14
Sports
Softball improves on last season, finishes fifth
_ J essica S huholm ___________
Staff Reporter
This year's Softball season
is winding down and with
a league record of 6-12 and
an overall record of 7-14, the
Lions are tied for fifth place in
the Three Rivers League.
"We're doing really well,"
Jamie LeVeque, heach coach,
said. One of their most
significant achievements was
a 2-1 win over the Putnam
Kingsmen on April 23. Putnam
is number one in the Three
Rivers League, and has a 21-2
record overall. LeVeque also
applauded the girl's defense
and the team's gains in hitting.
"We really improved since
last year, and will only keep
improving," Susan Schrank,
senior shortstop, said.
"We're worked better as a
team. We got along outside of
school, and that's helped us to
work as a team on the field,"
Jessica Houck, senior pitcher,
said.
The Softball Team played
the Lake Oswego Lakers on
May 4. The teams were tied
Wacky
Z ak L aster
co-Sports Editor
"With the first
pick in the 2007
NFL Draft, the
Oakland Raiders
select, JaMarcus Russell,
quarterback, LSU." This
was the pick everybody
expected but nobody was
100 percent sure would
actually happen. Would they
draft Calvin Johnson? Would
they trade the pick? These
were the questions that
people were asking right up
until the announcement by
League Commissioner Roger
Goodell. This is the type of
big armed quarterback that
the Raiders need. Russell has
been seen throwing the ball
40 plus yards on his butt.
"With the second
pick in the 2007
NFL Draft, the
Detroit Lions
select, Calvin Johnson, wide
reciever, Georgia Tech." With
JaMarcus Russell now off the
board, Matt Millen, Lions
general manager, was put
in an interesting situation.
Would he take his fourth
wide receiver in the last five
years, and arguably the most
talented player in this year's
draft, or would he go in a
different direction? Many
people believe this was the
correct choice.
"With the third
pick in the 2007
NFL Draft,
the Cleveland
Browns select,
Joe Thomas, offensive tackle,
Wisconsin." This was one
of the first big surprises of
the draft. Everybody was
expecting Brady Quinn,
quarterback, Notre Dame,
in this spot, but the Browns
surprised everyone by
Kassandra Vernon, senior, gets ready to make a catch in the game against Clackamas on April 27. The
Lions lost the game, 7-5.
Photo by Jon Helmkamp
until the sixth inning, and
the Lions ended up losing
6-1. They then played a close
game against the Clackamas
Cavaliers, losing 3-2 in the
ninth inning.
They also played a close
game against the Oregon City
Pioneers on May 7 and were
down 6-7, until the Pioneers
scored two runs in the top of
seventh, to put them ahead 9-6.
Houck pitched in the games
against Lake Oswego, Oregon
City, and Clackamas.
The team faced the
Milwaukie Mustangs in its
last home game on May 11,
it was also senior night. The
Mustangs defeated the Lions
5-3. The regular season ended
on May 14 with a third game
against the Putnam Kingsmen.
The Lions beat the top team
in league again, this time by
a score of 7-6. The win was
boosted by a triple by Schrank,
and a home run by McKenna
Pyeatt, sophomore.
"They are a great bunch of
girls. They always cheer each
other on," said LeVeque.
NFL Draft welcomes new talents to leag
drafting Thomas. They were
able to get the best of both
worlds though, by trading
up to draft Quinn at pick
number 22.
"With the fourth
j j j K j g y pick in the 2007
NFL Draft, the
*
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers select, Gaines
Adams, defensive end,
Clemson." Adams gives
coach Jon Gruden an
excellent pass rusher. His
lightning speed and ability
to get to the quarterback is
something the Bucs have
been desperately needing.
"With the fifth
pick in the 2007
the Arizona
Cardinals select, Levi Brown,
offensive tackle, Penn State."
The Cardinals have one
of the top running backs
in the league, Edgerrin
James, but they have had
problems getting someone
who can open up holes
for him and protect their
quarterback, Matt Leinart.
They attempted to ratify that
problem by drafting Brown,
who can open up holes and
wear down opponents.
