STRONG 2ND HALF LEADS SEASIDE TO STATE

The Seaside Seagulls boys soccer team qualified for the state 4A tournament with a three-goal second half outburst in a 3-1 victory over Tillamook at the LCYSA Soccer Complex in Warrenton Tuesday night.

Down 1-0 at half after Tillamook scored on a corner kick, the Gulls dominated the second half, outshooting the Cheesemakers 8-to-1 over the final 40 minutes to clinch their fifth straight state tournament berth and tenth trip to state in 11 years.

"We're starting to pass the ball around with some confidence in the attacking area," said Seaside head coach Jon Broderick, "which is something we just haven't done. I thought at the end of the first half and most of the second half we were able to do that."

Tillamook was impressive in its first year of varsity boys soccer, playing competitive soccer with every team in the league, including top-ranked Astoria which suffered its only blemish in league play in a 3-3 tie at Tillamook. The Cheesemakers came in confident following a 3-0 win at Yamhill-Carlton on Saturday.

"I feel like Tillamook has certainly come a long way since the beginning of the season," said Seaside head coach Jon Broderick. "All season long I thought Tillamook might be the second best team in the league."

With both teams creating offensive opportunities throughout the first half, Tillamook scored first when senior Julian Alcarez powered through a scrum at the far post to catch a ball deflected straight up in the air on a Jose Lara corner kick. Alcarez appeared to push a couple of Seagull defenders into the goal and took the ball with them, giving Tillamook a 1-0 lead a little over a half an hour into the match.

Seaside had two good scoring opportunities in the first half, with Chris Senick rocketing a shot off the far post a the 7-minute mark and Alec Carlson driving a shot to the near post which Tillamook's freshman goalkeeper Noe Mendez deflected away with a beautiful diving save.

"The main thing I was telling the boys was not to panic," said Carlson, one of the emotional leaders of Seaside's team. "Play with a purpose, but play under control at the same time. If we panic we're not going to have a chance, but if we play with a purpose we're going to find the back of the net and its anybody's game from there."

A little over ten minutes into the second half, the Gulls appeared to have evened the score, but a goal was wiped off the board on a curious offsides call that came after a Mendez deflection.

About midway through the half, Seaside got the equalizer with junior Jose Peon capitalizing on an open look less than a minute after sending a shot wide across the goal mouth. Less than a minute later, the Gulls had the lead when Alec Carlson jumped on a free ball in the attacking half, carried it forward to the edge of the box and sent a hard low shot to the left of Mendez into the net.

"I felt a little space on me," said Carlson. "I just got a little chance to look up and see where the goal was at and take a shot. [Assistant coach Matt] Johnson has been urging me to take more shots. I've got a big leg so I just gave it a chance and it came out good."

Meanwhile, Seaside's defense held firm, despite Tillamook playing the ball frequently into the attacking half of the field. The Mooks only shot sailed harmlessly over the crossbar as junior goalkeeper John Morgan's two saves were both before the halftime whistle.

The Gulls finally breathed easy after Alec Carlson's corner kick in the final minutes deflected off a Tillamook defender for an own goal.

Seaside outshot Tillamook 16-7 and had four corner kicks to Tillamook's two. Mendez made seven saves including two goal-saving dives.

Seaside will travel to the frozen tundra of Ontario, where low temperatures have reached the single digits this week. Last night's game was played in relatively frigid conditions, with a temperature in the mid-40's and a chilly wind blowing throughout the match.

TUESDAY SCOREBOARD

VOLLEYBALL
N.W. League Finals at Portland Christian H.S.
Nestucca vs. Portland Lutheran
Winner vs. PORTLAND CHRISTIAN
Ilwaco at Stevenson 7:00 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
District 1 Playoff Final
SEASIDE 3, Tillamook 1
GIRLS SOCCER
District 1 Finals
Yamhill-Carlton at Valley Catholic 3:00 p.m.

RAINIER DIGS UP PLAYOFF BERTH AT WARRENTON

The Rainier Columbians volleyball team avenged a regular season loss to Warrenton by defeating the Warriors 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 in a thrilling two hour playoff match at Warrenton High School Monday night.

With the win, the Columbians are assured of no worse than a number three seed to the state 3A volleyball tournament, and will contend with Neah-Kah-Nie and Oregon Episcopal School for the top spots in a final playoff round Wednesday night at Clatskanie.

The Warriors are now in a must-win situation. They will play Clatskanie at Rainier Wednesday night at 5:00 p.m. for the Lewis & Clark League's fourth and final state seed. The loser is out. Warrenton swept Clatskanie during the regular season, but the second match went five games.

Rainier cruised to a 7-0 lead in game one behind three ace serves from freshman Cassie Hanks. The Warriors were able to right the ship and make a competitive game out of it, closing within 19-20 behind the ace serve of sophomore Jordane Marxer and a Rainier ballhandling error. A net violation returned serve to the Columbians, who won four of the next six points with two kills by senior Heidi Jackson and a tip by backup middle hitter Niki Wagner.

