2B
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 1, 2015
T OUREEN
Continued from 1B
As Knutson recalled, even the state-
meet offi cials were skeptical that a man
of Toureen’s stature — then, 5’ 11’
and 167 pounds — could possess such
power:
“When Alex went to collect his sec-
ond-place medal the offi cial didn’t
believe that he was the right guy and
made Alex show his competition num-
ber to prove he was in fact a thrower,”
he said.
Toureen’s junior season was not
as prolifi c, but baseball coach Dan
Geiszler believes that was only because
he came out to play shortstop as well.
As he had not played in several years,
Geiszler said he had minimal expecta-
tions for Toureen, yet even those he
surpassed.
“Baseball isn’t a sport that you can
just pick up and expect to be good at,”
Geiszler said. “Early on, Alex was frus-
trated because he wasn’t able to hit very
well. But by the end of the year he was
our best all-around guy at the plate.”
While trying to do both baseball and
track and fi eld proved to be too diffi -
cult, Toureen is the only athlete during
Geiszler’s tenure that has even attempt-
ed the double.
By the way, Toureen was also a valu-
able contributor off the bench during
the Lions’ run to the 2011 basketball
state championship.
Despite his stellar career, Toureen
was not widely recruited out of high
school. In fact, Portland State was the
only school to offer him a scholarship
before signing day.
“Guys like Alex are often overlooked
because of talent they play against,”
said receivers coach Steve Cooper. “We
knew he had great stats, but we also
watched his tape and saw that he was
consistently making plays.”
‘Great stats,’ would be an under-
statement. Toureen rewrote the Lions’
record book with single-season stan-
dards of 69 catches for 1580 yards and
26 touchdowns. And for his career, he
caught 150 passes for 3225 yards and
45 touchdowns.
Though Toureen didn’t know much
about Portland State, he wanted to re-
ward the program for its loyalty, and
took the chance to pursue an educa-
tion. Looking back, Toureen said that
had it not been for football he probably
wouldn’t have ever gone to college.
While Toureen was blessed with god-
given athleticism, he has had to over-
come signifi cant adversity away from
the fi eld. He is the fi rst member of his
family to graduate from high school,
let alone go to college.
“Other athletes have been in better
situations to be successful and haven’t
accomplished half as much as Alex,”
said Roberts.
Through his fi rst three seasons at
Portland State, Toureen had amassed 19
catches for 283 yards and four touch-
downs. But he prepared for the 2014
campaign not knowing if it would be
his last; he had petitioned the NCAA
for a fi fth year of eligibility because a
torn meniscus ended his freshman sea-
son after just three games.
Though Toureen’s coaches were con-
fi dent all along that the NCAA would
grant the waiver, it wasn’t until mid-
October that he was offi cially reclassi-
fi ed as a junior.
“It changed my outlook quite a bit,”
he said. “I realized that you’re not al-
ways going to get another opportunity
and that football could have been over
for me.”
Toureen said that it was bittersweet
not being honored with his classmates
on Senior Day. But in the season-fi nale,
he still played as if there was no tomor-
row; he caught eight passes for 96 yards
and a touchdown in the Vikings’ loss to
Eastern Washington.
Toureen doubled his career totals in
2014 with 37 catches for 541 yards,
which led the team. And with his re-
turn, Portland State expects to fi eld a
deep and talented core of receivers next
season. And in addition to his produc-
tion, the coaching staff will lean heav-
ily on his leadership.
“The thing that stands out about Alex
is his intelligence both in the classroom
and on the football fi eld,” Cooper said.
Jerry Brown Co.
Bowling Stones
Cottage Bowl
Kelly's Trailer R.
