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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2007)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Page 13 IVHS 1950 football team was a league champion Although 2007 marks the first football champion- ship for Illinois Valley High School in the Skyline Conference, it’s not the first IVHS football cham- pionship in a league. In fact, the Cougars of 1950 earned a championship in the J.D.J. (Jackson, Doug- las, Josephine) League, notes longtime I.V. resident Walt Farmer, 74. Farmer was a member of the 1950 team that had a 6-0 record. It was the first year for Illinois Valley High in a brand-new facility on Junction Avenue. It’s now Lorna Byrne Middle School. Farmer recalls playing on a field in the vicinity of the current Jubilee Park pa- vilion. He remembers that a layer of sawdust, some 2 inches thick, had been ap- plied to the boggy site. So although the field looked level and solid, it wasn’t. At one point during a game, he was tackled, he said, and with others piling on, he “nearly drowned,” as there was plenty of water beneath the sawdust. The Nov. 2, 1950 issue of Illinois Valley News in- cludes a page 1 story head- lined “Cougars J.D.J. Cham- pions.” It reads in part: “Spotting the Pointers seven points in the first half, the Cougars roared to vic- tory and the championship with two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the final period. “By defeating the Cen- tral Point Team 20 to 7, Illi- nois Valley ended an unde- feated season of league play.” The final score was 20- 7. The article also notes that IVHS gained 175 yards, and Central Point 118 yards. In the same I.V. News issue, a page 9 article is headed “Roberta Bryant Homecoming Queen.” The story includes: “The championship trophy, won by the Cougars in this game (vs. Central Point) was the first football trophy to be won by a Val- ley eleven.” The article also reads in part: “Roberta Bryant, home- coming queen, was crowned by Ronnie Maurer, Cougar football captain at the first annual homecoming dance last Saturday night in the elaborately decorated gym. Two princesses were Lorraine Mellow, senior princess, and Annabelle Brewer, junior princess. “The day’s events be- gan at 1:45 p.m. when floats from various classes and school organizations were displayed in a parade down the main street of Cave Junction. The Junior class won the Homecoming tro- phy for the best float in the parade. Their float portrayed a graveyard with tomb- stones having the score of each of I.V.’s league games on them, and an open grave waiting for Central Point. “At 2 p.m. students and townspeople gathered at Spitz Field where the foot- ball game was to be played. Most of the spectators sat in cars or carried umbrellas to keep dry, an almost impossi- ble feat. Despite the steady downpour and muddy field, spirits remained undaunted and the Cougars came through with flying colors in winning the game and J.D.J. championship. “Considering the many undermining conditions, the tremendous spirit and enthu- siasm displayed by both the team and spectators was remarkable.” Unfortunately, said Farmer in his recollections, the championship team did not get to go to state compe- tition. The coach got into some legal problem, and the Cougars of 1950 had to be content with their league championship. Otherwise, they could have been state champs too. Now it’s up the Cougars of 2007 to do just that. Anthony Gallegos, 20, of Cave Junction, suffered injuries in a motorcycle vs. pickup truck crash Monday, Oct. 29 reported at 6:14 p.m. The accident occurred at the inter- section of Watkins Street and Hussey Avenue. Gallegos was transported by American Medical Response (AMR). He knows we’ve got warts, but finds valley cool site By WALLY AIKEN For IVN During a recent conver- sation with city of Cave Junction Mayor Tony Paul- son we were discussing Illi- nois Valley’s status, or more correctly the perceived lack of status in the hierarchy of Josephine County. I asked Tony about the “Step-child Syndrome” or, as some call it, “The Hay’s Hill Syndrome.” Paulson immediately turned the question back on me and asked what I thought about it, and it got me to thinking. Why are we so ma- ligned as a backwater com- munity just getting used to indoor plumbing? I began to categorize some of the elements that comprise our community and make it special. Those who know me also know that I frequently make a valiant attempt to be a rock star, and that brought to mind some of the players I’ve worked with here. I im- mediately thought of Charley Greenwood, to me the es- sence of guitar player. Then there’s some cool Lorna Byrne school September Students of the Month Principal Damien Crow- son, of Lorna Byrne Mid- dle School, is pleased to present some of the out- standing Viking students. (Rear, from left) Elizabeth Jenkins, 7th grade; Thea Barker-Cortrecht, and Jesse Orndoff, both 8th graders; and (front, from left) Ashley Terry and Joshua Allan, both 6th graders; and Trey Dilley, 7th grade. H.D. PATTON JR C O N S T 541 • R U He was cited on charges of reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, and driving while suspended. The driver of the other vehicle was Bruce Parker, of Cave Junction. I.V. Fire District and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded with AMR. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News) C T 476-2127 I O N Lic #39671 Are you in business? Reserve your space now for the I.V. News special Thanksgiving section. Phone 592-2541 R EACH - U p , S TAND - UP , F LY - UP ! Latin Jazz coming from Tony Melendez. You want singer/songwriters? How about B Wishes or Libby Goines. Blues? Dave Angus on piano. Country? Dale Hopper. A unique Bluegrass- tinged fun sound? Check out Jefferson. Yes, I’m going to forget some players here. I honestly don’t have the space. Deal with it. The point is that we have an amazing concentra- tion of first-rate musicians and artists in our valley. Then, probably because I had just finished talking with the mayor, I thought about our city council. Love ‘em or hate ’em, you still have to acknowledge and respect them. Here are five people who, for no pay, make decisions that are just going to upset some of the people all of the time. They are trying to bal- ance realities with hope, and to liven up matters you throw in a wannabe Woodward/ Bernstein like me into the mix. This does not describe the social scene I would choose, but these five citi- zens of our community chose it just to try and make things better. We have the Chautauqua lecture series put on by vol- unteers from right here. Every couple of weeks you can attend an educational presentation. But before you start to roll your eyes, let me suggest that you ask anyone who attended the last one what they thought. These are entertaining. We’ve heard the travel brochure description of our scenery so often that many take it for granted. Still, I would guess that there isn’t a single resident who hasn’t been taken in by the snow- covered coastal mountains acting as background to the view of Illinois Valley. I guess I’m trying to say that we have a community with character and charac- ters. Yes, we have our warts. This community will some- times frustrate and exasper- ate but will, I believe, some- how find solutions. Sometime when you’re in town and have a few min- utes, walk the circuit and just look in the windows of downtown. I can promise it won’t be boring. And you might notice that it’s almost impossible to walk through CJ without saying “Hi” to someone you know. This sometimes works to a disadvantage, but it’s still good to realize that you know the people here.
