Milestones & memories

■ Colts double up, capture another Class 5A state baseball crown

The Thurston Colts became only the 15th school in Oregon history to win back-to-back state baseball titles, blanking No. 4-ranked West Albany 2-0 in a rematch of 2023’s state championship game. Thurston scored both of its runs in the bottom of the first inning. Adam Elliott walked and reached third on Brock Johnson’s bunt. Elliott then scored on a fly ball by Eli Crist, and Johnson advanced to third. Sophomore Grady Saunders then singled, scoring Johnson to make it 2-0.

“It’s pretty special. The kids worked really hard all offseason. They had a goal to accomplish, they bought in, and they competed against everybody,” Thurston coach Dennis Minium beamed after the win. “They knew they had a target on their backs, but they play better that way. I can’t say enough about our group of kids.”

■ Springfield girls reach another final; Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam signs with Eastern Arizona

Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam – who carried the Millers to three straight state championship games – and Diamond Wright – who gave the Millers a huge spark in the 2023-24 season – moved on after reaching another state title game. “I am definitely not going in thinking that we have to ‘rebuild,’” coach Joe Williamson said. “I don’t believe that. I think it’s just a different team and a different look. We’ll have some excellent players ready to take over with Danaeja’s leaving.”

Danaeja, the older sister of Darissa and the two-time player of the year, is now at Eastern Arizona University, and Wright transferred to Willamette High School for her senior season Williamson has been focusing on fostering the talent still here: Iyahna Woodard, Ikunaday Filipe, Sailor Hall, Mylah Wilson, Ryan Kelley and Danaeja’s sister, Darissa Romero-Ah Sam. He said this 2024-25 team is strong in three categories: shooting, size, and defense. Through 15 games, Danaeja is averaging 8.7 points in 17 minutes per game.

■ Billies volleyball ends historic two-year winning streak

The Pleasant Hill Billies volleyball team finished this fall at 29-2, beating their previous 24-4 record last year, the most wins in program history. They also finished third in the 3A classification, won the Mountain Valley Conference league title for the first time since 1995, won all three tournaments they played in (Cascade Christian, Marist, and Pleasant Hill), and won several matches against 4A and 5A teams (Marshfield, Marist, and Crescent Valley).

The Billies were led by a strong contingent of seniors: Green (1st-team all-state), Claire Crawford (1st-team all-state), Ruby Jackson (2nd-team all-state), Emily Krauss (2nd-team all-state), Trinity Hawkins, Kyra Hill and Sydney Brink. The “dynamic duo” of Green and Crawford – who were featured on the cover of The Chronicle’s 2023 Fall Sports Preview – finished their season with impressive stats: Green 62 aces, 418 kills at .241%, 37 blocks and 289 digs; Crawford 865 assists, 82 aces,190 kills at .339%, 33 kills and 354 digs. They also participated in The Chronicle’s inaugural North Star Volleyball jamboree, where the Billies swept the tournament 4-0.

■ Lions go on magical run in their first year of Class 3A

The Cottage Grove football team played its first year in 3A and went undefeated in its regular season with a perfect 9-0 record after a 2-25 record over the past three seasons. The Lions also made their first playoff appearance since 2018. In Steve Turner’s second year at the helm, he helped elevate the Lions by focusing on their biggest strength: their second-half rally. The Lions gradually became known as “a second-half team” by the end of the season. Turner summarized the Lions’ strength in their second halves: rotating fresh players, mental fortitude, and resilience. Turner also had carried a group of outstanding seniors for this season, many of whom had game-changing plays: Clayton Dewitt — who rushed for 319 yards against the Billies – the Grogan brothers, Kaeden and Gavin, and Nathin Lemon.

■ Bengtson owns Class 4A cross country competitions

Cottage Grove senior Carter Bengtson became the only Lion in history to claim two 4A state titles. At state, Bengtson finished 17.2 seconds ahead of Marist’s Conor Thompson with a time of 15:41.2 in the 5K race. Bengtson remains the fastest ever over the 5K distance at Cottage Grove. His time of 15:41 is the fastest ever by a Lion on the state meet course. He also claimed a second district title with a time of 5:35.14. Bengtson, though, wasn’t the only busy Lion this season. His teammates made quite the statement by placing seven runners on the boys team in the top 10 in districts and qualifying for state for the fourth straight year – something that last happened from 1957-60, during Olympian Dyrol Burleson’s era, more than six decades ago. They finished fourth at state, which was their goal to start the season. Also, 2024 was the first year in school history that CGHS has had a boy and a girl finish in the top 10 at state in the same year. Ella Cardwell came in ninth with a time of 19.33.6, the best time in school history for a state meet.

■ Thurston boys, girls nail down Class 5A state wrestling title

Thurston added a third state wrestling title to its wall of fame by capturing the OSAA Class 6A/5A state championships at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Colts, after finishing second each of the last two years, outdistanced Dallas by 34.5 points. “I knew we would score a lot of points, and we just kept winning on the backside,” Colts coach Mike Simons said. “We just gritted up. We brought 11, and nine placed.” Of those nine Colts to make the podium, only 155-pounder Izabella Castlebery won a state title, earning a technical fall against Tigard’s Natalie Wilhoit. Castlebery, a sophomore, was one of seven non-seniors who medaled for Thurston, as Simons looks ahead to a bright future.

“Nine of our 11 girls who qualified are coming back, and we’ll rebuild with new kids coming in,” he said.

