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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010
Alderson tapped to fill IVHS athletic director position
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
When Mark Higgins an-
nounced that he was accepting
a position at Fleming Middle
School, JoAnn Bethany had
hoped to replace him with
someone who had similar
qualifications.
Fortunately for the Illinois
Valley High School principal,
33-year-old Casey Alderson
applied for the job.
Alderson started as the
new IVHS athletic director on
Tuesday, Aug. 24. He brings
eight years of experience as a
coach and teacher.
Born and raised in Grants
Pass, Alderson attended Red-
wood Elementary School and
South Middle School. In 1995,
Alderson graduated from
Grants Pass High School
(GPHS), where he had been
active in football and other
athletic programs.
Alderson attended South-
ern Oregon University (SOU),
earning his undergraduate de-
gree in business management
and economics 2001. Alderson
earned a masters degree in
teaching and administration
from SOU in 2003.
The first four years of
Alderson’s career brought
him full circle, as he worked
at South Middle School
teaching math and coaching.
He also coached at GPHS on
a part-time basis before shift-
ing over there full-time to
coach football and track and
teach math and computer
classes.
Alderson said that he
plans to emphasize greater
participation in sports pro-
grams, and hopes to build
feeder programs at the elemen-
tary and middle school levels.
This will be the first year
that IVHS will be in the 3-A
conference. It previously had
been a 4-A school, but
dropped down due to contin-
ued declining enrollment.
Although IVHS will be
competing with similarly sized
schools, some of its new rivals
in the 3-A conference are open
-enrollment schools which can
recruit talent from outside their
immediate area. But through
his experience coaching at
GPHS, Alderson has grown
used to competing under such
a scenario.
“It will be an exciting time
for us,” Alderson said. “The
competition will be exactly
what we are looking for.”
Coaches for the fall and
winter sports and fall season
schedules have already have
been worked out by the pre-
vious athletic director, Alder-
son said, which “makes the
transition a lot easier.”
In his years as a student
athlete, Alderson experienced
very high levels of success.
The GPHS football team
Fall sports coaches, season openers listed
es
The 2010-11 school year
begins Tuesday, Sept. 7 for
students in the Three Rivers
School District. As such, the
fall sports season is just around
the corner.
For the first time, Illinois
Valley High School athletes
will be competing in the 3-A
conference, rather than the 4-
A. Former Skyline Conference
rivals like Hidden Valley and
North Valley will be replaced
by teams from Rogue River,
Lost River, Lakeview, Chilo-
quin and Glide high schools.
Cougar squads also will com-
pete with open enrollment
schools like St. Mary’s and
Cascade Christian.
Ray Yarbrough is set to
take the helm as head coach of
the IVHS varsity football
team. Assisting him with the
football program will be Mike
Murphy, Tony Hess, Aaron
Geohring, Shawn Hardy,
Randy Keith, Matt Knight and
Vincent Becker.
The varsity football team
will have its first game on Fri-
day, Sept. 3. The Cougars will
host Brookings Harbor in Cave
Junction at 7 p.m. On Friday,
Sept. 10, the junior varsity
squad will host Lost River
High School. That game is set
to start at 4 p.m.
Cathy Pope will be the head
volleyball coach, with Jeannie
Sherman and Kristen Arrigotti
assisting. The varsity volleyball
squad will open its season on
Thursday, Sept. 2 by hosting
Happy Camp High School at
I.V.’s Ken Mann Memorial
Gym starting at 6:30 p.m.
The junior varsity volley-
ball team will host Happy
Camp Sept. 2, beginning at
5:15 p.m.
Gary Enoch will coach the
boys varsity soccer team,
which opens its season Friday,
Sept. 3 at Phoenix High
School at 10 a.m.
Dick Matti will serve as
the head coach for the girls
soccer squad, with Rex Wes-
sels assisting. That squad will
make its season debut Thurs-
day, Sept. 9 at Del Norte High
School at 4 p.m.
Bill Yeoman will be the
head coach for the cross coun-
try team, with assistance from
Todd Kaberline and Brandy
Eichmann.
Heather Merrill will return
as head cheerleader coach.
Mary and Christina Paul will
assist.
reached the second
round of the playoffs in
two consecutive years
during his stint there.
Alderson also played
basketball for the Cave-
men.
Bethany said that
Alderson’s education
credentials mean that he
will be able to teach all
of the same classes that
Higgins taught. As
such, she added, IVHS
will not have to do any
schedule changes to
reflect the shift in the
athletic director posi-
tion.
“I am able to start
right in where Mark left
off,” Alderson said. “It
should be a really good
fit.”
Casey Alderson
Liquor dollars distributed
The Oregon Liquor Control
Commission (OLCC) distrib-
uted nearly $172 million to Ore-
gon cities, counties and state
general fund, as well as mental
health, alcohol and drug treat-
ment services during the 2009-
10 fiscal year that ended June
30.
During that fiscal period,
Josephine County received
$329,146. The city of Cave
Junction received $19,655; and
the city of Grants Pass
$377,144.
More than $97 million
went to Oregon’s general fund
to help pay for critical services
including schools, health care
and enforcement. Additionally,
cities and counties received $66
million to support their budgets
including services such as pay-
ing for police officers or to pur-
chase fire trucks and ambu-
lances.
Some $8 million was dedi-
cated solely to supporting Ore-
gon’s mental health, alcoholism
and drug services programs.
Another $267,306 went to Ore-
gon’s Wine Board, which helps
support the Oregon wine indus-
try, “further enhancing our local
economy.”
The money is distributed to
cities and counties based on
population.
LARGE REWARD!
For identity of Laurel Road thieves
Phone 541-287-0290 for details
IVHS Activities Calendar
brought to you by the folks at
541-592-3556
Cave Junction
541-471-7487
Grants Pass
541-469-7545
Brookings
541-773-7487
Medford
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2
* Volleyball vs. Happy Camp
JV girls @ 5:15 p.m.
* Volleyball vs. Happy Camp
Varsity girls @ 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 3
* Soccer at Phoenix
Varsity boys @ 10 a.m.
* Football vs. Brookings
Harbor
Varsity boys @ 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 4
* Volleyball at Yreka
Tournament
Varsity girls @ TBA
TUESDAY, SEPT. 7
* Volleyball at New Hope
JV girls @ 5:15 p.m.
* Volleyball at New Hope
Varsity girls @ 6:30 p.m.