Below are the weekly previews and recaps for volleyball, boys and girls soccer, as well as results and schedules for all area sports.
Volleyball
The Main Event
Creswell Bulldogs (3-1, ranked #9) at Pleasant Hill Billies (3-1, ranked #8)
■ Game facts: Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
■ Setting up: A contender for most exciting matchup of September for any sport, Creswell heads to Pleasant Hill for a battle of Class 3A rivals and contenders. The Billies were 2-1 against the Bulldogs last year, but the Bulldogs made it further at state. Both teams have explosive trios that will lead the way as Pleasant Hill juniors Emily Krauss, Cheyenne Green, and Claire Crawford face off against Creswell seniors Kimberlee Kelsey and Lizabelle Osborn, as well as freshman Piper Hanson.
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions 1-1, ranked # 10
■ Setting up: Cottage Grove has two away non-league games this week, at Hidden Valley and at No. 2 Cascade. The Lions will need solid play from Jocelyn Torralba as defensive specialist and setter to beat Hidden Valley, though an upset win against Cascade will be tough for the young CG team.
Springfield Millers 4-3, ranked #13
■ Setting up: Springfield looks to build on a 2-0 week as it heads to the South Eugene Invite on Saturday. The Millers have two solid setters in Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam and Emily Waddell, but coach Keri Green said the team still needs to improve on winning points on their terms instead of relying on opponents’ mistakes.
Thurston Colts 3-2, ranked #10
■ Setting up: Thurston begins league play this week as it plays host to Ashland and Churchill. Thurston was voted as the second-highest ranked team in the Midwestern League in the preseason coaches’ polls, so a strong start to league play will be key for the Colts to contend with No. 7 Crater.
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove got in the win column in its second match of the year as it took down South Umpqua 3-0.
■ Creswell had a routine 2-0 week with two sweeps. In the win over Cottage Grove Lizabelle Osborn and Piper Hanson each had 13 kills and Kimberlee Kelsey had 15 assists. In a win over Monroe, Osborn had 8 kills, 8 digs and 8 blocks, while Kelsey had 10 assists and 3 aces.
■ Pleasant Hill swept Glide in their only match of the week. Ruby Jackson led the way with 12 kills and 2 aces, Cheyenne Green had 11 kills, Anna Crawford had 10 kills, Claire Crawford finished with 29 assists and 7 digs, and Emily Krauss had 15 digs.
■ Springfield had a 2-0 week, sweeping Willamette and winning a five-setter over Corvallis. Against Corvallis, Jacey Smith had 11 kills and 8 digs, Emily Waddell had 30 assists, and Sailor Hall chipped in 4 kills and 14 digs.
■ Thurston had a 2-0 week, both sweeps. The Colts beat McKay on Tuesday and Class 6A’s Lakeridge on Thursday.
Boys Soccer
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions 0-1, ranked #28
■ Kicking off: The Lions have their biggest game of the early season Thursday when they host preseason No. 2 Stayton. Rogelio Soto-Cruz anchors a back line that will need to hold up against an explosive Stayton team, and Tristyn Burnes will continue to be key on offense.
Creswell Bulldogs 2-0, ranked #13
■ Kicking off: Creswell looks to continue its hot start as the Bulldogs head to South Umpqua on Thursday. So far the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 10-2, and coach Brandi Wittenborn will be seeking sustained success as Creswell nears league play.
Pleasant Hill Billies 1-1, ranked #12
■ Kicking off: The Billies had an up-and-down start after losing the first game of the season 6-0 and winning the next one 7-0. Senior captain Steven Gunn will be key leading the midfield this week as Pleasant Hill heads to No. 8 Westside Christian on Tuesday.
Springfield Millers 0-3, ranked #28
■ Kicking off: Springfield has a chance to get a win on the board after a slow start as it hosts Class 4A Marist Catholic on Thursday. Senior captain Santiago Pena de la Cruz will be key for the Millers if they hope to get a win on the board.
Thurston Colts 1-1, ranked #20
■ Kicking off: Thurston’s only game of the week is at Class 6A Sheldon next Wednesday. Carlos Vega-Diaz is the linchpin of the team.
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove and Thurston faced off in a 3-2 win for Thurston. CG’s Tristyn Burnes, who was later sent off with two yellow cards, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute and CG led at half. In the second half, Carlos Vega-Diaz and Esteban Avila Rodriguez both scored for Thurston to grab the lead. After going down 2-1, Eli Williams scored the equalizer for CG before Vega-Diaz scored with 3 minutes remaining.
■ Creswell soccer got off to a strong start, winning its opening games 3-1 over Western Christian and 7-1 over Sutherlin.
■ Pleasant Hill lost their opening game to Delphian 6-0 before bouncing back on Saturday to dominate De La Salle North Catholic 7-0.
■ Springfield lost both games last week, 5-1 against West Albany and 5-0 against Silverton. Senior captain Cesar Hernandez will likely be the leader for the Millers this season.
Girls Soccer
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions 0-1, ranked #28
■ Kicking off: Cottage Grove has a slew of non-league games this week. The Lions failed to score in their opening game, so look for Emmerson Bickford to attempt to drive the offense this week.
Creswell Bulldogs 1-0, ranked #5
■ Kicking off: Creswell kicks off league play with home games against Siuslaw and Central Linn. Both games are part of the opening five games that Creswell plays, all at home. The Bulldogs will need the freshman Mila Nguyen, who had a hat-trick in the team’s sole game.
