WHS PREVIEWS
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016
9A
Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Head coach Jim Hackwith delivers a message to the
Warrenton Volleyball team in a preseason practice.
WARRENTON BEGINS THE ‘EDWARDS ERA’
Hackwith back in
the saddle again
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
ABOVE: Warrenton Football Head Coach Jason Edwards talks to his team as they practice earlier this month, at Warrenton High
School . BELOW: Gio Martinez throws the ball during drills as the Warriors football team practices at Warrenton High School .
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
A
nother coaching change, youth at
almost every position and the loss
of fi ve all-league players. Can the
Warrenton Warriors deal with all that, and
still compete in 2016?
It could be a rough September, but any-
thing can happen in a four-game league
season.
The times, they are a-changin’ (again)
for Warrenton football. The fi rst change
starts at the top, where Jason Edwards
takes over as head coach, replacing Tra-
vis Freeman.
Warrenton has not made the state play-
offs since 2012, and hasn’t scored points
in the state playoffs since 2009. The War-
riors have also not had a winning record in
league play since going 3-2 in 2008, slip-
ping to 0-2 in the two-game league sea-
son of 2014.
And after 38 years of John Mattila
(1974-2011), the Warriors are on their
third coach in three years (Ian O’Brien,
Freeman and Edwards).
“I think the community is a little gun-
shy, after seeing all the turnover after such
a long legacy with Mattila,” said Edwards,
who was an assistant on Freeman’s coach-
ing staff last season.
Still, “It’s a fabulous opportunity,” he
said. “I love this community. I have the
best job in the world.”
Lewis & Clark League
Clatskanie’s losses were Rainier’s
gains in the off-season, while Portland
Christian and Warrenton look for a top-
two fi nish in the four-team league.
The Tigers of Clatskanie were facing a
major rebuilding job to begin with, then
lost several key starters to the Colum-
bians, as all-league lineman Job Karber
and Cooper Blodgett have transferred to
Rainier.
Rainier also acquired Vernonia’s Steele
Ware, who helped the Loggers to a North-
west League title last year, but is now back
with the Columbians.
Rainier is the defi nite favorite for the
league title. The No. 2 spot is up for grabs.
WARRIOR FOOTBALL
Coach: Jason Edwards, 1st year
2015: 4-5 (1-2 L&C)
All-League Losses: Nathan Bighill,
Anthony Cochran, Gavon McFadden,
Eli Petersen, Hunter Wilson
“I was an assistant and JV coach last
year, so I’m familiar with everybody,”
Edwards said. “I heard Clatskanie’s down
and Rainier is up, and Portland Christian
is Portland Christian.”
Warriors
All-League Returner: Devon Bowser,
Sr. (OL/DL)
2016 ROSTER
No.
Name
Position
4
Gio Martinez, So.
QB/DB
15
Preston Miller, Jr.
QB/DB
21
Ray Alcobendas, Sr.
RB/DB
33
Brian Sheppard, Sr.
RB/LB
38
Devon Bowser, Sr.
RB/DL
42
Logan Fischer, Jr.
RB/LB
51
Hayden Bingham, Sr.
OL/LB
52
Jared Middleton, Sr.
OL/DL
53
Caden Hans, Jr.
DL/LB
54
Tim Warren, Jr.
OL/DL
57
Collin Burchell, Jr.
OL/DL
59
Beau Reynolds, Jr.
OL/DL
70
Nathan Oseguera, Sr.
OL/DL
85
Derek Ham, Sr.
TE/LB
“The numbers are a little down from last
year, but we have a really good young core
coming up,” Edwards said. “We’re going to
be a young team this year. But the future is
bright, and we’re rebuilding the foundation.”
All the seniors — which isn’t that many
— return. Edwards said the team captains
will be Ray Alcobendas, Hayden Bing-
ham, Devon Bowser and Brian Sheppard.
Bowser is the only returning all-league
player, as an offensive and defensive lineman.
The Warriors played most of last year
with a freshman quarterback (Gio Marti-
nez), along with sophomore Preston Miller.
On the plus side, “we’ve got talent all
over the fi eld,” Edwards said. “Our work
ethic is the strength of our team.”
The Warriors will certainly be in shape,
as Edwards had the group running hard in
the August heat.
On Edwards’ staff will be Lenny
Brown, Craig Horton, Jim Kyme, Mike
Larsen and Chris Sheppard.
Warriors have large turnout for cross country
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
Warrenton cross country
coach Hayley Espelund Rogers
is hoping that bigger numbers
result in higher fi nishes in the
big meets this year, as the War-
riors enter a new season.
Every pre season, Rogers
takes her runners to Central Ore-
gon for a week of fun before the
competitive running starts.
“We just had the biggest
cross country camp ever,” Rog-
ers said, “and we have the most
numbers out this year, and I am
confi dent we will have a couple
more join once school starts.”
Which is defi nitely good
news for the Warriors, who
compete in the always-tough
District 1-3A/2A/1A.
