Sports & recreation
Cottage Grove Sentinel
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
CGHS football
prepares for ‘most
competitive league
in the state'
Section B
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Lions vs. Lions
Football heavyweights
Marist and
Marshfield join league
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Two large obstacles stand in
the way of the Cottage Grove
football team winning its
third consecutive league title:
Marist and Marshfield.
With Marist and Marshfield
entering the Sky-Em league
this year, the league looks to
be especially top-heavy come
football season. Marist is join-
ing from the 5A ranks while
Marshfield got second in state
last football season. Second,
of course, to Cottage Grove.
“I think we’ve got the
most competitive league in
the state and so it’s exciting,”
said Marshfield head coach
John Lemmons in a phone
interview. “I really think a lot
of Gary Roberts and Marty
Johnson and his staff at Cot-
tage Grove. I’m excited to
be able to compete against
the best coaching staff in the
state, I feel.”
When looking at the com-
petitive balance in the league,
Roberts was in agreement
with Lemmons.
“I wouldn’t argue with
him, I think it might be the
best league in 4A … We’re
the league champions until
somebody knocks us off and
we know that and they know
that. But I think the things
that we need to do with kids
is just continue to focus on
us and let the other stuff take
care of itself,” said Roberts.
The Lions and Pirates will
meet this year in the regular
season on Sept. 21 — A date
that Lemmons hopes his play-
ers are ready for.
“I would think in the back
of their mind they would
remember the butt-kicking
that we received up in Hills-
boro last year. Sure. hope that
would be a motivating factor.
I know that us coaches will be
working extra hard,” he said.
But last season was last sea-
son. The Lions graduated a
bulk of last season’s produc-
tion, including 4A’s offensive
and defensive players of the
year, but return first team
all-state quarterback Dylan
Graves. Erick Giffen, who was
first team kicker in addition to
receiving honorable mention
nods at receiver and punter,
is another key contributor re-
turning for the Lions.
The Pirates most notably
return first team all-state de-
fensive linemen and tight
end Cory Stover. The 6-foot-
6-inch Stover has verbally
committed to playing football
at Oregon State. Quarter-
back Grant Woolsey who was
named to the honorable men-
tion team is also returning.
First team running back
and second team lineback-
er Tristin Lemmons, who
rushed for 108 yards in the
state championship game a
season ago, has decided not to
play football this season.
“Tough to swallow because
that’s my son but he’s decided
sports aren’t his thing any-
more, he’s an artist,” said John
Lemmons. “It really hurts us
team wise losing your leading
tackler for the last two years
and you know, leading rusher.
But we’re moving forward and
we do have a lot of talented
seniors. And we’ve got a good
junior class and we’re just go-
ing to go out and try to com-
pete every week and do things
to the best of our ability.”
The other team fighting for
a top spot in league is Marist.
FOOTBALL
see B2
PHOTOS BY ZACH SILVA/CG SENTINEL
Leticia Hernandez, right, works to control the ball Friday evening during Meet the Lions. The Cottage Grove girls soccer team, in addition to the other CGHS land
sports (sorry, waterpolo), each participated in the high school’s Meet the Lions event where each team put on a 20 minute showcase. Most teams will be com-
peting in jamborees starting tomorrow and will begin the season next week. For more pictures from Friday’s event, see B2.
Serving up an ace:
tennis camp a success
Helsel and Diatte
capture midweek
victories
By Ben Deatherage
CG Speedway
A camper keeps his eye on the ball during tennis camp on Friday. For more pictures see B12.
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
A
rmed with rackets, tennis
balls, ball machines and a
lifetime of tennis knowledge,
Bob Reed was ready for ten-
nis camp. The Springfield High
School coach, who also over-
sees tennis operations at Wil-
lamalane, took to Coiner Park
last week where the courts were
filled with 25 kids looking to
hone their skills at the camp put
on by South Valley Athletics.
Campers ranged from kinder-
garten to eighth grade.
“I really couldn’t be more
pleased about how the camp
went I think just on so many lev-
els. The kids were great, we had
absolutely no behavior issues, so
that’s a treat. The kids improved
a lot. I think they were very at-
tentive and focused,” said Reed.