Taylor's Towing
COTTAGE BOWL
League: 5 O'Clock Shadows
Date: March 22
Team
Mid State
4 U Simple
Amigos Quatro
Book Mine
C.G. Vac and Sew
V. Richenstain MD
Aces High
All in the Family
Jenni and the Jets 2
Ames to be True
Jim's Tire Factory
W
19
17
16
16
14
10.5
10
9
8.5
8
8
L
5
7
8
8
10
13.5
14
15
11.5
8
16
High Game
Men: Wayne Northern 254
Women: Lia McTaggart 225
Men Three-high series
1. Ron Bascue 606
1t. Mick Batchelor 606
3. Johnny Saldana 595
Women Three-high Series
1. Lia McTaggart 570
2. Jo Fitzgerald 485
3. Cherry Bascue 469
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Kassidy Whisler went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs in the win over Reedsport.
S OFTBALL
Continued from 1B
team was preparing to face more challenging
pitching.
“I think the pace of the pitch surprised us,”
Wiltse said. “It was a little slower than we were
expecting and it took a few times of seeing her to
know that we had to be patient.”
The Lions dropped their fi rst games of the sea-
son on Saturday when they played at Marshfi eld
and North Bend, back-to-back.
In the early game, Marshfi eld scored three runs
in the fi fth inning to slip past Cottage Grove, 5-4.
The Pirates’ Sara Allison scored teammates
Katelyn Rossback and Jessica Kohl with a dou-
ble. Khalani Hoyer then brought in Allison with a
single for the winning run.
For the Lions, Sayles went 2-for-3 and struck
out six in fi ve innings on the mound. Clarke, An-
derson and Katie Lyons each went 1-for-3.
Less than an hour later, Cottage Grove was back
on the fi eld to face North Bend.
The Bulldogs got a walk-off triple from Chey-
enne Datan to beat the Lions 3-2.
After allowing Galbreath and Sayles to score in
the fi rst inning, Daltan went the fi nal six innings
scoreless and fi nished with six strikeouts.
Sayles, Galbreath, Ortloff and Whisler all went
1-for-3.
“It was a bit frustrating to lose those games
as we did, but we will try to take it as a learning
tool,” Frieze said. “It ended up being a really long
day, and we made some mistakes that we typically
don’t make; it came down to mental preparation.”
Cottage Grove closes out its nonconference
slate with three games this week. The Lions travel
to Douglas and South Umpqua and host Pleasant
Hill in between.
Frieze said that she wants to spend the week
focusing on fundamentals and execution in fi eld-
ing scenarios. She also said the team needs to be
more prepared to face a variety of different pitch-
ing styles.
“Good hitters can face great pitchers. A great
hitter can face any pitcher,” she said.
B ASEBALL
Continued from 1B
“When you play a lot of games in a short period
of time, you can see how the kids react in situ-
ations that are hard to simulate in practice, like
bunts and baserunning” Geiszler said. “So, even
though we didn’t play all that well, we know what
we need to work on — and those are valuable les-
sons.”
Prior to the season, Geiszler had pointed to the
week of tournaments as a critical time for devel-
oping team chemistry, and he is pleased with how
the Lions are working together off of the fi eld.
“I feel like we are defi nitely where we need to
be as far as leadership, and that’s probably my
biggest takeaway from the week. We don’t have
one or two guys who are doing it; it’s the entire
group, and it’s been nice to see that develop.”
Cottage Grove wraps up its nonconference
schedule this week. The Lions (6-2) played
Philomath (5-1) on Tuesday, and host Siuslaw (2-
4) on Saturday. And while they are off to a strong
start, Geiszler wants to see a more diligent ap-
proach from his players.
“I want to see them play hard from the fi rst pitch
to the last pitch. I don’t think we did that all too
well at Stayton, and you just can’t play that way
against league opponents. This week, we have
a chance to work on that against two very good
teams,” he said.
League: Dynamic Trios
Date: March 24
Team
W
Advanced Eyecare 23
Swearengin Design 22
Grandma's Rule
21
H. Selective Log. 20
Golding Enterprises 17.5
H's Rowdy Bunch 17
Cottage Bowlerettes 13
New Creations
10
R's Beauty Salon 6
K. Family Merc.
5
L
9
10
11
12
14.5
15
19
18
26
27
High Game: Dixie Lawson 206
Three-high Series
1. Patsy McNally 518
2. Alicia Esser 498
3. Fran Rothauge 491
League: Meri Rollers
Date: March 24
Team
Blue Sunshine
Team Reliv
Treasure Chest
Emerald Valley
Simand Chiro.
