The INDEPENDENT, February 16, 2006
Page 11
Vernonia Sports Report
by Ben Schorzman
WRESTLING
The wrestling team finished
a mediocre year with the con-
tinuation of an amazing streak.
After a disappointing eighth
place finish at the district play-
offs, the Loggers are still send-
ing one wrestler to the state
tournament. Junior Dylan Burch
placed third at 140 pounds to
qualify. “It was pretty intense.”
Burch said, “But I knew from
the start that I was going to
beat the guy.”
This continues a streak of
sending at least one person to
state since Coach James
Brookins started coaching in
Vernonia. The 2A State Tourna-
ment will be held at the Oregon
State Fairgrounds in Salem on
Thursday, February 16, through
Saturday, February 18.
Though the rest of the team
didn’t make it to state, there
were still good things happen-
ing. Senior Burdette Robb, and
Sophomores Tommy Carr and
Tyler Corey each placed fourth,
one spot out of state. Sopho-
more Tyler Bernardi, and
Freshmen Luke Tankersley and
Katelyn Robb each placed
sixth. Junior Willie Hansen,
who wrestled at 171 pounds,
said he was disappointed with
the way he wrestled, but the
team did well. “I think that,
overall, we did great and the
season went pretty well.” With
a young group (only four sen-
iors), next year is looking even
better. They now have one year
of experience, and I would look
for the Vernonia High School
Senior wrestlers; left to right are Wert Russert, Rob Champi-
on, and Burdette Robb. Not shown is Rusty Campo.
Wrestling program to be domi-
nant for years to come.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Playoffs – a magical word to
any high school athlete who
has ever dreamed of winning a
state title. But for the Vernonia
High School boys basketball
team, that word hadn’t entered
their minds until the last week
of the season. They were 1-21,
0-12 in league, and were dead
last in the Northwest League.
With two games left to play, the
Loggers were just looking to
win their last home games of
the season. Then came the
Neah-Kah-Nie Pirates and a
crazy format for the Northwest
League District Playoffs. The
Pirates had only one win in
league, and were second to
last in the West Division. So?
f
le
y! Sa nd of
r
2 % ff
r
t
o
Hu ear y 2 15
Quarter
r ms 0%
h
a
t ru
e
2
e
Clothing Sale
e
It es
b
Sw Fe ay ho
Friday & Saturday
ds ’s D & S
February
24th & 25th
n
E in e s
e
All
clothing
in the
t
h
en lot
l
theater
alcove
will be
V a ll C
priced at 25 cents per piece.
A
Well, in District playoffs, the top
four teams from each division
in the Northwest League com-
pete. There are only five teams
on the west side. That meant
that the Loggers were only one
win, and three Pirate losses
from being tied with them for
fourth place.
The Pirates only win in
league had come against Ver-
nonia earlier in the season at
Neah-Kah-Nie in overtime. All
of a sudden, Vernonia’s home
game against Neah-Kah-Nie on
February 7 had some meaning.
Win, and they split the season
series with them, which under
Northwest League tie-breaker
rules means a playoff game at
a neutral site.
The Loggers came out ready
to play, behind a very strong
performance from Senior Tim
Hein. Shooting from all over the
court, and frustrating the Pi-
rates’ two big men, Hein scored
34 points. Every time Neah-
Kah-Nie rallied, Vernonia
stopped them, and the Loggers
won 54-38. With one game left
to be played, all the Loggers
could do was try and beat Port-
land Lutheran, and wait. Neah-
Kah-Nie still had two games to
play, February 9 against Port-
land Adventist, and February
10 against Riverdale.
On Senior Night, Hein, Adam
Randall and Ben Schorzman,
the three senior members of
the team, played in their final
game at home against Portland
Lutheran. A win would put them
one game up on Neah-Kah-
Nie, who lost against PAA. But,
in a disappointing game for the
whole team, the Loggers lost
74-64. Hein and Schorzman
put up big numbers in their final
games, with Hein scoring 30
points, and Schorzman hitting
five three-point field goals, and
finishing with 21 points.
That Friday, February 10,
the Loggers practiced, getting
ready for a game if Neah-Kah-
Nie lost. But the game would
D O N K E Y B A S K E T B A L L
t h
I s b a c k F e b . 1 7
At 7pm Vernonia High School gymnasium
$6 adults, $5 students, $4 children
Proceeds to this years Prom, brought to you by the VHS Junior Class
This years teams

Vernonia Fire Dept. Volunteers
VHS Students
711 Bridge Street, Vernonia, Oregon
Visit us on the web at www.clevercrickit.net
never happen. That night, the
Pirates took care of business,
beating Riverdale by 10. Their
hopes gone, all the Logger
players could do was think
about what could’ve been and
all the chances they had during
the year to get just one more
win. The Loggers put them-
selves in that spot and, with all
the close games coming back
to haunt them, they were once
again at home, watching other
teams go to the playoffs. Peo-
ple said they didn’t deserve be-
ing in the playoffs, but when an
opportunity presents itself, all
you can do is take advantage of
it. They might not have been
undefeated in league, but they
played hard. Who knows?
What if they had won and made
it to the playoffs? Someone
once told me that it isn’t the
way you start, it’s the way you
finish, and a game out of the
playoffs isn’t too shabby, even if
you have only one win in
league.
NOTE: The Loggers lost to
Portland Christian 86-25,
1/27/06; Warrenton 48-38,
1/31/06; Corbett 50-45, 2/3/06;
and Clatskanie 83-43, 2/4/06.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Hoping to finish their season
strong and roll into the playoffs,
the Lady Loggers had big
games coming up with division
See page 12

Vernonia Community
VHS Staff
And, don’t miss the
Zack Rumbolz Memorial
Scholarship Fund
Taco Feed from 5 - 7pm
Middle School cafeteria.