schools
VHS Winter Sports Report
December is tournament time
for Basketball and Wrestling at Vernonia
High School. The Boys and Girls Bas-
ketball teams both traveled to participate
in the Santiam Holiday Tournament on
December 28-30. The Loggers Wrestlers
competed in five different tournaments
before the end of the calendar year, and
have three first place finishes to show
for their hard work. Here is an update
on what is happening with each of the
teams so far this season.
Girls Basketball-The Lady Loggers are
off to a solid start this season and head
into the new year and league play with
an 7-4 record. Coach Whiteman’s girls
are coming off an impressive showing at
the Santiam Holiday Tournament, where
they finished 2-1 and came home with
the Consolation Bracket Trophy. After
losing the opener to host Santiam 40-
37, the girls fought back and won their
second two games--against Amity 42-38
and over Central Linn 41-28--and take
fourth place in the eight team tourney.
Whiteman, which is big part of this sea-
sons early success. He also credits a te-
nacious defense. “We have some tough
girls this year,” says Whiteman.
That faster, up-tempo and ag-
gressive offense has also been exciting
to watch. “Run and Gun is a fun style,”
says Whiteman. “The kids love it and
the fans like it. We have kids who will
fly across the floor and go into the stands
after the ball. And as a group they have
really come together nicely.”
He also has a new addition to
this years team who has made a differ-
ence. “Margot (foreign exchange stu-
dent, Cormier) provides the X factor,”
says Whiteman. “When you have a tall
guard like Margo, it really causes the
other team a lot of headaches.”
With a nice mix of seniors and
underclassmen, most with past varsity
experience, Whiteman has high expecta-
tions for this years team. “These girls
just keep going after the other team,”
says Whiteman. “Every game we play
after the New Year should be exciting.”
Boys Basketball-Coach
Ted Aubin’s Boys have
struggled at the start of
the season, with a 2-6
record before heading to
the Santiam Tournament
where the team contin-
ued it’s struggles. But
Aubin is still encour-
aged and hopes to turn
the season around once
the Loggers start league
play. “Our record is a
The Vernonia High School Girls Basketball team with their little misleading,” says
consolation trophy from the Santiam Holiday Tournament. Aubin. “With the excep-
Whiteman is looking forward tion of a couple of games, we are not get-
to the start of league play. After only ting blown out. We’re very close. We
winning four games during the whole just need a little better offensive execu-
season last year, this year’s team is al- tion and little bit more defensive inten-
ready way ahead of last years accom- sity.”
plishments. “Our league, the Lewis
Aubin is working with a young
and Clark League is a really good girls team, which has played a part in some
basketball league, “ says Whiteman. tough, close loses. “We are very inex-
“We’re scoring so many more points this perienced when it comes to varsity expe-
year compared to last year and the year rience,” says Aubin. “Only two of our
before, that we think we’re going to be players from last years team played a lot
much more competitive.”
of varsity minutes. I think as the season
Playing more fast paced style, goes on we’ll become better offensive-
Whiteman is getting points from a vari- ly.”
ety of sources with three girls, Adrienne
Senior Brandon Gilbertson is
East, Ariel Rock and Margot Cormier, all the leading scorer and rebounder. Senior
averaging around ten points per game. Chris Bamburg is playing a lot of min-
He is also getting solid play from senior utes at the guard spot and sophomore is
guards Katie Wilson and Ivory Garry- Craig Weller is emerging as a top scorer
more, and underclassman Megan Rock, on the team. “We really like his progres-
and good post play form his rotation of sion,” says Aubin, of Weller. Foreign
Genesis Castro, Mickell Maller, Chelsea exchange student Petr Jiranek has prov-
Johnson, and Kim Allen.
en to be a strong defensive force. “That
“We’re bigger, taller and stron- takes a lot of pressure off some of the
ger at the post position this year,” says other guys,” says Aubin.
A Vernonia Christmas Story
The winning raffle ticket for the
VHS Junior Class firewood raffle was an
elderly man from Vernonia who unfor-
tunately, due to an accident a few years
back, had his leg amputated and is now
in a wheelchair. The name on the ticket
was familiar to me when it was drawn.
