HSSZ: Week of Sept. 21 sports capsules

PREVIEWS

Cottage Grove: 1-4, ranked #29
■ Kicking off: Cottage Grove has its first home league game of the season on Monday as the Lions host No. 7 North Bend. Freshman Autumn Leach still has the team’s only goal this season.

Creswell: 4-1, ranked #9
■ Kicking off: Creswell has two away league games this week, at Elmira and Santiam Christian. The Bulldogs are led by seven seniors, including forward Dakota Carson, and will need all of its  offense that’s averaging 2.4 goals-per-game.

Pleasant Hill: 2-3, ranked #23
■ Kicking off: The Billies have struggled with health recently, losing two starters in a loss to Creswell last week. Goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell and forward Tessa Hammond have played well recently, and both will need to play well this week as Pleasant Hill hosts No. 16 Central Linn on Thursday.

RECAPS

■ Creswell had a big week, beating Mountain Valley Conference rivals Central Linn 2-1 and Pleasant Hill 3-2. The wins moved the Bulldogs to 4-1 on the season, a great start for a team that won only five games last season.

■ Pleasant Hill went 1-1 in league play last week, winning a wild 5-3 game against Santiam Christian before losing shorthanded to Creswell 3-2. Against SC, Tressa Geyer had her second hat trick of the season and Trinity Smead had 2 goals. Against Creswell, the Billies were without two of their three captains and lost another two starters to injury in the game. Smead and Tessa Hammond scored in the loss while GK Kenna Caldwell had 14 saves.

■ Springfield had a competitive 2-0 loss at No. 1 Corvallis last Thursday. After an opening-day win, the Millers have now lost five in a row. 

■ Thurston had a 2-0-1 week to put them on the right track heading into a tough week. Thurston beat Ridgeview 3-0 behind goals from Macy Taylor, Richelle Ruhl, and Alexandria Delpino. The Colts then beat Class 6A West Salem 2-1, with goals coming from Delpino and Emily Kranzush.

PREVIEWS

Cottage Grove Lions: 4-2, ranked #12
■ Kicking off: The Lions open Sky-Em League play this week at home against North Bend. Only two Sky-Em teams get automatic-qualifier bids to the postseason, so it’ll be important for new coach Jaime Urenda and his team to get off to a good start. Sophomore Emmanuel Rea continues to be an important part of CG’s offense.

Creswell Bulldogs: 4-1, ranked #4
■ Kicking off: Creswell suffered its first defeat of the season on Monday but looks to bounce back as the Bulldogs host rival Pleasant Hill on Thursday. 

Pleasant Hill Billies: 1-2-1, ranked #35
■ Kicking off: The Billies have a chance to right the ship after a shaky start when they travel to rival No. 2 Creswell on Thursday. Pleasant Hill will need stellar play from senior captain Steven Gunn if it wants to extend its unbeaten streak in the rivalry game (Billies are 5-0-2 since 2019).

Thurston Colts: 1-2-1, ranked #19
■ Kicking off: Thurston’s sole game this week is Saturday at No. 11 Crescent Valley in Corvallis. After an opening-day win with three goals, the Colts have scored only three goals in their last three games, so a good offensive performance from star senior Carlos Vega will be needed for Thurston to upset Crescent Valley.

RECAPS

■ Cottage Grove had a big week, taking down Klamath Union 3-1 last Wednesday and beating Class 3A rival No. 4 Creswell 4-1 on Monday. Against KU, Hayes Valley scored twice with assists coming from Eli Williams and Emmanuel Rea, while Armando Legorreta added a goal off a PK. In the win over Creswell, Valley had another two goals, Rogelio Soto-Cruz had one, and Felix Garza chipped in another.

■ Creswell extended its undefeated opening to four games with a 3-2 win over Pacific/Bandon last week before finally falling 4-1 to Cottage Grove on Monday. In the Pacific win, Brady Pratt had a goal and 2 assists, with the assists going to Matthew Jenkins and Galen Armitage. GK Deacon Edwards had 12 saves as well.

