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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2008)
)08 11 Girls' Varsity Soccer Team strives for playoffs C arly H alverson Staff Reporter Competition is looking even tougher this year for the Girls' Varsity Soccer Team than it was last fall when the team fell just short of the State playoffs. "We need to always be on our toes this season," Haelee Staskiewicz, senior, said. They are focusing on the traditional four-four-two formation: a line of four defenders, a diamond of four in the mid-field, and two up top in the attacking positions. An area where the team is lacking is in height. The tallest player stands at 5'8". To counter this, the team uses their key strength, speed. Natalie Smith and Zoey Olmstead, sophomores, have added to that strength. A player to watch out for is Taylor Brooke, senior, who is being recruited by the Portland Pilots and is known for her incredible speed, according to Floyd Rocker, head coach. Making a huge comeback from sitting out most of last season from a torn anterior cruciate ligament is starting center defender Rebecca Hoiland, senior. She came out strong this season and helped the team to a 1-1 tie against Lake Oswego, the top ranked in the Three Rivers League, and beat Lakeridge 3-1. In the game against Oregon City the team lost 1-2. With three injuries in the Oregon City game they still came out strong beating Putnam 5-1. Hoiland's impressive performances over the past seasons have earned her a partial scholarship to Boise State. "Our covenants are the three P's, Pride, Positivity, and Perseverance. We try to demonstrate those every time we step onto the field," Hoiland said of the team which works to get better every day. The Lions definitely made a statement to the rest of the TRL after struggling last season. Their goal is to make it to the playoffs, and to play to their full potential every game. lot more mixed than it was last season. "It's different this year than it has been in the past. The bottom end of the Three Rivers League has improved, and the top end of the league is now beatable," Bean said. The team is facing a few obstacles, such as major injuries suffered during the preseason. Center midfielder Ian Monihan, junior, is out with a torn meniscus and game against Lakeridge, where a good handful of starters were out of the game. The team has been struggling lately losing to Lakeridge, 0-4, Lake Oswego, 1-8 and Putnam, 0 - 1 . "Our team is a threat with containing and pressuring the ball, but we're not very strong with communication on the field and that needs to be worked on," Chadwick Boggess, senior, said. Young runners lead cross country team M ax H ays Staff Reporter Both the girls' and boys' cross country teams are off to a phenomenal start this ason, winning all but one et which was a second place finish to Jesuit, the top team in the state. Both teams are expected to win the Three Rivers League and the boys are fourth in State while the Girls' are ranked fifth. John Linman, coach, believes that the team is succeeding because of chemistry. "We | very good Cullen | chemistry. Wannarka, Whoever sophomore finishes Photo first courtesy of turns Trade Krellwitz around and cheers on the rest of the team; that is what separates us from other teams. For us, championships are secondary," Linman said. The Boys' Team is led by a talented group of young runners including Taylor West, Cullen Wannarka, Zachary Boyd- Helm, Timothy Donnelly ¿md Jefferson Chandler, Dphomores, and the leadership of Christopher Daniels, Steven Boe and Matthew Crawford, seniors. The Girls are led by Taylor Nowlin, senior, who is back to full strength after suffering a foot injury last year, Kathryn Flyte and Kelsey Guerins, juniors, and Chelsea Ollar and Erin Morrow, sophomores. In the first league meet with Putnam and rival Lake Oswego both teams emerged with victories. For the boys West, Wannarka, Boyd-Helm and Donnelly came in third, fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, behind Elijah Greer and John Paden from Lake Oswego, two of the top runners in state. For the girls, Taylor Nowlin finished second in a very close battle for first. Guerins, Ollar, Flyte, Morrow and Kayla Nowlin, junior, came in third through seventh respectively. In the next meet against Lakeridge, Canby and Newberg, both teams crushed the competition, with nine boys and seven girls ending up in the top 15. Taylor Nowlin finished first in the race for the girls and West finished second in the race for the boys'. The team's number one goal this season is to have fun and to race hard every meet. If they continue to support each other, have fun and race hard, they should continue to blow away their competition. "We are all best friends. We are like a big happy family," Taylor Nowlin said. Upcoming meets include a meet against Oregon City and Clackamas at Oregon City on Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. Taylor Brooke, senior, slide tackles a Reynolds player to steal the ball. The girls team is 3-1-1 in league and ranked third in the Three Rivers League. Photo courtesy of Ray Nelson Boys’ Varsity is Stepping out on the field underestimated by their opponents this season, according to Greg Bean, head coach. Although the Lions are underdogs, the TRL competion is looking a Brian Schiewe, sophomore, was out with a high ankle sprain, but is now fully recovered. There have been some other minor injuries with players sitting out as well. These injuries impacted the Upcoming home games for the girls include Oregon City on Oct. 14 and Putnam on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m, Home games for the boys include Lake Oswego on Oct. 16 and Clackamas on Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Varsity Volleyball State Champions work for repeat A shley S heron Staff Reporter The Varsity Girls' Volleyball Team wants to repeat as state champs. The offseason and season practices have been intense and in practices and by playing in tournaments during the weekends. The biggest team goal this year is not only to be competitive or to win state again but to win league. A challenge for the team is that Reagan Beatty, Kellie Kawasaki, Betsy Wilhelm, Lindsey Wickert and Alyssa O'Neil, seniors, celebrate a win against Oregon City 3-0. They hope to repeat as District and State Champions. Photo by Troy Spivey productive. "I try to get the most out of them everyday," Carl Neuburger, coach, said. The team's makeup is the same as last year with eight seniors, but the younger players have been improving sophomore, is out with a sprained ankle and Brenna Kelley, senior, is out due to health issues. A positive is the fans. When they play at home, they have their fans to cheer them on from the stands and that energizes them, according to Kellie Kawasaki, senior captain. Kawasaki also believes that their only tough competition this year is in the tournaments and in league. Before that they will play seven teams but only four should prove a real challenge. "When they play a good team and win it helps them realize accomplishment," Neuburger said. "We just need to stay focused during league matches. I'm a competitive player but I try to be supportive of my team," Kawasaki said. The Lions beat Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, Clackamas, Milwaukie, Oregon City and North Salem all by a score of 3-0. The team's only losses have been to Jesuit and Central Catholic. In spite of their numerous wins, the team is optimistically cautious. "Our coach tells us that there's always room for improvement," Kawasaki said.
