SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ YEAR IN REVIEW ❚
Review (cont)
S AILORS LAND THREE
TOP -10 MARKS AT STATE
from 4
placed second in the 300-meter
hurdles (42.80) for a chance to
compete in both events at state.
For the girls, defending state
800-meter champion Destinie
Tatum won the event at district
(2:25.76) and will race for a chance
to retain her title. Tatum was also a
member of the winning 4x400-
meter relay team (4:21.67) with
senior Celie Mans, junior Kaylee
Graham and sophomore Kaeli
Ramos.
Mans went on two claim titles in
both the 1,500-meter race
(5:04.87) and 3,000 meters
(11:08.64) to qualify for both
events at state. Joining her in both
events after finishing second in
each at district will be freshman
Hannah Rannow, who ran 5:08.89
and 11:21.94, respectively.
In the hurdles, Graham ran sea-
son-best times for second place in
both the 100 meters (17.09) and 300
meters (50.79).
She will run both races at state.
Junior thrower Trent Reavis quali-
fied for state in three events after
claiming wins in both the shot put
(52-00.5 for a PR) and discus (150-
11), and finishing second in the
javelin with a personal record at 172-
06.
Senior Carissa Oliver won the
shot put and discus for the girls,
throwing 41-05 and 136-05, respec-
tively.
Four Sailors were on hand for
last week’s two-day 1A state track
and field meet at Hayward Field in
Eugene, May 18 and 19.
Senior Tyler Packebush, junior
Tanner Wilson and freshman
Nathan Roane represented the
Sailor boys while senior Josi Hays
was the lone Lady Sailors repre-
sentative, competing in three
events.
Hays, who sept the throws at the
Mountain West District meet, com-
peted in the discus, shot put and
javelin.
For the boys, Packebush com-
peted in both the pole vault and
110 hurdles, with Wilson compet-
ing in the discus and javelin. Roan
joined Wilson in the javelin.
Packebush ran the 110 hurdles
with a personal best time of 18.30
for 11th place. He also cleared 11-
0 in the pole vault for eighth place
overall.
In the discus, Wilson threw 106-
02 for 12th place, then landed 11th
in the javelin at 127-05.
Roane was 12th with a mark of
123-05 for a personal record.
Hays had a pair of top-10 finish-
es at state, beginning with seventh
place in the shot put at 31-01.5.
She went on to finish ninth in the
discus (86-05) and 11th in the
javelin at 81-05.
V IKS , S AILORS
‘E VENING
The Far West Leagues for base-
ball and softball announced the
2017 All-League rosters, and
among those making the list were
nine Siuslaw players.
For FWL softball, senior Claire
Waggoner received First-Team
honors for her work at first base.
Also getting recongition for the
Lady Viks was senior Heidi Jones
for her performance in the pitcher’s
cirlce this season.
Joining Jones on the Second-
Team All-League roster was fresh-
man outfielder Mia Collins.
Receiving Honorable Mention
from Far West League coaches was
senior catcher Nikki Launius.
For the boys, the Viking base-
ball team received five All-League
nods, beginning with senior
infielder Brogan Cornish with
First-Team recognition. Second-
Team honors went to junior short-
stop Jared Brandt, with Honorable
Mentions for senior pitcher and
outfielder Kelby White, senior
catcher and outfielder Hunter
Simington and sophomore pitcher
and first baseman Gabe Simington,
both of Mapleton.
O LIVER
CLAIMS SHOT PUT
STATE CROWN
At last weekend’s OSAA
Class 4A state track and field
meet at Hayward Field in
Eugene, Siuslaw senior thrower
Carissa Oliver launched the
shot put for a personal record
and the state title with her mark
of 41 feet, 7.75 inches.
Oliver also threw a PR in the
discus at 132-11 for the 4A’s
second-best mark of the day.
Meanwhile, junior Trent
Reavis set a school record in
the javelin with a throw of 181-
11, which earned Reavis a sec-
ond-place medal at state. It also
topped Siuslaw’s IAAF javelin
record of 177-9 set by Kody
Reavis in 2008.
