8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2018 ASTORIA FISHERMEN FOOTBALL • VOLLEYBALL Astoria looks for return to ‘Wreak Havoc’ By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian ASTORIA FOOTBALL T he high hopes for 2017 did not quite pan out for the Astoria football team. Coming off a league title in 2016, the Fishermen were hoping to at least match their second-round showing in the state playoffs. As it was, Asto- ria lost a regional play-in game at Estacada to finish with their first losing record since 2014. Will the 2018 team help Astoria football get back on track? It would be a good year for it, as the Fishermen cel- ebrate the 10th anniversary of their one and only state championship. They’ve even brought back the 2008 “Wreak Havoc” slo- gan for 2018. “We feel like if we stay healthy, we’ll have a chance to be a competitive team,” said coach Howard Rub, entering his 19th year at the helm. A three-game stretch of nonleague games (at Scap- poose, home games vs. Stay- ton and Estacada), followed by the first league game at Sea- side, Rub said, “by the end of September, we’ll definitely know where we’re at in life.” THE COWAPA Ordinarily one of the toughest leagues in the state, the Cowapa just got a little lighter at the top. Defending league champion and usual state qualifier Scappoose is gone, as the Indians jump to the 5A level. And in comes Molalla, which was 3-6 as a member of the Tri-Valley Conference. So, the 2018 league title will be up for grabs between the three teams who always seem to be chasing Scappoose — Astoria, Banks and Seaside. The Gulls have the inside track, returning key players from a team that finished sec- ond behind the Indians last Coach: Howard Rub, 19th year 2017: 4-5 (2-3 league) Playoffs: Lost regional play-in at Estacada All-league losses: Trey Hageman, Zac Patter- son, Tyler Ranta, Andrew Schauermann. All-league returners: Ben Carpenter, Sr., Josiah Hirsch, Sr., Ian Hunt, Sr., Balan Kolee, Sr., David Merry, Sr., Henry Samuel- son, Sr., Justin Villa, Sr. Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian Astoria quarterback Justin Villa has his eyes on a big senior season for the Fishermen. year, and spent the better part of the season ranked in the top three before an upset loss in the state playoffs. “It will be real interesting with Molalla being there, and not having a great knowledge of what they have going on,” Rub said of the Cowapa’s new- est addition. “Banks and Seaside return a lot of good players, and I know coach (Kye) Johnson believes that the Cheesemak- ers are ready to turn a cor- ner. So it will be a very tough league season.” The Fishermen not only open the league season at Sea- side, they must travel to Banks for the second year in a row. THE FISHERMEN So where does Astoria fit in the new-look Cowapa? Experience shouldn’t be a problem, with seven all- league returners, including four linemen. The Fishermen offense is always a unit to watch for the rest of the Cowapa League. After a preseason jamboree at Seaside, Rub said, “the first group showed some good signs of where we’re at. Up front we have a lot of returning players. Most of our starters on the line last year were juniors.” And they’ve got size. “Whenever you have Ben Carpenter (6-foot-6, 375 pounds) being the first guy off the bus, it gets people’s atten- tion,” Rub said. At the skill positions, Asto- ria must replace quarterbacks Karsten Johnson (graduated) and Tristan Wallace (trans- ferred to Knappa), along with Tyler Ranta and Trey Hage- man, who did a little bit of everything. On the plus side, “Ian Hunt and Josh Olson are back at receiver, and Tryton Matlock has been real steady there,” Rub said. “Junior Tristan Boyle has also stepped up.” At running back, he said, “between Niko (Caruana) and Ryan Stutznegger, we saw good things out of both of them at times” in the jamboree. The quarterback position will be manned by senior Justin Villa, an all-league receiver last year who has traded his No. 32 jersey for No. 5. “Every once in a while it might be in our best interest to line him up at his more nat- ural receiver position,” Rub said. “In normal circumstances, he would have a chance to be an all-state receiver, but where we’re at right now, Justin’s the guy (at quarterback).” At times in the preseason, Rub said, “we’ve seen what Justin can do with his legs when he has to get out of the pocket and run. There’s a rea- son he had two punt returns for touchdowns last year against Valley Catholic. He’s danger- ous in the open field. “Our speed is going to be better than average. And we’ll rely on our experience up front to keep the chains moving and make some things happen.” Defensively, “the first group looked solid, but we need to get some of our backups varsity-ready.” Josiah Hirsch returns at cen- ter, with left guard Michael Wil- liams, right guard Henry Samu- elson, left tackle Grant Roe and right tackle Dylan Ploghoft. In addition, “Skylar Smith, Marcus Rasmussen and Can- non Kraft will be