2B
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 11, 2015
T HOMPSON
Continued from 1B
airtight. But there were a few
unusual mental errors. And I
knew that [Ohio State coach]
Urban Meyer would have a
great game plan and come up
with something to expose us. He
did his homework and he found
something.
It was an unceremonious fi n-
ish to the best season in the his-
tory of the program. The team
banquet had taken place before
the bowl season and many of the
seniors left directly from Dallas
to begin preparing for the NFL
Draft.
MH: What were some of the
conversations after the game?
GT: It was weird knowing
that people were about to scat-
ter and that we wouldn’t have a
fi nal goodbye after we got back.
But we walked around after the
game to give hugs and say how
much we loved one another.
A lot of us were crying, but
then Keanon Lowe came around
with a big smile on his face and
told us not to be sad. And that
helped me put it in perspective.
It was one game out of so many.
It might have been the biggest
one, but it won’t overshadow
what we accomplished.
But when the Ducks returned
to the team hotel, their biggest
supporters were there waiting.
MH: What was it like to be a
part of the Oregon family?
GT: It was really fun. I know
my parents enjoyed getting to
know everyone’s families. Since
they went to most of the games,
they got comfortable travel-
ing with the same group. And
the team parents support you
whether you’re close to their
son or not. It was a nice family
to be a part of.
With a Heisman-winning
quarterback at the helm, this
appeared to be Oregon’s best-
chance yet for a national cham-
pionship. And yet the fi nal score
indicated that the Ducks were
further away from the ultimate
prize than four years earlier
against Auburn.
MH: Do you think Oregon is
getting closer or farther away
from a national championship?
GT: Defi nitely getting closer.
Whether it’s a culture thing or
preparation, our minds were in
the right place; we did all of our
homework. Ohio State ended up
breaking some things that we
couldn’t fi x.
Oregon is becoming more na-
tionally recognized. But if you
Continued from 1B
Sophomore Josh Ireland continued
to shave time in the 100-yard freestyle.
He placed third in 56.54 — a second
faster than his PR set last week.
Senior Jarett Raade placed third in
the 200-yard freestyle and second in
the 500-yard freestyle with times of
2:07.62, and 5:46.53, respectively.
The 400-yard free relay team of Ire-
land, Miller, Raade and Seth Cham-
bers went sub-4 minutes (3:58.83)
and was right behind Springfi eld’s B
team (3:57.64) for third place.
The Lions scored 61 team points.
Junction City fi nished with 38.
Joelle Otterstedt (200-yard IM,
100-yard backstroke) and Erika Val-
dez (200-yard freestyle, 100-yard
breaststroke) paced the Springfi eld
girls with two wins apiece. The Mill-
ers scored 123 points to beat Cottage
Grove (93) and Junction City (64).
Sophomore Sophia Edelblute
scored a big victory in the 100-yard
freestyle and placed second in the
200-yard freestyle.
The 500-yard freestyle once again
belonged to Tori Raade. The sopho-
more fi nished in 6:02.60 — over 35
seconds faster than the rest of the
fi eld.
Conference
W L Pct
Sutherlin
6 0 1.000
Sisters
5 1 0.833
Junction C. 4 2 0.667
Sweet Home 2 4 0.333
Elmira
1 5 0.167
Cott. Grove 0 6 0.000
Overall
W L Pct
14 6 0.700
12 6 0.667
12 8 0.600
6 10 0.375
8 12 0.400
4 16 0.200
Friday’s Results
Sisters 48, Cottage Grove 38
Sutherlin 62, Sweet Home 46
Junction City 62, Elmira 56
Friday’s Games
Sutherlin @ Cottage Grove 7:15 p.m
Sisters @ Junction City
Sweet Home @ Elmira
Tuesday's Games
Sweet Home @ Cottage Grove 7:15
p.m.
Elmira @ Sisters
Junction City @ Sutherlin
Sky-Em Girls Basketball
Raade returned to the pool a short
while later to place second in the
100-yard backstroke in a new PR of
1:12.57.
Freshman Belen Rodriguez low-
ered her PR to 34.93 in the 50-yard
freestyle.
Clover Rudicel may have turned
in the performance of the day. The
sophomore cut four seconds off of her
former PR to fi nish second in the 100-
yard breaststroke in 1:22.53.
Coach Tyson Pilling said it was
good to swim against 5A competi-
tion and that Willamalane is the best
pool the team will swim in all year
outside of the state meet (at Mt. Hood
Community College). He added that
the accuracy of the times, especially
in the 50-yard events, will be helpful
in forming the team’s relay order for
districts — which will be held next
weekend in Coos Bay.
Pillling would not reveal much of
an outlook for the meet, but he said
that the boys’ 100-yard freestyle, 100-
yard butterfl y and the girls’ 100-yard
backstroke could be some of the more
exciting races for Cottage Grove.
Friday’s Games
Sweet Home @ Elmira
Sutherlin @ Cottage Grove 7:15
p.m.
