RECAPS
BOYS SOCCER
Cottage Grove handled Creswell last Thursday 4-1. The first goal was taken down the right side of the field where senior forward Hayes Valley crossed the ball to junior midfielder Emmanuel Rea on top of the box where he shot and scored. The third goal was from senior midfielder Rogelio Soto-Cruz, who received a cross from the left side from Rea. Cruz had the ball in the goalie box where he chipped it over his head. For the final goal, Rea was on a breakaway and ended up getting fouled in the box, which led to a penalty kick. Creswell received its single goal on a penalty kick.
After their loss against Delphian, Pleasant Hill played a tight game of 1-1 against De La Salle North Catholic last Thursday. The Billies dominated the Knights in a 7-0 win last season. The Billies are 2-2-1.
Springfield lost 4-1 to the Sunset Apollos on Monday. Although the Millers had possession for most of the first half and second half, three mistakes on their defense and gave the Apollos the advantage. Leading to 3-0 in the first half. However, sophomore Jack Sayre scored at the beginning on the second half but the Millers couldn’t tie the score, leading to the final 4-1.
Thurston continues to struggle at the early in the season. Its most recent loss was 3-0 against Canby – an opponent they have beaten easily in recent years. Last year, the Colts won 6-1 against the Cougars.
GIRLS SOCCER
Cottage Grove lost 5-3 against the Cascade Cougars last Tuesday. The Lions did not know what to expect from the Cougars, since their past two scheduled games were cancelled two years in a row (2022 and ‘23). This marked their first loss of the season.
Creswell recorded its first tie of the season — against Central Linn 2-2. The Bulldogs were down 2-0 in the first half before sophomore forward Mila Nguyen scored a goal and made it 2-1 at the half. Then, Nguyen drew a foul in the penalty box giving the Bulldogs a PK , which Nguyen slammed home to make it 2-2. According to head coach Dan Smathers the Bulldogs played “much better in the second half” and kept the Eagles from scoring due to play by defender Peyton Jenkins and 8 saves by GK Kylie Leonard. Smathers said the Central Linn field is “always an advantage for them and is difficult to play.”
Pleasant Hill continues to skate through their teams this season. It beat Central Linn 5-0 on Monday. Freshman forward Annaleigh Epperson had her first goal and first assist of her high school career. Senior captain and sister Ellie Epperson also had her first goal of the season from a header on a corner kick. Junior forward Trinity Smead had 2 goals and 2 assists. Senior captain Tessa Hammond had 1 goal. Sophomore midfielder Zoe Dilts had an assist. Junior GK Kenna Caldwell needed only 2 saves to prevent the Eagles from scoring.
Springfield has only scored 1 point in their two games of the season. So far, they are in a peculiar position due to a lack of games and cancellations. Their most recent cancellation was with Corvallis last Thursday.
Thurston lost to Canby 1-0 last Thursday. The Cougars scored late in the first half after the Colts mis-hit a free kick on their end line, which went directly to a Canby player, who took a deep shot that slipped under the crossbar. Senior GK Gabriella Montes got a touch on it but it wasn’t enough. The Colts continued to battle throughout the game and created five scoring opportunities late in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net. Overall, Montes had 8 saves. Lauren Kranzush, Amber Acocella, and Emmie Gerdrum combined for 6 shots on goal.
VOLLEYBALL
Cottage Grove earned a victory against Creswell last Thursday for the first time in years. The Lions took the game in 3 sets with scores of 25-22, 25-13, and 26-24. Head coach Abby Ladd said that the Lions “had a clear game plan that they were able to execute, which allowed them to keep momentum and positive energy on their side.” Senior right-side hitter Bailee Fournier had 3 kills, 8 digs, and 11 assists. Junior outside hitter Taylor Bennett had 8 kills and 14 digs.
Creswell clinched a victory against Elmira on Monday night, winning 3-0 in sets of 25-12, 25-20, and 25-23. Sophomore outside hitter Piper Hanson led 12 kills, 20 digs, and 4 aces. Following was sophomore middle blocker Anna Davis with 7 aces and 5 kills and junior setter Teighlor Nunez with 22 assists.
Pleasant Hill edged out the Valley Catholic Valiants in a five-set match that saw the Billies come out on top (25-21, 26-24, 15-21, 20-25, 15-12). The hard-fought win featured a particularly close second set as the Billies found themselves down 9-18 at one point in the set. Despite this extreme deficit, the Billies rallied together and went on a 17-6 run to finish the set, coming out on top 26-24. Middle Ruby Jackson had 12 kills, 4 aces, outside Cheyenne Green had 18 kills, 16 digs, Setter Claire Crawford had 32 assists, 20 digs and outside Anna Crawford 11 kills, 22 digs. They then went on to win against their former rival: Sisters.
Springfield suffered a 3-0 loss against the Churchill Lancers last Thursday in which head coach Steve Smith regards as “one of their worst games.” The Millers struggled with missing star players such as sophomore outside hitter Sailor Hall and senior middle Julissa Henderson. According to Smith, the performance was not “in sync” or “in practice.”
Thurston lost 3-1 to Ashland last Thursday – adding another loss in a winless season thus far. However, Thurston junior outside hitter Addison Nelson led with 7 kills, 5 digs and 4 aces. According to head coach David Natt, Nelson’s contributions with kills and serving in the third set helped the Colts earn the victory. Coach David Natt said the Colts are still working on “finding enough to sustain the level of play they are capable of demonstrating from the first serve until the end of the match.”
FOOTBALL
Sutherlin 41, Creswell 13
Recap: Creswell fell to No.15 Sutherlin in their home opener last week. On offense, junior RB Hunter Mustin had 27 rushes and 147 yards and senior QB Darien Dewey had a total of 12 attempts and 82 yards. On defense, Mustin had 2.5 tackles and 1 kick block, and junior WR/LB Ace Bader had 4 tackles.
Brookings-Harbor 22, Pleasant Hill 20
Recap: The Billies came up just short against Brookings-Harbor on the road last week. The Billies’ defense did not give up a score after the second quarter. They had “a tremendous goal-line stand” — coach Jeremiah Heacock said — to end the first half on a tackle for loss by senior LB Cohen Fenley. The Billies passing attack was led by Junior QB Steven Bounds with “excellent protection from the offensive line,” which allowed him to connect with multiple receivers throughout the game.
Crater 45, Springfield 37
Recap: The Millers experienced a tight game last Friday, tied at 37-37 up until the last quarter. However, the Crater Comets edged out the Millers with a final touchdown. Junior QB Noah Solo had a total of 140 yards in rushing and 185 yards in passing. Senior WR/DB Finn Lessner had 17 yards in rushing and 118 receiving yards. On defene, senior WR/DB Jaevon Spencer had 9 solo tackles and 4 assists, which was followed by senior WR/LB Carter Beebe with 7 solo tackles and 5 assists.
Thurston 42, Eagle Point 0
Recap: Thurston continues to cruise through its 5A schedule, winning against its first league competitor – the Eagle Point Eagles — on the road last week. Senior QB Noah Blair threw for 119 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Blair has passed for three or more TDs in the past three games he’s played dating back to last season. Eagle Point is on a six-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them to 0-3.
