COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 22, 2015
T RACK
AND
3B
F IELD
Continued from 1B
“I knew that I couldn’t come out and throw an-
other 97 (feet) like last week,” he said. “That really
motivated me to improve, so I spent a lot of time this
week watching fi lm and working on form.”
Geisler, who also threw 40-09 in the shot put, came
in second to Elmira’s Zane Wardwell in both events.
Chris Clure and Michael Tharpe picked up wins
for Cottage Grove in the 200 meters and 300 me-
ter hurdles, respectively. And the Lions capped the
evening with a victory in the 4x400 meter relay. The
team of Tucker Porter, Kendrick Murphy, Jayden
Tucker and Connor Howard ran 3:37.51, which
ranked as the ninth-fastest time in the state.
The girls got an early boost from Breanna Wright,
who won the 1500 meters in her fi rst meet of the
year.
“It was pretty steady, but breathing was still hard
on the lungs,” she said.
Wright would later team with Halle Petersen,
Hudson Weybright and Chelsey Bottorff to win the
4x400 meter in 4:22.25, the eighth-fastest time in the
state.
Petersen and Weybright also earned individual
victories in the 400 meters and 800 meters, respec-
tively.
The Lions showed their dominance in the fi eld by
sweeping the throwing events. Courtney Hammel
eclipsed 100 feet in the discus for the second con-
secutive meet (103-08). Melissa Powers threw 100-
10 in the javelin, and Conner Borigo set a personal
best by 1.5 feet in the shot put. Her mark of 36-leads
the Sky-Em and is ranked fi fth in the state.
Adding the Lions haul, Melissa Thielman won
the high jump in league leading 4-10, and Celeste
Pelham cruised to victory in the 100 meter hurdles
(17.78).
With 89 points, the girls easily outdistanced
Sutherlin (52) and Elmira (36). The boys scored 59
points, coming in ahead of Sutherlin (21) but a ways
back from Elmira (100), who is considered the favor-
ite for the district championship.
Tomorrow, Cottage Grove will travel to Sweet
Home for another Sky-Em League triangular meet.
Knutson said the team will use this as another op-
portunity to try different events.
“We’re going to keep moving kids around, be-
cause we’re not sure yet where they’ll have the best
opportunity to qualify for state at the district meet,”
he said.
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Tyler Ledford set the tone
for the day with his come-from-behind vic-
tory in the 1500 meters.
S OFTBALL
Continued from 1B
heroics to even be in a position to win the
game.
Down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the sev-
enth inning, Lyons started Cottage Grove’s rally
with a single to right fi eld.
“I felt pretty confi dent going up to the plate,”
she said. “I know a few of the girls were strug-
gling, but I know they picked up as soon as I made
contact with the ball and got on base. It defi nitely
felt good.”
After Sayles got on base with a single, Whisler
scored Lyons on an RBI single to right fi eld, leav-
ing Cottage Grove behind 4-2.
The Lions drew within one when Liz Wiltse
scored Sayles on an RBI single to center fi eld.
And Whisler tied it up when a pitch got away
from Elmira’s catcher.
“The girls recovered well and played hard in the
later innings,” said Frieze. “I’m really proud of the
comeback they made in the seventh inning. They
photo by Matt Hollander
Cottage Grove's Kamryn Ortloff.
C LAWSON
Continued from 1B
1994, where she led the Bru-
ins to a 259-109 record, 10
league championships and 11
trips to the state playoffs.
“Kerry had a great tenure at
Cottage Grove,” said Athletic
Director Dave Presley. “I’ve en-
joyed working with her, and she
had such a positive infl uence
on the young ladies who went
through the program. I’ll never
forget the years when the Lions
were chasing state titles at Gill
Coliseum. Those were some
great weeks, and a lot of A.D.s
never have the chance to share
in those experiences.”
Clawson said that she has
evaluated her commitment to
the program every April since
after her fi rst season.
“It’s a point in the year where
I’m removed from the season
and still a ways away from the
start of spring ball, and I can re-
ally think about whether this is
the best way to spend my time,
and what’s best for the kids. I
think that’s a very healthy way
to look at it,” she said.
Clawson said she has thought
more seriously about stepping
away from the program in re-
cent years.
“Being a head coach, espe-
cially during the season, is all-
consuming; you’re thinking
about the team all the time, ”
she said. “If all it required was
showing up for the two hours
of practice, then I would prob-
ably still be the head coach. But
I want to start spending more of
my time with my own kids.”
Cottage Grove plays well over
40 games per year, and the vol-
unteer work required to support
the program is over 100 hours
per year, she said.
In addition to all the time
commitments, Clawson, who
is nearing 60, said that job had
become more physically taxing
— especially since having her
ankle replaced two years ago.
“The program needs someone
who is willing and able to make
the commitment. The kids on
the team make a lot of sacrifi c-
es, and I think the coach needs
to be able to partner in that com-
mitment,” Clawson said.
Presley said that the school
has already begun its search for
a new girls basketball coach.
The position has been posted in
various places throughout the
state, and he expects the pro-
cess to be completed as soon as
possible. As of now there are no
candidates to replace Clawson;
however, Presley said he ex-
pects that to change, as spring is
a time of transition for coaches
fi nally found the momentum that they needed.”
Frieze was also proud of the energy that her
team brought to the game — something that
was lacking during their recent six-game losing
streak.
“We defi nitely fought really hard,” said Lyons,
“more than we have in any other game this sea-
son.”
At times, however, that emotion led to miscues.
In the top of the fourth inning, Wiltse stopped dur-
ing a live play to argue a call, and Elmira’s No. 1
took advantage of the lapse to score from third
base.
However, Wiltse recovered to make a double
play on the very next at bat to end the inning.
“It was a key moment for her, to do something
positive for the team,” said Frieze. “And that
helped the entire team gain momentum and to
keep rallying.”
Cottage Grove was scheduled to play Elmira for
the third and fi nal time this season on Tuesday. It
will be a quick recovery for the Lions, who hosted
Junction City on Monday.
“We’ve always wanted to beat Elmira,” said Ly-
ons. “It’s one of our big goals for the season, and
I think we can do that on Tuesday.”
and educators.
Clawson said she does not
expect to be involved with the
hiring of her replacement, but
said that she would be happy to
remain involved with the pro-
gram from a distance. She also
intends to keep teaching at the
high school.
Presley said that while the
athletic department will be look-
ing for coaches with experience
at large schools, a good reputa-
tion and a strong resume, it will
pursue candidates who comple-
ment the school’s open teaching
positions.
This past season, Cottage
Grove went 14-11 and fi nished
second in the Sky-Em League.
The Lions graduated a large
group of seniors that included
second team All-Sky-Em selec-
tion Taylor Sayles and Conner
Borigo, who was the Sky-Em
co-Player of the Year, and a sec-
ond team All-State selection.
Clawson was named league
Coach of the Year.
“It’s a great time for a transi-
tion in the program,” Clawson
said. “The hard part for me is
that there’s always great kids
coming up who I would have
wanted to work with.”
The Lions are expected to re-
turn all-league players Melissa
Thielman and Hannah Arnold.
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