Pleasant Hill Billies 0-1, ranked #12
■ Kicking off: Pleasant Hill hosts No. 7 Sisters on Thursday in an early league matchup. Senior captains Tressa Geyer and Dakota Hyland lead the Billies offense.
Springfield Millers 1-2, ranked #24
■ Kicking off: The Millers have potentially their toughest non-league game on Thursday as they face Class 4A No. 1 Marist Catholic. Elidia Cervantes-Carlos and Lydia Stewart will be important if Springfield hopes to stay in the game with the Spartans.
Thurston Colts 1-1, ranked #16
■ Kicking off: Thurston hosts No. 11 Silverton on Thursday in a matchup of two teams fighting for top-10 seeds this season. The Colts have only three seniors.
RECAPS
■ Creswell started its season off with a 3-1 win over Dayton thanks to a hat-trick by freshman Mila Nguyen. The Bulldogs had 20 shots on goal compared to Dayton’s 3.
■ Springfield had a tough week, losing to West Albany 4-0 and Silverton 2-0.
■ Thurston opened the season last Tuesday with a 4-1 win over Woodburn. Macy Taylor had a hat trick for the Colts, with two coming off assists from Megan Allen and Kielyn Ruhl and the third off a rebound from Alex Delpino’s shot. Haylee Nelson also scored.
RESULTS
FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 1
■ Creswell 15, Taft 6
■ Pleasant Hill 20, Cottage Grove 7
■ Springfield 39, Ridgeview 21
■ Wilsonville 44, Thurston 15
VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, Aug. 29
■ Creswell 3, Cottage Grove 0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-21)
■ Springfield 3, Corvallis 2 (25-16, 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-11)
■ Thurston 3, McKay 0 (25-4, 25-11, 25-7)
Wednesday, Aug. 30
■ PHHS 3, Glide 0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-9)
Thursday, Aug. 31
■ Cottage Grove 3, South Umpqua 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-18)
■ Creswell 3, Monroe 0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-12)
■ Springfield 3, Willamette 0 (25-10, 25-6, 25-9)
■ Thurston 3, Lakeridge 0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-21)
BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday, Aug. 29
■ West Albany 5, Springfield 1
Wednesday, Aug. 30
■ Thurston 3, Cottage Grove 2
Thursday, Aug. 31
■ Creswell 7, Sutherlin 1
■ Delphian / Willamina 6, PHHS 0
■ Silverton 5, Springfield 0
Friday, Sept. 1
■ Caldera 2, Thurston 1
Saturday, Sept. 2
■ PHHS 7, De La Salle North Catholic 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Tuesday, Aug. 29
■ Creswell 3, Dayton 1
■ North Bend 7, Pleasant Hill 0
■ West Albany 4, Springfield 0
■ Thurston 4, Woodburn 1
Wednesday, Aug. 30
■ Western Christian 4, Cottage Grove 0
Thursday, Aug. 31
■ Silverton 2, Springfield 0
Friday, Sept. 1
■ Caldera 3, Thurston 0
SCHEDULES
FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 8
■ Elmira at Cottage Grove, 7 p.m.
■ Santiam Christian at Creswell, 7 p.m.
■ Marist Catholic at Springfield, 7 p.m.
■ Summit at Thurston, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Pleasant Hill at Salem Academy, 5 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ CGHS at Hidden Valley, 6:30 p.m.
■ Creswell at Pleasant Hill, 6:30 p.m.
■ Ashland at Thurston, 6:45 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 8
■ Pleasant Hill at Valley Catholic, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Springfield at S. Eugene Intive, 9 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 11
■ Churchill at Thurston, 6:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Cottage Grove at Cascade, 6 p.m.
■ Creswell at Santiam Chr., 6:30 p.m.
■ Pleasant Hill at Elmira, 6:30 p.m.
■ North Eugene at Springfield, 6:45 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Klamath Union at CGHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ Creswell at Siuslaw, 6:30 p.m.
■ Sisters at Pleasant Hill, 6:30 p.m.
■ Springfield at Ashland, 6:45 p.m.
■ Ridgeview at Thurston, 6:45 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ Creswell at South Umpqua, 4:30 p.m.
■ Taft at Pleasant Hill, 4:30 p.m.
■ Stayton at Cottage Grove, 6 p.m.
■ Marist at Springfield, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Cottage Grove at Cascade, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Pacific/Bandon at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ PHHS at Westside Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
■ Klamath Union at CGHS, 6 p.m.
■ Thurston at Sheldon, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Corvallis at Springfield, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ Silverton at Thurston, 4 p.m.
■ Siuslaw at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ Cottage Grove at Stayton, 6 p.m.
■ Sisters at Pleasant Hill, 6 p.m.
■ Springfield at Marist, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Cascade at Cottage Grove, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 11
■ Phoenix at Cottage Grove, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Thurston at Ridgeview, 4:30 p.m.
■ Santiam Christian at PHHS, 5 p.m.
■ Central Linn at Creswell, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
■ CGHS at Klamath Union, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Pleasant Hill at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ Springfield at Corvallis, 7:15 p.m.
■ Thurston at West Salem, 7:30 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Cottage Grove, Pleasant Hill at Stayton XC Invitational, 11 a.m.
■ Springfield at Ash Creek XC Festival (WOU), 8 a.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
■ Pleasant Hill at Silver Falls Oktoberfest Invitational (Silver Falls State Park), TBD
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Cottage Grove, Creswell at Country Fair Classic (Oregon Country Fairgrounds), 4 p.m