"We didn't play very good in the first game," said Warrenton head coach Jim Hackwith. "We played better the rest of the game to catch up but we didn't quite finish it off."

Warrenton responded by taking the next two games. The Warriors overcame an 18-14 deficit behind a four point serving run by junior outside hitter Ashley Poole, taking advantage of some Rainier errors on attack. Emily Ogren and Brandi Jasmin had two kills each in the second game and Poole, Jasmin and LesleAnn Hayward had three kills each in game three.

Back-to-back kills including a thunderous spike by sophomore middle hitter Raeanne Hanks gave Rainier a 19-11 lead in game four before Warrenton's Amber Hackwith served the Warriors back into contention with two aces on a 5-point run to make it 19-17. Hanks put away a wayward Warrenton pass and the Columbians ran off six of the final seven points to force a fifth game.

Rainier started game in similar fashion to game one as Hanks served back-to-back aces for a 2-0 lead. Back-to-back kills by Hayward and Poole tied the game. A Poole kill and a soft ace serve by Hayward put the Warriors up 5-3, but Rainier came back to tie the game at five, six and seven before Raeanne Hanks recorded back-to-back kills, one set up by a tremendous dig by Cassie Hanks. An hit in the net by Hackwith gave Rainier an 11-8 lead, but Warrenton fought back to tie at 13 on a fortuitous bump kill by Poole, her fifth kill of the game. But the elder Hanks, a force at the net all night, put away another overpass for a side out and a tough lift call on Marxer proved to be match point for the Columbians.

The Columbians defense scrapped for every free ball and kept a number of unlikely rallies alive with their hustle. Jackson was a digging machine for Rainier, as well as contributing timely accurate hitting with 11 kills. Raeanne Hanks also had 11 kills for the Columbians, who play Neah-Kah-Nie at 5:00 p.m. The winner will play Oregon Episcoal School for the top seed, while the loser will be the third seed.

Ashley Poole had a match-high 12 kills for Warrenton.

MONDAY SCOREBOARD

VOLLEYBALL
Lewis & Clark League Tournament
Rainier def. Warrenton 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13
Clatskanie def. Vernonia 3-1
Neah-Kah-Nie def. Clatskanie 25-8, 25-9-, 25-12
Cowapa League Finals
Banks def. Scappoose
2B District 4 Tournament at Winlock-Losers Out
Willapa Valley vs. Adna, 5:45 p.m.
Tacoma Baptist vs. Morton, 5:45 p.m.
Ocosta vs. Pe Ell, 7:00 p.m.
N.W. Christian vs. Wahkiakum, 7:00 p.m.

JAYS ON TO STATE AS TOP SEED

With the only blip on their record courtesy of Astoria's junior varsity, the Jewell Blue Jays volleyball team won their first Casco League championship and followed it up with a District 1 title, defeating Willamette Valley Christian 25-20, 25-15, 25-23.

Jewell's Sonia Borders was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

The Jays will host a 2nd-round state tournament game on Saturday against the winner of a first round match between Crow and Prairie City. Game time is to be announced.

FREESE FLIES TO FIRST AT DISTRICTS

Kelly Freese won her biggest race yet, taking first place at the combined District 4 championships Saturday at St. Martin's University in Lacey.

The Ilwcao junior had a 21 second margin of victory, crossing the tape in 20:35 while Onalaska's Megan Wrzesinski took second place.

Ilwaco will send two girls and two boys to the state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco next Saturday. Cameo Ulbricht qualified with a sixth place finish in 21:57. Ilwaco has not had enough girls to field a full team this year. La Center topped four complete girls teams with 26 points, followed by Rainier (60), Onalaska (67) and Tenino (79).

The Ilwaco boys team just missed out on qualifying, finishing four points behind Tenino in 5th place with 126 points. Onalaska dominated the team totals, earning 50 points, led by Spencer Hunt's first place finish (17:36). Kalama's Wyler Beterbide finished nine seconds back in second place with Trevor Lewis of Tenino third (17:58).

Ilwaco was led by Steven Berglund (18:05) and Carl Jackson (18:13), who finished fifth and sixth respectively to qualify for state.

In the 2B race, Wahkiakum's Walker Riley took first with a time of 17:19. Naselle's 5th place boys finish was paced by Calen Thompson, who placed 19th (20:08). Kelsey Fletcher led the incomplete Comet girls with a 14th place finish to qualify for state with a time of 23:13.

FISHERMEN SPRINT PAST Y-C TO STATE

Most people agreed that the Yamhill-Carlton Tigers would be able to do some things offensively and move the ball against Astoria. The question was, would they be able to stop Astoria defensively?