The Vikings girls finished
11th overall in team scoring
with a tally of 23 points; Oliver
accounted for 18 of those
points.
The Vikings boys team fin-
ished 14th in team scoring with
a total of 20 points.
FOOTBALL SACKED
AT
B&G C LUB
For nearly a decade, fifth- and
sixth-graders have been slipping
into their first set of shoulder pads
and football helmets at the Boys
and Girls Club of Western Lane
County each fall, moving from flag
football into the realm of full-con-
tact tackle. And until recently, it
was believed that the hits players
often take to the head were less
impactful on younger, developing
brains.
However, research now shows
that the brains of children and
teens are even more vulnerable
than the adult brain to the long-
term effects of repeated impacts to
the head. It was this revelation that
prompted B&G Club Athletic
Director Tracy Aaron to recom-
mend the suspension of the club’s
tackle football program for fifth
and sixth graders.
“I was researching a program
that was similar to our basketball
program, where we teamed up with
the Portland Trailblazers through
the NBA’s community outreach
program,” said Aaron. “That’s
when I started finding research and
articles on youth football.”
AUGUST
OF
E XCELLENCE ’
Thirty-nine athletes from
Siuslaw and Mapleton high
schools
will
be
honored
Wednesday, May 31, during the
sixth annual Athletic Recognition,
Evening of Excellence at Siuslaw
High School.
Athletes being honored will be:
Hunter
Simington,
Tyler
Packebush, Jared Brandt, Celie
Mans, Trent Reavis, Nick
Steinman, Makenzie York, Elyssa
Rose, Evan Moso, Brittany Long,
Claire Waggoner, Josi Hays, Macie
Wells, Jack Pickell, Kaeli Ramos,
Emma Collins, Brogan Cornish,
Michael Larson, Richard Huff,
Jakob Hickson, Destinie Tatum,
Jesus Sierra, Kainan Lane, Alyssa
Richards, Kyle King, Abby Coday,
Dominic Wells, Eyza Abbas, Riley
Jennings, Sam Meyers, Carissa
Oliver, Heidi Jones, Mia Collins,
Clark Hooper, Ryan Rendon-
Padilla, Gabe Simington, Hannah
Rannow and Anne Wartnik.
JUNE
M ANS , R EAVIS NAMED
A THLETES OF THE Y EAR
At the close of Wednesday
night’s awards ceremony, which
included
entertainment
by
Siuslaw’s cheerleading squad and
an array of specialty desserts pre-
pared by SHS culinary students
and served by PRIDE members,
Siuslaw senior Celie Mans and
junior Trent
Reavis
were
announced as the 2017 Athletes of
the Year.
R ED S OX DRAFT
J AKE T HOMPSON
The Boston Red Sox took their
continued interest in Siuslaw High
School alumni and Beavers pitcher
Jake Thompson a step further
Tuesday, when the Major League
Baseball team drafted the red shirt
junior during the fourth round with
the No. 131 overall pick.
Thompson, a 6-foot-2 right-han-
der, has received national attention
for his performance in Oregon
State University’s pitching rotation
this season, where he is 14-0 with a
1.52 ERA — with the Beavers
headed to the College World
Series.
Thompson was recently named
a first-team All-American by
Baseball America and Collegiate
Baseball.
We look forward to your visits in 2018!
Open Mon- Sat 9am - 5 pm
1751 12th Street, Florence
541-997-2726
IN
THE SPOTLIGHT
TO BE
A nother year, another chance to show you
how much we appreciate your business!
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2017 R
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T ACKLE
S PORTSMANSHIP
RECOGNIZED DURING
N INE V IKINGS NAMED
A LL -L EAGUE
JULY
Last year, a survey of departing
officials taken by the OSAA
showed that “family” and “job
demands” were among the top rea-
sons many officials were either
hanging up their whistles or decid-
ing to not grab a whistle at all.
