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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2017)
march2 2017 VERNONIA’S volume11 issue5 reflecting the spirit of our community www.vernoniasvoice.com Logger Boys Head to Pendleton Again The Loggers basketball team will de- fend last year’s state title March 2-4 The Vernonia Loggers boys bas- ketball team is heading to the State Tour- nament and will have a chance to defend their state title. The Loggers, seeded #9 in the 16 team playoff, defeated #8 seeded Toledo 53-45 on Friday, February 24, and earned a trip to the OSAA U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires 2A State Championship on March 2-4 in Pendleton. The Loggers won the state championship last season. This is the Loggers’ fourth trip to Pendleton in the last six years under the di- rection of head coach David Weller. “It’s tough to get to the fi nal eight,” said Weller during a practice session on Monday, Feb- ruary 27, as the Loggers prepared for their trip. “It wasn’t easy and we’re excited to be going back again.” Against Toledo Weller said the Loggers did not play their best. “They scouted us really well, and seemed to know everything we were going to try and do of- fensively,” said Weller. “It threw us out of our game a little bit. And combine that with playing in their building in a hostile envi- ronment, and we just couldn’t get going of- fensively at all.” After falling behind by nine points, the Loggers made a run in the second quar- ter and pulled to within three at the half. But Toledo came out in the second half and built a 10 point lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. “We called a time out and told them not to quit now,” said Weller “And they just started chipping away, one possession at a time, and the next thing you know we had momentum on our side.” The Loggers took the lead against Toledo with about three minutes left, spread the court and made some easy layups, and made their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. In Pendleton, the Loggers will have their work cut out for them as they will face #1 seed Western Mennonite in the opening inside 3 salem report an unusual culinary column 15 where in the world? 15 where do you read the voice? St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Friday, March 17th at 5:15 pm Everyone is welcome Starts at Pat & Darlene Knight’s house Bridge Street & State Avenue Vernonia Wrestlers Win Districts Five Loggers win individ- ual district titles; Williams takes third at State Tournament after fi nishing second at 106. Jackson’s win was espe- cially noteworthy, as she became the The Vernonia High School wrestling team won the Oregon 2A/1A Special District 1 meet on February 18, destroying the compe- tition and winning by 100 points. The Loggers scored 290 points in the tournament and quali- fi ed six wrestlers for the State Tour- nament; the next closest team to the Loggers was Neah-Kah-Nie with 190 points. Five Loggers brought home individual District Champion- ship medals: Kailia Jackson at 106 pounds, Elijah Bozied at 113, Mekhi Williams at 126, Justin Fletcher at 138, and Storm Henson at 152. Ja- cob Pasko also qualifi ed for the State fi rst female wrestler in Vernonia his- tory to win a District title and also the fi rst female to qualify for the State Tournament from Vernonia. The tournament win was a complete team effort with every one of the Logger wrestlers placing in the tournament and contributing points to the victory. Other medalist at the Dis- trict Tournament for the Loggers included Amanda-Rose Sicard who took third at 113, Joshua Sholes who took third and Zach Larke who placed fi fth at 120, Isaiah Bozied who placed fi fth at 126, Jake Pat- ton who took third and Lene Ja- Clay Sullivan round of the eight team tournament, but it’s a match up the Loggers are looking forward to. The Loggers played Western Mennonite earlier this season on December 12 as part of their non-league schedule, losing 55-41. “Our guys are looking forward to this and I like the challenge,” said Weller. “We want to play them again because we know we’re better than what we put out there against them last time. We just have to go out there and compete.” The Loggers fi nished with a 14-4 record in the Northwest League and have a 22-5 record overall on the season. The Loggers fi nished their regu- lar season in fourth place in the league but earned their spot in the state playoffs af- ter defeating fi fth place Nestucca 62-29 at home in a District playoff game on February 16, and then beating third place Life Chris- tian 45-40 at the District Tournament in For- est Grove on February 18. Following the District Tournament, continued on page 10 continued on page 10 Working Class Hero Local author and musician Willy Vlautin discusses his writing, living on the fringe, and fi nding inspiration, during his appearance at the Vernonia Library By Scott Laird 7 free Writer, musician, and western Renaissance man Willy Vlautin gave an insightful and engaging glimpse into his life and his work during his recent stop at the Vernonia Library on Febru- ary 21. Vlautin is the author of four acclaimed published novels, including Lean on Pete and The Motel Life and is also a founding member of the alt- country music group Richmond Fon- taine. He currently headlines a new band, The Delines. Vlautin is a natural storytell- er, who at times is both charming and coarse, as well as humorous and hon- est, as he discusses the dark topics that are the subjects he writes about. His appearance in Vernonia provided an in- sightful look into the mind of a complex and talented artist, whose work often chronicles those living on the outside edges of society. Originally from Reno, Nevada, Vlautin moved to Portland, Oregon when he was 26 years old in the hopes of fi nding an arts community he could join. “My family was really conserva- tive and I came to Portland with the idea that I could be a musician up here and be around more open minded people,” said Vlautin during his Vernonia visit. Vlautin currently lives in Scappoose, Oregon. The personable and charismatic Vlautin talked with an appealing western drawl and smiled and grinned as he shared his engaging stories about his writing and his life. He focused his talk on his book, Lean on Pete, which was the featured book group choice for continued on page 12