■ Eugene Challengers clinch American Legion state title as Thurston and Pleasant Hill athletes drive success

The Eugene Challengers, a Class AAA summer team composed mostly of players from Springfield and Eugene, stood triumphant as American Legion state baseball champions for the first time in three years. Thurston and Pleasant Hill athletes Alejandro Ziolkowski, Eli Crist, Kyle Miller, Easton McDonald, Collin Hernandez, Brock Johnson, Grady Saunders, and Caden Richardson excelled during the tournament, including the title game. Thurston standout Saunders led the Challengers to victory when he hit a long fly ball that turned into a double in the bottom of the sixth inning. Saunders also helped the Challengers cling to their ground with a formidable, error-free defense. He showcased his talented pitching skills, striking out 11 and allowing only two hits and zero runs over seven innings.

■ Jackson takes Pleasant Hill job with ‘mixed emotions’

Luke Jackson, who led Creswell to the state basketball title in 2000 before starring at the University of Oregon, was named the new coach for the Pleasant Hill boys basketball team during the offseason. “It was mixed emotions at first because I’ll always be a Bulldog at heart,” said Jackson, a third-generation Bulldog. “It was a heart-wrenching decision just to… volunteer last year at Pleasant Hill. I certainly didn’t plan on ever becoming the head coach.” As a college senior at Oregon in 2004, Jackson earned second-team All-American honors before being drafted 10th overall by Cleveland. He spent four years in the NBA playing for the Cavs, Clippers, Raptors, and Heat.

Upon retirement, Jackson spent four years coaching at Northwest Christian University (now Bushnell) from 2013-17. Jackson had an 88-38 coaching record with the Beacons, won two conference regular season championships and was twice named the Cascade Collegiate Conference coach of the year. Jackson said there were multiple reasons for his decision to accept the Billies job, including his connections to Pleasant Hill and his desire for his children to not bear the burden of unnecessary expectations.

“For my boys, there’s a lot of pressure put on them because they’re my sons … I just want them to have their own legacy, their own little story,” Jackson said, noting that it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll attend Pleasant Hill. “I’m gonna leave that up to them. If they want to go to Creswell, then I’m going to support that fully.” The Billies are led by stars Gavin Inglish and Landen Melvin. Inglish, a senior, is a two-time Mountain Valley Conference player of the year and two-time 1st-team all-state honoree. Melvin, a junior, was 1st-team all-conference last season.

■ Creswell plays host to the National Amputee Golf Tournament

For the first time in its 75-year history, the National Amputee and Adaptive Golf Championships came to Lane County. The event, put on by the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA), saw Chad Pfeifer claim the title with a total gross of 147 in the Open Division. Following, Sean Mitchell and George Willoughby tied for second with a total gross of 164. In fourth was Dan Garson at 167. Then, Deborah Smith won the Women’s Open Division with a total gross of 191. For the Adaptive Division, Chris Oviatt swept with a total gross of 255 and following in second place was Justin Ayres with 283. For the Senior Division, Dan Garson won with a total of 167 and for the Super Senior title, Tim Healea had 176. The NAGA championships rotate every year between the regional groups, and this was the first time for Jim Curley – president of the Western Amputee Golf Association (WAGA) – to put on the championship. This aligned with his initial vision of “trying to put Western Amputee golf on the map.” When Curley became the WAGA president, “one of his first things was to bring the national championship here.”

■ Ice storm wipes out last 2 days of volleyball tournament

A wicked ice storm that brought all of Lane County to a virtual standstill on Jan. 13 canceled the final two days of the 13th annual Matt Hartner Memorial (MHM) Volleyball Classic, part of which was contested at the Bob Keefer Center in Springfield. The tournament included 264 teams and more than 1,200 matches were scheduled. Area athletes competed mostly for two club teams, Webfoot and Game Day. The Webfoot 18-Elite team – with players like Creswell’s Lizabelle Osborn and Pleasant Hill’s Claire Crawford, Cheyenne Green, Ruby Jackson, and Emily Krauss – went 3-0 on the first day, beating two Washington teams and one Idaho team. Game Day’s 18-Brittanie team – with Springfield’s Sofia Yow and Emily Waddell on the roster – went 2-1 in its opening matches as well, beating two Pacific Northwest teams and losing to a Washington club.

2024 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

■ Mariah Bailey (CGHS), girls basketball
■ Tyler Whitson (CHS), boys basketball
■ Kristal Zamora (THS), girls wrestling
■ Claire Crawford (PHHS), girls basketball
■ Diamond Wright (SHS), girls basketball
■ Gavin Inglish (PHHS), boys basketball
■ Avery Bengtson (CGHS), girls swimming
■ Dakota Carson (CHS), girls basketball
■ Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam (SHS), girls basketball
■ Emily Pacheco (CGHS), softball
■ Hope Ukolov (CHS), softball
■ Grady Saunders (THS), baseball
■ Sari Strinz (PHHS), softball
■ Bailey Tovey (THS), softball
■ Caden Richardson (PHHS), baseball
■ Owen Fuller (SHS), track & field
■ Hayes Valley (CGHS), track & field
■ Evan Jenkins (CHS), baseball
■ Ryan Thomas (PHHS), track & field
■ Elliette Kinney (CHS), girls soccer
■ Jack Sayre (SHS), boys soccer
■ Drayton Young (THS), football
■ Carter Bengtson (CGHS), cross country
■ Hunter Mustin (CHS), football
■ Clayton Dewitt (CGHS), football
■ Kenna Caldwell-Copeland (PHHS), soccer
■ Cheyenne Green (PHHS), volleyball
■ Ryan Kelley (SHS), basketball
■ Makya Alsup (CGHS), basketball