Riders from Cascade and Stayton both turned in strong performances at the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams state meet, held May 11-14 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
Cascade finished tenth in the medium team competition with 82 points, while Stayton was 17th with 23.
Shayla Bruce was the lone state champion from the two schools, taking first in driving, with teammate Grace McNichols finishing third. Tayler Kamm was seventh in trail equitation and 19th in showmanship, while McKenna Buckendorf was 11th in trail equitation, McNichols was 13th in saddle seat equitation and Milano Meduri was 18th in pole bending. In addition, the team of Bruce, Kamm, McNichols and Carley Jenkins of Salem Academy took fifth in the in-hand obstacle relay.
Lauren Nagle was the top performer for Stayton, taking seventh in hunt seat over fences, ninth in saddle seat equitation and 16th in dressage. In the team events Nagle, Naomi Gomoli, Amelya Cronin and Gwen Cronin took 20th in the in-hand obstacle relay and Gomoli and Amelya Cronin were 24th in working pairs.
The top five finishers in Oregon moved on to the Pacific Northwest Invitational June14-16 at Moses Lake, Washington. Also invited were the top five in the Washington state meet. McNichols was third and Bruce fourth in driving, while the team of Bruce, McNichols, Kamm and Meduri finished seventh in the in-hand obstacle relay.
Football: The opening of fall camp is just around the corner and the schedules have been filling up. Here are some key dates for the local schools. Stayton opens Friday, Sept. 1 at Molalla and plays its home opener on Sept. 8 vs. Gladstone/Riverdale. The rivalry game against Cascade is on Friday, Oct. 27 at Federico Field in Turner. Cascade, meanwhile, plays road warrior to open the season. The Cougars, under new coach Shane Hedrick, open Saturday, Sept. 2 at Baker and play at Marshfield and Sweet Home the next two weeks before the Sept. 22 home opener vs. Henley. Regis, which is once again playing nine-man in Class 2A, opens Sept. 1 at home against Gaston. The Rams close the regular season Thursday, Oct. 26 at home vs. Santiam.
Cascade: Two members of the Cougar family were honored at the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association banquet May 27 at Autzen Stadium. Senior volleyball standout Lucretia Benolken, who led Cascade to a runner-up finish in 2022 after a Class 4A state title in 2021, was one of three recipients of the Coach Dave Johnson scholarship. Benolken receives $1,000 for her first year of college and is eligible for an additional $1,500 her second year should she meet certain criteria. The scholarship is named for former Olympic decathlon bronze medalist Dave Johnson, who has worked as a teacher, coach, motivational speaker and athletic administrator in the mid-valley throughout his post competition career. Benolken plans to play sand volleyball at Southern Oregon University.
Meanwhile, incoming Central football coach Shane Hedrick was honored by the OACA for 35 years of coaching service.
Correction: In my July 1 column I mistakenly left out Noah Koenig of Regis from the list of Class 2A all-state baseball honorees. Koenig was named third-team catcher after a senior season in which he led all state classifications with 39 stolen bases, batted .500 and threw out 14 runners on the bases. The Rams finished 17-10 overall and 12-6 in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 3.
OSAA Cup: Cascade finished 12th in Class 4A in the annual OSAA Cup all-sports competition that also includes academic and sportsmanship. The Cougars received 2,172.9 points. Stayton, meanwhile, took 15th with 2,107.9. Scappoose won the Cup for 4A with 3,215. Regis was 14th with 1,317.5 in the Class 2A competition that was won by Kennedy (2,100). Regis won the 2A category a year ago.
Hospital Fun Runs: Austin Coblentz, 17, won the Santiam Hospital 10-kilometer event in 42:31.5 on Saturday, June 10. Katie Metzger, 33, was the top female finisher in 48:41.2. Brandon Wagar, 13, of Stayton, won the 5K in 18:09.0, with Mary Coordt, 53, the fastest woman in 22:57.4. Jeremiah Tate, 15, was the 3K champion in 16:11.2, and nine-year-old Brynn Johnson the fastest female in the field in 17:56.9. More than 240 runners participated.
Fourth of July Runs: Approximately 280 runners and walkers participated in the 4th of July events in Stayton. Brandon Wagar, 13, of Stayton, led the way in the 5K trail run in 18:59.1, with tenth-place Stephanie Robins, 38, of Salem, the first woman in 22:11.5. Zach Day Lewis, 34, won the 10K trail event in 38:05.4, with 13th-place Heidi Cox, 45, of Stayton, the top woman runner in 49:59.5. Mike Rosling, 45, of Corvallis won the 3K run in 10:21.8, followed by Ella Rosling, 14, of Corvallis, in 12:08.8. Steve Kollars, 64, of Dallas, took the 3K run-walk in 12:42.8, followed by fourth-place E. Aquinaga, 9, of Stayton, in 22:42.8, the top female finisher.
Officials Needed: The Oregon Athletic Officials Association and the Oregon School Activities Association are recruiting officials for the high school fall sports season. There is an immediate need for officials in football, volleyball and soccer.
Becoming a high school official has several benefits, including staying involved in athletics, maintaining good physical condition and earning money, according to OAOA Executive Director Jack Folliard.
“Oregon has an urgent need for officials in all sports,” Folliard said. “Officials provide valuable service to high schools and students, make a positive impact in the community and build relationships.”
Those interested should visit www.newofficials.org.