relied upon to provide depth up front,” Rub said. “And we expect big things from David Merry at defensive end.” Other names to get famil- iar with: “Marcus Soderstrom has had a real good preseason,” Rub said. “We hope to get some solid play from Marcus. And Taylor Hutchinson is vying for time at split end and corner. “Michael Moore, Bo Wil- liams, T.J. Colvin and Dylan Junes are four of our top sophomores.” Replacing all-league place- kicker Andrew Schauermann could be Taylor Palmberg, over from the soccer program. Astoria volleyball primed for success By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian The most improved team for the 2017 Cowapa League volleyball season … Astoria, hands down. After going 0-10 in 2016, the Lady Fish turned things around big-time in 2017. In her second year as coach, Jes- sie Todd led Astoria to a 6-4 league record and a No. 7 ranking in the final OSAA poll. That put Astoria back in the playoffs, where the Fish- ermen swept past North Val- ley in a play-in match to land a spot in the Sweet 16. Alas, Baker ended the dream with a four-game win over Astoria in late October. The Fishermen return with high expectations in 2018. Astoria has already shown up as the ninth-ranked team in a preseason coaches poll. “I’m really excited with the group I have,” Todd said. “We have 10 really solid kids who mesh really well together. I’m excited to see what they can do. They’re motivated and competitive.” A large turnout will once again give Astoria three teams. “We have a great group of athletes,” Todd said. “And we had a good season last ASTORIA VOLLEYBALL Coach: Jessie Todd, 3rd year 2017: 13-9 (6-4 league) Playoffs: Defeated North Valley in play-in, lost state playoff at Baker. All-league losses: Chel- sea Christensen, Corrin Howard, Madi Landwehr. All-league returner: Julia Norris, Jr. year. We’ve spent time talking about how we’re going to con- tinue that success. We want to get back to state again.” THE COWAPA Valley Catholic swept everything last year, finish- ing 10-0 in league with both the league’s Coach (Becky Kemper) and Player (Lizzy Osborn) of the Year. Osborn is gone, but four all-league players return. Sec- ond-place Tillamook lost four all-leaguers to graduation, while fourth-place Scappoose is gone completely. The Indi- ans will now compete in the 5A Northwest Conference, leaving the Cowapa with just five teams and an eight-match league season. EARN COLLEGE CREDIT Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Astoria’s Julia Norris, No. 10, is one of the top returning volleyball players in the Cowapa League. “The league is always tough,” Todd said. “Losing Scappoose is going to put an interesting twist on it. It’s just eight league matches, and that will be different, having a bye week.” As for the league race, she said, “Valley Catholic and Til- lamook will be good, Banks will bring it and even Seaside will be better … you can’t take anybody for granted.” THE LADY FISH Astoria finished with four all-league starters last sea- son, including first-team play- ers Madi Landwehr and Julia Norris. Of those four, Norris is the only returner. On the plus side, the play- ers coming into the program already have some experience. “A lot of these freshmen played club, so that puts us ahead of the learning curve DEL’S O.K. TIRE WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND GET A JUMP-START ON YOUR FUTURE CONTACT THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE admissions@clatsopcc.edu 503.338.2411 coming in,” Todd said. Astoria will be competitive with their long list of returners, including seniors Heaven Bar- rett, Camille Campbell, Emilli DeLong and Kes Sandstrom. The talent doesn’t stop there, as Kajsa Jackson, Hai- ley O’Brien and Norris return for their junior seasons. Three sophomores on the varsity roster are Kelsey Fau- sett, Halle Helmersen and Taja-Rae Tuimato. “We definitely have some height, and some good expe- rienced players,” Todd said. “Taja and Julia will both be setting, and Kajsa will add some height in the middle. Kelsey and Emilli will do some hitting, and possibly Halle on the outside. Hailey O’Brien will add some good leadership defensively, as will Camille.” ! O G MEN R E H S I F Go Fishermen! KLEMP FAMILY DENTISTRY Clatsop Community College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. ADA accessible. For the complete Non-Discrimination and Accomodations statements, please visit https://www.clatsopcc.edu/about-ccc/policies/affirmative-action-gender-equity. Clatsop Community College es una institución de igualdad de oportunidades y de discriminación positiva. Para las declaraciones completas de No-discriminacion y de Ayuda a las personas discapacitadas, por favor visite https://www.clatsopcc.edu/about-ccc/policies/affirmative-action-gender-equity. Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6 • Sat- 8-4 Dr. Dennis Klemp, DMD, FAGD 1006 West Marine Dr. Astoria, OR 503-325-2861 35359 BUS 101 • ASTORIA klempfamilydentistry.com (503) 468-0116