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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2015)
schools 2015 VHS Fall Sports Report By Scott Laird and Chase Tolonen Football – The Vernonia Loggers continued their march to the state playoffs with two convincing wins and remain undefeated at 4-0 on the season. Coach Thor Ware’s team was dominant in a 60-0 win over Chemawa on September 18 and even more so in a 72-0 win over Culver on September 25. VHS quarterback Steele Ware Photo courtesy of Tracy Easlon The Logger defense has allowed just 14 points in four games this season, the least number by any team in 2A, and the offense has racked up 216 points, which leads all 2A teams. Even so, the Loggers aren’t getting the respect they deserve at the state level; they actually dropped a spot in the OSAA rankings following their demolition of Culver, and are now ranked #5 in 2A. Against Chemawa running back Blade Ware rushed for three touchdowns and lineman Cody Nelson recovered two fumbles, returning one for a touchdown. Coach Ware gave his starters limited playing time in the second half as the Loggers had the game secured by halftime. Against Culver the offense had 702 total yards and was led by quarterback Steele Ware who had nine completions on 13 attempts for 312 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Ware added 16 carries for an additional 231 yards rushing and one touchdown. Steven Burns and Brett Elliot both had touchdown receptions. Robert Conner had 105 yards receiving. Blade Ware had 120 yards receiving and 123 yards rushing on just two carries. On defense the Loggers held Culver to just 21 total yards. Robert Conner returned an interception for a touchdown, his second of the season, and Noah Rylands had a fumble recovery. The Loggers are looking forward to starting Northwest League play with their Homecoming game against Portland Christian on October 9. They will also face Nestucca at home on October 23. Neah-Kah-Nie has cancelled the upcoming home game on October 2 in Vernonia, due to a lack of players; the Loggers will instead travel and face Monroe in a replacement game. Volleyball – The Lady Loggers knocked off two important league rivals while collecting four more wins. The Lady Loggers are now 10-2 on the season and are undefeated in league play at 7-0 and look like they have a good shot at repeating as Northwest League champs. The Lady Loggers lost in the Vernonia Tournament on September 19 to 3A Catlin Gabel 23-25, 14-25, before rebounding with a hard fought and gutsy 3-2 win over Faith Bible at home on September 21, 16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25- 17, 15-13. The Lady Loggers continued their dominance over the Northwest League with a 3-0 win at Nestucca on September 22, a 3-0 win over Delphian, who was expected to challenge for the league title, at home on September 24, and a 3-0 win at Neah-Kah-Nie on September 29. Head coach Teresa Williams said the team played well in the loss to Catlin Gabel, considering they were missing two key players, Sarah and Paige Smith. Williams said the team put it all together in the match against Delphian. “We were on,” said Williams. “We were mentally prepared and it was Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace DON WALLACE, PLS Professional Land Surveying 1224 E. Alder St. Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone: 503-429-6115 FAX: 1-866-297-1402 Email: DWallace_KLS@msn.com Vernonia’s Creekside Adult Foster Home, LLC Long Term Residential Care Medicaid and Private Pay Accepted Adult Day Care and Respite Care also Available Call for a visit and walk through. october1 CORPORATE MEMBER Vicki Perry Lonnie Perry Owners/Providers 11847 Keasey Rd. Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone: 503-429-3040 Fax: 503-429-1442 vcp345@frontier.com impressive to watch.” Williams says setter Kassidy Fetch has been running a varied and unpredictable offense, with good distribution of the ball. Paige Smith continues to be the strongest outside hitter, with Mckenzie Titus and Klar Sehnoutkova also contributing. Sarah Kassidy Fetch Photo courtesy of Tracy Easlon Smith and Payton Wolf have anchored a strong and consistent defensive back line. Megan Ely and Morgan Harral continue to improve in the front middle, Ely had a strong game against Delphian, with numerous blocks on defense and several kills on offense. Williams says strong service continues to be a strength and mentioned Sarah Smith and Wolf; Wolf racked up 15 service points against Delphian in one game. The Lady Loggers will play at 9 the Amity Tournament on October 3, face Gaston at home on October 6 during Homecoming Week, and host Knappa on October 13. They have a big away match-up with Faith Bible on October 15. Cross Country – At the half way point in their season, head coach Byron Brown has seen a lot of improvement from his inexperienced group of runners. “The kids have come a long way,” says Brown. For the boy’s team to be competitive they need to get 5 runners under 20 minutes for 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) and for the girl’s team, 5 runners between 22 and 26 minutes. For the boys, James Ombati continues to be the team leader and has shown a lot of improvement. Coach Brown said he is also impressed with the improvement of Mark Henke, Francesco Mian and Arne Schiemann. On the girl’s side, Liere Valladares has been the squad’s best runner, but is currently fighting tendonitis problems. Andrea Costano, Justine Larue and Cassie McFalls have really improved as the season has progressed. The teams have an upcoming meet at Southwest Christian on October 2, then host the Vernonia Invitational on October 8 and NWL Championship on October 13 before heading to the District Championship on October 22 at Bush Park in Salem. “We’ve slipped a little in district standings, mainly because we’ve been running some tough races in hills and across creeks, but I’m hoping it will pay off at district,” said coach Brown.
