The Stayton High equestrian squad won two of its three district meets and has the highest point total in the Willamette district heading into the state meet.
The Eagles won the first and third district large team competitions while finishing second to Philomath in the second event. Stayton, Philomath and teams from the other 7 districts will compete May 12-15 in the state championships at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
Stayton earned 1,853 points in the district meets to lead the large schools, although the margin was just 13 points ahead of the 1,840 turned in by Philomath.
Tori Turner was the top performer for Stayton, scoring blue ribbons in 11 individual events and four team disciplines during the three district meets. Turner had strong support from Lauren Nagle (three individual wins), while Stayton’s Gwen Cronin had two and Amelya Cronin, Megan Brownell and Ainsley Sauvageau claimed one each.
In team competitions Turner and Sauvageau played a role in three Eagles victories, with Nagle and Brownell accounting for two apiece.’
Cascade, meanwhile, which competed in the medium team category, finished third in the first district meet and fourth in the other two. The Cougars 873 points also were good for fourth overall in the division. Scio (1,131), Sweet Home (1,043) and Lebanon (1,007) comprised the top three.
Grace McNichols won three individual events over the course of the district meets, with Ellie McNichols contributed two and Shayli Bruce one. The two McNichols riders, Bruce and Carley Jenkins of Salem Academy teamed up to produce blue ribbons in two team events.
Softball: Cascade and Stayton are battling for first place in the Oregon West. At Our Town presstime No. 3 Cascade was 9-0 in league, with No. 5 Stayton just behind at 9-2. The Cougars claimed a 7-3 road win vs. the Eagles on March 31, with the second matchup set for Wednesday, May 4 at Stayton. The two teams close the regular season on Friday, May 13 in Turner. Barring a complete collapse both squads will participate in the Class 4A playoffs, with both teams also in line for first-round byes.
Baseball: Regis is off to an 11-0 start in Class 2A Special District 2 play, and the Rams’ 14-4 overall record have earned them the No. 9 state ranking. Monroe, however, is 9-0 in league, and the Dragons and the Rams played a showdown doubleheader in Stayton on April 29, after Our Town presstime.
Stayton, meanwhile, has burst out to a 10-1 start in the Oregon West, with the Eagles’ 14-4 overall mark earning them the No. 5 ranking in Class 4A. Second-place Philomath is 5-2, with the two closing the regular season with a 3-game series May 9, 11 and 12.
Correction: In my April column I inadvertently omitted Gavin Berning of Stayton from the honorable mention list for Oregon West Conference boys basketball. The 6-4 junior also was a strong contributor at the Class 4A state tournament. In the elimination round win against Marshfield, Berning scored 7 points and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. My apologies, Gavin.
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