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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2008)
6 March Student athletes hit field with start of season % m tm Sports continued from page 5 What was your funniest moment in the sport? "I guess I look back on the time when Cal (Calvin Spearing) was pitching in Federals in a game against Westview. We were losing really bad, and Coach (Monahan) was yelling 'Cal, what's wrong? What's going on?' Cal yells from the mound, in front of everyone, 'Coach, I'm just not in the zone.' Well that didn't fly too well with Monahan. He went out to the mound and pulled Cal aside and talked to him. It was great. We still joke with him about it." Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse: Spencer Smith, senior How did you get involved with your sport? "During a seventh grade summer camp one of my counselors was playing. He showed me how to play and it sort of sparked my interest." W hat was the best team you have ever played on? x'The Oregon A Team that I played on over the summer was really good, but I hope that this year's team will be the best and we will be able to make it to win at the State Tournament." What is your best memory from your sport? "My best game was when I scored four goals against Tigard in my sophomore year and got the game ball for being the best player from that game." What about lacrosse do you like the most? "Lacrosse is so much more unique than the other conventional spring sports like track and baseball, in that it is sort of a hybrid of sports together at once." Varsity Girls' Lacrosse: Jenna Steele, junior How did you get involved with your sport? "I started the summer before seventh grade. I went to a camp with Addie Brown and started playing the first year my middle school offered it." What was the best team you've ever been on? "The team I'm on now. The team is awesome, it's way fun." Who was your favorite teammate? "Everyone. My team is my family, we all get along. The seniors this year make it extra fun." What was the most interesting coach you've ever had? "I 've only had like, two coaches, Bunch has been the best." What is your best memory from your sport? "Just the team, and how well we mesh. Also, last year was great; we made it to semi-finals." What about the sport do you like most? "Constantly moving. It requires a lot of team involvement, and something's always happening." What was your funniest moment from your sport? "Funny things happen daily, I can't pinpoint one time. Girl's skirts fly up when they fall, though, that's funny." Do you have any superstitions or traditions? "We have secret sisters, and that's usually funny. No superstitions, though." Anything else? "Come to our games because we are legit." Varsity Softball: Amanda Sutton, sophomore How did you get involved with softball? "I started playing softball in fourth grade. I joined because my brother has played baseball, and I like to play catch with my family. A lot of my friends were also playing at the time. This season is my seventh season." W hat was the best team you've been on? "I have two favorite team experiences. W hen I was young my mom, dad and other parents coached the team. Last year, the team was so fun. We all had a great time together and got pretty close. We saw each other everyday, so we really got to know each other." Who was the most interesting coach you've ever had? "LeVeque is a great coach. The JV coach was amazing last year. I spent more time with him so all the girls had a bond with him. He was pretty young too, so it was easier to relate to him. The coaches I had when I was young, were all great too. They all helped me develop my skills and were good for the team as a whole." W hat's your best m em ory from the sport? "A m em ory for m e is having my fam ily at all the games^ My brother cam e to a ton of gam es last year w hich w as great. Also my parents alw ays com e; the whole team has a great support system ." W hat's your best achievem ent? "In seventh grade I w ent to a tournam ent in M olalla w ith my team. Each coach from all the different teams w ould vote for 10 girls that should make up an all-star team. A long w ith two other girls on my team I was voted onto the team by the coaches. Our team had the m ost on the all-star team. It was a great experience!" Do you have any s u p e r s t i t i o n s or traditions? "One of the traditions our team has is lots of sunflow er seeds. We bring a couple of bags, and everyone shares them. They disappear so quickly. One superstition is I can't touch my hair on the field. I am alw ays afraid that w hen I do the ball is going to come right at me!" Girls Rugby kicks off regular season with national prestige a C alley L athrop ____________ Staff Reporter The Prez Fest Tournament, which took place Presidents Day