By James Day
The Regis High football team finished a terrific 2013 season with a second place finish in the OSAA Class 2A state playoffs. The Rams, who had not participated in a state championship game since 2003, lost 12-7 to Grant Union on Nov. 30 in the title game at Summit High in Bend.
“It was a very hard-fought championship game,” second-year Regis coach Tom Beckett told Our Town. “Grant Union is a very good, hard-hitting team.”
The game’s key sequence occurred right before the half. Regis, leading 7-6, was driving toward a possible touchdown but misfired on a fourth-down play at the Grant Union 2-yard line. Two plays later Dalton Reimers of the Prospectors connected with Kody Nelson on a 98-yard touchdown pass that gave Grant Union a 12-7 halftime lead that held up.
The Rams drove to the Prospectors’ 13 in the third quarter, but lost a fumble. Regis’ deepest drive of the fourth period was to the Grant Union 30.
“I think that in a lot of ways, although the score didn’t reflect it, we were more physical than they were,” Beckett said. “The flip side to that is we didn’t capitalize when we were in the red zone.”
Regis finished 12-2, and Beckett called the season “a great ride! We constantly challenged ourselves by playing some of the toughest teams in the state. We are extremely proud of our kids and the way they handled themselves this season.”
The Rams, who were a perfect 6-0 in the Tri-River Conference, also won most of the top honors in the league. Beckett was named coach of the year, running back Jeremiah Grieser was named offensive player of the year, and linebacker Colby Moll shared defensive player of the year honors with Central Linn’s Bronson Putney.
Regis claimed eight spots on the first team, with Moll also earning first-team honors in the offensive line. Linebacker/offensive lineman Trevor Dolby also was a two-way first-teamer, with the other spots taken by Grieser, offensive lineman Noah Fessler, defensive lineman Shane Branch and defensive back Zach Gescher.
Gescher (punter) and Fessler (defensive line) earned second-team honors, along with wide receiver Matt Wiltsey.
In other football all-league news Cascade scored five first-team spots and two on the second team in the Oregon West. Caylan Starke of the Cougars was a first-teamer on both the offensive and defensive line, while offensive lineman Cody Small, linebacker Brody Wakem and defensive back Josh Delamarter also were honored. Earning second-team nods were running back Jake Dozler and offensive lineman Aiden Littau.
Volleyball: Cascade, which went undefeated in the Oregon West and finished runner-up in the Class 4A state tournament, took home the top conference honors. Cristina Williams was named coach of the year, and Hailey Nelson took player of the year. Joining Nelson on the first team were Caitlin Pasteral and Mariah Bartlett. Austyn Lowder made the second team, which also included Cheyanna Summers and Sam Anderson of Stayton. Regis, meanwhile, placed Becca Lorenz on the first team and Susie Mendez on the third team in the Tri-River Conference.
Boys soccer: Regular-season champion Stayton earned seven spots on the all-Oregon West teams, including MVP David Esparza. Joining midfielder Esparza on the first team were forward John Enriquez and defender Brandon Kerr. Second-teamers for the Eagles were midfielders Cameron Butler and Ivan Navarro, forward Pedro Cruiel and defender Christian Baltazar. Cascade center mid Nick Farr made the first team, with center back Dalton Johnson and forward Sindri Bjornsson earning second-team honors for the Cougars.
Girls soccer: Alexus Hemphill and Jazmin Ramirez of Stayton earned all-Oregon West honors. Eagles Sara Sheppard, Deisy Ramirez and Kylee Stutzman received second-team nods. Cascade’s Kayla Loukojarvi was a first-teamer, and teammates Jessica Wilson and Mary Teubner won second-team spots.
Dance: The Stayton Highlights, who have won 11 consecutive OSAA state titles, “are off to an amazing start this season,” according to Coach Robin Meier. The squad has competed three times, coming away with first-place finishes at all three. Stayton took first in both the large and small jazz categories at a meet in Wilsonville and repeated that showing at a meet at West Albany. In the category championships at Oregon City on Dec. 7 the Highlights took first place in all jazz divisions. The Highlights participate Jan. 25 in a competition at Canby before hosting their own event Feb. 1. There will be 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. rounds, with the Highlights dancing in the second round on an exhibition basis. Stayton will be looking to make it 12 state titles in a row March 19-22 at the OSAA championships in Portland.
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