THE MAIN EVENT
No. 1 Sisters at Pleasant Hill Billies
Setting up: The Pleasant Hill Billies volleyball team plays host to No. 1 Sisters on Thursday in a matchup of the state’s top two teams. After sweeping rival No. 6 Creswell last Thursday, the Billies beat the defending state champion Valley Catholic 3-1 on Friday. … the Billies are 6-1 and ranked No. 2. … A win over Sisters, which has the returning state player of the year in senior Gracie Vohs, would put Pleasant Hill atop the list of contenders in the state.
VOLLEYBALL CAPSULES
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions: 2-2, ranked #23
■ Setting up: The Lions host Klamath Union on Thursday in their final non-league game before Sky-Em play. Cottage Grove opens league play on Tuesday at No. 1 Marshfield, the defending state champs.
Creswell Bulldogs: 4-2, ranked #11
■ Setting up: The Bulldogs hope to bounce back after a tough loss against rival No. 2 Pleasant Hill. The schedule doesn’t get any easier though as Creswell heads to No. 16 Siuslaw on Thursday and No. 1 Sisters on Monday, both top-8 teams from last season. Freshman Piper Hanson and senior Lizabelle Osborn continue to be the driving forces for the Bulldogs on offense.
Springfield Millers: 6-4, ranked #15
■ Setting up: Springfield begins league play this week as it hosts a doubleheader on Saturday against No. 13 Eagle Point and No. 1 Crater. While an upset over No. 1 Crater is unlikely, the match against Eagle Point should give coach Keri Green a good indication of where the Millers – who already surpassed last year’s win total – stand this season.
Thurston Colts: 6-2, ranked #6
■ Setting up: Thurston hosts No. 1 Crater in a matchup between the likely top two teams in the Midwestern League. Head coach David Natt and the Colts get their biggest early season test this week, but an upset over Crater could put Thurston on a short list of contenders for the league crown.
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove went 1-1 last week, sweeping Molalla before losing to Hidden Valley 3-1. Mariah Bailey had 9 kills and 17 digs, Taylor Bennett had 8 kills, and Jocelyn Torralba had 19 assists vs. Molalla. Bennett had 11 kills and 23 digs in the loss and Torralba had 27 assists.
■ Creswell went 1-1 to start conference play, sweeping Harrisburg before being swept by Pleasant Hill. Against Harrisburg, Piper Hanson had 10 kills, Lizabelle Osborn had 5 kills and 6 digs, Hope Ukolov had 4 kills and 9 assists, and Kimberlee Kelsey added 5 kills and 8 assists.
■ Springfield had a 2-1 week, losing 3-0 to Marist before beating North and South Eugene 2-0 at the South Eugene Invite on Saturday. Jacey Smith led the way against Marist with 7 kills and 6 digs, while Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam had 6 assists and 10 digs. At the invite, Smith had 21 kills and 28 digs, Emily Waddell had 26 assists and 25 digs, and Juju Henderson had 15 blocks.
■ Thurston extended its win streak to six as the Colts swept North Salem, Ashland, and Churchill last week.
BOYS SOCCER CAPSULES
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove: 2-2, ranked #24
■Kicking off: The Lions head to Creswell on Monday. Captain defenseman Rogelio Soto-Cruz and goalkeeper Jace Meyer will have their hands full against a Bulldogs team that’s averaging more than 6 goals a game.
Creswell: 3-0, ranked #6
■Kicking off: Creswell has cracked the top-10 in Class 3A after a 3-0 start. The Bulldogs have 19 goals in three games.
Pleasant Hill: 1-1-1, ranked #34
■Kicking off: The Billies play Tuesday at Dayton (1-3). Senior captain Hunter Allen anchors a defense that’s allowed one goal in the past two games.
Springfield: 0-5, ranked #29
■Kicking off: The Millers are off to a tough start after making the state quarterfinals last season. This week, Springfield plays host to No. 5 Corvallis on Thursday. Coach Juan Gonzalez and the Millers have 12 days off after that game and will need to figure out several solutions heading into league play in late September.