To address the issue, the OSAA
established a special committee
last year that includes high school
athletic directors and coaches who
meet to discuss the problem and
coming up with solutions to curb
the trend.
Siuslaw High School Athletic
Director Chris Johnson says that he
feels the issue is quickly approach-
ing a crisis stage. The struggle to
create and maintain a workable
game schedule for sports like base-
ball, football and volleyball are
compounded when the availability
of officials becomes a factor.
As a result, athletic directors
and principals from all schools in
the Far West League, in conjunc-
tion with the OSAA, have agreed
to take steps to foster a safer, more
respectful environment at athletic
events.
SEPTEMBER
V IKS
NAB
T UGMAN
TITLES
Often referred to as the Far West
League “preview” meet, the annual
Tugman Invitational offers a first
look at many of the league’s teams
in direct competition. And if
Thursday was any indication,
Siuslaw fans have a lot to look for-
ward to this season — and the sea-
sons ahead.
Though both Viking teams carry
rosters dominated primarily by
underclassmen, Siuslaw made it
clear that its relative lack of expe-
rience isn’t a detriment when cou-
pled with talent and determination.
Both teams claimed first place
at Tugman, with the boys team
nudging Bandon, 49-50, and the
Lady Vikings finishing 4 points
ahead of South Umpqua, 45-49.
S IUSLAW
FOOTBALL MAKES
TOUGH CHOICE
Concerns over potential dangers
of fielding an underclassman-dom-
inated Viking team against North
Bend’s upperclassman powerhouse
prompts administrators to forfeit
Friday’s game.
In the week before last Friday’s
43-point loss to Douglas during
Siuslaw’s football league opener,
Siuslaw High School officials were
already discussing their concerns
over the team’s upcoming game
against undefeated North Bend (4-
0) — a team that is literally and
figuratively twice the size as
Siuslaw.
It’s an equation that members of
the Oregon School Activities
Association Reclassification Board
have been wrestling with for the
past year in an attempt to level the
playing field for schools within
leagues where the disparity
between school sizes has become
more prevalent.
“There’s always a certain level of
risk when it comes to sports, but this
was more like throwing our freshmen
and sophomores to the wolves,” said
Viking coach Jamin Pool. “Not
acknowledging that and putting the
safety of our kids first would be
wrong, no matter how unpopular.”
OCTOBER
S AILOR
HOMECOMING
INCLUDES UPSET WIN
Coming into last Friday’s home-
coming game against North
Douglas, the Sailors were the
underdogs against a team that has
been steamrolling opponents in the
preseason.
Before the night was over, the
Sailors would rush for 532 yards,
including 8 touchdowns and 4 con-
versions.
Senior Dominic Wells at quarter-
back claimed 162 yards on 16 carries,
including 3 touchdowns and a pair of
conversions. Junior wide receiver
Evan Moso had 290 yards on 16 car-
ries for 3 TDs and a conversion, and
freshman wide receiver JJ Neece had
80 yards, including 1 touchdown
rushing and 1 TD receiving.
It was also Mapleton’s homecom-
ing night, with princesses and princes
gathering at halftime for the crown-
ing of king and queen.
The Mapleton 2017 Homecoming
Court included:
• Freshmen: Princess Trinity
Peterson and Prince Jeremy Bender •
Sophomore: Princess Trinity
Holmes and Prince Nathaniel Neece
• Juniors: Princess Brittany Wilson
and Prince Evan Moso • Seniors:
Princess Erin Michael and Prince
Tanner Wilson, Queen Alexis Gierke
and King Dominic Wells.
S IUSLAW
BATTLES
P IRATES ,
NAMES ROYALTY
The Vikings, outnumbered near-
ly 3-to-1 in terms of roster num-
bers and experience, continued to
battle through all four quarters,
even after entering the half with a
42-0 deficit.
The Viks managed to score
twice in the second half while the
Pirates posted a field goal to finsih
with a 45-12 win on the Viks’
Homecoming Night.