■ Pleasant Hill lost 6-1 at No. 1 Westside Christian. The Billies moved to 1-2-1 in non-league play, but should have better results as league play begins next week. 

■ Thurston’s only game last week was a 1-1 draw with Class 6A Sheldon. Thurston has had only four games through the first three weeks of the season, but the schedule picks up quickly once league play begins.

PREVIEWS

Cottage Grove Lions: 3-4, ranked #20
■ Setting up: The Lions head to the North Marion Invite on Saturday before hosting Sky-Em opponent Junction City. Cottage Grove is in a league with the top-3 ranked teams in Class 4A, and a win over No. 23 Junction City would be a boost to start league play.

Creswell Bulldogs: 6-3, ranked #8
■ Setting up: Creswell has cemented itself as the third-best team in the MVC after beating Siuslaw but losing to Sisters and Pleasant Hill.

Pleasant Hill Billies: 7-2, ranked #2
■ Setting up: The Billies look to regroup after a loss against No. 1 Sisters last week. Pleasant Hill heads to the Marist invite on Saturday where it will face Class 4A No. 2 Marist Catholic. Freshman starters Sari Strinz and Anna Crawford both got their first look at a high-powered offense last week, and a match against Marist will give the young Billies another test.

Springfield Millers: 7-6, ranked #15
■ Setting up: Springfield had a busy week last week, going 2-2 to open league play. It’s been a great start to the season so far for head coach Keri Green’s team, which is coming off a 4-17 season. This week the Millers head to the Marist Invite on Saturday before hosting rival No. 4 Thurston on Tuesday.

Thurston Colts: 9-2, ranked #4
■ Setting up: After taking down No. 1 Crater in three sets, the Colts officially announced themselves as Class 5A contenders. This week, Thurston travels to Class 4A No. 1 Marshfield on Saturday and cross-town rival Springfield on Tuesday.

RECAPS

■ Cottage Grove went 1-2, losing to No. 1 Marshfield and No. 4 Cascade but beating Klamath Union. Taylor Bennett led the way offensively, finishing with 6 kills against Cascade, 9 against Klamath Union, and 5 against Marshfield. Joci Torralba continued stellar passing with 53 total assists in the three matches.

■ Creswell went 2-1 against top-20 competition, beating No. 13 Santiam Christian and No. 18 Siuslaw before falling to No. 1 Sisters. In the win over Siuslaw, Piper Hanson had 13 kills and 3 aces, Lizabelle Osborn had 11 kills and 2 blocks, and Kimberlee Kelsey chipped in 19 assists and 6 kills. Against SC, Ashelyn Sharkey had 4 aces and 11 digs.

■ Springfield went 2-2 in a busy Midwestern League week. First, the Millers beat North Eugene 3-1 behind Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam’s 6 kills, 12 assists and 11 digs, Jacey Smith’s 8 kills and 9 digs, and Sailor Hall’s 6 kills and 13 digs. Springfield then took down Ashland thanks to Smith’s 10 kills and 16 digs, as well as Sofia Yow’s 7 kills and 8 digs. Springfield lost to No. 2 Crater and No. 14 Eagle Point on Saturday.

■ Thurston had a huge week, taking down then-No. 1 Crater in a five-set thriller on Saturday. The Colts also beat No. 14 Eagle Point and Ridgeview, extending their win streak to nine.

