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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2018)
4B | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS from 1B to the state playoffs and a berth in the semifinals. Howell was also the first Viking ever named to the East-West Shrine all-star game. He will be inducted into the Siuslaw Sports Hall of Fame on Friday. “Dennis was probably the hardest hitter I ever coached and certainly one of the toughest,” Erv Garrison, the Vikings’ head coach from 1961-64, said in a 2016 phone interview from his home in Milwaukie, Ore. “If you were in a scrimmage with Dennis, you’d be wise to have your head on a swiv- el.” Howell’s grit and tenacity could be traced to his trou- bled childhood. Raised in Sacramento and then Eugene, Howell endured years of abuse and neglect. His mother took him from Sacramento to escape an abusive stepfather, but then abandoned him in Eugene when he was 15, Christy Howell said. “She just deserted him, with no food, no note, noth- ing,” she said. “A truant offi- cer showed up at the home after Dennis hadn’t been in school for two weeks.” Howell was made a ward of the court and sent to a juvenile home for several weeks before another stepfa- Fishing SILETZ from 1B success. RIVER: RIVER: Cutthroat trout These lakes and ponds are now listed individually in the alphabetical listing. Spring trout stocking begins around March 1. COOS COUNTY LAKES/PONDS: Trout These lakes and ponds are now listed individually in the alphabetical listing. Spring trout stocking begins around March 1 (see stocking sched- Ba s h Ticket Includes Dinner with Beer, Wine & Other Beverages, a Great Time, & Supporting an Important Cause! —Don Hunt is a 1971 Siuslaw High School graduate and free- lance writer who lives near Kalispell, Mont. His book, "The History of Siuslaw High School Football, a Tradition of Excellence," will be released on Aug. 20. Beginning July 1, the daily bag limit for marine fish will reduced from 5 to 4 plus 2 lingcod. The retention of cabe- zon starts on July 1 with a 1-fish sub-bag limit. Anglers have reported catching rock- fish, greenling and striped surfperch inside Coos Bay near the north jetty and other submerged rock structures. Let Paul show you a new car or truck. Stop by today! 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 2 8 01 aw sl Siu er st Join Us for the Event of the Summer! family members in the park that night, and Christy visit- ed them when she got off work. “It was an emotional reunion,” she said. “Tom kept thanking me for Dennis saving his life.” Garrison, who left Florence in 1965 and coached at three high schools in the Portland area for the next 25 years, never lost touch with Christy Howell and her family. Her oldest boy, Denny, who was just 3 when Dennis Howell died, stayed with Garrison at his home in Milwaukie for a month when he was in the seventh grade. They kept in touch until Garrison died in February of 2017 at the age of 83. Christy Howell’s daughter lives in Yachats while her younger son Greg, whom she was five months preg- nant with when the accident occurred, lives in Maryland. tomfish is open in the ocean Dungeness crab, bay clams, rockfish, trout Streams and rivers are open to trout fishing. Trout anglers are having success using small spinners or flies. Anglers can use only artificial flies and lures in streams above tidewa- ter. The daily limit for trout in streams is 2 fish per day and they must be 8-inches or lon- ger. Recreational fishing for bot- Boo Sa t at t he F all-state selection at line- backer. About a week later, he got the nod as a Shrine game participant for the West squad in Pendleton. Nearly a decade later, Christy Howell visited the two young men in the hospi- tal in Thorne Bay the day after the accident. Cliff Peeline, who at 27 was the same age as Dennis, began weeping as he saw her approaching. “He thought I was going to blame him,” Christy Howell said. “I told him, no, it was nobody’s fault and that Dennis loved him.” Peeline suffered a sprained back but wasn’t seriously injured. The other man that Howell had saved, 19-year- old Tom Chartier, wasn’t as fortunate. He suffered a severe leg injury and was permanently disabled. Christy Howell remained in Alaska until 1979, when she moved back to Florence and took a job as a park ranger at Honeyman State Park. Years later, as Christy was checking in guests at Honeyman, she saw the name Chartier on the check- in form. She looked up and saw Chartier’s father. Tom Chartier was among other down against Mapleton. On offense, he served as a bruising fullback as the Vikings won their first-ever league championship and advanced to the state semifi- nals before losing 7-6 to North Catholic. Howell surely would have been a bigger part of the offense but Siuslaw’s back- field, led by first-team all- state halfback Tooey Emery and speedy Bob Vanderford, was loaded. Howell excelled when given the chance, as evidenced