In sports sometimes it’s what you do next that matters… not what you did today.
On Sept. 19, the Stayton High boys soccer team blanked Woodburn 2-0 to move to 4-0 in the Oregon West Conference. Stayton went to 5-0 Monday with a 10-0 win against Sisters. Philomath and Woodburn are second and third, respectively, with one loss apiece.
But the Eagles have been here before. And it didn’t work out. Stayton knotted up the Oregon West standings a year ago with a 1-0 home win vs. Woodburn. But the Eagles lost a shot at a co-championship with a 1-0 loss to Cascade. And then Stayton went out quietly in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs with a 1-0 home loss to Seaside. Woodburn, meanwhile, playing in its first season at Class 4A, won its sixth state title in the past nine years with a 2-0 win vs. North Marion. Stayton has one state title and two runner-up finishes in that same time frame.
So as satisfying as Stayton’s win vs. Woodburn was, Coach Chris Shields urged his players afterward not to get complacent.
“Last year we were really young, with a lot of sophomores,” Shields said. “Now, our younger players are more mature. The key will be getting these young kids to take this seriously.”
The young kids all played key roles Sept. 19. Sophomore Ivan Munguia, who has missed time recently with a concussion, scored the first goal on a nice combination play. Senior captain Nolan Cramer fired a throw-in into the box, sophomore Santos “Jr.” Navarro was able to get a head onto it and Munguia was there to volley it into the goal with his right foot.
“That was a great ball by Ivan, and it gave us the momentum,” said Cramer of the strike in the 38th minute.
Stayton led 1-0 lead at the break. And Woodburn would be a man short in the second half because of an ejection three minutes before the Stayton goal.
The Bulldogs pressed the entire second half, but the Stayton defense, led by Cramer, juniors Julian Flores and Erick Gomez and freshman Omar Garcia, preserved the clean sheet for senior goalkeeper Ivan Pelayo.
“Our defense has been solid all summer and now into the fall,” said Shields, who noted that the Eagles have given up just one goal all season.
The score went to 2-0 in the 66th on a brilliant piece of work by sophomore Jayden Esparza, who picked a Bulldogs player clean in his own half, beat another and fired a shot to the far post for the two-goal lead.
Stayton is ranked fifth in Class 4A, but it’s a long season. There are seven league games left, including two against Cascade and an Oct. 17 rematch at Woodburn.
The Stayton girls, defending champs in the Oregon West, are 2-1-1 in league and in a tight race with 3-0-1 Philomath and 3-0 Woodburn.
Football: Stayton and Cascade took 2-1 records into their Friday rivalry matchup at Stayton which kicked off the Oregon West Conference season and occurred after Our Town’s presstime. Cascade is ranked ninth in Class 4A, with the Eagles 23rd.
“Our team is continuing to improve each week and have competed well.” Stayton coach Randy Nyquist said. “We have a good blend of upperclassmen and younger players who are contributing at the varsity level.”
“This summer we put in a new offense and defense,” Cascade coach Brandon Bennett said. “With that much change it can leave things up in the air on how you will perform come season. The boys have taken the change in stride and are right were we hoped we would be after pre season”
Hole-in-one fundraiser: Boosters clubs at Stayton and Regis teamed up on a unique fundraiser for scholarships and the school’s track and field programs.
Participants took on the challenge of trying to nail a hole-in-one on the 85-yard island hole on the property of retired contractor Dennis Holm and raised $14,000, $6K for scholarships and $4K apiece for the two school’s track and field budgets.
More than 70 people participated, taking three shots at an ace, which would have netted one male golfer and one female golfer $10,000. No one was able to conquer the hole, although Drew Dickey was the closest male participant at 2 feet, 7 inches. Jody Classen was the top woman at ten feet from the hole.
Troy Irving and Randy Wolf tied for second among men at 2-10, with Terry Holm (11-5) and Sandra Owens (11-1) taking second and third among female participants.
The top three took home some loot, with first place at $2,000, second at $1,000 and third at $600.
Golfers paid $75 for their three shots, although many purchased five additional “mulligans” for $10 apiece.
Volunteer assistance was provided by parents, supporters and athletes from the Regis and Stayton golf, cross country and track and field teams.
Mike Bauer of Regis noted that the “contest created an opportunity for the Stayton Boosters Club to work hand in hand with the Regis Athletic Association on [a] very worthwhile project.”
Holm, who credited the contributions of Regis and Stayton graduates as playing major roles as employees of his construction firm, said he hoped “the event would draw the community together and provide a payback to the community and both schools.”
Organizers also said they hoped it would become an annual event.
Volleyball: Santiam is 2-3 in the Tri-River Conference and Regis is 2-2 in the Central Valley Conference. Stayton is 2-3 in the Oregon West Conference, with Cascade at 0-4.
Cross country: Ben Kirby of Stayton is ranked 12th in Class 4A with a 16:44.6 5,000-meter time he registered at the Sept. 14 Northwest Classic. Issac Turner of Santiam is 20th in Class 2A-1A with a 17:50.6 recorded at the Silver Falls-Oktoberfest Invitational.
Hailey Notman of Stayon is 23rd in Class 4A at 20:59.5, a mark she turned in at the Sept. 7 Ultimook Race.
Alumni watch: Former Cascade athlete of the Oakland Raiders has caught 14 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns in the first three games. Williams, who played college ball at Western Oregon University, came to the Raiders in the offseason after catching 153 passes for 2,440 yards and 16 TDs in three seasons with the Chargers.
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