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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
B S PORTS Section B South Lane County Sports and Recreation Wednesday, August 26, 2015 Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Meeting the Lions Fall sports teams introduced at CGHS BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel Photo by Sam Wright The Lions football team has been preparing for its season to start and looking sharper than last year. Lions football gears up for season with a strong week Head Coach Gary Roberts isn't concerned with last year's disappointing season or players that have left, looks ahead with confi dence toward this new season and his refurbished team BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he Lions football team started its fi rst session of practices last week and head coach Gary Roberts feels like the team is having a good start to the season. After a rocky sea- son last year, Roberts appears to have a strong confi dence in his team and isn’t too concerned about the talent lost with gradu- ating seniors. In fact, last year the senior class wasn’t all that prevalent. Star quarterback and linebacker from last year Cameron Sando- val was injured at the beginning of the season and missed all of the remaining games. That only left three other seniors on the team: Tristan Peters (OL/ DL), Daniel Romero (OL/DL) and Johnny Conrad (RB/DB). While Roberts will miss his se- nior players, the bulk of his team still remains with players such as Brynden Howell (WR/LB) and Reily Boyce (WR/DB). There was one other would- be senior on the roster this year, but external forces changed that. Senior Austin Gordon (OL/LB), who was a strong force on the offensive line during his junior year last season, has moved elsewhere. “Austin transferred elsewhere outside of his control,” Roberts said. “As our starting center, that’s someone we’ll defi nitely miss.” And miss him they did. Thurs- day’s practice showed signs of struggle at the center position as multiple bad snaps occurred in a row. After which the entire team hit the turf and did fi ve push-ups for each faulty snap. “That can’t happen!” Roberts shouted en- couragingly. The varsity Lions found or- ganization and better compo- sure during Friday’s scrimmage at Meet the Lions night. Aside from a few minor mistakes such as missed blocks, the team seemed educated and focused. A well-composed man, Rob- erts seems unshaken from this year’s lost talent and a heart -breaking 2014 season, which started out 0-5, unable to se- cure a victory until week six against Sutherlin. But compar- ing the past and the present doesn’t always give an accurate outlook for the upcoming year. Just two seasons ago, the Lions had stunned North Bend in the semifi nals,\ and advanced to the championship game in the state playoffs. The loss to Ridgeview in the championship game was disappointing; however, overall it was a fantastic season and a great playoff run. The only thing the previous seasons have proved is that Rob- erts and his coaching staff have the ability to lock down a win- ning season and that last year’s slump remains irrelevant. The Lions are keeping their eyes straight ahead this season, not allowing the shadow of the past to loom over them. The sun beat down on Cot- tage Grove High School Friday afternoon as fall sports teams lined up to take pictures dur- ing their annual Meet the Lions night. The event brought tasty concessions, scrimmage action and restless teenagers attempt- ing to stand still long enough for Northwest Sports Photography camera men to snap both team and individual photos. Photog- raphers and teams scrambled to get organized for their photos. I believe the analogy of “herd- ing cats” was mentioned several times. Soccer, cross country, cheer, and football teams all faced the intensity of the sunshine outside and the heat of the turf as they stood for pictures and warmed up for their respective scrim- mages. Men’s soccer kicked things off for the evening with great chem- istry and sportsmanship from both varsity and junior varsity teams during scrimmage, fol- lowed by volleyball, women’s soccer, cross country’s run on the spirit trail, and football. Please see LIONS, Page 2B Lumberjack follow up: hosting world-class talent WOE's Lumberjack Show brings in heavy equipment, large events and renowned talent from around the country Athlete of the Week BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel TJ Bexten wins the lumberjack show yet again this year after almost breaking a world record, beating out Mel Lentz I t was my fi rst time watch- ing, let alone attending, a lumberjack show on Saturday, Aug. 15, and needless to say I had an innacurate impression of what was going on. Initially I believed the show to be a fair event that was simply meant to be a good time for fair- goers and logging enthusiasts. While the event is supposed to be a fun time, it was not to be taken as lightly as last week’s article suggested. The truth is, this competition consistently brings in world-class lumber- jack veterans from all over the country, and while the WOE fair is a small-town exposition, the lumberjack show holds a more national relevance. The lumberjack show was (and has been for many previ- ous years) graced with the pres- ence of world champions such as Melvin Lentz, who is also known as the “King of the Lum- berjacks,” all the way from West Virginia, and TJ Bexten from Washington. Both Lentz and Bexton fell within milliseconds Photo by Sam Wright The Gene Campbell Memorial Lumberjack Show brings in some of the best loggers in the nation. of the world record for the cold- start three-cut event, but it was Bexten who won the race. The competition also holds the largest stock saw event on the West Coast – quite possi- bly the nation. The log itself is roughly 50 inches in diameter. The show is organized every year by Kevin Dunnavin, who said professionals approach him saying “it’s the biggest little show I’ve ever been to.” The lumberjack show is offi - cially named the Gene Campbell Lumberjack Show. Campbell was a dedicated worker for the WOE fair, and organized one of the fi rst logging shows in 1968. He kept this tradition for over 40 years. Therefore, the current logging shows at the fair are a salute to a man with extreme dedication and passion for his community. The reason for this follow up is because the previous week’s article did not refl ect the true es- sence of the lumberjack show; it was not a petty “just for kicks” pick-up sporting event, but an actual competitive and legiti- mately organized competition with trophies and high-reward- ing cash prizes. Was there a lot of fun with a lot of banter and joking around? Of course, that’s the entire mood around the fair. But this Gene Campbell Memo- rial Lumberjack Show brought veteran experience from op- posite ends of the country with world-class skill and very seri- ous equipment. Both organizers and participants deserve more in-depth coverage and for that I apologize, to all who were in- volved. TJ Bexton came down from Washington last week to compete in the annual Gene Campbell Memo- rial Lumberjack Show. He competed against 14-time world champion Mel Lentz in the cold-start three-cut event. Both contestants neared the world record for that specifi c event, but it was Bexten who eventually won the race. In last year's lumberjack show, Bexten swept all the events he participated in. He seems to be the WOE Lumberjack show master. Join us August 29th For the HERZ PRECISION PARTS $1000.00 TO WIN EXTREME SPRINTS Late Models, Clark Printing Extreme Sprints, IMCA Modiϐieds, Street Stocks, Quality RV Repair Hornets