by a 63-yard touchdown run against Philomath and a 60-yard pass reception for a touch- down against Mapleton. And he saved his best for the playoffs. In a stunning 41-14 win on the road over previously unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Brookings, Howell seemed to be in on nearly every tackle. Afterward, the Brookings coach asked Garrison: “Who was that animal you used at linebacker, that number 46? He didn’t even read our plays. He just tore us apart.” Howell was equally ornery in a 13-0 state quarterfinals win over Junction City the following week and was nearly as dominant in the semifinals when Siuslaw shut out North Catholic for more than three quarters. The Oregon Journal newspaper took notice, naming Howell a first-team COOS RIVER BASIN: along with bays and estuaries. ugust 11th y, A da nce Events Cen t e ur lore r RIVER: Steelhead, spring Chinook, trout Summer steelhead are pres- ent in decent numbers. Low clear water can make fishing for summer steelhead chal- lenging, but there can be some good action at first and last light, or on those drizzly over- cast days. Concentrate on deep pools and deeper riffles. Drift fishing, spinners, and flies are good choices. Light line, small presentations, and fishing the riffles and deep pools at first and last light can increase suc- cess. There are still a few spring Chinook available in the Wilson River, although num- bers will be very low, especially considering the low runs we are seeing on other basins. Cutthroat trout can be found throughout the river, with sea-runs beginning to enter tidal areas. Fishing should be fair to good, with spinners or flies good bets for for logging, fishing and being in the outdoors. Howell had such little knowledge of football when he moved to Florence, Garrison said, that the youngster didn’t know the difference between offense and defense. “He just said to put him out there where he can hit people,” Garrison said, chuckling. “I told him I thought we could make that happen.” Despite his dearth of experience, Howell quickly became a starter during his sophomore season in the fall of 1961, Garrison’s first as head coach. The Vikings won only one game, but seven sophomores were in the starting lineup on both sides of the ball. The foundation was being laid for a winning program. The following season, the Vikings went 6-2-1, and Howell was their best player. He almost needed a wheel- barrel to lug home all the awards and trophies he gathered at the team ban- quet: most valuable defen- sive player, most valuable offensive player and most inspirational player. Howell was even better as a senior. He was the leading tackler from his middle line- backer position on defense, and showcased his speed when he returned an inter- ception 77 yards for a touch- ule). YAQUINA Steelhead, spring Chinook, cut- throat trout Summer steelhead are in the river. Fishing is good in the lower gorge. Casting spinners, drifting bait or using a bobber and jig can be effective. Spring Chinook are avail- able in the Siletz. Be aware of the regulations for the Siletz, 1 wild Chinook per day and two for the season through July 31. Trout fishing in streams and river opened May 22. • Note: The 3.5 mile bridge (aka Steel Bridge) in the Siletz gorge is now open to motor- ized vehicles, but is only open to public vehicles on the week- end. Anglers can walk/bike in the road during the weekdays. If anglers do walk in they can park at the one mile gate and start from there. SIUSLAW RIVER : Cutthroat trout Trout fishing in streams and river opened May 22. Fishing is restricted to artificial flies and lures through Aug. 31. WILSON ther, Neal Howell, picked him up and moved him to Florence in the spring of 1961. Ill-tempered, emotionally unstable and not one to back down from a fight, the younger Howell didn’t make many friends when he first moved to Florence. But he did become buddies with John Spikes, and it was Spikes who encouraged Howell to try out for foot- ball. Howell attended a team meeting in May of 1961, but sat in a corner and looked disinterested, Garrison recalled. “He was off to himself,” Garrison said. “Our line coach, Dick Smith, noticed it and thought this kid was going to quit before we ever put a uniform on him.” Garrison called Howell into his office after the meet- ing and told him the coach- ing staff had big plans for him. “You could tell he was a good athlete just by looking at him,” Garrison said. “I said, ‘Dennis, you don’t even know how good you can be.’ His eyes perked up and he smiled. All this kid needed was for someone to believe in him.” Until the day Howell graduated from Siuslaw, in May of 1964, and beyond, Garrison was his surrogate father. They shared a love 5pm Doors Open 6:30pm Dinner 8pm Auction Vintage Viking Themed Event 50’s or Vintage attire Encouraged Specialty Cocktail %HQHÀWLQJ Dan Barnum Scholarship TOGA!TOGA!TOGA! Howell TOGA PARTY! 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