SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2019 | 3B
Sailors
from 1B
they were an ultimate team.
They stepped up, and we just
got over a lot of adversity
this year.”
The year began with a
reevaluation on what the
coaches should focus on. It
had been 17 years is a chance
for the Sailors to play under
November night lights,
though they came close
more than once. Starting in
2015, they made the league
playoffs three years straight,
but they just couldn’t close
the deal.
But in the beginning of
this year, Greene knew they
had an opportunity.
“If these kids played
together, bought in and
worked hard, we knew the
talent was there,” he said. “I
just don’t think they realized
how good they could be.
When you play together, it’s
amazing what you can
accomplish.”
One of the first goals was
to foster a relationship in the
team.
“You get together with the
kids and you bond with
them. You do activities with
them, like we went paint-
balling. We cut wood for a
church together and helped
the community out. We
went to the Southern Oregon
camp, and that was big, get-
ting us to really like each
other. We just spent time
with each other. That was
one of the big things to get
these kids on board.”
When the kids were on
the field, they were having as
much fun as they were work-
ing hard.
“They like each other,”
Greene said. “They like
being around each other.
They’re positive with each
other. There’s nobody
talking down to one another,
there wasn’t a jealousy
between them. It was just
NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNFICANT IMPACT AND
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS
November 16, 2019
City of Florence
250 Hwy 101
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-3437
These notices shall satisfy two separate but
related procedural requirements for activities
to be undertaken by the recipient, Community
Frameworks of Bremerton, WA.
REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS
On or about December 5, 2019 the City of Florence
will authorize Community Frameworks to submit
a request to HUD for the release of funds under
Section 11 of the Self-Help Homeownership
Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996 to
undertake a project known as DevNW Airport
Road for the construction of 12 (twelve) single
family cottages built on the site, ranging from
700-1200 square feet and there will be a shared
common area for the homes, which will be
used for recreation (gardening, riding bikes, and
socializing).
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
The City of Florence has determined that
the project will have no significant impact
on the human environment. Therefore, an
Environmental Impact Statement under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)
is not required. Additional project information is
contained in the Environmental Review Record
(ERR) on file at Florence City Hall, 250 Hwy 101,
Florence, OR 97439, and may be examined or
copied during City Hall regular office hours.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Any individual, group, or agency may submit
written comments on DevNW Airport Road to
The City of Florence. All comments received by
December 2 nd , 2019 will be considered by City
of Florence prior to authorizing submission of a
request for release of funds. Comments should
specify which Notice they are addressing.
ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION
The City of Florence certifies to HUD that Erin
Reynolds in her capacity as City Manager consents
to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if
an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in
relation to the environmental review process and
that these responsibilities have been satisfied.
HUD approval of the certification satisfies its
responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and
authorities and allows Community Frameworks
to use Program funds.
OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS
HUD will accept objections to its release of
fund and the City of Florence certification for a
period of fifteen days following the anticipated
submission date or its actual receipt of the
request (whichever is later) only if they are on one
of the following bases: (a) the certification was
not executed by the Certifying Officer of the City
or Florence; (b) the City of Florence has omitted
a step or failed to make a decision or finding
required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part
58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants
in the development process have committed
funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not
authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval
of a release of funds by HUD; or (d) another
Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part
1504 has submitted a written finding that the
project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint
of environmental quality. Objections must be
prepared and submitted in accordance with the
required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76)
and shall be addressed to HUD Oregon Office of
Community Planning and Development at 1220
SW 3 rd Ave #400, Portland, OR 97204. Potential
objectors should contact HUD to verify the actual
last day of the objection period.
more of, ‘Hey, we get to get
together and do this goal.’
You could see it, on the field
and off the field.”
For the coaches, the focus
was defense — something
that needed improving if
they were going to have a
real shot at reaching the post
season.
“That’s been the biggest
improvement with our team
throughout the year,” Greene
said. “That’s the reason why
we went to state. Our offense
has always been good, it’s
just that defense has never
been our forte. We had to get
better defensively, and we
finally got good at that.”
There were some argu-
ments at first. Some of the
players wanted to play cer-
tain positions, “how many
catches and how many rush-
ing yards, all of that,” Greene
said. “These kids had to buy
in to the roles that they had
to play and where we had to
put them. And those kids
did, and they enjoyed it.”
Their first non-jamboree
game was at home versus
Riddle. It only took 16 sec-
onds for the Sailors to show
their dominance, after Cody
Soverns ran the ball 49 yards
into the endzone.
