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ROBIN LOZNAK/The News-Review
Sutherlin girls basketball coach Josh Grotting becomes excited as the final minute ticks away in his teams win over Cottage Grove during their quarter-final game in the Oregon State 4A basketball tournament in Gill Coliseum in Corvallis on Tuesday night. The Sutherlin girls went on to win the state championship.
1. Sutherlin girls defy odds to win 4A title
As Heather Weber toed the free-throw line, Sutherlin head coach Josh Grotting and the rest of the Bulldogs looked on, sensing that someone had been watching their magical run at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
Weber coolly sink two pressure-packed free throws to give the Bulldogs a 28-26 lead with 23 seconds left in the Class 4A championship game, and No. 5-ranked Sutherlin held on to beat No. 7 Hidden Valley of Murphy for its first state championship in girls basketball.
The drama on the court was nothing compared to the tragic backdrop behind it — beloved Sutherlin Middle School counselor Lindi Riley was killed in a fire just days earlier, leaving a tight-knit community in search of a distraction, if not a hero.
Afterward, Grotting couldn’t help but wonder if a Bulldog fan who no one saw but everyone felt had been watching over them.
“Maybe Lindi had something to do with those last free throws,” Grotting said.
Sutherlin’s Tess Bennett was named the Qwest Player of the Game after leading the Bulldogs, who finished the year 23-5, with 10 points. Weber and Sierra Terrel-Perez each finished with seven.
Bennett was later selected the Class 4A state player of the year and Grotting received 4A coach of the year honors.
2. Roseburg wrestlers defend 6A state title
The reaction was simple, but it said everything: Mitchell Lofstedt held up three fingers after being declared the winner of his third individual Class 6A state title.
Lofstedt pulled it off three times, and the Roseburg wrestling team pulled it off twice, winning its second consecutive state championship with 269 points behind several dominant performances at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.
Seniors Mitchell Lofstedt and Tony Castro, junior Tyler Lander and freshman Seth Thomas all won individual titles for Roseburg, which qualified a school record 20 wrestlers.
Sophomore Sam Mecham (145) and freshman Drew Van Anrooy (103) made it to the finals, while sophomores Dylan Westwang (140) and Dan Faas (103) took third.
3. Kaylin Bing makes a splash for Roseburg swimmers
What a year it was for Kaylin Bing in the water for the Roseburg High swim team and beyond.
Bing, as a 14-year-old freshman, was a double winner at the Class 6A State Championships at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham in February, taking the 100-yard butterfly (54.52 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (55.90) events. Her time in the fly broke both the previous 6A record and meet record, and the performance in the back broke her own state mark.
Kaylin Bing also teamed with Molly Moore, Alex Bing and Amanda Rose to place second in the 200 medley relay (1:49.47). The Roseburg girls placed fourth in the team standings with 104 points.
Kaylin Bing also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in the 100 back in Omaha, Neb., in late June, finishing 65th in 1:03.87. She competed in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back and 100 fly at the ConocoPhillips Short Course National Championships in Atlanta, Ga., earlier this month.
4. Tom Pappas makes third Olympic team
Tom Pappas didn’t get the Olympic medal he’d been chasing all these years. That’s about the only thing the Azalea native and Glendale High graduate hasn’t won in his illustrious decathlon career.
Pappas, 32, qualified for his third Olympic games this summer, a feat never before accomplished by a U.S. decathlete, by placing third at the trials in Eugene. Pappas used strong pole vault, shot put and long jump marks to solidify third place behind Bryan Clay and Trey Hardee.
Injuries hampered Pappas in his second Olympic bid in Athens and made him a longshot for Beijing, but his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame held up over two grueling days of competition and produced a mark of 8,511 points, less than 300 off his personal best.
“It means a lot to me,” Pappas said. “It’s been tough on me mentally the last three years or so, knowing I had more in me but my body just wouldn’t allow me to do it.”
Unfortunately, a foot injury on the first day of Olympic competition knocked Pappas out of the Beijing Games. Pappas’ legacy includes a fifth-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Games, the 2003 world outdoor title, the 1999 NCAA title at Tennessee in which he set the collegiate record, a world indoor heptathlon title in 2003 and five U.S. titles.
