By James Day
Stayton High School’s top-tier soccer program has some new toys to play with this fall.
The Eagles, who won the 2010 state boys Class 4A title and were runners-up last fall, have two new soccer fields.
“We will use one for varsity competition and the other for practice and JV games,” athletic director Darren Shryock told Our Town. “Our soccer numbers continue to grow. Having two fields will allow for all four teams to have a quality place to practice and play games.
“(Coach) Chris Shields does a super job and will be reloading with young talent this year.”
Stayton also will have a new girls coach this fall, with Ian Vander Zwan taking over.
“Ian has been working with the Philomath soccer program,” Shryock said. “He is a counselor here at Stayton Middle School. He is a young coach who comes from a quality program. We are excited to watch him mold and shape our girls soccer team.”
The Eagles also have new coaches for football and volleyball.
Andy Campbell, who has coached in California, Minnesota and Iowa, takes over the football program and will teach health and PE at the high school. Darrell Mooers, the former coach at Regis and a Santiam Hospital employee, will take charge of the volleyball squad.
Here is a look at what’s new at other Stayton/Santiam Canyon area schools for the fall:
Cascade: Aaron Schilperoort, who has an interesting international resume, takes over the boys soccer program for the Cougars. Schilperoort, a 2011 Corban University graduate, spent the past three years teaching and coaching basketball in Indonesia.
Schilperoort, who will teach social studies at Cascade Junior High, told Our Town “soccer has almost always been part of my life. I started playing from the moment I could run through high school. I look forward to being on the other side of the ball by helping soccer athletes develop both their soccer and character skills.”
He also will be finishing up his masters in education at Corban.
“We are very excited to have Aaron join us in the classroom and on the field at Cascade,” Cougars athletic director Heidi Hermansen told Our Town.
Santiam: The Wolverines will have three new football coaches, all of whom will be teaching in the district. Dustin McGee, who coached most recently in Rison, Ark., is the new head coach. McGee will teach social studies, health and PE and also assist with the baseball program.
“Coach McGee is very passionate about football and uses a positive approach to motivate players and other coaches,” Santiam Principal David Plotts told Our Town.
Assistant coaches Kyle Netcher and Jeremiah Grisa, join the Wolverines from Vale and Portland, respectively. Netcher will teach special education, and Grisa will teach science and assist with the wrestling program.
Elementary teacher Lisa Best arrives from Arizona takes over the volleyball program. Best also will assist in basketball.
The Wolverines also are in year two of their restoration of the cross country program, which had been dormant for many years. This year, Plotts said, the coaches hope to double the size of the boys program and recruit enough girls to field a team.
Santiam also is winding up a project to replace its football pressbox. The 40-foot long facility has spotters’ booths for coaches plus room for the public address announcer, scorekeepers and the media. Plotts said the remodel was done almost entirely with donations and volunteers and praised the efforts of former coach Brad Emmert, Mill City business owner Gale Holfert and Santiam Superintendent Todd Miller.
Scio: The Loggers have a new volleyball coach, Nike Kuykendall, for the fall as well as a new girls baskeball coach, Jim White, and a new cheer coach, Delana Carter.
Football openers: Here is a look at this week’s games. Cascade hosts Scappoose, Tillamook visits Stayton, Regis hosts Knappa, Santiam travels to Jefferson and Scio hosts St. Paul. All games are Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Fall scoreboard: Please be sure to “tune in” to my Twitter feed, @jameshday or to the Our Town Santiam Facebook page every Friday night for football scores and updates.
Follow me on Twitter.com @jameshday. Got a news tip? Email me at jamesday590@gmail.com