The Warrenton boys fi n-
ished ninth out of 10 teams in
Daily Astorian /File Photo
Taylor Owens will trade the
hurdles for cross country
this fall, as she will run some
longer distances for the War-
renton cross country team.
last year’s district meet, while
the Lady Warriors placed sev-
enth out of seven teams.
For the Warrenton girls, “we
GIVE ‘EM
YOUR BEST
TEAMS!
have Elle Schenbeck, Krista
Morrill, Saran Pottschmidt,
Rebecca Sprengeler, Ivy
McCargish and Madison
Kadera returning, as well as
Taylor Owens, a transfer who
has run cross country,” but not
for Warrenton, Rogers said.
“She did track and had a great
season (placing at state in the
hurdles).”
New students include Trin-
ity Womack and Alma Bolanos,
and freshmen Kaisa Liljenwall
and Anna Schenbeck.
“Our girls’ team is the big-
gest ever,” Rogers said. “And
we have some leaders who
have been around the team all
their high school careers. I hope
to see them not only mentoring
our younger runners but getting
some new PR’s and having fun
while they’re at it.”
Returning runners for the
boys includes senior Luke Lil-
jenwall, who placed 31st out of
83 runners in last year’s district
meet.
Warrenton has added Alan
Martinez, “and we’re hoping
Jeryd Lewis joins us, though he
has had some injury problems,”
Rogers said.
Sophomore A.J. Schen-
beck is returning, “and we
have a new sophomore, Axel
Martinez,” she said. “We also
have a student who is transfer-
ring from North Coast, Forest
Bigelow.
“All of these boys can run,
so I’m excited to see what they
do this season as a team and
individuals.”
Warrenton will also host its
third annual “Wreck Race” in
October, held in and around the
parking area and beach near the
Peter Iredale.
Lewis & Clark League
Lots of returning stars in
the L&C. With fi ve private
schools, plus Rainier, there
usually is.
The list of outstanding tal-
ent includes league Player of
the Year Breana Edwards of
Rainier, back for her junior
season.
The Columbians lost a
few all-league seniors off last
year’s team, but Coach of the
Year Mike Edwards will likely
reload with another title-con-
tending lineup.
Oregon Episcopal (Belle
Scott) and Portland Adventist
(Sarah Halverson) return with
fi rst-team all-league players.
“Rainier should be very
strong,” Hackwith said. “Port-
Coach: Jim Hackwith, 1st
year (10th overall)
2015: 5-6 L&C
Playoffs: 1-1 in league
playoffs
All-League Losses: Ally
Bentley, Libby Biel
All-League Returner:
Landree Miethe, Sr.
land Christian is also going to
be strong, and PAA and OES
always seem to come up with
good varsity teams.”
Lady Warriors
The fi rst task for Hack-
with is replacing two of War-
renton’s top hitters from a year
ago, Ally Bentley and Libby
Biel.
All-everything Landree
Miethe returns for her senior
year, but Warrenton’s top all-
around athlete will need help,
and the Warriors will need to
play a solid defense with their
lack of height and hitters.
“We’ll have to develop a
very good defensive team,”
Hackwith said. “We lost some
of our good hitters — although
we have a few who are com-
ing along nicely. Landree is a
strong outside hitter, and Mor-
gan Blodgett is actually play-
ing well as a middle and is also
a strong hitter.”
Regardless, “we’ll have to
play strong a defense to disrupt
the other teams, and as always
hope to avoid the mistakes on
offense,” he said. “And you
can’t score points if you can’t
serve.”
The Warriors had fi ve
seniors last year, and they’ve
got fi ve more this season.
Besides Miethe, the Fab
Five includes Katelynn
Blodgett, Cheyenne Harri-
son, Asia Lambert and Sierra
Lyons.
Michelle Arney, setter Leah
Durham and middle blocker
Chloe Magranahan are War-
renton’s trio of juniors; while
sophomores Morgan Blodgett
and Claire Bussert round out
the roster.
Asia Lambert, right, is one of five seniors on the War-
renton volleyball roster for 2016.
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He’s baaaaack … a famil-
iar face is returning to the side-
lines for Warrenton volley-
ball, as Jim Hackwith returns
as head coach for the 2016
season, stepping in for Jenny
Smith, who may or may not
return next year.
“I’m looking at it as a one-
year thing, but that’s still up in
the air,” Hackwith said.
That being said, “It’s amaz-
ing how many things can
change in just a few years,”
said Hackwith, who coached
the Warriors from 2005 to
2013, after taking over for
Dianne Dick following the
2004 season.
“I don’t have to deal with
Corbett or Valley Catholic like
we did when I coached before,
and now we have Portland
Christian,” he said.
Hackwith had lots of suc-
cess during his fi rst tenure, with
four state-qualifying teams
from 2006-09, followed by
three more winning seasons.
But the Warriors have
fallen on hard times lately,
with league records of 2-9,
4-6 and 5-6 over the last three
years.
Warrenton opened the
2015 season with sweeps over
Knappa and Seaside, then lost
three of its fi rst four league
matches.
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