5. Gretchen Owens finishes strong for Glendale
Gretchen Owens couldn’t have accomplished much more during her senior basketball and softball seasons for Glendale High School this year.
In basketball, the left-handed point guard averaged 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.8 steals as the Pirates (24-5) finished fourth at the Class 2A state tournament in Pendleton in early March — Glendale’s first trophy finish ever at state.
She was selected the Mountain View Conference player of the year and received first-team all-state honors.
In softball, Owens helped the Pirates (24-3) advance to the semifinals of the state playoffs in late May. The southpaw finished with a 19-2 pitching record with 187 strikeouts in 126 innings. She hit .616 at the plate with six home runs and scored 54 runs, making first-team all-state after being named MVC player of the year.
She took her athletic talents to Umpqua Community College in the fall for basketball.
6. Roseburg softball, UVC baseball fall short in title games
The Roseburg High softball team and Umpqua Valley Christian baseball team both suffered heartbreaking losses during championship weekend in late May.
The Indians (24-5-1) lost a 2-1 decision to Southwest Conference rival Grants Pass in 10 innings in the Class 6A state final at the Oregon State Softball Complex in Corvallis. Roseburg only managed one hit off G.P. sophomore right-hander Morgan Barnes.
Mikayla Endicott, the 6A pitcher of the year, allowed six hits and took the loss. Five other seniors who shined during the season played their final games for the Indians — center fielder Kendra George, first baseman Jazmine Crowe, left fielder Whitney Harris, catcher Tori Walker and third baseman Alyssa DesBiens.
The Monarchs, meanwhile, gave up two runs to Portland Christian in the bottom of the eighth and fell 5-4 in the Class 2A/1A final at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
UVC (23-8) needed one out twice to win its second state baseball title, but the Royals rallied from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits. The Monarchs’ starting lineup consisted of one senior (Daniel Schultz), three juniors and four sophomores.
Junior pitcher Ryan Graf was selected the Mountain View Conference player of the year. He received first-team all-state honors along with Gabe Forrester, and Dave York shared the 2A/1A coach of the year award.
7. UCC men win division, finish third at NWAACCs
The Umpqua Community College men’s basketball team capped off its breakthrough season by taking third place at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Tournament in Kennewick, Wash.
The Riverhawks, who won the South Region title for the first time since 1989, recovered from its semifinal loss to Yakima Valley to beat Southwestern Oregon, 84-81.
With the game tied at 81, UCC sophomore guard Kenan Dizdarevic sank a game-winning 3-point field goal with 0.8 seconds left to steal the victory.
“We designed the play to try and get the ball to a perimeter player and get a shot with no time left on clock,” UCC coach Donell Morgan said. “We put the ball in Kenan’s hands and he danced around a little bit and was on his way to the basket, then he stepped back and hit the fadeaway jumper.”
UCC finished its season 25-7 after going 3-1 in the tournament. Morgan was named the Southern Region Coach of the Year, Edwin Richardson was selected as the MVP of the South, and Dizdarevic was one of five players named to the South all-star first-team.
8. Burke makes pitching debut for Mariners
The pitching line was rather ordinary — one inning pitched, an earned run off one hit. No walks and no strikeouts.
What made Jamie Burke’s appearance on the mound for the Seattle Mariners on July 6 extraordinary was that the Roseburg native is a catcher and hadn’t thrown a pitch for six years.
In the 15th inning of a 2-1 loss to the Tigers, Burke volunteered for relief duty for then interim-manager Jim Riggleman, who had been dealing with a taxed and injury-depleted bullpen.
“It was an exciting moment to go out there,” Burke told the Associated Press. “I just focused on throwing strikes … a lot of guys were excited for me. There were a lot of hugs and high-fives. Even though we lost, we battled and battled.”
Burke was charged with the loss — one of 101 defeats for the abyssmal Mariners — but enjoyed a flurry of attention afterward for his volunteerism.
9. North Douglas, Oakland have banner basketball years
Which boys basketball team was the best in Douglas County in 2007-08? Hard to say, since it’s pretty iffy even in the North County. Depending on how you look at it, either North Douglas or Oakland could take the honor.
