Cottage Grove Sentinel
Sports & Recreation
SOUTH LANE COUNTY SPORTS AND RECREATION
Myers named
athletic
director at
CGHS
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•
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 26, 2019
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CONTACT SPORTS EDITOR ZACH SILVA AT
942-3325 OR ZSILVA@CGSENTINEL.COM
Coaching search continues for CGHS
Aft er 14 years in
4J, Myers heads to
South Lane
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
While working at
Churchill High School,
Matt Myers did a lit-
tle bit of everything.
He managed online,
AP and state testing;
he made sure students
were on track to grad-
uate; he assisted the ad-
ministration; he helped
with scholarships.
“It was kind of a mish-
mash. It was licensed
position, but it was a
very unique one,” said
Myers refl ecting on his
last two years at CHS.
“I didn’t do a lot of one
thing, but I did a variety
of stuff .”
Myers has worked in
the 4J District for the
last 14 years. In that
time he was also a mid-
dle school math teacher
for eight years, a teach-
er on special assign-
ment, which put him at
schools around the dis-
trict, and also coached
track and cross coun-
try. Th at variety of both
interest and skills has
all led to Myers being
named assistant prin-
cipal/athletic director
at Cottage Grove High
School.
“I think we have
someone that really
more than has the po-
tential to be not only
the assistant principal
looking at that side of
that but also being fair
and consistent with the
athletic
department,”
said South Lane School
District superintendent
Larry Sullivan about
Myers at the June 17
school board meeting.
“So I’m pleased with
Matt doing that. He
comes across with a lot
of integrity and an ex-
ceptional background,
that’s who he is.”
Myers, who fi rst came
to know the district as
a substitute teacher at
Lincoln Middle School
and CGHS around
2004, has been interest-
ed in getting into an ad-
ministrative role. When
the position came open
at CGHS, he knew it
was the right fi t. He was
drawn in by everything
from the convenience of
the commute while still
living in Eugene to high
graduation rates in the
district to community
support for athletics.
“I was ready for a
challenge, this job got
posted and I was just
like, I have to apply for
this job,” said Myers. “I
couldn’t pass it up.”
Th e position of assis-
tant principal/athletic
director became avail-
able aft er Gary Roberts
announced he would
be heading Marshfi eld
High School to be the as-
sistant principal. While
Myers got a chance to
see Roberts before he
is leaving SLSD, he was
last with him as Roberts
was heading to SLSD.
“We taught summer
school together a cou-
ple years. When he was
back at Sheldon and ac-
CGHS
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Former Cottage Grove High School football head coach Gary Roberts talks with his team after a practice last fall. The Lions are looking to hire a
new football coach within the next few weeks. PHOTO BY ZACH SILVA/CG SENTINEL
Hiring a head football
coach is a top priority for
the new administration
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Th e Cottage Grove High School
head football coaching search took
an important next step in the pro-
cess: the hiring of a principal and
athletic director/assistant principal
at the school.
Last week, the two positions
were fi lled by Kevin Herington as
principal and Matt Myers as ath-
letic director/assistant principal,
which means the Lions are now on
track to hire a new coach.
With the departure of current
principal Mike Ingman and as-
sistant principal/athletic director
Gary Roberts from CGHS, com-
bined with Jordan Johnson step-
ping down as head coach aft er
being hired in February, the ad-
ministration wanted to let the new
administration make their own call
on the head coaching position -
with some assistance.
“We posted the job, we’ve done
interviews and now we’ve forward-
ed that on – it’s sitting in a pack-
et waiting to be handed to a new
principal for him or her to look at
the recommendations of the com-
mittee and make a decision from
there,” said Roberts. “Whether he
or she wants to do the fi rst choice,
the second choice, open it back up,
that’s up to him or her and Matt
Myers, the new athletic director.”
Myers, who was present during
the interviews, stressed the impor-
tance of making the right decision.
“When we hire the new princi-
pal, that’s going to be one of the fi rst
conversations I have with them.