Moms Girls
Charlie's Angels
Three Amigos
Addi's Diner
Ron's Girls
Lucky Ladies
W
22
21
21
21
19
18
16
14
12
12
8
L
10
11
11
11
13
14
16
18
20
16
20
20
18
17
15
8
“Our offense isn’t easy to learn, but he
was able to start here as a true fresh-
man. Since then, he has helped a lot of
new players learn how to play the po-
sition in our system. It’s great to have
him back.”
Toureen, a fi nance major, holds a
3.7 GPA and has been academic all-
conference three straight years. After
he graduates and plays his fi nal down
for the Vikings, he said he will likely
stay in Portland to pursue opportuni-
ties in business. However, he said he
still thinks fondly of his life in Cottage
Grove.
“I don’t get a lot of time off, but I try
to get down as often as I can,” Toureen
said. “I love the small town, and I feel
that I was a part of something special
down there.”
Yesterday, Toureen took the fi rst step
toward his fi nal season with the start
of spring practices. The Vikings' Spring
Game will take place on Saturday,
April 25. The time and location are to
be determined.
1. Vanessa Chenoweth 698
2. Koleen Kelly 592
3. Brenda Chenoweth 486
22
24
25
27
34
MIDDLEFIELD MENS GOLF
Date: March 23
Game: 3-2 Best Ball
High Game
Men: Joe Simons 246
Women: Laura Cardoza 209
High Series
Men: Joe Simons 670
Women: Laura Cardoza 576
1, Paul Waterman, Darrell Lee,
Mel Gowing, Frank Gates, (-22).
2, Leroy Bodine, Larry Emery, Bill
Avery, Pat Rickard (-8). 3, Leon
Hayes, Bob McCarty, David Morris,
Jerry Pennington (-7).
Low Gross: 1, Bodine 77. 2, Emery
78.
Low Net: 1, Gowing 55. 2t, Rickard
66. 2t, Lee 66.
Closest to the Pin: No. 5, Dick
Winters. No. 7, Larry Eyman. No.
14, McCarty.
League: Ball and Chain
Date: March 27
Team
Bowl Dozers
More Beer
Senior Funsters
Cracker Jacks
Roman Numerals
Joe's Diner
Pin Pushers
Thunder Boltz
Party Patrol
Ally Oops
W
18
16
14
14
13
11
11
10
6
3
L
6
8
10
10
13
13
13
14
14
17
Date: March 26
Game: 1-2-3 Points
1,Jim Hoover, Mike Helms, Gary
Ingram, Bob McCarty 94. 2t,
Larry Emery, Larry Eyman, Rudy
Nellermoe, Gary Sparks 88. 2t, Ron
Ackerman, Frank Gates, Pat Rick-
ard, Dan Smith 88.
Low Gross: 1, Helms 66. 2, Deross
Kinkade 70. 3, Dan Smith 74.
Low Net: 1t, Don Hanly 64. 1t,
Nellermoe 64. 1t, Hoover 64.
High Game
Men: Glenn Clark 289
Women: Vanessa Chenoweth 246
Men Three-high Series
1. Glenn Clark 748
2. Chad Renfro 668
3. Jim Chenoweth 666
Women Three-high Series
Caring for your Health
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Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV)
High Game: Dawn Cushman 240
Three-high Series:
1.Dawn Cushman 579
2. Megan McNary 575
3. Jacki Jackson 534
League: Cottage Mixers
Date: March 25
Team
Commonwealth F.
C.G. Speedway
Funseekers
Covered Bridge U.
Swearengin Design
W
38
32
21
21
20
L
4
10
21
21
22
Cottage Grove Dental
Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies)
541.942.7934