Sisters @ Junction City
Tuesday’s Games
Junction City @ Sutherlin
Sweet Home @ Cottage Grove
5:45 p.m.
Elmira @ Sisters
COTTAGE BOWL
League: Dynamic Trios
Date: Feb. 3
Team
W
Golding Enterprises 4
Grandma's Rule
4
Swearengin Design 3
Advanced Eyecare 3
H's Rowdy Bunch 2
H. Selective Log. 2
New Creations
1
Cottage Bowlerettes 1
R's Beauty Salon 0
K. Family Merc.
0
L
0
0
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
Conference
Overall
W L Pct W L Pct
Sutherlin
6 0 1.000 20 0 1.000
Cott. Grove 4 2 0.667 11 9 0.550
Junction C. 3 3 0.500 10 10 0.500
Sisters
3 3 0.500 8 11 0.421
Elmira
2 4 0.333 5 13 0.278
Sweet Home 0 6 0.000 1 15 0.062
High Game: Ellie Golding 189
Three-high Series
1. Patsy McNally 569
2. Megan McNary 497
3. Ellie Golding 478
Tuesday’s Results
Sutherlin 53, Brookings-Harbor 27
Team
Party Patrol
Bowl Dozers
Roman Numerals
Senior Funsters
Pin Pushers
Thunderboltz
Joe's Diner
Friday’s Results
Elmira 43, Junction City 40
Sutherlin 67, Sweet Home 22
Sisters 44, Cottage Grove 43
He wasn’t enrolled in school for
winter term so it was obvious to
the guys that he wasn’t coming
back.
Thompson has already fi n-
ished a degree in human ser-
vices, and he is working on a
second degree in general social
science with a focus on business
and economics. Pretty soon
he’ll be applying for jobs. He’d
like to end up in Portland, but
his girlfriend lives in the Bay
Area.
MH: Would you want a job in
San Francisco?
GT: If I was hired. But I
could blow my interview or
something.
MH: That’s unlikely, right?
GT: I’ve never personally
done it, but one of my friends
interviewed for four jobs last
summer while wearing his bowl
ring. They didn’t talk about the
jobs or his credentials; they just
talked football and he got every
job offer. I don’t know if I’d do
that because it seems like cheat-
ing.
MH: Which ring would you
wear?
GT: Some of them are too
out-of-control. My fi ngers can’t
even close around the fi rst na-
tional championship-game ring.
MH: Has it sunk in yet that
you’re an alum of the program?
GT: Having seen Blake
(Grant's brother, who was also
a linebacker for the Ducks from
2007 to 2011) just go through it,
I had an idea of what this would
be like. I think it’s important
that the alumni stay involved.
But it’s real life now, and I have
a lot of time to do whatever.
E QUESTRIAN T EAM
S WIMMING
Sky-Em Boys Basketball
look at the national champion-
ship game, OSU fans outnum-
bered Oregon’s 2:1 and that
shows that we’re still young and
there are teams that have been
good for a lot longer than us.
Oregon has a great foundation
and it’s going to continue to get
great recruits.
As the fi rst bits of confetti hit
the turf at AT&T Stadium, there
emerged a hopeful, yet unlikely
narrative of Mariota returning
for his fi nal season. But two
days later, he declared for the
NFL Draft.
MH: Was Mariota ever close
to coming back for his fi nal sea-
son?
GT: No. It would have been
terrible for him to come back.
Obviously, he would have killed
it, but there was no reason to
and everybody understood that.
League: Ball and Chain
Date: Feb. 6
W
31
29
28
21
20
16
14
L
9
11
12
19
16
20
26
Continued from 1B
Judges don’t like when teams go at
‘uncontrollable speeds’ but the crowd
loves it.”
The 12-member team has been prac-
ticing since Nov. 1, and some athletes
may not fi nish until after regionals in
late June. In addition to having one of
the longest seasons, equestrian is also
one of the most expensive sports. It
costs each athlete $500 to compete in
the OHSET season, and there are ad-
ditional expenses for team gear, use of
practice facilities and travel. Most ath-
letes also provide their own horses.
Simons said that not many teams in
the district receive the same level of
support as Cottage Grove does from its
athletic department, but the fi nancial
burden still falls on the athletes.
“Unlike the football or basketball
team that gets to use the school’s facili-
ties, our kids have to pay for arena rent-
als,” Simons said. “The school is amaz-
ing and they like the equestrian team,
but fi nancially we get nothing. So, our
kids sell Cinnabons, Christmas trees
and work all four days of the Eugene
Pro Rodeo in 90-degree heat to help
pay for all of this.”
