Boys
■ THURSTON: The Colts will play the Central Panthers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The two match up in the season opener for the second consecutive year. Thurston won 54-47 in Independence last year, but this year the Panthers will travel to Springfield. On Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6:45 p.m., the Colts welcome West Albany, who defeated the Colts in last year’s state championship 58-47. Lucas LaBounty will hope to lead his team to a different result this time.
■ PLEASANT HILL: On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Billies travel to Jefferson to face the Lions at 7:30 p.m. Pleasant Hill won this same matchup in last year’s season opener 73-23. On Friday, Dec. 5, the Billies face the Salem Academy Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. The Billies last played the 2A Crusaders in 2023-24, winning 74-47. The Billies then welcome the Sutherlin Bulldogs on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. The teams haven’t faced off since 2022, when the Billies won 62-43.
■ CRESWELL: The Class 3A Bulldogs travel to Eugene to face the Class 4A Marist Catholic Spartans on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated the Spartans in last season’s opener 64-51. The two have played each of the past three years, with the Bulldogs winning two of the three. Bulldogs coach Jesse Thomas will use a sequence of four games in three days to test how different lineups fit together, with the strength of his team coming from its depth. On Friday and Saturday, Creswell will play in a tournament at Amity High School, where their first two opponents have not been announced yet. The Bulldogs will face host Amity on Saturday at 6 p.m.
■ SPRINGFIELD: Springfield will hope to get its season off on the right foot, as it searches for its first win since February 2024. On the surface, a three-game road trip is a difficult way for the Millers to start their season. However, the competition is not particularly stiff. Coach Jeremy Houng will use this road stretch to help instill the physical, disciplined approach he is bringing to the Millers’ program. First, the Millers go north to the Dallas Dragons on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The Dragons are looking to rebound from a 1-24 record last year. On Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m., the Millers face North Bend. The Bulldogs and Millers were in the same league from 2018-22. During that time, the Millers won five of six meetings. Monday, Dec. 8 at 7:15 p.m. will see the Millers at Milwaukie High School to face the Mustangs. Milwaukie was 1-23 last year.
■ COTTAGE GROVE: On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Lions will start the 2025-26 season the same way the last two seasons have ended. They will travel to face the Newport Cubs at 5 p.m. in a rematch of the play-in game that the Cubs prevailed in 70-41 last season. Two years ago, the Lions’ season also ended in the Cubs’ gym due to a play-in loss. Lions standout junior Trevor Cooper, who averaged 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, certainly remembers those matchups. He will lead a young Lions team looking to replace captains Nathin Lemon and Josh Bruner. On Friday, Dec. 5, the Lions will welcome the Scio Loggers at 7:15 p.m. The Loggers’ 19 wins last season were the most for the program since 1981. On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Sweet Home Huskies will travel southwest to face the Lions at 7:15 p.m. Sweet Home is hoping to return to form, and put its 10-84 record in the past four years in the rearview mirror.
– Capsules by Eli Thomas,
The Chronicle
Girls
■ SPRINGFIELD: Millers coach Joe Williamson is looking for a fast start at Marist Catholic on Wednesday.
■ THURSTON: Thurston hosts Roseburg this Wednesday to kick off the 2025-26 season. A win against the Indians could set the tone for the Colts to improve on last year’s 11-13 campaign.
■ COTTAGE GROVE: The Lions open the 2025-26 season with two games in the first week. After a trip to Newport to open the season on Wednesday, Cottage Grove will host the Scio Loggers on Friday. The Loggers outperformed the Lions by two games last year – with the teams going 9-15 and 7-17 respectively – so this may be a good test for new coach Kim Beer’s first home game.
■ CRESWELL: The Bulldogs will be busy to start the season, opening the season with games three days in a row. Thursday, Creswell travels to Marist Catholic to play the Spartans. The Bulldogs then compete in two tournaments at Amity High School on Friday and Saturday. First, the Bulldogs open Friday’s Amity tournament against Corbett; Saturday they’ll compete in the Warrior Classic against the Amity Warriors. Saturday’s game will be the biggest test for the Bulldogs after the Warriors’ 30-0 championship run last season.
■ PLEASANT HILL: The Billies host the Salem Academy Crusaders on Friday for their second game of the season. This will be an early test for Pleasant Hill, as both teams finished at or above 20 wins last season. This test comes quickly after the team’s identity overhaul this off-season. Alongside outgoing seniors from 2024-25 like Claire Crawford and Cheyenne Green, the team’s new head coach, Terry Newton, plans to change the defensive scheme. If the Billies exit opening week 2-0 – after opening the season at Class 3A Jefferson on Wednesday – it will be an encouraging start.
– Compiled by Seth Thompson, The Chronicle