“When you talk about
coming out fast and being
ready to go, especially on
offense, I feel like we accom-
plished that on the first play,”
Greene said at the time. “We
had 30 points in the first
quarter. When those kids are
ready to go, it’s exciting to
watch.”
They won the game 52-12.
The next week, another
home game, this time wel-
coming Chiloquin. Again,
they scored early, the blares
of the Mapleton Fire
Department’s engine echo-
ing through the canyon. The
score was 48-0 at the end of
the second quarter.
Then it was Siletz Valley,
62-20, followed by a win
over Elkton, 52-6; the Sailors
were on an unprecedented
roll.
But as the wins were
stacking up, so were the
injuries. The team started
the season with a roster of
15, but the number of eligi-
ble players began to dwindle.
The roster fluctuated from
13, to 11, then 12 when the
Sailors faced Lowell, which
was defending a near-perfect
season.
The Sailors’ small team
coupled with the strong play
of the Devils saw Mapleton
lose its first game. By the
time their next game rolled
around, the roster was look-
ing dire.
Against North Douglas,
Mapleton only had seven
players to finish the game.
“Most teams wouldn’t
have been able to do what we
did to survive all the issues,”
said Greene. “It’s incredible
that they went as far as they
did. That’s a tribute to those
kids, counting on freshmen
at times to help us win
games.”
Despite having a skeleton
crew, the Sailors kept the
North Douglas game from
being a blowout, a final score
of 20-36. When the Sailors
faced off against Perrydale,
the adversity began taking
its toll. There were a slew of
penalties, some earned,
some not.
The loss forced them to
play one of the best ranked
teams in the state for their
first playoff, at Camas Valley.
The Hornets came out
strong and scored on the
Sailors first.
“And then we scored on
them, made it 8-6,” Greene
said. “We came out offen-
sively, and we were matching
with them. It went back and
forth the first half. Either
defense could stop each
other, and we were just going
back and forth.”
A personal foul at the end
of the second quarter put
them further behind.
“In the second half, we
came out, scored right away,
down 6 again,” said Greene.
“We just couldn’t stop them
on defense. They just kept
scoring, and we just… They
finally stopped us on offense,
and they kind of broke the
game open in probably the
four-minute mark in the
third quarter is when they
started pulling away. So, they
ended up winning 84-50, but
the game was a lot closer
than what the score said at
the end.”
At the end of the game,
Greene talked with team
about the adversity they had
gone through, how hard
they worked to get to this
moment.
“They’re going to remem-
ber that for the rest of their
lives. And they had a lot of
fun with it,” said Greene.
“They enjoyed the moment
that they were in. And that’s
what we talked about.
Leaving it all on the field. If
you do that, you have noth-
ing to have regrets about.”
For five Sailors, Camas
Valley marked the end of
their high school football
career.
“Dylan Rogers is leaving,
he had a season knee injury,”
Greene said. “We’re losing
Bradley Opperud, he’s our
center.”
Cody Soverns will be
gone, along with Justyce
Wierichs, who had over 100
yards receiving and over 100
yards rushing his final game.
And then there’s Nate
Neece, who Greene said did
a good job of offense against
the Hornets, and had had a
great season.
“We’re going to miss those
seniors,” Greene said. “But
we’ve still got five or six kids
that have a lot of experience
and a really good junior
class coming. You still have
Philip Burnett, Robbie
Burnett. You still got AJ
Moso and AJ Neece.”
For the 2018 season,
Greene had a parting mes-
sage.
“What makes you success-
ful is preparing for opportu-
nities. You look at our foot-
ball season, we had a lot of
opportunities. The kids real-
ized that they can go a lot
further by preparing and
playing as a team.
“That’s why they’re win-
ners.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SIUSLAW HIGH SCHOOL
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
BOTH THE BOYS AND GIRLS TEAMS CLAIMED SKY-EM LEAGUE TITLES,
WITH THE GIRLS PLACING SECOND AT THE OSAA 4A STATE MEET
AND THE BOYS PLACING SIXTH.
This message sponsored by these businesses:
True Value Hardware Store
Saw Shop Florence
Old School Furniture
Laurel Bay Gardens
Hunt Family Dentistry
Shervin’s Tire and Automotive
Florence Heating and Sheet Metal, Inc
Cross Road Assembly of God
Jawsome kids resale
West Coast AutoBody
Les Schwab Tire Center
Swanson’s Pest Control