Cottage Grove is one of 19 schools
that compete in the South Valley Dis-
trict. Cumulative scores from three dis-
Ally Oops
More Beer
Cracker Jacks
13
13
11
27
27
29
High Game
Men: Brian Roman 269
Women: Vanessa Chenoweth 258
Men Three-high series
1. Del Blosch 688
2. Brian Roman 669
3. Jim Chenoweth 663
Women Three-high Series
1. Vanessa Chenoweth 706
2. Callena True 519
3. Elaine Cox 503
League: Cottage Mixers
Date: Feb. 4
Team
Cottage Bowl
Covered Bridge U
Bowling Stones
CG Speedway
Taylor's Towing
Kelly Trailer R.
Funseekers
Jerry Brown Co.
Commonwealth F.
Swearengin Design
W
51
43
38
38
37
36
32
31
23
21
L
19
27
32
32
33
34
38
39
47
49
High Game
Men: Errol Miller 267
Women: Heather Tatom 214
High Series
Men: Errol Miller 725
Women: Edie Owen 563
League: Meri Rollers
Date: Feb. 3
Team
Emerald Valley
Team Reliv
Moms Girls
Lucky Ladies
W
4
3
3
3
L
0
1
1
1
Treasure Chest
Simand Chiro.
Ron's Girls
Three Amigos
Charlie's Angels
Addi's Diner
Blue Sunshine
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Sara Witty is shown competing in barrels on the
second day of the South Willamette Valley's district meet, Saturday.
Witty was also a member of the Lions' second-place Canadian
fl ags team
trict meets, the fi nal two of which will be
held on the fi rst weekends of March and
April, determine which athletes qualify
to compete at the OHSET Champion-
ships, May 14-17 in Redmond. The top
fi ve placers in each event then qualify
to compete at the Pacifi c Northwest re-
gionals, June 19-21 in Monroe, Wash.
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
2
2
3
3
4
0
0
High Game: Shelly O'Reilly 211
Three-high Series:
1.Allie Simons 538
2. Shelly O'Reilly 521
3. Dawn Cushman 509
League: Junior Stars
Date: Feb. 7
Team
Ten Pin Mafi a
Space Money
Hot Shots
Delivery Boys
Lane Damage
My Spare Ladies
Junior Who Cares
J Dawgs
Lane Rangers
Team to Beat
W
38
31
30
26
26
22
20
18
10
4
L
7
14
15
19
19
23
25
27
35
41
High Team Game: Space Money 587
High Team Series: Delivery Boys 1600
High Game Boys: Chirstopher A 234
High Game Girls: Kim Smith 200
High Series Boys: Austin Renfro 635
High Series Girls: Gracie Stewart 543
Four of South Valley’s 11 representa-
tives at last year’s regionals were Cot-
tage Grove athletes: Shania Schueller
in steer daubing, Dennis in individual
fl ags and the Canadian fl ags team of
Schueller, Dennis, Witty and Theron
Hill.
League: Yamaha City League
Date: Feb. 5
Team
Who Cares
Drain Chainsaw
High Yield Tech
Cottage Bowl
Jim's Tire
Addi's Diner
Dawgnauts
Gladiators
Gilkison & Dad
Urban Honey
W
26
25
22
21.5
17
15.5
15
14.5
14
9.5
L
10
11
14
14.5
19
20.5
21
21.5
22
26.5
High Team Game: Drain Chainsw 1154
High Team Series: Cottage Bowl 3211
High Game: Robert Hand 288
High Series: Andy Mitchell 784
Longest Putt: No. 17, Arney.
Date: Feb. 5
Game: 3-2 Points
1, Deross Kinkade, Gary Sparks,
Steve Lindholm, Mel Gowing BD
112. 2, Jack Doleman, Mel Gowing,
Pat Rickard, Bob McCarty 108. 3,
Larry Dreiling, Ron Ackerman, Don
Hanly 105.
Low Gross: 1, Steve Erickson 70. 2,
Sparks 72. 3, Mike Helms 73.
Low Net: 1, Lindholm 64. 2, Gary
Ingram 65.
Closest to the Pin: No. 5, Hanly.
No. 7, Helms. No. 14, Sparks.
Longest Putt: No. 18, Dan Pearson.
CG WOMENS VOLLEYBALL
MIDDLEFIELD MENS GOLF
Date: Feb. 2
Game: 3-2 Best Ball
1, Ron Ackerman, Jack Doleman,
Mike Helms, Pat Rickard (-15). 2,
Dave England, Gary Ingram, Ron
Warner, Darrell Lee (-14). 3, Frank
Gates, David Morris, Jerry Penning-
ton, Mel Gowing (-13).
Low Gross: 1, Helms 68. 2, Steve
Erickson 72. 3, Gary Sparks 74.
Low Net: 1, Tom Arney 63. 2t,
Morris 65. 3t, Bob McCarty 65.
Closest to the Pin: No. 5, Arney.
No. 7, England. No. 14, Morris.
League: Set & Spike
Date: Feb. 3
Team
Timber Chicks
Olson Electric
Markham Electric
Nice Hits
Horners
O Ducks
Twisted Sisters
W
32
28
22
13
13
11
7
L
4
8
14
23
23
25
29