HSSZ: Weekly Capsules for Oct. 26

PREVIEWS

Cottage Grove Lions: 9-12, ranked #11
■ Setting up: The Lions host No. 19 Baker on Tuesday – after our press deadline – in a play-in match. The winner heads to the postseason, though the Lions would likely have to travel for a first-round playoff game Saturday. CGHS lost a play-in game last season, so head coach Abby Ladd and the returners are seeking redemption.

Creswell Bulldogs: 15-6, ranked #7
■ Setting up: Creswell earned a No. 7 playoff seed, and a first-round playoff bye, with its 15-6 regular-season record. The Bulldogs host No. 10 Dayton (17-7) on Saturday evening in the second round. Senior libero Ashelyn Sharkey and the Bulldogs will be favorites at home, and a win sends Creswell to its fifth-straight quarterfinal appearance.

Pleasant Hill Billies: 21-3, ranked #2
■ Setting up: The Billies earned the No. 2 seed in the Class 3A playoff bracket for the second year in a row thanks to a stellar regular season, led by juniors Cheyenne Green and Claire Crawford. On Saturday, Pleasant Hill hosts the winner of the first-round match between No. 15 Amity and No. 18 Lakeview. Last season, the Billies were upset by No. 15 Siuslaw, but look for a more veteran squad to avoid the same fate.

Thurston Colts: 18-5, ranked #3
■ Setting up: While the Class 5A postseason bracket is not posted before our  newspaper deadline, the Colts will have a top-five seed and a first-round home playoff match this Saturday. Whoever Thurston’s opponent is, the Colts will continue to rely on senior outside hitters Scout Martin, Julia Cook, and Savannah Efseaff.

RECAPS

■ Cottage Grove went 1-2 last week, losing to No. 2 Marist Catholic on Tuesday. The Lions then played in the Sky-Em League playoff, beating Junction City 3-1 and losing to No. 5 North Bend 3-2. Cottage Grove finished 4th in the Sky-Em League, but is hosting a play-in game against Baker on Tuesday – after the newspaper deadline.

■ Creswell went 2-0 last week, clinching the Mountain Valley Conference’s third automatic playoff bid in the process. In a 3-1 win over La Pine, Piper Hanson had 20 kills, Lizabelle Osborn had 16 kills, Kimberlee Kelsey added 31 assists, and Ashelyn Sharkey had 23 digs. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a sweep over Elmira, Osborn leading the way with 14 kills, and Kyla Ellis had a streak of 18-straight serves.

■ Pleasant Hill swept Siuslaw to end the season, eliminating Siuslaw from the playoffs after Siuslaw upset the Billies in last year’s playoffs. Claire Crawford led the way with 8 kills, 12 digs, and 19 assists.

■ Springfield finished the season with three losses at top-15 opponents, ending the Millers season at 9-18. Senior Emily Waddell became the first Springfield athlete on record to hit 500 career digs and assists during last week’s matches.

PREVIEWS

Cottage Grove Lions: 11-2-1, ranked #6
■ Kicking off: Cottage Grove kicks off its postseason run next Wednesday. While the bracket won’t be posted until Saturday, a league championship and high ranking means the Lions will host a playoff game. Opponent aside, first-year head coach Jaime Urenda leads the Lions back into the playoffs after missing the postseason last year.

Creswell Bulldogs: 11-3, ranked #10
■ Kicking off: Creswell earned a postseason berth thanks to a third-place finish in the Mountain Valley Conference. When and where Creswell plays is still up in the air at press time. The top-12 seeds earn a postseason bye, but Creswell has a chance to drop out of that once the postseason rankings come out. A first-round game would be at home on Saturday, but a bye would mean a likely road game next Wednesday.

Springfield: 1-10-1, ranked #28
■ Kicking off: Springfield closes out the regular season on Saturday at No. 7 Ashland. It’s been a tough season for coach Juan Gonzalez, who struggled to replace a slew of seniors that led last year’s team to a quarterfinal finish.

