B
S PORTS
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016
Section B
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com
A warm welcome for the
newest members of
Cottage Grove football
Jordan and Marty Johnson have been hired as assistant coaches for the Lions,
furthering the prestige of the program
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
The Cottage Grove High
School football team has recent-
ly acquired two strong additions
to the coaching staff. The far-
ther-son combination of Marty
and Jordan Johnson will look to
optimize the offense at CGHS.
Jordan Johnson had been
searching for a teaching and
coaching job all around the state
of Oregon, and it was fortunate
for the Lions that he chose Cot-
tage Grove.
“Cottage Grove just seemed
like a perfect fi t for me,” he said.
The new coach accepted a posi-
tion to teach math and coach the
football team in April and ar-
rived in Cottage Grove in June.
The opportunity opened another
door for his father, Marty, to
coach again.
“My dad and I had always
talked about coaching together,
and when I got the job offer,
Gary Roberts was nice enough
to bring him on as well,” Jordan
said. According to Jordan, his
father had just recently retired
from a long teaching career. But
as one career ends, another be-
gins. Roberts said that he spoke
with Marty when Jordan accept-
ed the job offer.
“He told me he wanted to be
where Jordan was and coach
with him if someone will take
him,” Roberts said.
Marty had previously coached
Sheldon High School in Eugene,
where his son played for him. In
2009, Jordan’s senior year, the
Irish went 14-0 on the way to a
state championship. Jordan was
the 6A player of the year at quar-
terback that year and fi nished
his Sheldon career with 11,337
yards of total offense and 134
touchdowns. Jordan then moved
on to Montana, where he was
voted All-Big-Sky quarterback
one year and went 28-11 in his
college career. He is currently
ranked third in team history for
touchdown passes (78).
As for Marty, the former head
coach holds a 137-27 record at
Sheldon and took the school to
nine conference championships
and three state championships
(2002, 2007 and 2009). He
coached the Irish for 14 sea-
sons until resigning in 2010.
Sheldon’s playing fi eld is now
named in honor of Marty John-
son.
Roberts said the decision to
hire came easy, as he has known
the Johnsons for years.
“We’re always trying to look
for good people and these are
people that we really know,”
he said. When the opportunity
came for Roberts to bring on
Marty as well as his son, it was
a no-brainer.
“When you have the chance
to get someone who is prob-
ably one of the top-ten coaches
in Oregon high school football
history, you defi nitely take it,”
he said. Roberts says he is ex-
tremely excited to add the John-
sons to the school and to the
community.
With both coaches having such
impressive resumes, the antici-
pation of the upcoming season
grows even larger. Jordan will
be coaching quarterbacks and
defensive backs, while Marty
will be the offensive coordina-
tor. Head Coach Gary Roberts
says that the team is going to
stay with its original spread sys-
tem and there shouldn’t be too
much change with how the of-
fense is run.
Last year, the Lions totaled
3,727 total yards on offense.
About 2010 of those yards came
from quarterback Blake Sent-
man in the passing game. Jordan
believes Sentman fi ts perfectly
in the system.
“He’s a really talented, and I
think he’s a great 4A quarter-
back,” Jordan said of Sentman.
As a junior, Sentman had a total
of 24 touchdowns and a 63 per-
cent completion rate.
The quarterbacks coach has
not yet delved deeper into de-
veloping a replacement for Sent-
man, as this will be the starting
QB’s last year.
“I haven’t really been here
all that long, so we’ve just been
focusing on being the best team
we possibly can this year,” he
added.
Roberts, who is the athletic
director as well as the football
coach, says that these hires are
another step in the right direc-
tion for South Lane School Dis-
trict.
“It’s a testament of our ability
to recruit great teachers fi rstly,
and also a testament to our abil-
ity to recruit top athletic staff,”
he said.
The Lions kick off the season
with their fi rst home game on
Sept. 2.
Courtesy photos
Marty Johnson (top) will be the offensive coordinator for
the Lions, and his son, Jordan (bottom) will be the new
quarterbacks coach.