Serving as assistants, Reed
was flanked by a team of vol-
unteers who were working to
make sure all participants had
the appropriate amount of guid-
ance they needed. Oftentimes,
the youngest campers would
have one-on-one support from
a volunteer as the older stu-
dents, overseen by Reed, would
be working on skills or playing
various games.
“One of the key philosophies
I use is really make sure that
everybody feels like they’re be-
ing treated equally. That they’re
being respected and that they’re
being challenged,” said Reed.
“Too many times the focus is
on the top players and the oth-
Athletes of
the Week
er kids are just running around
doing fairly pointless games.
Whereas we, we do the same
activities, we just tailor it to the
level.”
While Reed works with ten-
nis players in Cottage Grove on
Saturday mornings and has this
camp, the ultimate goal from
his perspective is to continue to
grow the sport to where it will
be played at the high school lev-
el.
“Fortunately or unfortunately,
I coach at Springfield so right
now I don’t have the time or
the ability to (help coach this
program). But I’m hoping to fa-
cilitate that. So we’ll sort of see.
It’s largely at this point up to
the community as to how much
time and effort they want to put
in,” he said.
This week’s athletes of
the week are the high
school students who
begin competitions this
week. Check next week’s
paper for our fall sports
preview.
The second leg of the 2018
ISCS Week of Speed would
take the series to Cottage
Grove Speedway on Tuesday,
Aug. 14. Twenty-eight Sprint
Cars would join the ISCS rep-
resenting the states of Oregon
and Washington.
In the main event Bailey
Sucich set the tone early by
grabbing the lead on the open-
ing lap. The Granite Falls,
Wash., teenager remained in
the position for quite some
time despite several challeng-
ers knocking at her doorstep.
Jake Helsel made the decisive
pass on the eighteenth circuit
and held on to collect the win.
It is the Monroe, Wash., pi-
lot’s second victory with the
ISCS group and the second
occasion he has won at CGS
in 2018.
Bailey Sucich finished a re-
spectable second with Kinzer
Cox, of Cottage Grove, in
third. The rest of the top five
would be made up of fourth
finishing Medford teenager
Bailey Hibbard and Junction
City’s Shane Forte, in fifth.
Qualifying was divided into
four groups with Camden Ro-
bustelli from Medford, Harris-
burg teenager Tyler Thomp-
son, Cottage Grove’s Hedge
Carter, and Jake Helsel setting
fast times. Heat race wins
went to Bailey Sucich, Cre-
swell’s Eric Bowers, A.J. Har-
baugh from McKenzie Bridge,
and Tanner Holmes won the
consolation feature and was
the Travis Rutz Hardcharger
Award winner.
As the ISCS Sprints would
make their stop to Cottage
Grove Speedway, on Tuesday,
Aug. 14, so would the Dwarf
Cars. Thirty-four entries
would comprise the field with
teams traveling from all over
western North America. The
Dwarf were running their first
ever Speedweek and Tuesday
marked the third night of ac-
tion for that series.
Salinas, Calif., chauffeur
Camron Diatte grabbed the
early race lead in the main
event. Diatte would be put un-
der some enormous pressure
on a few occasions but each
time he kept all potential chal-
lenger in check. The race was
unfortunately cut short but
Diatte was able to hold on to
win the race to make it three
different winners in as many
nights with Dwarf Car Speed-
week.
Camden Robustelli, of Med-
ford, was the runner-up over
Roseburg’s Anthony Pope,
scoring third. Jeremiah Hes-
ter, from Hillsboro, got fourth
while finishing fifth would be
Tigard native Shane Youngren.
Chad Cardoza finished first in
the consolation feature.
Cottage Grove Speedway
takes this weekend off due to
the WOE Fair. Action resumes
at the historic ¼-mile clay oval
this Friday, Aug. 24, with Karts
while Saturday will be reserved
for Historical Night.
For more information log
on to www.cottagegrovespeed-
way.com.
Elkton’s
Lance Cor-
vinas works
on an agility
drill during
a recent
practice.