Thurston Colts: 6-4-2, ranked #13
■ Kicking off: Thurston is in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade as the Colts host Crater on Saturday. Crater is just below Thurston for the final automatic playoff spot, so a victory puts Thurston into the postseason.

RECAPS

■ Creswell handled Elmira 4-0 last Tuesday before a heartbreaking 5-4 loss at Sisters in the Mountain Valley Conference title game where the Bulldogs allowed 4 second-half goals. Goal-scorers against Elmira were Brady Pratt, Braidyn Morse, Cameron Leonard, and Matthew Jenkins.

■ Pleasant Hill was eliminated from postseason contention with a 2-0 loss at Sisters and a 2-1 loss at Central Linn last week. The Billies finished the season 3-8-3 and 2-5-2 in conference play.

■ Springfield went 0-1-1 in league play last week, losing 1-0 to Churchill before grabbing a 2-2 draw at Crater,

■ Thurston handled North Eugene 3-1 before falling at No. 7 Ashland 3-0 on Saturday. Carlos Vega led the way against NE with two goals and sophomore Yurem Martinez added the third.

PREVIEWS

Creswell: 12-3, ranked #9
■ Kicking off: Senior midfielder Tailey Carson leads Creswell into the postseason this week. A second-place conference finish and top-10 ranking should give Creswell a first-round bye, meaning the Bulldogs would play their playoff-opener next Tuesday.

Pleasant Hill: 8-5-2, ranked #18
■ Kicking off: Pleasant Hill hosts No. 27 Santiam Christian on Tuesday – after our press deadline – in a Mountain Valley Conference playoff. The winner makes the postseason, so a Billies win would give them a first- round playoff game on Saturday.

Springfield: 1-9-2, ranked #26
■ Kicking off: It’s been a difficult first season for head coach Alyssa Hinojosa, but the Millers have a chance to end the season on a high note with an upset win over No. 11 Ashland on Saturday.

Thurston: 6-4-3, ranked #8
■ Kicking off: While back-to-back Midwestern League titles seems unlikely for the Colts, a playoff appearance is all but guaranteed at this point. Junior midfielder Gabriella Montes leads Thurston against No. 15 Crater this Saturday as both teams jockey for postseason seeding.

RECAPS

■ Cottage Grove had a tough week to finish the season, losing 12-0 at No. 1 Marist Catholic before falling 3-2 in a league playoff game against Marshfield on Saturday. The losses put the Lions at 2-10-2 to end the season, eliminating them from any play-in hopes.

■ Creswell finished the regular season with two wins to grab second place in the MVC. Freshman Mila Nguyen led the way with 4 goals in a 5-1 win over Elmira, while senior Dakota Carson added the 5th goal. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 2-0 win over Santiam Christian – with goals from Nguyen and Chloe McBee. Goalie Kylie Leonard totaled 11 saves between the two games.

■ Pleasant Hill had a big week, getting a 1-1 draw with No. 12 Central Linn before beating Elmira 1-0. Senior captain Tressa Geyer scored in the 60th minute with an assist from sophomore Trinity Smead, and goalie Kenna Caldwell had 13 saves. Geyer assisted Lydia Whitney for Pleasant Hill’s lone goal in the win over Elmira.

■ Springfield had a 2-2 draw at Churchill before falling 4-0 at No. 15 Crater. Sophomore Kenya Valencia scored both goals in the draw at Churchill.

■ Thurston fell to No. 3 North Eugene in a tough 2-1 game before bouncing back with a 5-3 win at No. 11 Ashland. Jolie Harada scored on an assist from Macy Taylor to bring Thurston even against NE, but a NE goal with 3 minutes left secured the win. Thurston had five different goal-scorers in the Ashland win: Taylor, Gabriella Montes, Richelle Ruhl, Megan Allen, and Amber Acocella.