The loss puts Siuslaw at 0-3 in
league (0-6 overall) heading into the
Friday’s home game against South
Umpqua during what will be the
Vikings’ Senior Recognition Night.
Siuslaw’s 32-play roster includes
a total of five seniors: Jared Brandt,
Patrick Hill, Ryan Lee, Trent Reavis
and Salvador Sierra.
During the game, the 2017
Homecoming Court was announced,
along with the crowning of this
year’s queen and king, seniors Nicole
Alum and Evan Teter.
The court included: • Freshmen:
Princess Kya Blake and Prince Jacob
Foskett • Sophomores: Princess
Elizabeth Lewis and Cai Fleming •
Juniors: Alex Paasch and Heaven
Job-Lewis.
S IUSLAW FINISHES WITH
31-26 VICTORY
It was a long-time coming, at
the very end of what was almost
winless season for the Vikings
football team last Friday at
Brookings-Harbor.
With both teams coming into the
matchup at 0-4 in the Far West
League and 0-7 overall, it was an
opportunity to end the season on a
high note — and Viking seniors
Jared Brandt and Trent Reavis
served as composer and conductor
for an upbeat swan song.
Not only did the game mark the
final contest of the regular season
and the Viks’ only win, it also rep-
resented the final football game of
the Far West League, which will
dissolve next year following the
Oregon
Schools
Activities
Association’s
(OSAA)
final
approval of the new 6-classifica-
tion system — along with 4A Sky-
Em and 3A Umpqua River
Conferences, with Siuslaw moving
to the Sky-Em in 2018.
So the Vikings’ win was a par-
ticularly sweet note, in a game that
was hard-fought.
V IKS CLAIM DUAL
XC CROWNS
As 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 varsi-
ty 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.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
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 satisfying finish
considering Griffes hadn’t even
made the top 12 at last season’s
district meet after getting ill just
days before.
In the girls’ race, sophomore
Hannah Rannow led the Lady
Vikings with a second-place finish
individually in a time of 20:08.33.
Freshman Brea Blankenship
was the second Siuslaw runner and
sixth individually to cross the fin-
ish (20:23.96), followed by sopho-
more Anne Wartnik with PR time
of 20:30.85 for 7th place.
The girls team took the title with
a 27-point advantage over second-
place South Umpqua, 38-55. North
Bend was a close third place (58),
followed by Marshfield (70).
In the boys’ division, the
Vikings came in with 28 points,
followed by Marshfield (49),
North Bend (86), South Umpqua
(99) and Brookings-Harbor (116).
N INE V IKINGS RECEIVE
ALL - LEAGUE HONORS
The
Far
West
League
announced its all-league rosters for
football and volleyball 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 volley-
ball.
Reavis was also named Second
Team on defense for his contribu-
tions as a linebacker, and on spe-
cial 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 lineman Tim Lowder,
who also received HM accolades at
linebacker.
On the volleyball court, Lady
Vikings’ senior outside hitter
Emma Collins and junior outside
hitter Jordan Long each received
Second Team honors, with sopho-
more middle blocker Mia Collins
making the Honorable Mention
list.
NOVEMBER
S AILORS ’
STATE RUN ENDS
M APLETON : 32 L OWELL : 66
The Sailors went into last
Friday’s league play-off game at
home against Lowell hoping to
secure a seed to state for the first
time since 2002. And early in the
first half, it looked as though
Mapleton had the momentum to
make it happen.
Though the Red Devils were the
first to score with a little over 3
minutes remaining in the first quar-
ter, the Sailors were able to strike
back a little over a minute later on
a 38-yard bomb from senior quar-
terback Dominic Wells to freshman
wide receiver JJ Neece. While the
conversion was denied, it put
Mapleton within an easy 2-point
striking distance of Lowell, 8-6.
Then, on the ensuing kick-off,
an onside kick by Mapleton ended
up in the hands of Wells, who
recovered the ball on Lowell’s 46-
yard line to end the quarter.
