7
TkiE CI ac I< amas P rínt
Wednesday, October 21, 1998
F
k
It's time to take back that respect*
OHN THORBURN
ports' Editor
Rankings aren't supposed to
lean much to coaches.
To Clackamas Head Coach
iathie Woods, however, the latest
Horizon Air Coaches' Poll means a
Bn.
I The Chemeketa Storm [8-0, 32-
] sit atop the most recent North-
I lest Athletic Association of Com
munity Colleges [NWAACC]
I rankings while Spokane [6-0] of the
■astern Region and Pierce College
[7-0] of the West are 2, 3, respec-
tively. Clackamas [7-1, 29-3] is in
the #4 spot.
■"It’s the first time in years that
Clackamas isn't ranked in the top
thfee," said Coach Woods. "Nobody
respects us now."
The Storm, a team that defeated
the Cougars handily in three games
_ three weeks ago, suffered the only
two blemishes to their record
against Pierce when Chemeketa lost
twice in tournament play. Both
teams are undefeated in their re-
it i ■
.spective regions.
ut
Spokane, the wild card team of
in I .
the! group, defeated Clackamas
in 1 | «
whien the Cougars hosted the
^NWAACC Crossover Tournament,
o
October 9-10. Clackamas defeated
okane earlier in the same tour-
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
I Sophomore Judi Arbuckle
!?/evates for the kill. Arbuckle
I fs one of the Cougars' top
|1r/tters.
nament as well as in the champi
onship match of the Spokane Tour
nament in September.
"Spokane has had a tough time
in recent weeks," noted Woods.
"They're a great team, but I was sur
prised to see them ranked that high
with the losses that they have."
Clackamas has had its troubles
in recent weeks, as well. With two
of the Cougars' three losses com
ing in a span of four days, however,
it appears the defending Southern
Region champions are back on
track.
On Friday, Clackamas dealt the
visiting Southwestern Oregon
[SWOCC] Lakers a sound loss.
SWOCC, a team once thought to
be a strong threat in the Southern
Region, is fading quickly in the di
vision standings.
Amy Kraljev led the Cougars to
the 15-4, 15-10, 15-8 victory with
10 kills.
On Saturday, the Umpqua
Timberwomen provided little
trouble for the Cougars as Clacka
mas won 15-4, 15-8, 15-2.
Jessica Rowley, who was named
the Cougar Player of the Week be
her coaches led the team with 10
kills.
When Clackamas wasn't playing
one of these two teams, Mt. Hood
was taking on the other.
"Mt. Hood is a very dangerous
team right now," said Woods.
"They're on fire. They're playing
very well."
Clackamas faces the Mt. Hood
Saints at home on Friday night.
"It should be a good test for us,"
added Coach Woods. "These last
few weeks have been very stressful
for us. We hit some bumps and it
looks like we're getting back on
track.
"I know that I've said it before,
but the rollercoaster that this team
is on is very characteristic of every
team. The physical ability hasn't
changed at all. It's a matter of in
tensity."
Before facing Mt. Hood, the Cou
gars travel to Albany tonight to take
on the Linn-Benton Roadrunners.
Linn-Benton, one of the weaker
from
Bowl alliance,
polls determine
no champion
this season
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
Freshman Kimber York [right] sets up sophomore Amy Kraljev
for the kill against Spokane. York leads the Cougars in assists
while Kraljev is the team's kill leader.
teams in the region, shouldn't be
overlooked, according to Coach
Woods.
"The Southern Region is the
toughest region in the NWAACC,"
noted Woods. "Any team on any
given day can beat you."
After playing this week's league
games, Clackamas has a huge tour
nament over the Halloween weekend.
The annual Mt. Hood Halloween
Classic features literally the best of
the best. The two-day long tourna
ment which starts next Friday,
showcases teams like Chemeketa,
Spokane, Pierce, Clackamas, Mt.
Hood and Clark.
The Cougars, as well as the rest
of the Northwest, may have a good
indication of whether the latest
rankings are right on. Then again,
maybe not.
"I hate tournaments," said
Woods. "We always play better in
'three out of five' matches. Most
tournaments are best two out of
three. We never seem to play our
best in tournaments."
In last year's Halloween Clas
sic, Clackamas placed second be
hind Chemeketa. This year, the
Cougars have a first, second and
third place finish in tournament
play.
"We have some big games com
ing up in the next three or four
weeks," noted Woods. "It should
be some very exciting volleyball
to watch. I just hope that we aren't
too tense to play our game. After
the loss to Chemeketa, we really
tightened up and played tense. We
need to just go out and play and
have fun.
"This team is very talented, and
when we play our game there isn't
any team that can beat us. When
we lost, we löst respect around the
league. It's time to take back that
respect."
How many college football
fans actually believed the hype
of preseason polls and rankings?
I recall when Arizona State
was in the Top 10. Then they
lost.
I recall when Nebraska was
#2. They too lost.
Both Washington and Wash
ington State were listed in the
Top 25 at one
point. Now,
they are no
where to be
seen.
In a year
when the As-
s o c i a t e d
THORBU
Press
and
ESPN Coaches' Polls couldn't
predict yesterday's weather, only
one thing has been certain —the
fans have seen great college
football.
From
week
one
as
Washington's Brock Huard
threw a fourth down touchdown
pass with 17 seconds left on the
clock to defeat Arizona State,
football fanatics have been
treated to some of the best games
in years.
This was evident as UCLA tri
umphed over Oregon in a 41-38
overtime victory this past week
end.
A sub-par Michigan squad, a
revitalized Notre Dame offense,
losses to both Florida and
Florida State must be worrisome
to the Rose Bowl Committee.
Only a year after signing off
on the'bandwagon bowl alliance,
teams that are thought to be the
best are simply losing.
What happens when you have
ten, Top 10 teams all 9-1 head-
See Polls, page 8
Ruben Droughns
Tailback's injury could be biggest loss of all
PAUL KITAGAKI JR. / Oregonian
gon running back Ruben Droughns rushed for 172 yards
fst UCLA despite playing with a broken fibula.
The No. 12 ranked Oregon Ducks
lost a lot more on Saturday than a
share of the Pac-10 lead when they
losttoNo. 2rankedUCLAby 3-points
in overtime.
The Ducks lost running back
Ruben Droughns (the nation's 4th
ranked rusher)
for the season
to a broken H
lower right leg
(Fibula) and
damaged ankle
ligaments. He
underwent sur
gery at Sacred
Heart Hospital in Eugene on Mon
day. No one is sure exactly when
Droughns broke his right fibula, but
he could have broken it as early as the
first quarter. He twice left the game
limping, but came back out onto the
field and returned each time.
What amazes me about this fact is
that it means that Droughns played
most of the game with a broken right
fibula and an ankle with damaged
ligaments. I don’t know about you,
but I’d have trouble walking if I broke
my leg. How he continued to play is
beyond me. Droughns must be the
toughest player I’ve ever seen.
Somehow Droughns managed to gain
172 yards and a touchdown against
See Droughns. page 8
Cheer Tryout Practice
for basketball season
guys and girls welcome
October 23,26,28,30
8-9am ■ Randall Gym
for more information contact Selma x2854
or the Athletic Department x2291