RESULTS

FOOTBALL
Friday, Oct. 20
■ Junction City 52, Cottage Grove 13
■ Pleasant Hill 27, Creswell 14
■ Springfield 33, North Eugene 11
■ Thurston 63, Willamette 6

VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, Oct. 17
■ Marist Catholic 3, Cottage Grove 0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-18)
■ Creswell 3, La Pine 1 (25-10, 18-25, 25-11, 25-12)
Thursday, Oct. 19
■ Cottage Grove 3, Junction City 1 (25-14, 25-20, 17-25, 25-19)
■ North Bend 3, Cottage Grove 2 (24-26, 21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-11)
■ Creswell 3, Elmira 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-7)
■ Pleasant Hill 3, Siuslaw 0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-15)
■ Thurston 3, Springfield 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-7)
Saturday, Oct. 21
■ Crater 3, Springfield 1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-10, 25-11)
■ Eagle Point 3, Springfield 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-22)
■ Crater 3, Thurston 2
■ Thurston 3, Eagle Point 2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-17, 15-13)

BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday, Oct. 17
■ Creswell 4, Elmira 0
■ Sisters 2, Pleasant Hill 0
■ Churchill 1, Springfield 0
Wednesday, Oct. 18
■ Cottage Grove 2, Marist Catholic 2
■ Thurston 3, North Eugene 1
Thursday, Oct. 19
■ Sisters 5, Creswell 4
■ Central Linn 2, Pleasant Hill 1
Saturday, Oct. 21
■ Springfield 2, Crater 2
■ Ashland 3, Thurston 0

GIRLS SOCCER
Tuesday, Oct. 17
■ Creswell 5, Elmira 1
■ Pleasant Hill 1, Central Linn 1
■ Springfield 2, Churchill 2
■ North Eugene 2, Thurston 1
Wednesday, Oct. 18
■ Marist Catholic 12, Cottage Grove 0
Thursday, Oct. 19
■ Creswell 2, Santiam Christian 0
■ Pleasant Hill 1, Elmira 0
Saturday, Oct. 21
■ Marshfield 3, Cottage Grove 2
■ Crater 4, Springfield 0
■ Thurston 5, Ashland 3

SCHEDULES

FOOTBALL
Friday, Oct. 27
■ Hidden Valley at Cottage Grove, 7 p.m.
■ La Pine at Creswell, 7 p.m.
■ Pleasant Hill at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at Springfield, 7 p.m.
■ Thurston at Churchill, 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, Oct. 28
■ (10) Dayton at (7) Creswell, 6 p.m.*
■ Lakeview/Amity at (2) Pl. Hill, TBD*
■ TBD at Thurston, TBD*

BOYS SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 28
■ Crater at Thurston, 3 p.m.
■ Springfield at Ashland, 5 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 28
■ Crater at Thurston, 1 p.m.
■ Springfield at Ashland, 3 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY
Thursday, Oct. 26
■ Cottage Grove at Sky-Em League Championships, LCC, noon
■ Creswell, Pleasant Hill at Special District 4 Championships, Valley of the Rogue State Park, 2:15 p.m.
* Playoff game

UPCOMING KEY DATES

FOOTBALL
■ Oct. 27: 5A Rankings freeze + cutoff
■ Oct. 28: 4A, 3A, Rankings freeze + cutoff
■ Nov. 3-4: All classifications first round
VOLLEYBALL
■ Oct. 28: 5A, 4A first round; 3A second round
■ Nov. 3-4: All quarterfinals-finals
Class 5A – Forest Grove High School
Class 4A – Springfield High School
Class 3A – Springfield High School
BOYS SOCCER
■ Oct. 28: 5A rankings freeze + 5A, 4A cutoff
■ Oct. 28: 3A first round
■ Nov. 1: 3A second round; 5A, 4A first round
GIRLS SOCCER
■ Oct. 28: 5A rankings freeze + 5A, 4A cutoff
■ Oct. 28: 3A first round
■ Oct. 31: 3A second round; 5A, 4A first round