The Warriors beat the Oakers 72-68 in Drain on Jan. 11 in a battle of Top 5-ranked teams as Dustin Andes scored 29 points and Tyler Vancil had 13 points and 19 rebounds.
Oakland got its revenge on Feb. 1 at the Nut House, routing North Douglas 71-48, led by Joey Lee’s 20-point effort. The Oakers held a 35-22 rebounding advantage.
North Douglas hit a few stumbling blocks down the stretch, losing two more league games while Oakland won out to win the outright Mountain View Conference title.
Both teams qualified for the 2A state tournament in Pendleton, where each team went 2-1. North Douglas beat Kennedy 53-42 in the third-fifth place game for their highest finish since 1988 and Oakland beat De La Salle 56-51 in the fourth-sixth place game.
Andes was a first-team all-state selection for North Douglas while Oakland’s Andrew Young was a second-team pick and Lee a third-teamer. Eight players from both teams made the all-MVC list, as well as the coach of the year (Oakland’s Jeff Clark), player of the year (Andes) and defensive player of the year (Oakland’s Tyler Fugate).
10. Small schools produce big individual efforts
Glide’s Thomas O’Connor (160 pounds) and Gabe Forrester (140), North Douglas’ Jake Rice (189) and Glendale’s Luke Brenden (145) all won state wrestling titles at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.
O’Connor, a senior, edged Willamina’s Eric Gretzon 6-5 in the 3A final. Forrester, a sophomore, downed Josh Cate of Burns 11-2. Rice, a junior and grandson of North Douglas coach Ron Hicks, decisioned Austin Alley of Culver 6-4 in the 2A final.
Brenden, a senior, pinned Gerald Speas of Culver in 3:27.
In the Class 1A state track and field meet at Western Oregon University in Monmouth in May, Days Creek senior Willy Johnson broke the state meet record with a personal best throw of 160 feet, 8 inches to win the discus. That mark ranks No. 2 on the all-time 1A list. Johnson earlier had placed fourth in the shot put at 49-5 1/2.
Honorable mention
Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu, a Douglas High School graduate, helped his club win the AFC North title and is selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth straight year. Polamalu had 70 tackles and a team-high six interceptions heading into today’s regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Umpqua Community College freshman wing Kristi Fallin, from Roseburg, received Southern Region first-team honors and led the Riverhawks to a 26-6 season record in women’s basketball.
As Heather Weber toed the free-throw line, Sutherlin head coach Josh Grotting and the rest of the Bulldogs looked on, sensing that someone had been watching their magical run at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
Weber coolly sink two pressure-packed free throws to give the Bulldogs a 28-26 lead with 23 seconds left in the Class 4A championship game, and No. 5-ranked Sutherlin held on to beat No. 7 Hidden Valley of Murphy for its first state championship in girls basketball.
The drama on the court was nothing compared to the tragic backdrop behind it — beloved Sutherlin Middle School counselor Lindi Riley was killed in a fire just days earlier, leaving a tight-knit community in search of a distraction, if not a hero.
Afterward, Grotting couldn’t help but wonder if a Bulldog fan who no one saw but everyone felt had been watching over them.
“Maybe Lindi had something to do with those last free throws,” Grotting said.
Sutherlin’s Tess Bennett was named the Qwest Player of the Game after leading the Bulldogs, who finished the year 23-5, with 10 points. Weber and Sierra Terrel-Perez each finished with seven.
Bennett was later selected the Class 4A state player of the year and Grotting received 4A coach of the year honors.
2. Roseburg wrestlers defend 6A state title
The reaction was simple, but it said everything: Mitchell Lofstedt held up three fingers after being declared the winner of his third individual Class 6A state title.
Lofstedt pulled it off three times, and the Roseburg wrestling team pulled it off twice, winning its second consecutive state championship with 269 points behind several dominant performances at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.
Seniors Mitchell Lofstedt and Tony Castro, junior Tyler Lander and freshman Seth Thomas all won individual titles for Roseburg, which qualified a school record 20 wrestlers.
Sophomore Sam Mecham (145) and freshman Drew Van Anrooy (103) made it to the finals, while sophomores Dylan Westwang (140) and Dan Faas (103) took third.
3. Kaylin Bing makes a splash for Roseburg swimmers
What a year it was for Kaylin Bing in the water for the Roseburg High swim team and beyond.