Here are some folks, we need to
make a decision because I know the
community is feeling anxious, un-
derstandably anxious because it’s a
big one,” said Myers last Th ursday,
before Herington was announced
as principal.
Th e hiring committee included
an assistant football coach, a par-
ent, a current football player, an ad-
ministrator and a building employ-
ee. And in that group, Myers was
keen on deferring to the judgement
of those who have been around the
program.
“Whatever I recommend is going
to be what you guys want. Th at’s go-
ing to drive most of my decisions.
I haven’t been here for three, fi ve,
seven, 10 years and so when a par-
ent or player or staff member says,
‘I like this candidate,’ I’m going to
go with that,” said Myers.
Th e decision on the new head
coach is expected to be made in the
two weeks which, Roberts notes,
will keep the Lions on track.
“I think if you can get some-
body on board by the beginning
of July when the summer weight
stuff starts happening aft er July 4,
that’s probably pretty good,” he said
“Probably the biggest challenge for
whoever comes in, the immediate
challenge is, the two things that
jump out to me are building a staff
and getting the kids rallied back.
‘Hey, alright, we’ve got new coach-
es, let’s get together, let’s get going.’”
Roberts coached the Lions for
the last 11 seasons and announced
he was stepping down from the
head coaching position last Jan-
uary. In April he announced his
departure from the school at the
end of the year and he is heading to
Coos Bay to be assistant principal
at his alma mater, Marshfi eld.
In February, Johnson, who has
been a key part of the CGHS coach-
ing staff for the last three seasons,
was brought on to be head coach.
In early June, the head coaching
position was posted on the district
website as Johnson is now heading
to Eugene to be an assistant coach
at Sheldon and, according to Rob-
erts, he will also be teaching math
at the school.
“Th ere’s a lot of knowns (at Shel-
don) and with the administration
shakeup here, there’s a lot of un-
knowns. I’d say there are a variety
of things that played into it,” said
Roberts. “Jordan went through the
process, they off ered him a job and
he just felt like it was a better fi t for
him and his family moving for-
ward. Th ese things happen.”
Low water levels at Dorena Reservoir
prompt early removal of boats
As the water level drops
in Dorena Reservoir, Lane
County Parks is informing
moorage holders and boat-
ers who use the Baker Bay
Marina that they must re-
move their boats from the
water by July 17.
“As the water level con-
tinues to decline we want
boaters to be aware that
unfortunately it will be a
short boating season, and
we don’t want people with
Boats in Dorena Reservoir must be removed by July 17.
Athletes of
the Week
An update
on fi shing
information
in local
bodies of
water
Th is week’s athletes
of the week are the
South Valley Little
League All-Stars.
Th e 9-10-11 team
won districts and is
heading to state.
larger boats to be stranded
or have diffi culty pulling
them out of the water,” said
Parks Manager Brett Hen-
ry.
Water levels are decreas-
ing as the Army Corps of
Engineers, which regulates
water levels at Dorena Res-
ervoir, releases water to
meet downstream require-
ments for threatened and
endangered fi sh.
Baker Bay Marina Moor-
Cottage
Grove
Pond (Row River
Nature Park Pond):
trout,
warmwater
species
Was last stocked
the week of April 8
with 1,500 legal-size
age holders will be off ered
an opportunity to trans-
fer their boats to Orchard
Point Marina on Fern
Ridge Reservoir or receive
vouchers for 50 percent of
the seasonal moorage cost
that can be used in 2020.
Baker Bay will remain
open for other recreational
uses. Th e boat ramp will re-
main open to smaller craft ;
boaters will need to consid-
er conditions before use.
rainbow trout.
Cottage
Grove
Ponds are open to
year-round
fi sh-
ing via an asphalt
pathway
behind
the truck scales on
Row River Road. In
addition to fi shing,
these ponds also of-
fer wildlife viewing
opportunities and a
fi shing dock is avail-
able on-site.
Cottage Grove Res-
FISH
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The 9-10-11
All-Stars cele-
brate winning
districts and
heading to
state.
PHOTO C/0 SOUTH
VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE