B
Section B
S PORTS
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com
Lions pile up victories against Sky-Em opponents
Ledford, short relay spark the
boys; girls sweep in the throws
BY MATT HOLLANDER
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he Cottage Grove track and fi eld program
had a break-through performance on Thurs-
day, winning a combined 14 events in a Sky-Em
League triangular meet at Herald White Stadium.
The boys got the day rolling with a victory in
the 4x100 meter relay. The team of Michael Thar-
pe, Connor Howard, Jacob Woods and Brynden
Howell brought the stick around in 44.62, which
ranked as the seventh-fastest time in the state.
Cottage Grove coach Ricky Knutson said that
it was nice to see the team clicking after deal-
ing with hand-off issues the week before at the
Springfi eld Rotary Invitational, and that Woods, a
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Brynden Howell pulls
away from Elmira in the 4x100 meter relay.
freshman, looked very strong in his fi rst time run-
ning the event this year.
Freshman Tyler Ledford kept the momentum
rolling with an emphatic victory in the 1500 me-
ters. After trailing Elmira’s Ben Douthit by nearly
50 meters midway through the race, Ledford used
a big kick to reel him in and beat him to the fi nish
line, 4:25.75 to 4:26.25.
“I knew he started out too fast, so I just wanted
to catch him in the end,” said Ledford, who add-
ed that while it was a big confi dence booster, he
knows that he still has a long way to go before
thinking about a berth to the state meet.
Knutson said he felt a noticeable uptick in en-
ergy around the track after Ledford’s dramatic
come-from-behind victory.
“I hadn’t seen much of that so far this year. It
really set the tone for the day, and I felt that kids
were more excited to compete,” he said.
Brad Geisler broke out of a slump in the discus
to set a personal record of 128-05 on his fi rst at-
tempt.
Please see TRACK AND FIELD, Page 3B
Clawson
announces
retirement
Athlete of
the Week
CGHS begins search
for new girls
basketball coach
T
BY MATT HOLLANDER
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
After eight seasons as the
head coach of Cottage Grove’s
varsity girls’ basketball team,
Kerry Clawson announced her
retirement last Wednesday.
“I’ve been incredibly fortu-
nate to live my dream. I ago-
nized over this decision — just
as I did with the decision to ac-
cept the job in the fi rst place.
But having made the choice,
I know now that it’s the right
thing to do,” she said.
During her time at Cottage
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove’s Kassidy Whisler beats the tag at home plate to score the game-tying run in the bottom of the
seventh inning.
Cottage Grove takes Elmira to the brink
Lions lose in extra innings,
7-4
BY MATT HOLLANDER
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
O
Kerry Clawson
Grove, Clawson led the Lions
to a 136-71 record, four league
championships and the 4A
State Championship in 2010, in
which the Lions defeated Marist
53-51 in the title game. Cottage
Grove fi nished as the runner-up
in 2009.
Clawson also coached at Bar-
low High School from 1987 to
Please see CLAWSON, Page 3B
n Friday, the Lions came close to
doing something they haven’t done
in six years: beat Elmira. And if not for a
few controversial calls in the latter stages
of the game, they may have been able to
fi nish the job.
For most of the contest, it appeared that
the Falcons (9-3, 5-0 Sky-Em) were well
on their way to a 19th consecutive victory
in the series, but Cottage Grove (5-8, 2-3
Sky-Em) scored three runs in the bottom of
the seventh inning to tie the game at four
runs apiece.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Elmira’s
Alyssa Nelson was sent to fi rst base when
Cottage Grove’s Taylor Sayles, who had
retired seven of the previous nine batters,
was called for an illegal pitch.
The call required a lengthy discussion
between the umpires, and their decision
was highly disputed by Lion players and
coach Cheryl Frieze.
When the game resumed, Miranda Jen-
sen hit a double to deep centerfi eld that put
two men in scoring position.