Bing, as a 14-year-old freshman, was a double winner at the Class 6A State Championships at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham in February, taking the 100-yard butterfly (54.52 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (55.90) events. Her time in the fly broke both the previous 6A record and meet record, and the performance in the back broke her own state mark.
Kaylin Bing also teamed with Molly Moore, Alex Bing and Amanda Rose to place second in the 200 medley relay (1:49.47). The Roseburg girls placed fourth in the team standings with 104 points.
Kaylin Bing also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in the 100 back in Omaha, Neb., in late June, finishing 65th in 1:03.87. She competed in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back and 100 fly at the ConocoPhillips Short Course National Championships in Atlanta, Ga., earlier this month.
4. Tom Pappas makes third Olympic team
Tom Pappas didn’t get the Olympic medal he’d been chasing all these years. That’s about the only thing the Azalea native and Glendale High graduate hasn’t won in his illustrious decathlon career.
Pappas, 32, qualified for his third Olympic games this summer, a feat never before accomplished by a U.S. decathlete, by placing third at the trials in Eugene. Pappas used strong pole vault, shot put and long jump marks to solidify third place behind Bryan Clay and Trey Hardee.
Injuries hampered Pappas in his second Olympic bid in Athens and made him a longshot for Beijing, but his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame held up over two grueling days of competition and produced a mark of 8,511 points, less than 300 off his personal best.
“It means a lot to me,” Pappas said. “It’s been tough on me mentally the last three years or so, knowing I had more in me but my body just wouldn’t allow me to do it.”
Unfortunately, a foot injury on the first day of Olympic competition knocked Pappas out of the Beijing Games. Pappas’ legacy includes a fifth-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Games, the 2003 world outdoor title, the 1999 NCAA title at Tennessee in which he set the collegiate record, a world indoor heptathlon title in 2003 and five U.S. titles.
5. Gretchen Owens finishes strong for Glendale
Gretchen Owens couldn’t have accomplished much more during her senior basketball and softball seasons for Glendale High School this year.
In basketball, the left-handed point guard averaged 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.8 steals as the Pirates (24-5) finished fourth at the Class 2A state tournament in Pendleton in early March — Glendale’s first trophy finish ever at state.
She was selected the Mountain View Conference player of the year and received first-team all-state honors.
In softball, Owens helped the Pirates (24-3) advance to the semifinals of the state playoffs in late May. The southpaw finished with a 19-2 pitching record with 187 strikeouts in 126 innings. She hit .616 at the plate with six home runs and scored 54 runs, making first-team all-state after being named MVC player of the year.
She took her athletic talents to Umpqua Community College in the fall for basketball.
6. Roseburg softball, UVC baseball fall short in title games
The Roseburg High softball team and Umpqua Valley Christian baseball team both suffered heartbreaking losses during championship weekend in late May.
The Indians (24-5-1) lost a 2-1 decision to Southwest Conference rival Grants Pass in 10 innings in the Class 6A state final at the Oregon State Softball Complex in Corvallis. Roseburg only managed one hit off G.P. sophomore right-hander Morgan Barnes.
Mikayla Endicott, the 6A pitcher of the year, allowed six hits and took the loss. Five other seniors who shined during the season played their final games for the Indians — center fielder Kendra George, first baseman Jazmine Crowe, left fielder Whitney Harris, catcher Tori Walker and third baseman Alyssa DesBiens.
The Monarchs, meanwhile, gave up two runs to Portland Christian in the bottom of the eighth and fell 5-4 in the Class 2A/1A final at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
UVC (23-8) needed one out twice to win its second state baseball title, but the Royals rallied from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits. The Monarchs’ starting lineup consisted of one senior (Daniel Schultz), three juniors and four sophomores.
Junior pitcher Ryan Graf was selected the Mountain View Conference player of the year. He received first-team all-state honors along with Gabe Forrester, and Dave York shared the 2A/1A coach of the year award.
7. UCC men win division, finish third at NWAACCs
The Umpqua Community College men’s basketball team capped off its breakthrough season by taking third place at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Tournament in Kennewick, Wash.