RESULTS

FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 15
■ Philomath 41, Cottage Grove 17
■ Warrenton 30, Creswell 0
■ Pleasant Hill 26, Harrisburg 7
■ Springfield 43, Crater 13
■ Thurston 48, North Eugene 14

VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Cascade 3, Cottage Grove 1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-10, 25-15)
■ Creswell 3, Santiam Christian 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-23)
■ Pleasant Hill 3, Elmira 0
Springfield 3, North Eugene 1 (15-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-23)
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Cottage Grove 3, Klamath Union 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-20)
■ Creswell 3, Siuslaw 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21)
■ Sisters 3, Pleasant Hill 1 (18-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-12)
■ Springfield 3, Ashland 1 (26-24, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23)
■ Thurston 3, Ridgeview 0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-22)
Saturday, Sept. 16
■ Eagle Point 3, Springfield 1 (25–22, 22-25, 25-18, 25-15)
■ Crater 3, Springfield 0 (25-18, 30-28, 25-10)
■ Thurston 3, Crater 2 (25-20, 22-25, 28-26, 21-25, 15-9)
■ Thurston 3, Eagle Point 1 (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19)
Monday, Sept. 18
■ Marshfield 3, Cottage Grove 0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-12)
■ Sisters 3, Creswell 0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-15)

BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Creswell 3, Pacific / Bandon 2
■ Westside Christian 6, Pleasant Hill 1
Wednesday, Sept. 13
■ Cottage Grove 3, Klamath Union 1
■ Thurston 1, Sheldon 1
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Corvallis 6, Springfield 1
Monday, Sept. 18
■ Cottage Grove 4, Creswell 1

GIRLS SOCCER
Tuesday, Sept. 12
■ Creswell 2, Central Linn 1
■ Pleasant Hill 5, Santiam Christian 3
■ Thurston 3, Ridgeview 0
Wednesday, Sept. 13
■ Klamath Union 2, Cottage Grove 0
Thursday, Sept. 14
■ Creswell 3, Pleasant Hill 2
■ Corvallis 2, Springfield 0
■ Thurston 2, West Salem 1
Monday, Sept. 18
■ Thurston 0, West Albany 0

SCHEDULES

FOOTBALL
Friday, Sept. 22
■ Creswell at Elmira, 7 p.m.
■ Swt Home at Cottage Grove, 7 p.m.
■ North Marion at Pleasant Hill, 7 p.m.
■ South Eugene at Springfield, 7 p.m.
■ Thurston at Crater, 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, Sept. 23
■ Pleasant Hill at Marist Invite, TBD
■ Springfield at Marist Invite, TBD
■ CGHS at North Marion Invite, 8 a.m.
■ Thurston at Marshfield, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 26
■ Elmira at Creswell, 6:30 p.m.
■ CGHS at Junction City, 6:30 p.m.
■ Pleasant Hill at Siuslaw, 6:30 p.m.
■ Thurston at Springfield, 6:45 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 28
■ La Pine at Pleasant Hill, 6 p.m.
■ Creswell at Harrisberg, 6:30 p.m.
■ Marist at Cottage Grove, 6:30 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 21
■ Pleasant Hill at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23
■ Thurston at Crescent Valley, 1 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 25
■ Pleasant Hill at C. Linn, 4:30 p.m.
■ North Bend at Cottage Grove, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 26
■ Springfield at Churchill, 6 p.m.
■ East Linn at Pleasant Hill, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 28
■ East Linn at Creswell, 6:30 p.m.
■ Siuslaw at Pleasant Hill, 6:30 p.m.
■ CGHS at Junction City, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 21
■ Creswell at Elmira, 4:30 p.m.
■ Central Linn at Pleasant Hill, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Marist, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23
■ Crescent Valley at Thurston, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 25
■ North Bend at Cottage Grove, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 26
■ Elmira at Pleasant Hill, 4:30 p.m.
■ Creswell at Santiam Chr., 6 p.m.
■ Churchill at Springfield, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 28
■ Creswell at Sisters, 4 p.m.
■ La Pine at Pleasant Hill, 4:30 p.m.
■ CGHS at Junction City, 5 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY
Friday, Sept. 22
■ Pleasant Hill at Champs Invite (Cheadle Lake Park), 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23
■ Cottage Grove, Creswell, Springfield, Thurston at Northwest Classic 2023 (Lane CC), 12:20 p.m.