe” with John
Goodman, and the
other day “Space
Jam.”
I didn’t like “The
Babe.” The guy’s life
already read like fic-
tion — there was real-
ly no need to make up
more stuff about him.
See
VIEW 3B
Halloween is the biggest date on the
calendar this year for Siuslaw High
School cross country coach Chris
Johnson.
It’s the day the Vikings take a run at
the 4A state championships at Lane
Community College in Eugene.
“The end date this year is
Halloween,” says Johnson, who has 10
state titles in cross country and two in
track and field at Siuslaw. “Our plan-
ning starts with the state meet, and
then we work backward.
“In the spring, we start with the
(two-day) state championships, and
then we work backward. It’s the
biggest three days of the year for us.”
The 45-year-old English teacher has
a talented group of runners now
preparing to open the 2015 season
NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the North Bend
Tugman Invitational at Tugman State
Park.
“The girls were third in state last
year, and we lost three scorers,” says
Johnson. “But the girls are pretty
strong, and if we can get everyone to
practice, we’ll be one of the teams to
beat.”
The Lady Vikings are led by junior
Celie Mans, who was a team-best
fourth place at state in 2014.
“Celie is a real standout, all-state
two years (as a freshman and sopho-
more),” says Johnson. “She will be in
the mix for (an individual) state title.”
Other top returners include seniors
Sierra Potter and Mikaela Siegel, and
sophomore Lainey Goss. Potter was
18th at state last year and Siegel was
49th, while Goss finished 55th as a
freshman.
Sophomores explore ‘Viking Creek’
Creek may become an ongoing urban habitat restoration project
S PORTS
Calendar
Sept. 1
• VIK V-BALL
H OSTS P HILOMATH
6 P . M .
Sept. 4
• VIK FOOTBALL
AT
N EWPORT
7 P . M .
Sept. 9
• VIK XC
A T T UGMAN I NV .
4 P . M .
T IDE T ABLE
Entrance Siuslaw River
High Tide
Low Tide
Aug. 29
12:42am / 7.1 6:24am / -1.2
6:36pm / 0.8
Aug. 30
12:34am / 8.0 7:06am / -1.1
1:22pm / 7.5 7:25pm / 0.2
Aug. 31
1:25m / 7.9
2:03pm / 7.8
7:49am / -0.8
8:15pm / -0.1
Sept. 1
2:17am / 7.5
2:45am / 7.9
8:31am / -0.3
9:07pm / -0.3
9:16am / 0.4
10:01pm /-0.2
Sept. 3
4:09am / 6.4
4:17pm / 7.7
10:03am / 1.1
11:01pm /-0.1
10:56am / 1.8
S IUSLAW
N EWS
148 Maple St.
Florence
541-997-3441
SEASON
“In girls (competition), you never
know,” says Johnson. “Freshmen can
come in and be pretty strong.”
The Vikings have two freshmen —
sisters Kaeli and Trinity Ramos —
who could be difference-makers at
state in October.
“The Ramos girls are twins, and
they’re real studs,” says Johnson.
“They’re the key (to a team title).”
The boys team finished sixth at state
in 2014 and lost two scorers to gradu-
ation, fourth-place finisher Seth
Campbell, who will be competing at
Southern Oregon University in
Ashland, and Jonathan Griffes, who
was 37th at state. Griffes will run for
Corban University in Salem this sea-
son.
“The boys are young, a bit on the
inexperienced side,” says Johnson.
See
VIKS 2B
On the
Bite
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
The nearly half-mile creek of
undetermined origins, flowing
between Siuslaw High School and
Lane Community College Florence
Center (LCC), has become the gene-
sis for a possible multi-year science
project for Siuslaw sophomore biol-
ogy students; part of an Oregon
Coastal Education program begun
by retired Mapleton schoolteacher
Jim Grano and Siuslaw High School
biology teacher Gina Castro-Brandt.
During the last eight weeks of
school, students from Castro-
Brandt’s sophomore biology class
researched wildlife habitat and inva-
sive species along an unnamed creek
bed that flows for more than 800
yards between the two schools.
“In the students’ research,” Brandt
said, “they discovered that our little
segment of the creek is an ‘insignifi-
cant’ water flow from run off, but
that it does connect to a ‘significant’
water source known as Waldo Creek
that empties into the Siuslaw River.”