The Riverhawks, who won the South Region title for the first time since 1989, recovered from its semifinal loss to Yakima Valley to beat Southwestern Oregon, 84-81.
With the game tied at 81, UCC sophomore guard Kenan Dizdarevic sank a game-winning 3-point field goal with 0.8 seconds left to steal the victory.
“We designed the play to try and get the ball to a perimeter player and get a shot with no time left on clock,” UCC coach Donell Morgan said. “We put the ball in Kenan’s hands and he danced around a little bit and was on his way to the basket, then he stepped back and hit the fadeaway jumper.”
UCC finished its season 25-7 after going 3-1 in the tournament. Morgan was named the Southern Region Coach of the Year, Edwin Richardson was selected as the MVP of the South, and Dizdarevic was one of five players named to the South all-star first-team.
8. Burke makes pitching debut for Mariners
The pitching line was rather ordinary — one inning pitched, an earned run off one hit. No walks and no strikeouts.
What made Jamie Burke’s appearance on the mound for the Seattle Mariners on July 6 extraordinary was that the Roseburg native is a catcher and hadn’t thrown a pitch for six years.
In the 15th inning of a 2-1 loss to the Tigers, Burke volunteered for relief duty for then interim-manager Jim Riggleman, who had been dealing with a taxed and injury-depleted bullpen.
“It was an exciting moment to go out there,” Burke told the Associated Press. “I just focused on throwing strikes … a lot of guys were excited for me. There were a lot of hugs and high-fives. Even though we lost, we battled and battled.”
Burke was charged with the loss — one of 101 defeats for the abyssmal Mariners — but enjoyed a flurry of attention afterward for his volunteerism.
9. North Douglas, Oakland have banner basketball years
Which boys basketball team was the best in Douglas County in 2007-08? Hard to say, since it’s pretty iffy even in the North County. Depending on how you look at it, either North Douglas or Oakland could take the honor.
The Warriors beat the Oakers 72-68 in Drain on Jan. 11 in a battle of Top 5-ranked teams as Dustin Andes scored 29 points and Tyler Vancil had 13 points and 19 rebounds.
Oakland got its revenge on Feb. 1 at the Nut House, routing North Douglas 71-48, led by Joey Lee’s 20-point effort. The Oakers held a 35-22 rebounding advantage.
North Douglas hit a few stumbling blocks down the stretch, losing two more league games while Oakland won out to win the outright Mountain View Conference title.
Both teams qualified for the 2A state tournament in Pendleton, where each team went 2-1. North Douglas beat Kennedy 53-42 in the third-fifth place game for their highest finish since 1988 and Oakland beat De La Salle 56-51 in the fourth-sixth place game.
Andes was a first-team all-state selection for North Douglas while Oakland’s Andrew Young was a second-team pick and Lee a third-teamer. Eight players from both teams made the all-MVC list, as well as the coach of the year (Oakland’s Jeff Clark), player of the year (Andes) and defensive player of the year (Oakland’s Tyler Fugate).
10. Small schools produce big individual efforts
Glide’s Thomas O’Connor (160 pounds) and Gabe Forrester (140), North Douglas’ Jake Rice (189) and Glendale’s Luke Brenden (145) all won state wrestling titles at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.
O’Connor, a senior, edged Willamina’s Eric Gretzon 6-5 in the 3A final. Forrester, a sophomore, downed Josh Cate of Burns 11-2. Rice, a junior and grandson of North Douglas coach Ron Hicks, decisioned Austin Alley of Culver 6-4 in the 2A final.
Brenden, a senior, pinned Gerald Speas of Culver in 3:27.
In the Class 1A state track and field meet at Western Oregon University in Monmouth in May, Days Creek senior Willy Johnson broke the state meet record with a personal best throw of 160 feet, 8 inches to win the discus. That mark ranks No. 2 on the all-time 1A list. Johnson earlier had placed fourth in the shot put at 49-5 1/2.
Honorable mention
Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu, a Douglas High School graduate, helped his club win the AFC North title and is selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth straight year. Polamalu had 70 tackles and a team-high six interceptions heading into today’s regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Umpqua Community College freshman wing Kristi Fallin, from Roseburg, received Southern Region first-team honors and led the Riverhawks to a 26-6 season record in women’s basketball.