weekend, gave the boys' and girls' rugby teams a chartce to take on the best teams from players on Sunday. Our rookies were playing with the experienced vets and really proving themselves," Ernesto Espinoza, head coach, said. For the young girls team, experience and hard work will be the best weapon against Players attempt to win back possession after a Columbia County player is tackled. The Renegades dominated Columbia County on Mar. 8 with a final score of 47-5, taking them to a 2-0 record so far this Photo submitted by Cathryn Lambeth season. all over the Northwest and to see where they stood before the first regular season games. Results were mixed, and by the end of the day tensions ran high. The girls' team took on Eugene on Feb. 16, mopping the floor 70-0. On Sunday they played a Canadian team from Earl-Marriot, British Columbia (it's about 15 minutes from the U.S. border). The Renegades sent them packing, 54-10. "We played really well, despite losing some key the top-caliber opponents they will soon face. Espinoza thinks the packed pre-season yielded positive results and helped in seasoning new players. "At one point, we played four games in eight days, which is very impressive. I figured we'd be more beat up by now, but everyone has stayed strong," he said. There is always room for improvement and Espinoza hopes that a focus on defense in practice will produce good results for the small team. "We have to keep working towards going forward at pace, and supporting each other to maintain possession," Espinoza said. The girls' first season game was on Feb. 23 against North Clackamas where they pulled out a 51-0 win against the rivals (West Linn beat them in the quarterfinals of last year's State championship, 85-0). The final pre-season game was Sunday, when the girls hosted Washington powerhouse Budd Bay at The Farm in West Linn. Their 25-17 loss proved hard to swallow. However, coaches were impressed with how the young team handled itself. "We knew we could take them and we fought really hard," Espinoza said. The boys' team was routed by nationally-ranked Lamorrinda, California, on the first day of the tournament. Although the team was outmatched, coaches were impressed with the team's overall improvement. The next day they took on nationally ranked Chuckanut, a team out of California, losing 47-10. The boys were worried about fielding an A and B side this year due to low turnouts the first few weeks of practice, but scraped by with enough people in the end. Their rosters are not fully set, as new players have entered after the end of the-winter sports season. Despite the tournament losses, their regular season is off to a promising start. The B-side, comparable to a JV team, won its first game against Columbia County on Mar. 1,17-5. Tim Medearis, head coach, was impressed with the victory. "We've got real speed, our new players are really starting to understand the game. We may be a young and small team but we're sticking with it," he said. The A-side suffered a tough loss to powerhouse and 2007 State champions, Beaverton, in a 24-0 shutout. However, the team is staying positive. Medearis hopes there will be more consistency and more attendance at practice, so they can prepare for the tough games that lay ahead. "We've had fluctuation in who shows up. I'm hoping we'll get down to who's going to play. We're looking for consistency, so we can get the two teams more solidified," Medearis said. The boys' team is considered the underdog in its division with young, inexperienced players taking on positions normally held by upperclassmen. "This is kind of a building year for us. It's great that there are lots of new kids, and we're already playing against top- notch teams," Medearis said. Girls'Basketball falls short in playoffs, future looks promising m M ax H ays Staff Reporter The Girls' Varsity Basketball Team's hope of making the elite eight in the playoffs came to a close on Feb. 27 against the Sheldon Irish during the first round. The Lions managed to stay close for most of the game but the number six ranked Sheldon pulled away in the fourth quarter, handing the Lions a 61-42 loss and an early exit from the playoffs. "It was a little disappointing to lose in the first round, but it was still a really fun season," Emily Wattman-Tumer, senior, said. The Lions had an incredible regular season finishing third in the Three Rivers League with a 9-3 in league record and 14th in State with a 17-8 overall record. Eight Varsity players will return next season including Elise Miller, Andrea Maleike, Amy Christensen, freshmen, M organ Joscelyn, Kelsey Stuart, sophomores, and Brittany May, Avary Kolasinski and Hannah Schumaker, juniors. With so many players returning, the team will hope to improve upon this year's record and make it deeper into the playoffs.