According to Grano, the creek,
which has been unofficially named
Viking Creek, flows out of a culvert
with its headwaters somewhere in
the sand dunes behind 31st and Oak
streets. It runs along the surface
between Siuslaw High School and
the Lane Community College cam-
pus and then goes back underground
to resurface in an urban forest near
the hospital before it flows into the
Siuslaw River.
“First the kids did what is called a
baseline
assessment,”
Grano
explained. “They used Vernier
probes to determine water chemistry
and characteristics. There are
an array of probes to determine
soil moisture, ph and dissolved oxy-
gen.”
See
Sept. 2
3:11am / 7.0
3:29pm/ 7.9
Sept. 4
5:14am / 5.9
5:10pm/ 7.4
20 TH
CREEK 3B
A
FISHING REPORT FOR
THE LOCAL REGION
www.dfw.state.or.us/RR
MID COAST LAKES
Fishing for the various
warm water fish species is
fair to good during the
summer months. There are
numerous lakes in the
Florence area that can pro-
vide good opportunity and
have boat and bank access.
SIUSLAW RIVER:
COURTESY PHOTO
Siuslaw High School sophomores gather scientific data from “Viking
Creek” as part of a multi-year Oregon Coastal Education science proj-
ect.
Prefontaine Memorial Run to celebrate 35 years
COOS BAY — Applications are
now being accepted for the 2015
Prefontaine Memorial Run. The
10,000-meter road run is slated for 10
a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, in downtown
Coos Bay, and is held in conjunction
with the Bay Area Fun Festival.
Those special qualities that made
Steve Prefontaine a hero to track fans
more than four decades ago are still
creating new admirers. Many who
were not born when Pre was setting
records, or ever saw him compete, are
inspired by his enduring example of
courage, feisty determination and
charisma.
Now in its 35th year, the popular
run got its start when a group of Coos
Bay citizens decided it was time that
Steve Prefontaine’s hometown did
WEEKLY
something to honor its favorite son.
Awards will be given in five-year
age groups. First- through third-place
finishers in each division will receive
awards. Additionally, a trophy will be
presented to the top finishers in the
men’s and women’s open and wheel-
chair divisions.
High school team scores and col-
lege team scores will also be posted,
with the top three teams from each
division receiving trophies for both
men and women.
The awards ceremony will be held
at noon at Pirate Stadium adjacent to
the finish line area.
For the past 24 years, there has been
a high school cross-country team com-
petition as part of the Pre Run. The
high school team competition will
start at 9:45 a.m.
A large contingent of high school
teams participated in the run last year
with teams from Arcata, Brookings-
Harbor, Creswell, Douglas, Gold
Beach, Henley, Hidden Valley,
Marshfield, Mazama, North Bend,
North Valley, Oakland, Pacific, Rogue
River, Roseburg, St. Mary’s,
Sutherlin, Taft, Waldport and
Yoncalla.
The entry fee is $30 if made prior to
Sept. 15, and $40 thereafter. High
school team competitors must register
on athletic.net and will receive a dis-
counted registration fee. All race
entrants will receive a T-shirt especial-
ly designed to commemorate the run.
See
RUN 2B
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout fish-
ery is slow to fair. Fishing
during the early mornings
or in the larger tributaries
is the most productive.
River conditions are very
low and warm for this time
of year. Bait is not allowed
above the head of tide but
small spinners, spoons and
fly fishing can be very pro-
ductive.
ALSEA RIVER : cut-
throat trout
The cutthroat trout fish-
ery is fair in the mainstem
and in some of the large
tributaries. With the low
and warm river conditions
the best opportunities will
be in the early morning
when water temperatures
are the coolest. Small spin-
ners are typically produc-
tive as wells as small
spoons or fly fishing with
nymphs or streamers.
SILETZ RIVER:
Steelhead, cutthroat trout
Summer steelhead fish-
ing is fair in the upper
river. Low flows and
warming river tempera-
tures are making new fish
race up into the cooler
holding waters of the gorge
area. New fish will contin-
ually be moving into the
river through the summer
with peak numbers typical-
ly in July. River flows are
much lower than normal
for this time of year so
think small and subtle pre-
sentations. Typical steel-
head tactics apply such as
bobber and jig / bait, or
casting spoons or spinners.
Cutthroat trout are now
also open to harvest and
can be found throughout
the main stem river and
many large tributaries.
See
FISHING 2B
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
A Sporting View