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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2011)
Sports Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Apr. 27, 2011 (Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News) Illinois Valley High School runner Jay Tatone (far left) in neck-and-neck with opponents in the 100-meter dash Friday, April 22 in Medford. IVHS underclassmen rack up PRs By Darcy Wallace IVN Staff Writer Many Cougar track athletes had their best performances of the season during the Friday, April 22, meet at South Medford High School. The annual Bob Newland Classic gives freshman and sophomores from area high schools the chance to compete against athletes of similar experience levels, making for highly competitive races. According to IVHS track coach Ray Yarbrough, 20 Cougars achieved new personal records. “This is one of our favorite meets that we’ve always done,” Yarbrough said. “Most of the time [underclassmen] are competing with older varsity athletes. When they compete against kids their own age they can really see how much they’re improving.” Schools from all six conferences showed up April 22, including Cascade Christian, Rogue River and St. Mary’s from the 3-A level. Illinois Valley athletes didn’t place in the top six for points, but freshman Amanda Brooks got eighth place in the 100-meter race and the girls’ 4x100-meter relay placed ninth. Yarbrough said first-time pole- vaulter Joshua Allan was surprised with his success in the event, jumping 8 ft 6 inches. “They should try their hardest every time; but I think when they’re in the mix and they see they’re this competitive, they may run just a little bit harder,” Yarbrough said. “I felt [this meet] pushed them and they saw they could be successful.” With many Cougars making big improvements since the season began, Yarbrough said the focus is still to make sure athletes peak at the right time going into Districts and State. “We’re going to work really hard the next couple of weeks with lots of lifting and hard running,” Yarbrough said. “We’re planning on surprising some people at regionals.” Illinois Valley track is scheduled to compete at Lakeview High School on Saturday, April 30, followed by the Brookings Harbor Twilight on Tuesday, May 3. Boys’ golf gets season’s best score By Darcy Wallace IVN Staff Writer The Illinois Valley High School boys’ golf team played in a small, but successful tournament on Friday, April 22, at Cedar Bend Golf Course in Gold Beach, Ore. Senior Roger Hults led the team with a 79, followed by varsity teammates Fred Hults at 83, Jesse Bethke with 95 and Matt Coultas with 99. “At this tournament there were only two teams, but we finished with our best score of the year at 356,” Knight said. Along with a steady improvement of its varsity players, Knight said Keaton Bradley also joined the team April 22, scoring at 124. The Cougars were set to play at Eagle Point Golf Course Monday, April 25, as they gear up for district tournament May 5 and 6. (Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News) Andrew “Big Mac” McLaughlin went 4 for 4 in the game one loss against St. Mary’s Saturday April 23. Cougars split doubleheader at St. Mary’s By Darcy Wallace IVN Staff Writer Illinois Valley High School’s baseball team won one and lost one in a doubleheader against St. Mary’s in Medford Saturday, April 23. Both the Cougars and Crusaders scored back-and-forth runs in the first game, ending up in a close 13-16 loss for IVHS. Illinois Valley coach Bob Johnson said the team struggled at first with pitching, making some uncharacteristic errors and walking some players. But in game two, the Cougars bounced back for a nearly flawless 5-1 win. “I thought we had a really good chance to win the first game but we gave it away a little bit,” Johnson said. “But we hit the ball better than we have been. They were disappointed after the first but came back and won the second.” Some Cougars who had hits included Lander Nordal, Mason LaFlamme, Anthony Becker, Seth Arias and Zach Anderson. Johnson said Andrew McLaughlin went 4-4 in the first game. In game two, the Cougars learned from mistakes and clamped down on pitching while still getting hits. Johnson said Anderson pitched a total of ten innings in the doubleheader, allowing only one run in the second game and striking out ten. “In general our defense has been playing pretty well,” Johnson said. “We just need to put together good pitching, defense and [offense] at the same time. They’re playing hard and I think they’re all giving 100 percent. Even if we get beat, if we’re doing the best we can that’s all I can ask. I’m proud of them.” Illinois Valley was scheduled to play Tuesday, April 26, at Rogue River High School, followed by Lakeview at home on Saturday, April 30.