The Browns by far were the
team with the best overall
draft. They drafted the top
left tackle in the draft (Joe
Thomas), a player who was
predicted to be a top five
pick (Brady Quinn) and a
player in the second round
who has first round talent
but also has a big attitude
(Eric Wright, comerback,
University of Nevada-Las
Vegas).
The team
that greatly
improved its
already loaded roster were
the New England Patriots.
The Patriots traded a fourth
round pick to the Raiders,
for one of the most talented,
yet disgruntled, receivers
in the league, Randy Moss.
They also added Brandon
Meriweather, safety,
University of Miami, in the
first round. Plus they traded
for the San Francisco 49ers
first round pick. The 49ers
will probably be in the top
half of the draft next year.
The Atlanta
Falcons were
another team
who finished off
the 2007 NFL Draft with a
good core of players. They
took Jamaal Anderson,
defensive end, Arkansas,
who has star potential, Justin
Blalock, offensive lineman,
Texas, and Chris Houston,
comerback, Arkansas on the
first day. They also added
athletic comerback David
Irons on the second day to
give the Falcons one of the
top drafts.
The Washington
Redskins
automatically get
credited for the
worst overall draft. They
had one first round pick, one
fifth round pick, two sixth
round picks and a seventh
round pick. It's hard to get
top quality talent when you
don't have top quality picks.
The best they had to show
for it was LaRon Landry,
safety, LSU who was taken
with the sixth overall pick in
the first round.
The team that
thad the most
'interesting draft
was the Seattle Seahawks.
They drafted a bunch of
players that probably will
not make an immediate
impact. They did find a
wide receiver with lightning
speed, Jordan Kent, Oregon
Ducks. He will bring a
different aspect to the
Seahawks receiving corp.
fThe Philadelphia
Eagles get
the award for
wackiest draft.
They have one of the best
quarterbacks in the NFL,
Donovan McNabb, and
plenty of quality backups.
So what do the Eagles do?
They take a Kevin Kolb,
quarterback, Houston, a
projected fourth round
selection, in the second
round According to many
different sources, this was an
unnecessary pick that didn't
fill the team's needs.
Now that the draft is over,
the Super Bowl favorite
automatically becomes the
New England Patriots, just
based on the acquisition of
Randy Moss. He is a talented
go-to receiver that Tom
Brady has needed since the
departure of Deion Branch to
the Seahawks.
In addition to Moss, they
already had a talented roster
with Super Bowl experience,
and a coach, Bill Belichick,
who knows what it takes to
win a Super Bowl. As long
as Moss can keep his mouth
shut, and play the game
without being a distraction,
this was a great acquisition.
Another benefit for the
Patriots is that the Raiders
really wanted to get rid of
him. This is obvious because
he came really cheap, only
costing the Patriots a fourth
round pick.
In last year's draft,
the New Orleans
Saints had the
second overall pick, and
went on to win the NFC
South. The team that has the
best chance to do what the
Saints did last year are the
Cleveland Browns. Even
though they could be a
repeat of the 2006 Saints,
don't expect it to happen.
The New Orleans Saints ari
a solid team that was just
missing one or two pieces.
They were able to get those
pieces in last year's draft,
along with a new coach.
The Browns are a team that
has a few pieces in place, but
they may need a lot more
than they were able to get
in this draft. Plus, they play
in a much tougher division
than the Saints. If these
players drafted are as good
as they are hyped up to be,
the Browns have good things
to look forward to over the
next few years.
An early
Offensive Rookie
of the Year to
watch out for is
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
Vikings. He is a top notch
running back who fits
well in Minnesota. The
Vikings have a questionable
quarterback, Tarvaris
Jackson, so that may lead
to even more touches by
Peterson.
An early Defensive
Rookie of the Year candidate
is Jamaal Anderson, Atlanta
Falcons. His ability to burst
through the line with his
size and power will cause
some problems for opposing
quarterbacks next season.
The 2007 draft class
wasn't full of big name
college players who can
make an immediate impact
like last year's draft. But the
impact of this year's draft
will definitely be seen over £
the next three to five years.