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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2021)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Sports & Recreation B1 THURSDAY | AUGUST 19, 2021 Experience is key for CG volleyball in 2021 By Kendrick Murphy kmurphy@cgsentinel.com I ODFW R ECREATION AND F ISHING R EPORT myodfw.com/recreation-report Updated August 19, 2021 Ocean salmon seasons continue It’s shoulder season on the coast, where spring and summer rivers runs are done and fall runs haven’t quite picked up. In the interim, many anglers have been enjoying some great ocean salmon fishing. Learn more about fish- ing by visiting myodfw.com/articles/ ocean-salmon-fishing. As hot temps persist, so does hot water fishing guidance Here’s what you should know about fishing in the hot, dry conditions we’re experiencing: ODFW has adopted emergency regu- lations for some waterbodies. These in- clude closing fishing during the hottest part of the day, and lifting bag limits for lakes and ponds that are likely to go dry. See the Regulation updates at the top of each zone in the Rec Report for the lat- est. Conditions are right for blue-green algae outbreaks in ponds, lakes and res- ervoirs. You can find the latest alerts on the Oregon Health Authority website. However, OHA does not monitor all waterbodies, so be leery of any algae blooms you see, and follow these pre- cautions to fish safely. Hot water can stress fish out. Anglers can give fish a break by looking at these tips at myodfw.com/articles/5-tips-fish- ing-hot-water when fishing in warm summer water. Access may be limited by wildfires. To check for access, road closures and other wildfire restrictions, visit this page myodfw.com/articles/hunt- ing-and-fire-danger-oregon. Also check the zone reports for updates on specific waterbodies. Mourning dove season opens Sept. 1 Dove hunting offers one of the first opportunities to go afield each year. The action can be fast, offering lots of op- portunities to shoot and the chance to sharpen your skills for the opening of other bird seasons later in the fall. Learn more about hunting mourning dove by visiting myodfw.com/articles/how- hunt-mourning-dove. Apply for a sage-grouse permit Hunting greater sage-grouse offers the wingshooter a unique once-in-a- lifetime hunting experience. This is a small, well-regulated hunt by permit only. Applications are due by Aug. 14, but before you apply, make sure you have the will and/or ability to travel to wild, remote places. Read more about hunting for sage-grouse at myodfw.com/ articles/sage-grouse-hunting-oregon-0. Hunting and fire danger Early season hunts often take place during the peak of the wildfire season. Experienced hunters know to check for fire closures before their hunt. Make sure to carry water or fire extinguish- er, as well as a shovel and axe/poleaski while traveling in this remote desert country. Visit this page myodfw.com/ articles/hunting-and-fire-danger-ore- gon it has links to the most current fire closures and restrictions. Athlete of the Week n 2020, the Cottage Grove vol- leyball program saw a familiar face step into the role of head coach. Abby Ladd, a former Lion herself, played for the program from 2013- 2016 and coached at Cottage Grove for four years before being promot- ed to head coach. Stepping into the lead for the first time is a challenge in itself — much less in the midst of a pandemic — but Coach Ladd didn’t let the team get distracted. “Last year our goal for the pro- gram was having a positive mind- set and it was tough dealing with COVID-19 when some girls hadn’t touched a ball or been around peo- ple and school life had been crazy,” said Ladd. “So our goal was just fo- cused around being positive around KENDRICK MURPHY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL CG volleyball players work on striking techniques during their second practice this see VOLLEYBALL on B2 season. Sights set high for North Douglas volleyball By Kendrick Murphy kmurphy@cgsentinel.com Building off a successful 2020-21 cam- paign, the Lady Warriors volleyball team is ready to “bring it” to the fall season. The North Douglas ladies finished last season with a 13-2 record overall, complete- ly steamrolling their competition at times. They were only pushed to five sets once in the season as they swept their opponents nine times in 15 games. Of the teams that played 10 or more games, North Douglas’ defense was one of the best. They lost a mere 11 sets over the course of the entire season. Head Coach Emily Reed saw strong signs from the team last year and is excited about this group maturing more together this up- coming season. “They were really unsure of themselves last year thinking maybe they didn’t belong with the elite teams and at the end of the year. We were in a tournament with a lot of teams who had been in the state tournament in 2019,” she said. “I think it helped these girls realize we can compete with those top teams and we belong in that group. I have already seen a shift in attitude from last year. If I asked these girls if they wanted to play against bigger schools, they would be nervous, but this year they say, ‘Bring it on!’ KENDRICK MURPHY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The Lady Warriors began practice instilled with confidence after a successful pre- vious season. It really shows the huge amount of growth this group has had.” Coach Reed enters her third year as the leader of the program and in her first two seasons, the Warriors have won 74 percent of their games to this point. They only lost one senior from a season ago and will be returning a total of eight players who were sophomores or freshmen. “I’m most excited about the fact that this is basically the same team from last year. This isn’t a typical first day of practice, we’re coming in with this short turnaround from last season,” Reed said. “I just saw them in April and so really just fine-tuning our weaknesses from a few months ago. Be- ing able to test our skills against some top teams in our first jamboree next week will gauge what’s going well and what we might need to work on for the rest of the year.” To start off the 2020 season, North Doug- las had a 10-game winning streak that car- ried them to their only league loss against Days Creek. The Warriors will try to come out of the gates strong again in the 2021 season and look for more success this year as they set their sights on the top of the league. CG football optimistic about change ahead of new season By Daniel Friis/for The Sentinel DANIEL FRIIS/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The Lions are working to install some new offense in their first week of practice. This week’s athletes of the week are the winning team from South Valley Athletics adult summer soccer league, SCORES FC Chapin. FC Chapin proved to be the most dominant team in the SCORES league this summer. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTH VALLEY ATHLETICS The Cottage Grove Lions football team has seen its fair share of successes on the gridiron. From 2013-2019, the Lions went 36-20 while taking home three 4A Sky-Em titles. Under head coach Gary Roberts, Cottage Grove had become a juggernaut in high school football. Since then, however, the Lions haven’t won a game. In 2019 while still under Roberts, the Li- ons went 0-8. The closest game they had all season was a 14-point loss to Junction City. “This season already feels better,” Ayden Freeman, a senior linebacker said. “It feels coordinated.” After a lackluster 2019, Cottage Grove hired a new coach ahead of the new season: Joe Polamalu. Polamalu comes from a big football back- ground, and was the perfect candidate for the job. He played linebacker for the Oregon State Beavers in the ‘80s, and his cousin, Troy Pol- amalu, is an NFL hall of famer. Not only does he have the name for foot- ball, but Polamalu has the experience as well. He spent six seasons coaching at Sandy High School and five seasons coaching at Douglas High School in Winston combining for a re- cord of 69-49. “Joe knows what he’s doing,” Freeman said. “He’s confident in what he’s doing. He’s got plans, he just knows. He’s not winging it like everyone else.” Unfortunately for Joe, his first season as the Lion head coach was canceled due to COVID-19. He coached the team during their brief spring schedule when sports were see FOOTBALL on B2
