High School Sports Zone May 21



Drifters 2026 season preview;
Feist leads Creswell resurgence




Athlete of the Week

Noah Cranson – Creswell Track & Field

Cranson won the 110m and 300m hurdles, as well as the triple jump, at the Three Sisters Twilight meet in Sisters.



Top Stories, Recaps & More

By Steve Mims FOR THE CHRONICLE

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield’s summer baseball team is benefitting from its relationship with some former Ducks around the country. The Drifters will feature four players from Rice University where ex-Duck shortstop…

By Steve Mims FOR THE CHRONICLE

CRESWELL – Kevin Feist won three state baseball titles at Burns before stepping down after 17 years as coach in 2016 to spend a few years watching his son play…

By Chronicle Staff Report

COTTAGE GROVE – The 3rd annual North Star Volleyball Jamboree returns Thursday, Aug. 27 – this time hosted at Cottage Grove High School. The preseason tournament features the girls varsity…

By Eli Thomas

PLEASANT HILL – Five members of the Pleasant Hill Billies boys basketball team went from making a state playoff run on the hardwood to now doing it on the greens.…

By Steve Mims FOR THE CHRONICLE

Thurston graduate Calvin Green and his teammate, Cade Stubbs, shot 3-under par during two rounds of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball championship in Scottsdale, Ariz. this week, but…

By Eli Thomas

THURSTON defeated Century 5-3 in a non-league matchup on Thursday. Brody Corgain was 2-for-3, with a HR, a triple, and 2 RBI. Grady Saunders was 3-for-3, with a triple,…

By Eli Thomas

PLEASANT HILL was 3-1 last week. Tuesday, a 12-7 win over La Pine saw Acadia Bloxham reach in all four plate appearances with 4 RBI, and Zaira Duarte hit…

By Eli Thomas

CRESWELL (21-5, 14-1, #2) Leading off: The Bulldogs moved up to No. 2 in Class 3A this week despite losing their undefeated league record. This week, the Bulldogs have…

By Eli Thomas

THURSTON (3-21, 3-12, #27) Leading off: Thurston will finish the season with a Thursday road doubleheader against No. 19 Ashland (8-14, 5-10). The Colts are looking to carry the…

By Eli Thomas

CRESWELL and PLEASANT HILL competed at the Three Sisters Twilight Meet in Sisters on Friday. A Billie or Bulldog won every boys track event. For Creswell, Connor Nguyen…




In Case You Missed It

Orton takes over Thurston boys basketball program

THURSTON – Eric Orton has been promoted to head boys basketball coach at his alma mater.

Orton, who starred for Thurston as a senior in 2002 when the Colts won the Midwestern League title and reached the state quarterfinals, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant under Blaine Liberatore after previously serving as head coach at four other area schools.

“The biggest thing for me is that this is where my kids will go to school, we live in the area, we are part of the Thurston community, and I am an alum, so this is a good fit,” Orton said. “When I was younger, I applied for jobs around the state and had a couple of opportunities that I didn’t take. We are in a situation now where we do not want to move. I am not a 24-year-old looking for the next big thing; this is a great opportunity at a great school.”

Orton and his wife, Hayley, have a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, whom he has coached over the past few years. He helped start the Thurston Youth Athletics basketball program, which had five boys’ teams and two girls’ teams last year and will likely grow in the future.



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