12 Schools April 15 2021 VHS Sports Report: Vernonia Boys Take 5 th at State XC Meet Draeger finishes 11 th in girls meet, Gump 19 th The Vernonia Loggers Cross Country squads finished a successful season on Saturday, April 10 with a strong showing at the State Champion- ship, held at Cheadle Park Lake in Leb- anon. The Vernonia boys team took 5 th place in the team standings, while freshman Delany Draeger finished in 11 th place and Sadie Gump took 19 th running individually in the girls race. For the Vernonia runners, the journey to the State Championship started back in September during the traditional fall season. “When our run- ners found out that the season would be postponed, they decided to still run to prepare in case the OSAA decided to proceed with some type of season lat- er in the school year,” said head coach John Roady following the conclusion of the season. “They ran through the cold winter months. Led by the 600 miles put in by senior Nick Costley, a few oth- ers ran over 300 miles during this time. They all worked hard without being guaranteed a season.” And it all paid off at the State Championship. For the Vernonia boys, it was again a team effort, just like it’s been all season. The team’s top five runners all season have been a senior, Nick Costley and a group of four sopho- mores, all swapping finishing places throughout the season. At the State Championship it was Evan Miller who straight state meet. Freshman Eloise Pedersen continued to show promise for the future as she finished in the top half of all of her races.” led the Vernonia group, finishing 40 th overall in a time of 18:54, followed closely by Seth Scheuerman in 43 rd place in 18:57. Next up for the Loggers were Costley in 51 st place in 19:22 and Peter Hahn in 52 nd just a split second be- hind him, also in 19:22. Finishing the scoring for Vernonia was Max Anderson in 76 th place in 20:18, giving the Log- gers team 173 points and their 5 th place finish. Sophomore Isaiah Rodriguez of Knappa finished 3 rd in 16:45, while Jew- ell junior Nicholas Nikander took 37 th in 18:48. “Even though we did not have an elite runner on the boys team, our pack was always pushing some of the state’s best,” said Roady. The Vernonia girls did not have enough runners this season to qualify as a team for the State Championship, but did place their two runners as indi- viduals. Draeger, who has led the team all season, finished in 20:44 to take 11 th place while Gump finished 19 th in 21:47. League rival Jordan White, a ju- nior from Neah-Kah-Nie finished 8 th in 20:22. “The girls had an outstand- ing season as individuals,” said Roady. “Delaney was first in several meets dur- ing the season and was outstanding at the state meet. Sadie was Delaney’s sidekick and qualified for her second Volleyball – The Vernonia Lady Log- gers competed in the Northwest League Playoffs, winning one match before be- ing eliminated in the semi-finals. The Lady Loggers easily han- dled Faith Bible on April 6 in the open- ing round, winning the match 3-0 by scores of 25-12, 25-15, and 25-17. On April 8 they faced league leaders Co- lumbia Christian and fell 3-1 by scores 19-25, 19-25, 25-16, and 20-25. On Saturday, April 10, Gaston beat Co- lumbia Christian 3-0 to take the League Championship. Head coach Teresa Williams said the team struggled with their pass- ing and serve-receive in their final match. “We were competitive and the girls didn’t give up.” Vernonia concluded regular season league play on April 1 with a 3-0 loss to Nestucca. The Lady Logger finished their season with a 8-5 record overall. “Considering the amount of time we had to prepare for the season, and with a small and somewhat inexpe- rienced team, I was pleased with how we finished,” said Williams, “but of course I would have liked to make to the league final game. I think our veteran player did well to help the rest of the team play their best.” Voices from The Mill Pond Volume II Available For Sale! $20 Available at R&S Market Out of Town? email: Scott@VernoniasVoice.com $24 includes shipping Poppino Painting 971-533-4908 Tim Poppino 19025 Woods Road Vernonia, OR 97064 Reach thousands of potential customers Advertise here! Email: Scott@VernoniasVoice.com Call: (503) 367-0098 Licensed Bonded Insured CCM#90548