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.