Thurston: 1-2, ranked #18
■Kicking off: Thurston has received lots of early season practice in close games, as all three games were one-goal differences. This week the Colts look to bounce back from two consecutive losses.
RECAPS
■Cottage Grove went 2-1 this past week. The Lions started last Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Philomath thanks to Emmanuel Rea’s goal and assist, as well as goals by Hayes Valley and Armando Legorreta. Legorreta scored the team’s only goal in a 5-1 loss vs. Stayton, but had a hat trick as the team bounced back with a 4-1 win over Cascade.
■Creswell’s sole game last week was a 9-2 win over South Umpqua. Brady Pratt had a hat-trick and 2 assists, and Lyosha Mitchell had 2 goals and an assist in the win.
■Springfield fell twice last week, a 5-1 loss to Crescent Valley and a 2-1 loss to Marist. The losses dropped the Millers to 0-5.
■Thurston’s sole game last week was a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Silverton. The Colts have had a light early season schedule that ramps up quickly in the next two weeks.
Girls Soccer Capsules
Cottage Grove: 1-3, ranked #29
■Kicking off: The Lions open league play next Wednesday at Marshfield. While the Sky-Em League has a clear-cut top team in No. 4 Marist Catholic, much of the rest of the league is up for grabs for coach Kalli Schwehr’s team.
Creswell: 2-1, ranked #23
■Kicking off: The Bulldogs play host to Pleasant Hill on Thursday in a Mountain Valley Conference matchup. Freshman Mila Nguyen has been a positive early season performer, and Creswell will need all the offense it can get against a Billies squad that’s allowed only 1 goal in two conference games.
Pleasant Hill: 1-2, ranked #29
■Kicking off: The Billies had a heartbreaking late-game loss to No. 1 Sisters last week, but have a chance to bounce back at Creswell on Thursday. Goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell had 20 saves in the Sisters’ loss and hopes to shut down the Bulldogs offense.
Springfield: 1-4, ranked #26
■Kicking off: The Millers’ tough early season schedule continues as they travel to No. 1 Corvallis on Thursday. First-year head coach Alyssa Hinojosa and the Millers are on a four-game losing streak, and she will need some heroics from star Elidia Cervantes-Carlos if they want to upset Corvallis.
Thurston: 1-1-1, ranked #17
■Kicking off: Thurston heads to Class 6A West Salem on Thursday. It’s been up-and-down early for the Colts as they are still finding their footing after replacing many of their key contributors from last year. Macy Taylor has been a bright spot early on offense.
RECAPS
■Cottage Grove went 1-2 last week. The sole win came in a 1-0 win over Stayton as freshman Autumn Leach scored a free kick off of a foul about 20-25 yards out.
■Creswell started league play 1-1, losing to No. 1 Sisters 2-0 before bouncing back with a 4-0 win over Siuslaw.
■Pleasant Hill beat La Pine 11-0 as seven different players scored. Tressa Geyer led the way with a hat trick, Dakota Hyland and Trinity Smead each had 2 goals, and Tessa Hammond had 3 assists. The Billies then hosted No. 1 Sisters and lost 1-0 on an 85th-minute heartbreaker. Sophomore GK Kenna Caldwell had 20 saves on the night.
Conference Call
Weekly tidbits from around our area team’s conferences
■ Bay scores 75th-minute winner for JC: Senior forward Brayden Bay scored a 75th-minute goal for the Junction City boys soccer team last week in the team’s 2-1 win over Gladstone. Bay has scored three goals and added an assist in Junction City’s first four matches of the season.
■ Chase continues dominance: Marist’s Cloe Chase continued her dominance in girls soccer last week, scoring six goals against Springfield. Chase, a Springfield native, has recorded 14 goals in only four games this season for Marist (4-0).