Finding themselves with 7 yards to
go on the third down, Mapleton
was able to advance to the 25-yard
line for a first down. From there,
Wells found Neece on a 25-yard
pass into the end zone, followed by
a QB keeper for a 2-point conver-
sion — and a 14-8 lead just 48 sec-
onds into the quarter.
On its next possession, Lowell
put together a 7-play drive to tie
things up at 14-14 after being
denied a conversion attempt.
Then, just as quickly as the wind
had caught Mapleton’s sails, it
shifted in favor of Lowell and
never really came back.
Mapleton (4-5) finished 5th
after one of its strongest seasons in
15 years.
V IKS
FIFTH , SEVENTH
AT STATE
Beneath cloudy skies with occa-
sional sun bursts, members of the
Viking girls and boys cross country
teams competed in last Saturday’s
4A state meet along with the other
top 14 high school teams in
Oregon. The 5,000-meter course at
Lane Community College in
Eugene is a combination of soft
5
terrain and narrow, winding paths
that end on the flat track leading to
the finish line.
When the final scores were tal-
lied, Siuslaw’s girls team claimed
fifth overall, with the boys placing
seventh in their race.
S EVEN S AILORS NAMED TO
FOOTBALL A LL -L EAGUE
ROSTER
After its most successful foot-
ball season in more than a decade,
Mapleton received seven All-
League nods from coaches in
Special District 3.
The Sailors’ eight-man team,
which finished fifth and advanced
to the league playoffs, was driven
primarily by the efforts of three
seniors, one junior, two sopho-
mores and a freshman.
Seniors Dominic Wells, Tanner
Wilson and Cole Spencer each
received First-Team honors —
Wells at quarterback and defensive
end, Wilson as a punter and offen-
sive lineman, and Spencer at
defensive back.
Freshman JJ Neece was named
First-Team All-Offensive Utility,
with sophomore Nate Neece mak-
ing First-Team on defense and jun-
ior Evan Moso named First-Team
at runningback.
Second-Team honors also went
to Nate Neece as an offensive line-
man, along with Second-Team
recognition for fellow sophomore
Dylan Rogers at center, and
Second-Team to JJ Neece as
Defensive Utility.
In addition, Wells has been
selected to play in the 8-Man All-
Star game, with Wilson selected as
an alternate.
SHS, MHS football may
join new special districts
After being moved to the
new Sky-Em League by the
Oregon School Activities
Association (OSAA) during the
most recent round of reclassifi-
cations and redistricting,
Siuslaw was set to join power-
houses Marist, Cottage Grove
and Marshfield, along with
Elmira and Junction City
beginning next fall.
At a public meeting held
Dec. 18, the committee submit-
ted its recommendations to the
OSAA Executive Board for
review.
Among the committee’s sug-
gestions was to include Siuslaw
among 30 schools playing
down a classification in new
Class 3A special districts. The
proposal would put the Viking
football program in the 12-
school Special District-2 with
Harrisburg, Brookings-Harbor,
Cascade Christian, Hidden
Valley, La Pine, Pleasant Hill,
Santiam Christian, South
Umpqua, St. Mary’s (Medford)
and Sutherlin.
The committee used a 22
percent or less Colley winning
percentage formula, based on
the last two seasons rather than
four years, to determine which
schools would qualify to drop
into a lower classification for
football for the 2018-2022 sea-
sons.
While the changes won’t
have a big impact on
Mapleton’s 8-man football pro-
gram, it will mean a shift in
competition as teams from
Alsea, Eddyville, McKenzie,
Powers and Triangle Lake —
all of whom have been part of
the Mountain West — have
expressed interest in 6-man
programs.
That would mean The
Sailors would join the 1A
Special District-1, with Crow,
Elkton, Mohawk, Myrtle Point,
North
Douglas,
Siletz,
Waldport and Yoncalla.
The changes would only
apply to football; all other
sports would continue to com-
pete within each school’s pri-
mary classification and district.
For more information, visit
www.osaa.org/governance/com
mittees.
And now,
On to 2018...