Sports Talk
By Jean Schurman, Sports Editor
It’s time for me to clean out my car, find a new notebook and pen, charge my camera batteries and get ready for another sporting year. I always look forward to this time of year and this year is no different. I have a lot of ‘I wonder’s’ running through my head.
I wonder how the Corvallis football team will do without two D1 players. Will Coach Curley find someone to move into the shoes of Jesse Sims and Jayce Gilder? Not to mention the rest of the seniors who have moved on. I suspect he will as Curley has been cultivating and growing the enthusiasm of his team since he arrived three years ago.
And speaking of Corvallis, I wonder how the volleyball team will be without the fiery redhead, Kelsey Irwin. This sparkplug has motivated her team throughout her high school career. Now she’s moved on and is playing at UM Western. But she leaves a legacy and with Coach Kasey Arceniega pushing the players, the Blue Devils will still be tough.
I wonder, well I guess I already know, what is in store for Stevensville football after they defeated Livingston in their first game. The Yellowjackets will have a new coach, again. Tif Meyers will be in charge and brings new ideas and energy to the ‘Jackets. Bryce Torrey, John Diepstraten, Kordele Behner, and Joshua Barker are the only seniors on the team but the quartet has had quite a bit of experience and will be good leaders. Cody Coleman, Jordan Thomas, Caleb Edens and Chase Krone are juniors who have played quite a bit and bring speed and size to the team.
I wonder who is going to win the lottery for foreign exchange students this year. Last year, Corvallis hit it when Alejandro Ortiz came to town. He helped to power the Blue Devils to the boys’ state championship in Class A. And I wonder if Corvallis will repeat as champions. You can be sure that coach Greg Shifflet will do everything he can to make it happen.
I wonder how the smoke has affected the cross-country runners in the valley. Corvallis and Hamilton both have strong teams but running inside for the first couple of weeks has to have made a difference. Hopefully coaches Joanne Cleveland of Corvallis and Mark Albert of Hamilton have been able to get their teams in shape so they can each claim another championship. Corvallis won the girls’ state championship last year and Hamilton the boys.
I wonder who is going to take Joe Caicedo’s place in Darby. His drive and guts was an example for the rest of the Tigers throughout the last four years and made a difference. And, speaking of Darby, I wonder who is going to step into the shoes of the five girls who made winning a priority for the Lady Tigers on the court in volleyball and basketball. There are a few that will step up but we’ll just have to see who it will be.
I wonder how, not who, the Lady Falcons of Florence will be on the volleyball court with long-time coach Jeff Mahler gone. He has had those girls throughout the spring and summer as well as the regular season for about seven years now. He’ll still be coaching at the club level but Maloni Doty who has been an assistant will continue to keep her team on their toes and be a force.
I wonder if Pirate Jim will have enough powder on hand to shoot the cannon for the Victor Pirates. They almost ran out a couple of times last year with their high-powered offense. The Pirates should have a strong team so he’d better have some in reserve.
Yes, I wonder, and soon I’ll have the answers, and a whole lot of stories.