Stayton High senior Isaac Laro captured the Eagles’ first district golf title since 2018 when he played his way to victory in the Class 4A Special District 2 event at Tokatee Golf Club in Blue River.
Laro shot 71-77 in the May 12-13 event and helped lead the Eagles to a fourth place finish and qualification for the state tournament at Tokatee. Stayton finished ninth at state, with Laro taking fourth as an individual with a 152 two-day score. Also participating for the Eagles were Ean Dillingham (16th, 165), Tanner Starbuck (46th, 188), Ethan Whieldon (56th, 196) and Caden Moore (57th, 197).
Cascade, meanwhile, finished fifth at state, led by Grant Hemelstrand, who was 13th at 162. Also golfing for the Cougars were Kaiden Ford (21st, 169), Clark Clayton (24th, 170), Cruz Shank (31st, 175), and Cameron Wilson (51st, 191). Earlier, the Cougars finished second at the district meet.
Track & Field: Cascade’s girls took second at the Oregon West Conference district meet at Philomath. The host Warriors won both the boys and girls team competitions. Stayton finished third in the girls, while Cascade was fourth and Stayton fifth in the boys.
Cascade athletes swept the shot put and the discus in both the girls and boys competition. Kaline Seachao of the Cougars won the shot in 41-10.75 and the discus at 117-11, while teammate Liam Baker won the boys shot in 53-11 and the discus at 172-1. Also claiming district titles for the Cougars were Lillian Picket (400, 56.96) and the 4×100 relay team of Julia Duncan, Makenna Fraser, Allison Course and Picket (48.66).
Stayton also had a double-winner, with Evelyn Welch winning the 100 hurdles in 17.27 and the 300 hurdles in 46.60. Also claiming district titles for the Eagles were Haley Butenschoen (800, 2:18.52), Madelyn Olson (triple jump, 34-8.5) and Mila Morley (javelin, 119-0).
State qualifiers for both schools participated in the OSAA championships May 30-31 at Hayward Field in Eugene. See the July 1 Our Town for those results.
Baseball & Softball: At presstime, only Regis softball among Stayton-area teams still was alive in the playoffs. Cascade softball fell 9-7 to Marist Catholic and Henley edged Stayton 6-5 in 4A softball. Stayton dropped a 4-1 decision to Scappoose in 4A baseball and Crosspoint Christian blanked Regis in 2A-1A baseball.
A highlight of the season was the three-game series Cascade and Stayton played during the Oregon West softball campaign. The Cougars won the first game 10-0 on April 21, with the Eagles returning the favor 14-4 on May 1. The rubber matchup came on May 14, senior Day for the Cougars, with Cascade pushing across a run in the bottom of the 7th to win 1-0 and claim the OWC title.
Girls Tennis: Cascade and Stayton both had athletes score at the Class 4A-3A-2A-1A state tennis tournament at Oregon State University. The Cougars, led by the doubles teams of Rachel Suelzle and Kate Withers and Samantha Sandall and Kenzie Clausen, finished 7th with 8 points, while Stayton singles player Laina Atiyeh scored four points for the ninth-place Eagles.
Santiam Hospital Run: The Santiam Hospital & Clinics Fun Run takes place Saturday, June 7, with all events starting and finishing at the hospital on North Tenth Avenue. There are eight events, a 5-kilometer walk, a 3K run, a 5K run and a 10K run for adults and races of the same length for kids 12 and under. Adult races cost $15 and kids’ races $10. All races start at 8:30 a.m.
As always, the event will offer a morning of fun and fitness for the whole family with music, food, beverages and keepsakes.
Registration is open through Thursday, June 5 at tinyurl.com/santiamhospitalfunrun
(https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/?raceId=60062&eventId=978457).
Stayton Girls Hoops Camp: The Lady Eagles basketball camp for players entering first through ninth grades will be held June 17-19. Camp runs from 1 to 3:30 p.m. each day, with first- through third-graders participating at the middle school and the older players at Stayton High. Camp costs $60 and includes a T-shirt and a basketball.
Camp director Tal Wold, who has coached the Silverton and Stayton girls to state titles, said “this camp will focus on shooting, ball-handling, passing, defensive and offensive footwork. We will focus on skills and use terminology that we use with our varsity players and want the girls to know as they enter high school. We will have a daily skills competition, mini games, and play 5-on-5 games.”
For more information email Wold at wold_tal@silverfalls.k12.or.us.
Got a news tip? Email me at james.d@mtangelpub.com. Follow me on X (Twitter) @jameshday and Our Town on Facebook.