RESULTS
FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 8
■ Elmira 51, Cottage Grove 18
■ Santiam Christian 37, Creswell 6
■ Springfield 36, Marist 34 (OT)
■ Summit 46, Thurston 25
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Salem Academy 34, PHHS 25
VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, Sept. 5
■ Cottage Grove 3, Molalla 0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-3)
■ Creswell 3, Harrisburg 0 (25-8, 25-9, 25-19)
■ Pleasant Hill 3, La Pine 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-19)
■ Marist 3, Springfield 0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-15)
■ Thurston 3, North Salem 0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-11)
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ Hidden Valley 3, Cottage Grove 1 (25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 26-24)
■ Pleasant Hill 3, Creswell 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20)
■ Thurston 3, Ashland 0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-17)
Friday, Sept. 8
■ Pleasant Hill 3, Valley Catholic 1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-19)
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Springfield 2, South Eugene 0 (27-25, 27-26)
■ Springfield 2, North Eugene 0
Monday, Sept. 11
■ Thurston 3, Churchill 0
BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday, Sept. 5
■ Cottage Grove 3, Philomath 0
■ Crescent Valley 5, Springfield 1
■ Silverton 2, Thurston 1
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ Stayton 5, Cottage Grove 1
■ Creswell 9, South Umpqua 2
■ Pleasant Hill 1, Taft 1
■ Marist 2, Springfield 1
Saturday, Sept. 9
■ Cottage Grove 4, Cascade 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Tuesday, Sept. 5
■ Philomath 8, Cottage Grove 0
■ Sisters 2, Creswell 0
■ Pleasant Hill 11, La Pine 0
■ Crescent Valley 4, Springfield 0
Thursday, Sept. 7
■ Cottage Grove 1, Stayton 0
■ Creswell 4, Siuslaw 0
■ Sisters 1, Pleasant Hill 0
■ Marist 9, Springfield 1
■ Thurston 0, Silverton 0
Monday, Sept. 11
■ Phoenix 1, Cottage Grove 0
SCHEDULES
FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 15
(All games at 7 p.m.)
■ Philomath at Cottage Grove
■ Harrisburg at Pleasant Hill
■ Creswell at Warrenton
■ Springfield at Crater
■ North Eugene at Thurston
VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Klamath Un. at CGHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ Creswell at Siuslaw, 6:30 p.m.
■ Sisters at PHHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ SHS at Ashland, 6:45 p.m.
■ Ridgeview at Thurston, 6:45 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16
■ Eagle Point at SHS, 2:15 p.m.
■ Crater at Thurston, 2:15 p.m.
■ Crater at Springfield, 5 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at Thurston, 5 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 18
■ Creswell at Sisters, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
■ CGHS at Marshfield, 6:30 p.m.
■ Harrisburg at PHHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ SHS at Churchill, 6:45 p.m.
■ Thurston at N. Eugene, 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 20
■ North Bend at CGHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ La Pine at Creswell, 6:30 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Corvallis at Springfield, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16
■ North Bend at Thurston, 6 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 18
■ CGHS at Creswell, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
■ PHHS at Dayton, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 20
CGHS at Marshfield, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 21
■ Pleasant Hill at Creswell, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Pleasant Hill at Creswell, 6 p.m.
■ SHS at Corvallis, 7:15 p.m.
■ Thurston at W. Salem, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 18
■ Thurston at West Albany, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
■ Creswell at La Pine, 4:30 p.m.
■ PHHS at Siuslaw, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 20
■ CGHS at Marshfield, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 21
■ Creswell at Elmira, 4:30 p.m.
■ Central Linn at PHHS, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Marist, 6:30 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Cottage Grove, Creswell at Country Fair Classic (Oregon Country Fairgrounds), 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16
■ Thurston at Prefontaine Memorial Run (Marshfield HS), 9:45 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
Creswell at 2nd Annual Warrior Run (North Doulgas HS), 4:30 p.m.
