NED HICKSON , SPORTS EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3523 ❘
SPORTS @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ OCTOBER 28, 2017 ❘
SECTION B
Siuslaw News
Sports & Recreation
On the
Bite
A
V IKS
CLAIM DUAL CROWNS
Time
Out
B Y L LOYD L ITTLE
WEEKLY
Retired teacher, coach
and game official
FISHING REPORT FOR
THE LOCAL REGION
www.dfw.state.or.us/RR
MID COAST LAKES:
Olalla Reservoir has
been stocked with about
100 surplus summer steel-
head from the Siletz Falls
See
FISHING 6B
ROB GRIFFES PHOTOS/FOR SIUSLAW NEWS
Viking cross country team members include (boys): Brendon Jensen, Jordan Northrop, Isaac Griffes, Kiger Johnson,
Jonah Jarman, Robert Mans and Jared Northrop; (girls) Naomi Shoji, Chloe Madden, Gracie Freudenthal, Kaylee
Graham, Hannah Rannow, Anne Wartnik and Brea Blankenship.
S PORTS
Siuslaw News
• OCT. 28
FLORENCE SOCCER
U10 AND U12
AT M ILLER P ARK
9 A . M .
• NOV. 4
SHS XC
STATE MEET
AT
LCC-E UGENE
TBA
• NOV. 10
LI’L TOAD WRESTLING
TOURNAMENT
S IUSLAW HS
6 TO 8:30 P . M .
AT
T IDE T ABLE
A
s Siuslaw cross country coach
Chris Johnson explained it,
“When it all comes down to it,
we train all season for one day — the
district meet. That’s a lot of pressure.
If you don’t do well that day, you’re
done.”
For Siuslaw, that one day was last
Thursday, when both the varsity girls
and boys teams not only did well, they
came home with matching Far West
League crowns. The No. 1 finishes
made good on predictions of a title
sweep that had been circulating for
most of the season.
To top it off, they day also included
the very first individual boys’ title for
senior Isaac Griffes, who clocked in at
16:57.12, which was just 10 seconds
short of his PR set little more than a
week ago. It was a particularly satisfy-
ing finish considering Griffes hadn’t
even made the top 12 at last season’s
district meet after getting ill just days
before.
Though South Umpqua and
Marshfield runners took second and
third individually, the Vikings claimed
fourth through sixth on the legs of
sophomores Brendon Jensen
(17:13.40) and Kiger Johnson with a
See
PHOTOS BY NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
High Tide
7:45am / 5.8
6:54pm / 5.7
Oct. 29
1:50am / 1.3
2:38pm / 3.2
8:38am / 6.0
8:07pm / 5.8
Oct. 30
2:47am/ 1.2
3:33pm/ 2.5
9:22am / 6.4
9:13pm/ 6.0
VIKS 5B
Top: Kiger Johnson (left) and Isaac
Griffes (right) keep pace with
South Umpqua’s Nakai Sinohui;
Bottom: Gracie Freudenthal (left)
and Chloe Madden overtake a
Marshfield runner in the first half
of Thursday’s district meet.
Nine Vikings receive all-league honors
B Y N ED H ICKSON
Siuslaw News
Oct. 31
3:36am/ 1.2
4:21pm/ 1.7
10:01am/ 6.9
10:10pm/ 6.2
Nov. 1
10:38am / 7.4 4:21pm / 1.2
11:03pm/ 6.6 5:04pm/ 0.9
Nov. 2
11:13am / 7.9
11:53pm / 6.9
5:04am/ 1.2
5:47pm / 0.1
Nov. 3
11:50am / 8.3 5:45pm / 1.3
6:29pm/ -0.6
S IUSLAW
N EWS
148 Maple St.
Florence
541-997-3441
The Far West League
announced its all-league ros-
ters for football and volley-
ball earlier this week, and
nine Siuslaw athletes were
among those honored by dis-
trict coaches in those sports.
Receiving First Team
nods were Viking senior
football tight end Trent
Reavis, and junior Makenzie
York at middle blocker in
volleyball.
Siuslaw senior Trent Reavis and junior Makenzie York
Reavis was also named
Second Team on defense for
L I ’ L T OADS
N OV . 10
Low Tide
Oct. 28
12:49am / 1.2
1:29pm / 3.6
LITTLE 4B
TO WRESTLE
Entrance Siuslaw River
See
P LAY TO W IN
If winning is not impor-
tant, why do we keep score?
On playgrounds and in gym
classes teams are chosen for
games. Most of the time,
the “best” players are
selected first.
The pickers choose good
players to give their team an
opportunity to “win” the
game. If winning is not
important why were the
crowds at Siuslaw football
so small this year?
In 1974, during my stu-
dent teaching assignment at
Banks High School, there
B Y N ED H ICKSON
Calendar
(With more than 55
years as an athlete, coach,
official, parent and specta-
tor, I’ve gained some
insights and perspectives
regarding athletics. In this
weekly column, I share
what I’ve learned about
sports from these multiple
points of view.)
his contributions as a line-
backer, and on special teams
as a punter.
Other members of the
football team named to the
all-league Honorable
Mention roster were senior
quarterback Jared Brandt,
senior wide receiver Patrick
Hill, sophomore lineman
Matt Horillo and junior line-
man Tim Lowder, who also
received HM accolades at
linebacker.
On the volleyball court,
Lady Vikings’ senior outside
See
HONORS 4B
Li’l Toads Wrestling will
take place Monday, Nov. 6,
through Friday, Nov. 10.
Sign-up forms were sent
from school with children
yesterday, Oct. 24. Parents
who didn’t receive a form
can pick one up at the ele-
mentary school office.
Participants will be escort-
ed to practices at the Siuslaw
High School gym Monday
through Thursday after
school.
Practices will run from
3:15 to 5 p.m. Parents will
need to pick up children at 5
p.m. in the main gym of the
high school.
The tournament will be
held Friday, Nov. 10, at 6
p.m. and will last to approxi-
mately 8:30 p.m. The tourna-
ment will be in the high
school’s main gym.
Admission will be $5 for
adults, and $3 for children
grades K-12.
All proceeds will be used
to support wrestling in
Florence.
The program needs as
many volunteers as possible.
Anyone who would like to
help can call or text Neil
Wartnik at 541-991-6033 or
Stecher Buss at 541-991-
1644.
Local racer completes standout sand drag season
Florence racer Gary “Gee” Armstrong
finished 7th overall in the 2017 Pro Sand
Drag circuit.
The 2017 Pro Sand Drag season was
another successful one for local Pro
Sand Drag Association ATV racer Gary
“Gee” Armstrong, who achieved a 70
percent podium rate in the competitions
he entered.
Armstrong also finished 7th overall
(up from 8th last year) in the Top 10
Fastest Single Cylinder Class in the
Northwest’s Fastest Grudge Race
Series, a six-race open motor size com-
petition attracting racers from the U.S.,
Canada and Mexico.
Competitors who make the Top 10-
Fastest list at the first race of the season
are “called out” to defend their position in “heads
up” races by challengers wanting to move up or
get on the list.
To assure the racing is fast and furious, racers’
motor sizes, elapsed times and speed are not
revealed to the other racers.
The 2018 sand drag racing season opener is in
Bakersfield, Calif., this February.
See
DIRT-N-DUNEZ PHOTO
RACING 4B