This play also brought Frieze out of the
dugout. She believed that Jensen’s foot
was out of the batter’s box when she made
contact with the ball and should have been
an automatic out. But her plea came to no
avail.
And after Brittany Wahl hit an RBI sin-
gle to score Nelson for the go-ahead run,
the Falcons scored two more runs on a se-
ries of errors by Cottage Grove.
The Lions were eventually able to close
out the inning without allowing any more
runs, but the damage was done.
“The illegal pitch defi nitely had an effect
on the team,” said Frieze. “I wasn’t happy
with the explanation, but sometimes you
have to accept that.”
Kalea Galbreath led off the bottom of
the ninth inning with a single to shallow
centerfi eld. And it appeared that Cottage
Grove would have two runners on base
and no outs when Sayles — the next bat-
ter — made solid contact with the ball. But
Jensen, who fi nished with nine strikeouts,
snared the ball on its way back to the pitch-
er’s mound and made the out at fi rst base
for the double play.
After that, Kassidy Whisler fl ew out to
third base to end the game.
“It was frustrating, honestly,” said fi rst
baseman Katie Lyons. “We feel like a lot
of things didn’t go our way, but we should
have picked it up earlier in the game in-
stead of leaving it all to the end.”
Of course, the Lions needed some
Please see SOFTBALL, Page 3B
he Cottage Grove boys’
golf team won’t need a
heroic comeback at this year’s
district tournament, thanks in
part to Johnny Conrad, who
paced the Lions to the regular
season league championship
and an automatic berth to the
state tournament.
In the fi nal league match last
Wednesday at Agate Beach,
Conrad shot a season-best 79
to help the Lions hold off a late
charge by Stayton to fi nish eight
strokes ahead of the Eagles,
1844-1852, for the season.
With a league-low 419 strokes
in the fi ve league matches, Con-
rad was named the individual
champion. Teammate Cameron
Sandoval was second with 432.
Stayton had one of its best
outings this year at Agate Beach,
shooting 338 to outdistance Cot-
tage Grove (366). However, the
Lions came into the day with a
36-stroke cushion.
Cottage Grove will compete
at the Umpqua Resort on Fri-
day and Black Butte Ranch on
Tuesday.
Johnny Conrad
Lions can’t muster Kelly Field magic, lose in extra innings
Cottage Grove loses a 10-inning
heartbreaker to Sweet Home
BY MATT HOLLANDER
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
C
ottage Grove fans who were at Kelly Field
for last Wednesday’s Sky-Em League game
against Sweet Home were no doubt feeling con-
fi dent when the Lions — winners of two memo-
rable walk-off wins in the previous two weeks
— came to the plate in the seventh inning of a
tied game.
But after a quick three-and-out, one could start
to feel that it just wasn’t their day.
In the top of the tenth inning, the Huskies used
three straight singles to push across the go-ahead
run. Payton Presley got to second base in the bot-
tom of the inning, but Cottage Grove was unable
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Zach Thomason threw
seven strikeouts against Sweet Home.
to cash in.
Sweet Home prevailed 3-2 and ended the Lions
seven-game winning streak.
After scoring 31 runs in their previous two
contests, the Cottage Grove struggled mightily at
the plate, going 6-for-35. Huskies’ Cole Ashcroft
struck out seven and walked four in 9 1/3 in-
nings.
“I was a little disappointed in some of our at-
bats, and not because of the outcome,” said coach
Dan Geiszler. “We were chasing a guy who is
pretty predictable, watching pitches go by and not
taking aggressive swings. I’d rather see a kid take
three aggressive swings and strike out than hit a
weak pop-up somewhere.”
Cottage Grove put the fi rst run on the board
when Lucas Ward, who got on base with a double
to left fi eld, scored on an error by Sweet Home
shortstop Justin Tow.
Meanwhile, Zach Thomason was off to a wick-
ed pace on the mound. The senior pitcher retired
15 of the fi rst 16 Sweet Home batters. In 9 1/3
Please see BASEBALL, Page 2B
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