When we delivered the wood on Sunday,
December 20th to Al Hillsbery, he told
me that his friend had bought the ticket
for him. I instantly remembered selling
that ticket to another elderly gentleman
during the holiday bazaar. He told me he
was buying the ticket for his friend who
needed the wood. Al’s good friend that
bought the ticket for him was Gordon
Faulkner, who tragically passed away on
December 10th while working on bro-
ken pipes at his home during very severe
cold weather in Vernonia. When Al told
me this, I had to hold back a tear. Talk
about a heart-wrenching/heart-warming
story all in one. As I was standing there
watching the kids unload the wood and
seeing Al in his wheelchair with his dog
on his lap watching them, I felt as though
I’d witnessed my own little Christmas
miracle. It sure made all the hard work
worth it.
This story was sent our way from
someone who works for the Vernonia
Schools.
january 5
2010
11
“We’re going
to have to do
some things
this year we
haven’t done
before,” says
Aubin. “We’re
going to prob-
ably play more
zone defense
as we get into The VHS Wrestling team shows off a couple of first place trophies the
league play. team has won this season during tournaments in December.
The
teams
we’re going to be playing are more ath- vidually by team captains Joe Benes at
152 and 145 pounds, Calvin Barnes at
letic.”
Aubin has also been experi- 145 pounds, and Cody Cowles at 152
menting on offense, which has led to pounds, along with Shylo Dooley at 130
some early season difficulties. “We’re and 125 pounds. All four of those wres-
trying a new offense this year,” said Au- tlers have taken first place at least twice
in tournaments this year. Also wrestling
bin.
“I think we’re really close to strong early this season are Tyler Young
winning games,” says Aubin. “Our kids and Alex Barber.
Coach James Brookins has a
are competing and they’re not giving up
young
but
experienced team, with only
and that’s a real positive thing for them.
five seniors, but four returning wrestlers
If we start to execute, I think we have a
chance to win every night. I think we’re who qualified for the state tournament
going to be tough to beat in our league, last year. The team appears deep in the
especially by the end of the year. Teams middle weights, and not as strong at the
are going to have to play their best game upper and lower weights this season.
The coaches attribute a middle
to beat us.”
school program to helping build depth
Wrestling-The Vernonia Wrestling and a large turnout of competitors for the
Team has shown it’s ready to compete team. They are also planning to restart
this year, with some strong individual their “Mat Pack “ program for K-5th
performances and some excellent team graders--a chance to come out two days
finishes through the early tournament a week for an hour and get the young-
sters exposed to wrestling at a young
part of their schedule.
The Loggers have three team age.
Upcoming schedule highlights
first place finishes--at the Banks, Am-
include
the Clatskanie Tournament on
ity and Neah-Kah-Nie Tournaments, to
January 16th, the Vernonia three-way at
go along with a second at Gervais and
a fourth place finish at the Harrisburg home on January 22nd, a league match
in Rainier on January 28th, and a home
Tournament.
The team has been led indi- league match on February 4th.
Sometimes
the safest place
to be is right
where you are.
During a hazardous material accident or an
attack, officials may ask you to “shelter-in-place”.
Basically, it means stay right where you are. But
there are many ways to make sure you are as safe
as possible when this happens.
Many businesses, schools and other public facili-
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Columbia 9-1-1 urges you to be prepared to
shelter-in-place within your own home as well.
First, choose a room that will be your shelter,
ideally one with as few windows and doors as
possible. A water supply is useful too. Assemble
a 72-hour disaster supply kit that includes water,
food, clothing and other emergency supplies.
Finally, develop your own family emergency plan,
and practice it regularly.
If you are told to shelter-in-place, act quickly.
Bring children and pets inside and lock all doors
and windows. Turn off any heating, air or ventila-
tion system. You may be asked to seal off your
shelter room with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
For detailed information about doing this, go to
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Thinking about a disaster can be stressful, but
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for your help in keeping the emergency phone
lines clear—only call 9-1-1 for life-threatening
emergencies. For more detailed information about
shelter-in-place planning, visit www.redcross.org
or www.ready.gov.
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Communications District.
Always there.
P.O. Box 998 St. Helens, OR 97051
Administrative Office: (503) 397-7255 Non-emergency Dispatch: (503) 397-1521 1-800-696-7795
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