The Regis High wrestling team crowned a pair of district champions and finished third in the Class 2A-1A district meet Feb. 19 at Neah-Kah-Nie High in Rockaway Beach.
The Rams, in their first year of wrestling under coach Chris Bischoff, scored 138 apoints in the district meet, trailing only champion Toledo (203) and Vernonia (196).
Regis claimed two champions, with both Lucas Bischoff (160) and Thomas Bischoff (170) winning via first-round pins in their respective finals.
Mark Nusom (182) and Cameron Diacetis (220) finished 2nd for Regis, with Noah Emch (195) taking third while defeating teammate Logan Kirsch in the match for third place. Gavyn Andall (285) was fifth for Regis.
The Rams participated in the Class 2A-1A state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Culver after Our Town’s presstime.
Cascade, meanwhile, took second in the Class 4A district meet in Florence. The Cougars scored 228.5 points, trailing only perennial powerhouse Sweet Home (428). Stayton was 6th with 150.5.
Cascade claimed one individual champion, Lance Van Hoose at 182 pounds, while Teagan Allen (285) and Tucker Melton (220) took seconds, Bart Perlichek (152) was third and Payton Burlingame (113) was fourth.
Mauro Michel (132) and Eli Howard (138) captured district titles for Stayton, with Connor Hollenbeck (170) and Conrad Baxter (120) taking thirds and Wyatt Hooper (120) and Jason Ritchie (160) finishing fourth.
The 4A state meet took place at Cascade after Our Town’s presstime. See the Our Town Santiam Facebook page for a report.
Swimming: The Stayton girls squad took fifth in the team race at the Class 4A state meet at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. The Eagles posted 15 points while scoring in 4 events.
Caitlyn Martinak took fifth in the 100 free in 58.07 and sixth in the 50 free in 26.37. Stayton also took fourth in a pair of relays, with Martinak, Avery Mannix, Liberty Wiseman and Ashley Rea swimming 2:03.21 in the 200 medley and Martinak, Rea, Bethany Wagar and Mannix teaming up for a 1:48.81 in the 200 free.
Cascade’s girls, meanwhile, scored 5 points, with Brylee Sylverson taking 4th in the 100 breast in 1:11.56 and fifth in the 2pp IM in 2:20.87.
Basketball: Stayton-area teams were battling for possible state tournament berths as Our Town went to press. The Regis boys, 21-6, who surprised Jefferson in the Central Valley Conference playoffs, hosted Mannahouse Christian on Feb. 25 with a spot in the March 3 2A quarterfinals in Pendleton on the line.
Stayton’s boys and girls squads, meanwhile, must win twice to make it to the state tournament in Forest Grove. Both squads finished third in the Oregon West Conference at 8-4, with all 4 losses to Philomath and Cascade. The girls, who are ranked 7th, hosted Cottage Grove on Feb. 25, while the 8th-ranked boys entertained McLoughlin on Feb. 26.
Round of 16 pairings will depend upon who wins the play-in games, but both Cascade squads know when they will be playing. The No. 2 boys, who tied Philomath for the Oregon West title, will host a game March 4, while the 2nd-ranked girls, who finished behind No. 1 Philomath in the league race, play March 5.
Football: The OSAA has instituted a significant change in how it manages football. Effective this fall, Class 2A will play 9-man football, instead of 11-man. OSAA set up a special committee which held five meetings before settling on the change.
The key factors in the new rules, the OSAA said, were concerns about declining numbers and squad size, and player safety.
Regis and Santiam will continue to play in the Class 2A Tri-River Conference, linked with foes Blanchet, Chemawa, Colton, Culver, Gervais and Willamina. Perennial Tri-River and state power Kennedy, which has appeared in the state title game 4 times since 2015, will move up to Class 3A and continue to play 11-man.
Stayton and Cascade will face some new foes, based on the special football district configurations that were released along with the 9-man decision. The Eagles and Cougars will play in a new 7-team Oregon West, with Cottage Grove, Junction City, Marist, Philomath and Sweet Home.
Stayton and Cascade’s “regular district” includes Newport, North Marion, Philomath and Sweet Home, but Newport and North Marion are playing down at Class 3A for football only.
“Having more teams in the league sure makes scheduling easier,” said Stayton athletic director Darren Shryock. “We will welcome Marist, Cottage Grove and Junction City with open arms. I still find it weird that our football league is completely different from all of our other sports, but that is the decision and we’ll roll with it. It will be a very competitive league. Making the playoffs (top three) will be a challenge.”
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