Appeal Tribune
| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022 | 1B
SPORTS
Is there a better fit for Silverton in OSAA league?
Moving from league to league
Pete Martini
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
For almost three decades, Salem-
Keizer schools saw little change to the
old Valley League.
Since 2006, however, schools have
bounced around leagues and classifica-
tions statewide, resulting in the Salem-
Keizer schools seeing seven schools
move in and out of their league and the
league undergo three name changes.
This has hurt traditional rivalries and
created extra travel with opponents
such as the Bend schools, a 264-mile
round trip.
It has also made scheduling more dif-
ficult with a small league, like they’ll
have starting in the fall.
It’s important to know how it got to
this point, and if there is any hope of
bringing stability back to Salem-Keiz-
er’s league in the future.
There are many former athletes and
coaches who look back fondly on the old
Valley League.
From 1979-2002, the 10-school
league remained unchanged, with
North Salem, South Salem, Sprague,
McKay, McNary, Lebanon, West Albany,
South Albany, Corvallis and Crescent
Valley.
A small change was made in 2002
when newly built West Salem replaced
Lebanon, which was moved to the Mid-
western League.
Then came the 2005-06 OSAA re-
classification cycle and a push state-
wide to expand the classifications to as-
sure similarly sized schools played one
another.
In the 2005-06 school year, the last
with four classifications, the breakdown
See OSAA, Page 2B
Silverton’s Jordan McCarty carries the ball during the first quarter of the 5A
state playoff game against North Salem. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL
OSAA 5A SWIMMING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
OSAA 5A STATE SWIMMING
RESULTS
The OSAA swimming state champi-
onships were held at the Tualatin Hills
Aquatic Center with the Class 5A
events.
Below are the finals results, with the
state champion of each event, as well
as Mid-Valley swimmers.
5A Swimming Results
Silverton’s Catherine Hyde swims in the 100-yard butterfly during the OSAA 5A swimming state championships in
Tualatin. PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Central, Silverton
swimmers win medals
Edith Noriega
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Mid-Valley schools took home
medals at the OSAA 5A swimming
state championships at Tualatin
Hills Aquatic Center.
Silverton’s Catherine Hyde, who
competed in four events, finished
second in the 100-yard backstroke
with a time of 58.25.
“I have been sitting at a 59 (minute
mark) for several years,” Hyde said.
“It was exciting to finally get the time
that I have been working for.
“And then to know that I came out
here after a season that was a com-
plete rollercoaster in a lot of ways
and place second in state is exciting.”
The junior finished fourth in the
100-yard butterfly, seventh in the
200-yard medley relay and ninth in
the 200-yard freestyle relay
“It was really just to have fun,”
Hyde said on competing at state. “I
missed out on it last year, and I had
so many goals. We have so many new
freshmen coming in and I just want-
ed to go out, leave my mark and then
come back next year and do it all over
again.”
Central’s Gentry Hagedorn and
Taylor Hagedorn also had successful
swims.
Gentry finished second in the 100-
yard freestyle with a time of 53.88
and third in the 200-yard freestyle
with a time of 1:57.40.
Taylor finished second in the 200-
yard IM with a time of 2:13.43.
Central’s Taylor Hagedorn leads in the 500-yard freestyle.
People gather to watch the OSAA 5A
Swim Finals on Feb. 18.
Girls 200 medley relay
Winner: Churchill (Kylie Taylor, Kelsey
Wasikowski, Emily Ashton, Lauren
Larsen) 1:49.83
Locals: 4. Willamette (Jossy St. Clair,
Grace Oster, Emily Phillips, Lilly
Hughes) 1:56.58; 5. Springfield (Kas-
sandra McLennan, McKenzie Galloway,
Saryah Judish, Emily Waddell) 1:59.75;
7. Silverton (Libby Grogan, Evie Smith,
Catherine Hyde, Lucy Fronza) 2:01.23;
12. North Bend (Abby Woodruff, Gillian
Baxter, Rebecca Witharm, Emma
Slade) 2:03.79.
Boys 200 medley relay
Winner: Crescent Valley 1:42.51
Locals: 5. Willamette (Joseph Sim-
mons, Timothy Pelkey, Evan Dickens,
Joshua Phillips) 1:48.33; 7. North Bend
(Trenton Parrott, Finley Cheal, Maver-
ick Macalino, Henry Hood) 1:48.90; 12.
Silverton (Micah Hurley, Nathan
Barnes, Landon Miller, Grant Nealon)
1:55.43.
Girls 200 freestyle
Winner: Lauren Larsen (Churchill)
1:54.59
Locals: 3. Gentry Hagedorn (Central)
1:57.40; 6. Rebecca Witharm (North
Bend) 2:04.14; 8. Kaitlyn Landis (Cen-
tral) 2:05.54; 12. Anh Roemen (Spring-
field) 2:08.58.
Boys 200 freestyle
Winner: Thomas Olsen (Parkrose)
1:41.38
Locals: 7. Aidan Bolton (Churchill)
1:53.37; 8. Makani Buckley (Silverton)
1:54.28; 9. CJ Hollis (Silverton) 1:57.76;
11. Cash Hagedorn (Central) 2:07.15.
Girls 200 IM
Winner: Kylie Taylor (Churchill) 2:09.29
Locals: 2. Taylor Hagedorn (Central)
2:13.43; 4. Lonny Stork (Dallas)
2:18.70; 6. Kassandra McKennan
(Springfield) 2:20.93.
Boys 200 IM
Winner: Marcus Gentry (Crater)
1:49.60
Locals: 4. Finley Cheal (North Bend)
2:01.06.
Girls 50 freestyle
Winner: Helena Jones (Wilsonville)
22.96
Locals: 7. Hope Mikkelsen (Dallas)
26.45; 8. Reese Wyatt (Thurston)
26.59; 9. Kaitlyn Landis (Central)
26.64; 10. McKenzie Galloway (Spring-
field) 26.65; 11. Emily Waddell (Spring-
field) 26.99; 12. Emily Phillips (Willam-
ette) 27.15.
Boys 50 freestyle
Winner: Charley Page-Jones (Chur-
chill) 20.39
Locals: 4. Joshua Phillips (Willamette)
22.03; 6. Maverick Macalino (North
Bend) 22.70; 7. Benjamin Thompson
(North Eugene) 22.75; 8. Kellen Hayter
(Silverton) 23.24.
Mixed 50 freestyle para-athletes
Finals: 1. Adam Smith (Pendleton)
38.02; 2. Elizabeth Woodruff (North
Bend) 45.22.
Girls 100 butterfly
Winner: Willow Messner (Redmond)
57.96
Locals: 3. Lauren Larsen (Churchill)
59.64; 4. Catherine Hyde (Silverton)
1:00.42; 7. Emily Ashton (Churchill)
1:03.88; 9. Saryah Judish (Springfield)
1:04.67.
Spectators watch the OSAA 5A Swim
Finals on Feb. 18
See SWIMMING, Page 2B