WOE's Lumberjack Show
returns this month during fair
The famed Gene
Campbell Memorial
Lumberjack Show
will yet again be one
of the most popular
attractions at the
Western Oregon
Exposition Heritage
Fair
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
Each year during the West-
ern Oregon Exposition Heri-
tage Fair, loggers from all over
the country come to compete
at the annual lumberjack show
held right on the fair grounds.
To many, it may seem like a ca-
sual event for rural residents to
enjoy, but on the contrary, the
competition is intense. National
champions and record holders
come from as far as the East
Coast to compete in this show,
and sometimes records are bro-
ken at the show.
One of the most well known
lumberjacks, Melvin Lentz
(known as “the King of the
Lumberjacks), usually makes
the annual trip to Cottage Grove
all the way from West Virginia.
Last year, Lentz was beat in the
cold-start three cut event by
Washington’s TJ Bextin, near-
ing a world record for time.
Bextin also swept the rest of the
events he participated in.
Bextin is known to be a very
consistent competitor. From
March to October, many lum-
berjacks are competing on a
weekly basis, and people like
Bextin and Lentz compete in
world championships.
Event coordinator Kevin
Dunnavin explained why these
renowned athletes come to com-
Sentinel fi le photo
T.J. Bextin has won the Gene Campbell Memorial Lumberjack Show several times already.
pete in Cottage Grove.
says there are contestants com- accept newcomers. Whether put up money for the cash priz-
“We have a good solid base ing from as far as Australia and they’re novices or top profes- es. Thanks to a group of over 25
of sponsors that put a lot of cash New Zealand.
sionals, all are welcome,” Dun- sponsors, Dunnavin is able to
into the event, and it’s all around
Gil Lane, from Auckland, navin said.
host an entertaining show where
just a good show,” Dunnavin New Zealand, is one of those
Over the years, Dunnavin has world-class athletes will com-
said. While Dunnavin has a per- competitors. Lane has often gotten great feedback about the pete for prizes that can reach up
sonal relationship with most of spent summers competing in show. Many competitors say
the contestants (as competitors logging shows around the Unit- that it’s the “biggest little lum- to thousands of dollars.
The show will begin at 6 p.m.
and friends) he still puts effort ed States.
berjack show” they have been
on
Aug. 15 and 1 p.m. on Aug.
into marketing.
While the show usually fea- to.
16
during the WOE Heritage
“You always have to nurture tures the same crop of athletes,
Dunnavin does not forget
and facilitate,” he added. Not new competitors still step up to what the sponsors do for the Fair.
only do people come from all test their odds.
show. Many vendors donate the
over the country, but Dunnavin
“I’m always very willing to wood that will be cut as well as
541-942-7561
Athlete of
the Week:
Selivanova
represents
at swim
meet
Nine-year-old Sophia Se-
livanova qualifi ed for six
events at the 2016 Speedo
10 and Under Champion-
ships in the Albany on
July 23. The young swim-
mer managed to place in
all of her events except
one, the 200-meter medley.
Selivanova also qualifi ed
to compete in the 100-me-
ter breast stroke, 100-me-
ter backstroke, 200-meter
freestyle, 50-meter back-
stroke and the 100-meter
butterfl y. Her best perfor-
mance came in the 50-me-
ter backstroke, where she
took seventh place with a
time of 44.37 seconds. In
the 100-meter butterfl y she
seized an 11th place fi nish
with a time of 1:59.34. Her
200-meter freestyle time
of 3:21.38 got her in 14th
place, in the 100-meter
backstroke she fi nished in
16th with a time of 1:41.67,
and fi nally she placed
21st in the 100-meter
breaststroke with a time of
2:05.62.
Being the only swimmer
representing Cottage
Grove at the state cham-
pionship meet, Selivanova
stood out among Cottage
Grove athletes.
Join us August 6th for
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT
www.cottagegrovespeedway.com
we are running a $10.00 special for our fans
Clark Printing Limited Sprints, IMCA Modii eds, Late Models,
IMCA Sportmods and Quality RV Hornets • Adult Admission only $10.00