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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
B S PORTS Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 Section B South Lane County Sports and Recreation Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Volleyball falls in rankings despite remaining undefeated Due to less games under its belt, Cottage Grove is now ranked third behind teams with more wins BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel Despite maintaining their undefeated status, the Lion volleyball team dropped to number three in the OSAA rankings this past week after defeating South Umpqua 3-1. Cottage Grove fi nds themselves behind Crook County (5-0) and Hidden Valley (7-0). The Lions haven’t had the opportunity to boast such a record with a less-packed schedule at the beginning of the season, but as they enter this week and Sky-Em contests, they should be able to maintain a position in the top fi ve and even be able to climb back to the top. Cottage Grove faces Creswell and Elmira this week. Creswell sits at 7-3 with a lot more games under their belt and hold impres- sive victories over teams such as Marshfi eld, Blanchet Catholic and Del Norte, a strong Northern-California program that holds a 9-1 record. Creswell will be a strong test for Cottage Grove, but Elmira Please see VOLLEYBALL, Page 3B Photo by Sam Wright Freshman Reilly Kelty jumps to tap the ball back over the net. Boys' soccer falls into a slump, yet the team remains confi dent Cottage Grove lost 6-0 twice in a row but isn't giving up BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel The Cottage Grove boys’ soc- cer fell into a bit of a slump last week. The Lions stumbled on the road in Phoenix and in North Bend, losing both games 6-0. In both games, Cottage Grove ran into travel issues that Head Coach Vern Stewart says aren’t excuses but defi nitely didn’t help the team. The journey to Phoenix ended in a late arrival. The game was meant to begin at 4:30, and the bus arrived at Phoenix High School at 4:25. The offi cials al- lowed only 10 minutes of warm- up time when teams usually get an hour to prepare. With not much preparation, the Lions collapsed, and Phoe- nix scored four goals within the fi rst 10 minutes. Still, Zach Stewart managed to rack up 15 saves. In the North Bend matchup, the game was delayed due to North Bend’s JV football game going longer than intended. Cot- tage Grove had yet again little time to prepare, and North Bend consequentially eviscerated the Lions’ defense. Stewart does not blame the losses on the unforeseen com- plications, though it’s more than possible that these issues im- pacted the players. With these losses, Stewart intends to change his strategy for the time being. Instead of the usual 4-2-3-1 formation, the coach intends to change to a 4- 4-2 and has also moved Kyle Browning back to defense. “The basic problem was that Marshfi eld this week before kicking off league play with Elmira on Thursday. While Marshfi eld is a strong team that defeated Junction City 6-4 in its opening game, the Li- ons are thinking positively about the future. “The players are optimistic, they told me ‘We’ll do what- ever you want us to do and we’ll keep working on it,’” Stewart explained. The coach also says the team may eventually return to the 4-2-3-1 but acknowledged that it can be hard for players to learn and get used to a new sys- tem. “They’re very receptive to trying to make anything work,” Stewart said. As for the coach himself, he’ll be focusing on fi xing up the defense. “Whenever I’m trying to build a program I usually start on building a strong defense and only then do I move forward to developing the middle and for- ward positions,” he said. Cottage Grove will face the Elmira Falcons tomorrow at 7 p.m. Sentman returns as Lions put on another dominating performance PRs all around! Photo by Rylee Williams The rolling hills of the Tualatin course gave an opportunity to many on the Cottage Grove squad to challenge their personal records at 5,000 meters. PRs were recorded by Adam Marsh (23:38), Braeden Rinck (25:21), Cody Smelser (22:59), Eric Cortes (20:49), Jacob Justis (25:30), Jesse Ellingworth (18:08), Jimmy Talley (18:56), Johnny Witt (25:35), Justin Francis (21:23), Kaitlyn Brooks (27:11), Kenzie Parsons (25:34), Lake Fultz (23:39), Leslie Chacon-Romero (28:47), Mitchell Johnson (25:18), Nadia Witt (27:15), Paesen Timm (17:48) and Tatiana Baird (28:56), while 3K runners Allie Gifford (21:23) and Carson Violet (21:23) made their own PRs. no one on our starting defense really had much experience,” Stewart said. Which is why Browning, a junior, will be back playing defense to tighten things up. The two routs in a row are not concerning Stewart to an ex- treme level, and he’s confi dent that the team will be able to bounce back and that last week will not refl ect the season. “It’s just a matter of time be- fore we get back on our feet,” he added. Cottage Grove takes on Two sophomores, Kenzie Parsons and Konrad Raum, led the Lion Girl and Boy teams Saturday with their efforts. The whole team found it slightly odd to have only gradual hills to tackle after recent challenge courses. The hill work the team has been struggling through in workouts is starting to pay dividends in improved strength and fi tness. This weekend outside of Seaside, the course choice switches back to the “irregular” with the unique experience of the “3 Course Challenge”. Runners will join thousands of other athletes running through the obstacles offered in the dunes and mead- ows of Camp Rilea Military Base. 541-942-7561 Photo courtesy of Jeff Wilson, Madras Pioneer Blake Sentman connects with Kory Parent on a short reception in Madras on Friday. BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel The Lions have yet to be truly tested this season. Just a week after the team’s 59-7 rout of Newport, Cottage Grove trav- eled east to Madras, where they demolished the White Buffa- loes, 63-0. Cottage Grove welcomed back senior quarterback Blake Sentman. While Sentman starts behind center over Kory Par- ent, the Lions’ explosive of- fense was more consistent on the ground than through the air. Which is not to say Parent is a better quarterback, but more so that the offense can be more productive with Parent able to utilize his versatility. Sentman was 11 for 20 through the air with 261 yards and three touchdowns, a solid performance for being out for a while. Like Parent the previous week, he also spread the ball around very well, throwing to six different receivers. “I think he did well,” said Head Coach Gary Roberts. “He throws a different ball than Kory but does just fi ne.” On the ground, Cottage Grove carried the ball 19 times for 165 yards. Sentman utilized his feet well, averaging 17.5 yards on four carries and two touch- downs. Zane Levings carried the ball in for a score along with Jacob Woods from fi ve yards out and Parent from 20 yards out. Such dominating perfor- mance will always come with highlight-reel plays. In this case, Sentman threw an 82- yard touchdown pass to Hayden Glenn and a 76-yard touchdown Please see FOOTBALL, Page 2B September 16th & 17th MONSTER TRUCKS www.cottagegrovespeedway.com Freestyle Motorcycle Jumpers
