The Cascade High volleyball program continues to run at an exceedingly high level. The Cougars won the 2021 Class 4A tournament, took second a year ago and finished third this season.
Cascade also won Oregon West Conference titles in all three seasons and are 30-2 in league play during that span.
“I felt that this season was very successful,” Cascade coach Cristina Williams told Our Town. “We ended 21-4, first place in league and third in state. These girls improved throughout the year and learned to work as a team and work together. I am very proud of how they performed at the state tournament and they competed well.”
Seniors Jadyn Daviscourt and Annabelle Peterson were named first-team all-tournament at Springfield after the Cougars defeated North Bend 3-1 in the quarterfinals, fell 3-0 to Marshfield in the semis and bounced back to blank Mazama 3-0 in the match for third place.
Peterson had 45 kills, seven total blocks and 10 aces in the three matches, while Daviscourt had 67 digs and nine aces.
Earlier, Daviscourt was named player of the year and Williams took top coaching honors in the Oregon West. Peterson, Irene Rocha Ibarra and Kamryn Sande of the Cougars were named to the first team, with Alexis Percy named to the second team and Bella Oliver earning honorable mention.
Stayton, meanwhile, finished 9-11 overall and 5-5 in the Oregon West and came within one match of qualifying for state. Kaley Sitton, Kenzi Hollenbeck and Molly Schotthoefer were named second team all-Oregon West, with Kayla Neal Welke and Laina Atiyeh receiving honorable mention.
Regis finished 12-8 overall and 7-8 in the brutally tough Tri-River Conference. The Rams fell one slot out of the playoffs, which included 7 Tri-River teams, three of which advanced to the state tournament. Adelle Otter of Regis was named to the third team of the league all-stars, with Rachel Koellmann and Abby Searles earning honorable mention.
Football: Regis advanced to the Class 2A nine-man semifinals before falling 55-39 on Nov. 18 in a wild offensive battle against top-seeded Weston-McEwen/Griswold at Hermiston High. The No. 4 Rams, champions of the Tri-River Conference, finished 11-1.
“I couldn’t have been more proud of the way they left everything on the field,” coach Joe Manibusan told Our Town. “We gave them a good run, we just couldn’t get the stops we needed. I couldn’t have asked for better senior leaders. It’s a blessing that I had these young men to help me navigate and lead this team. This class was a brotherhood, and they brought the whole team together showing the young ones how to lead and fight through adversity and overall how to be just great human beings.”
Senior QB Kollin Schumacher threw for 437 yards and 3 TDs in the semifinal loss. Regis fell behind 21-0 early, but at one point got within one score at 41-33. Top targets Noah Koenig (nine catches for 128 yards and one TD), Charlie Miller (six catches for 182 and two TDs) and Parker Bartholomew (six for 72) gave the WEG secondary fits all night.
The Rams received first-team slots on the all-conference team selected by league coaches. Honored were Thomas Bischoff (offensive line and linebacker), wide receiver and linebacker Koenig, Kollin Schumacher (quarterback and defensive back) and defensive back Miller. Bischoff also was named lineman of the year.
On the second team were wide receiver Bartholomew, running back Noah Richter and defensive lineman Logan Kirsch. Receiving honorable mention were Tanner Lawson (offensive line and defensive line) and offensive lineman Abe Richter, wide receivers Miller and Fletcher Gould, Trevon Kuenzi (linebacker and place-kicker), linebacker Luke Castillo and defensive back Korben Schumacher.
Cascade, meanwhile, finished 7-4 after bowing out in a 24-19 Class 4A quarterfinal loss at Scappoose. The Cougars, under veteran but first-year Cascade coach Shane Hedrick, lost to No. 1 Henley, No. 2 Marist, No. 4 Scappoose and No. 9 Junction City. The four losses came by a total of 30 points, and the Cougars led in all four of them.
The Cougars earned eight first-team slots on the all-district team selected by league coaches. Defensive back Josiah Hawkins and running back Bryce Kuenzi were honored, as were center Tanner Fairfield, tackle Teagen Allen, kick returner Karstan Sande, defensive lineman Matthew Hinkle and linebackers Alex Kuenzi and Braden Johnson.
On the second team were guard Brayden Scott, Sande at wide receiver and defensive back, linebackers Alex Kuenzi and Carter Condon and place-kicker Nolan Abrams. The honorable mention list included Abrams at QB, Hunter Anundi (wide receiver and defensive back), slot receiver Hawkins, linebacker Morrisen Craig, TE/H-back Andrew Kirschenmann, guard David Walker, tackle Connor Legner and defensive lineman Bryce May.
Stayton, which finished 4-5 overall and 2-4 in Special District 3, placed linebacker Kale Hubert on the first team. Second-teamers included Lyric Burroughs (guard and defensive line), linebacker Wyatt Fred, TE/H-back Hubert, slot receiver Tanner Starbuck and wide receiver Bishop Szmyd. Receiving honorable mention were Szymd (kick returner), center Joseph Sessums, wide receiver Ethan Wieldon, running back Hunter Mollerstrum and quarterback Hudson Hughes.
Boys Soccer: Stayton captured the Oregon West title with an 8-0-2 mark and finished 11-2-2 overall. The Eagles, seeded third in the Class 4A playoffs, were stunned 3-2 in the first round by a No. 14 Estacada squad led by superstar Jose Gonzalez-Felician. The league title marked the fifth year in a row that the Eagles have won or shared the title and coach Chris Shields was named coach of the year.
Honored on the all-district team from Stayton were field player Ismael Esparza, defender Addison Samuell and goalkeeper Roman Gould. On the second team were field players Angel Garcia and Jesse Wright, with field player Jonathan Garcia and defender Diego Gomez receiving honorable mention.
Defender Brooks Rasmussen and goalie Tanen Swing of Cascade received honorable mention.
Cross Country: The Stayton girls finished 9th in the Class 4A championships held in sloppy conditions on Nov. 4 at Lane Community College in Eugene. The Eagles were led by Haley Butenschoen, who finished the 5,000 meters 20:46.6. Others participating for Stayton were Ruby Strawn (34th, 21:29.1), Amalia Bell (36th, 21:32.8), Emma Spencer (76th, 23:56.2), Alondra Vazquez-Martinez (78th, 23:57.3), Madison Schacher (79th, 23:57.9) and Adrie Duke (90th, 24:57.5). Stayton advanced as a team by finishing second behind Philomath in the Oregon West meet. Makaila Kuenzi of Cascade, who qualified as an individual, was 20th in 20:44.9.
In the girls Class 3A-2A-1A meet Clara Persons of Regis finished 26th in 20:54.5. In the boys 2A meet Stuart McLaughlin took 20th in 18:12.5.
