SHS PREVIEWS
10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
CROSS COUNTRY
Seaside boys set to repeat as state champs
we have kids out here who
were part of that team last year,
37 kids who ran at district …
and we’re going to take care of
everybody and have fun. I do
not get lost or wrapped up in the
state meet.
“If we take care of kids, treat’
em right, train them proper …
everybody is going to improve,
and then what comes from that,
comes from that.”
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
“Perfect and gettin’ bet-
ter,” is a favorite phrase of Sea-
side cross country coach Neil
Branson.
It’s also the perfect it for
the Seaside boys’ cross country
team.
The Gulls were certainly per-
fect in 2015 — enough to win
the Class 4A state championship
in Eugene. And they were also
“gettin’ better,” since six of their
seven runners who competed at
state were non-seniors.
As it turns out, their top six
inishers in the meet at Lane
Community College were the
non-seniors. All of which spells
one thing, as the Gulls enter the
2016 season: R-E-P-E-A-T.
Led by individual state
champion Bradley Rzewnicki,
Branson’s crew is the best in
Oregon as they enter a new year,
in search of another state title.
The Seaside boys inished
with 49 points to top the 14
boys’ programs who competed
with full teams in the state meet.
The next closest was Phoenix,
with 65.
Rzewnicki — who had actu-
ally inished second in the Cow-
apa League meet just 10 days
earlier — ran the 5,000-meter
course at LCC in 16 minutes, 13
seconds, inishing well ahead of
Tony Hooks, a senior at Sisters.
And Rzewnicki did not
have to wait around long for his
teammates, as Hunter Thomp-
son crossed the inished line
in 16:34 for ifth place; Jack-
son Januik took ninth in 16:40;
The Cowapa
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
Seaside’s Bradley Rzewnicki is the returning individual state champion in Class 4A, for
the defending state team champion Gulls.
and Rai Sibony placed 12th in
16:59.
Colton Carter was 31st and
Juneau Meyer 33rd, with senior
Jack Whittle placing 89th.
The theme for Class 4A
boys’ cross country in Oregon
this year? “Chasing Seaside.”
That’s what everybody will
be doing this year, as Rzewnicki,
Thompson, Januik, Sibony, Car-
ter and Meyer all return. Rze-
wnicki, Thompson, Januik and
Meyer are seniors, while Sibony
and Carter are juniors.
This year’s senior class could
turn out to be one of the most
decorated in Seaside school
history.
In addition to their state
championship in cross coun-
try, Carter, Januik, Meyer and
Thompson played for Seaside’s
league champion soccer team,
while Januik and Thompson
played key roles in leading the
Gulls all the way to the state title
game in basketball last March.
In the spring, Januik was the
800-meter state champion in
track.
“That was great last year,”
Branson said. “It was fun the
way it came together, and all the
cooperation.
“The important thing is that
GIRLS SOCCER
Coach Garhofer hopes to
see that ‘ire in the belly’
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
The 2016 season marks the
irst year of the “Josh Garhofer
Era,” as the former Gull soccer
player takes over as head coach
of the Seaside varsity girls soc-
cer program.
Garhofer replaces Matt John-
son, who led the Lady Gulls for
two years, following the retire-
ment of Dave Rouse after the
2013 season. Johnson remains on
the coaching staff, as does Rouse.
And Garhofer will have
his hands full, as Seaside must
replace three all-leaguers, and
nine total seniors lost to gradu-
ation. The Gulls lost ive of their
last seven games in 2015 … and
as always, the Cowapa League
promises to be one of the best in
the state at the 4A level.
“Our goal is the same every
year: Get to the inals,” Gar-
hofer said. “But irst and fore-
most I want the group to really
come together and be a team.
Winning is important, but the
most important aspect is to have
a love and appreciation for the
game.
“I want to see them have
that ‘ire in their bellies.’ An old
coach of mine would repeat that.
I believe they have it.”
The Cowapa
The “Conference of Cham-
pions” performs well in just
about every sport — none more
so than girls soccer.
Scappoose is the defending
state champion at the 4A level,
as the Indians beat Valley Catho-
lic in the semiinals and inished
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
Lizzy Barnes, right, going against Astoria’s Jenna Ru-
dolph in last year’s Clatsop Clash, hopes to lead Seaside
to a winning season in her senior year.
SEASIDE GIRLS SOCCER
Coach: Josh Garhofer, 1st year
2015: 4-8-2 (4-6 Cowapa)
All-League Losses: Sophie Trevino; Whitney Westerholm; Alie
Zagata
All-League Returners: Bryre Babbitt, Jr.; Lizzy Barnes, Sr.
the season a perfect 18-0.
Scappoose was brutal on the
North Coast teams last year, out-
scoring Astoria and Seaside by
a combined 35-0 in four games.
Scappoose will still be
forced to reload, following the
graduation of 10 seniors. Valley
Catholic lost nine seniors, mak-
ing 2016 a good year to rebuild
and possibly challenge the upper
half of the league.
The Cowapa had three teams
in the 2014 quarterinals, with
Valley Catholic winning the
state title; and Scappoose won
it all in 2013, as the Cowapa
(whichever team it may be) will
be attempting to win its fourth
straight state championship.
The Valiants actually won the
state title at the 3A/2A/1A level
in 2013, making it four state titles
won by Cowapa League teams
in the last three years. Let’s see
another league do that.
The Lady Gulls
Last year’s varsity team had
a lot of seniors, four freshmen
… and not much in between.
Now, however, the Gulls
have seven seniors on the cur-
rent roster, as they gained some
irst-year varsity seniors.
Seaside will look to Lizzy
Barnes and Morgan Brown as
the two senior leaders this sea-
son. Barnes is a returning all-
league midielder.
“Both (Barnes and Brown)
have a strong sense of the game
and I look forward to seeing
what they will do this season,”
Garhofer said. “Getting Sydney
Villegas back from a hiatus on
soccer last year will also boost
our team.”
Elsewhere, having solid
juniors such as Bryre Babbitt
and Corrie Falleur “is always
helpful,” he said. “Being able to
slot into any spot as well as giv-
ing our back line a strong pres-
ence is very important.
“Kirstin Lent (Sr.) and Geri-
Ann Klaffke (Jr.) will be our
goalkeepers,” he said. “Being
unafraid of the ball is a rare
thing to ind in some keepers,
and I am very excited to see their
growth.”
Adding youthful depth to
the roster, Garhofer said, “soph-
omores Chloe Bartel, Katie
Zagata, Audrey Kunde and
Maddie Brown will also be very
important to our success.
“Having one year of varsity
soccer under their belt, I expect
them to be more conident with
the ball.”
New additions to the team
include Patricia Granillo, Paola
Campuzano, Dania Nolazco and
Jessica Angulo-Joli.
“All four came into prac-
tice ighting for a spot,” said the
coach. “They have earned it.”
Before the Seaside boys can
win another state title, they have
to get out of their own league
irst — the toughest at the 4A
level.
The rankings going into the
state meet had Seaside irst, Til-
lamook second and Valley Cath-
olic third.
Because only two teams
advance from district meets,
only the Gulls and Cheesemak-
ers took teams to state.
“We had the top three teams
in the state, and Valley Catholic
drew the short straw,” Branson
said. Statewide, “Who knows
what other school has popped
up? In our own league, all we
can do is take care of our own
business and have fun with it.
“Tillamook will be com-
petitive,” he said. “And Valley
Catholic has huge numbers. The
Scappoose girls always have
numbers, and they’re a well-or-
ganized team.
“October 27 (league cham-
pionships) is when you lay it on
the line.”
The Gulls
In addition to the above,
“we’ve added one (senior Will
Garvin) who was here his fresh-
man year, and wants to give it
another go,” Branson said..
“And you can’t be a 300-
meter hurdler without having a
few strings of toughness in you.
“The biggest thing with
these guys coming back — cer-
tainly they’re talented — but
they’re just plain tough. They
know how to compete,” he said.
“And not necessarily for the irst
half-mile. I don’t know much
about soccer, but they know
how to attack and defend. It’s
the same way they play basket-
ball. You can’t coach that. They
just innately know how to com-
pete in everything they do, even
in the classroom. I just sit back
for the ride.”
And “we’ve got some others
coming in,” including freshman
Beau Johnson. “We have nine
kids working for seven spots.
Having that internal competition
is good.”
The Seaside girls inished
fourth out of six in the team
standings in the Cowapa League
meet last year, but there’s plenty
to look forward to for the Lady
Gulls in 2016.
Their top two runners in
the league meet were freshman
Katie Zagata and junior Josie
Smith, who inished fourth and
ifth, respectively, out of 42 run-
ners. (Smith would inish 16th at
state, out of 108 runner).
The Seaside girls are hop-
ing to add a little depth this sea-
son, to climb the Cowapa lad-
der and make a run at traditional
league powers Tillamook and
Scappoose.
Seaside volleyball
looks for a real
new year in 2016
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
It’s a tough battle to put a
winning team on the court in
Cowapa League volleyball.
No program knows that more
than Seaside.
Look no further than the
Gulls’ league records over the
last ive years: 1-9, 1-9, 0-10,
1-9, 1-9 — a combined 4-46
league mark since their 7-3
record in 2010.
There are signs of encour-
agement — Seaside inally
managed to score a league win
over Astoria last season, and the
Gulls only had one senior (Brit-
tany West) on last year’s ros-
ter. Everybody else returns for
head coach Angie Huntsman.
The Lady Gulls
Seaside’s only all-league
player in 2015 was junior
blocker Maddi Utti, who
missed part of the season after
suffering an injury while play-
ing basketball.
SEASIDE
VOLLEYBALL
Coach: Angie Huntsman,
4th year
2015: 1-9 Cowapa
All-League Returner:
Maddi Utti, Sr.
She returns as one of three
seniors, along with outside hit-
ter Lucy Bodner and libero
Mica Paranal.
Elsewhere, the Gulls had
three freshmen on last year’s
varsity, all of whom saw action
— Annaka Garhofer, Anna
Huddleston and Tori Tomlin.
All three return for their soph-
omore seasons, with a fourth
sophomore, outside hitter Emy
Kiser.
A talented junior class
includes potential all-league
outside hitter Jetta Ideue, along
with middle blockers Alyssia
Gonzales and Nikki Mercado,
and libero Sequoia Shand.
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
Maddi Utti enters her senior year at Seaside High School,
and will be looking to spike the competition in volleyball.
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