After their ninth straight win without a loss, one wonders if the Chicago Bears defense could keep Astoria's offense out of the end zone.

The 3rd-ranked Fishermen needed just four plays to build a 21-0 first quarter lead and cruised to a 48-27 victory over the Tigers Friday night at John Warren Field. With the victory, Astoria guaranteed itself the top seed from the Cowapa League to the state playoffs and earned a share of its first Cowapa League football title since 1994.

"Any time you can take something away from a team, it's a good thing," said Astoria head coach Howard Rub. "I was not thrilled with our run defense in that first quarter, but fortunately we did jump up on them with that big lead and did basically nullify that because they were playing catch-up from then on out.

Astoria can win its first-ever outright Cowapa football title with a win at Tillamook next Friday in their final regular season game. Yamhill-Carlton (4-1 Cowapa League, 7-2 overall) and Scappoose (also 4-1, 7-2) will play the same night for second and third place. The Indians got past Banks 49-13.

Most of the large crowd on hand was anticipating the offensive show featuring highly-touted 4-year starter Zach Anderson of Yamhill-Carlton, the state's most productive passer, and the rapidly rising sophomore Jordan Poyer of Astoria.

The fans were not disappointed.

Astoria and Yamhill-Carlton combined for over 1000 yards of offense with both teams showing off what they do best. While the total yardage was identical (513) for both teams, the stat that tells the story was yards per play from scrimmage. Astoria needed just 37 plays to roll up 513 yards of offense, an average of nearly 14 yards per play. And that includes two plays at the end of the game when Poyer kneeled down to run out the clock!

Yamhill-Carlton ran 73 plays for a quite respectable average of seven yards per play. In other words, Astoria was about twice as productive as Yamhill-Carlton. It seemed like the Fishermen were about twice as fast.

After Poyer forced a J.T. Sorenson fumble following a completed pass, Brent Culver recovered the ball at the Astoria 34-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Poyer, with all the time in the world to throw, ran through his progressions before spotting junior running back Tom Jawarski on a wheel route down the left sideline. Jaws caught the ball about 20 yards downfield and took care of the rest, eluding tacklers to sprint 66 yards to the end zone.

Down 7-0, a good kick return and a first down had the Tigers in Fishermen territory again before running back Willie Webb was stopped short by Craig Folgner on a 4th down and two carry, giving Astoria the ball at the forty. This time Andy Murray took a handoff and ran right, but cut back all the way across the field Marcus Allen style and picked up a pair of blocks downfield, running 60 yards untouched to the end zone.

"You can see that he still has the good speed and good burst," said Rub. "It was fun on the sidelines saying 'Welcome back!' It was a huge play. Any time you have two offensive plays and two scores, you are doing something well. Obviously, we just had too much speed for them tonight."

Murray sprained his right ankle against Seaside and did not play in the previous two games. Although the senior RB/S couldn't wait to return to action, the view from the sideline the last two weeks hasn't been too shabby.

"They did great without me," said Murray. "That just shows how much depth we have on our team."

Yamhill was held to a rare three-and-out drive and Jawarski returned the punt 21 yards to the 50-yard line to start Astoria's third drive of the quarter. This time, Fishermen fans would have to be patient, as it took the home team all of four plays to find the end zone. Poyer, again with loads of time to scan the field, found top receiver Adam Koehnke wide open down the middle. The senior with sneaky speed caught the ball a good six yards behind his defender and motored into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.

The Tigers responded with their first score, capping a 9-play 60-yard drive with a 9-yard Anderson pass to Cowapa League-leading receiver J.T. Sorenson. Sorenson held onto the ball despite a wicked shot from Brent Culver in the end zone and went on to catch a total of 12 balls for 100 yards on the night, giving him 67 catches this season. The 5-11, 190-pound senior had caught every completed pass thrown by Anderson to that point.

The 6-4 QB, a Oregon State and Boise State recruit, would eventually hook up with his tall tight end Tony Perry on a number of big plays, including a pair of second half touchdowns as the Tigers scrambled to stay in the game. But Astoria would not be caught on this night, showing off the speed that will have defensive coordinators statewide staying up nights.

Down 21-7, the Tigers finally got a defensive stop in the second quarter, but could not swing the momentum as a drive stalled after two straight incompletions. Ben Mattingly gave Anderson a pretty good lick on a 3rd and 11 pass intended for Perry. He seemed to feel that hit for awhile and also struggled with the center exchange, as three different players lined up over the ball. Starting center Mason Jahnke, hobbled by an ankle injury, gave way to Kyle Bansen and then right guard Jeff Baisch. Anderson was sacked twice after fumbled snaps.

After a short Sorenson punt was downed at the Astoria 23-yard line, it was Poyer's turn to show off his moves. With an empty backfield, Poyer ran a quarterback draw, bounced outside to the left sideline and was gone, 77 yards for a touchdown. Unlike the previous week, no cramps this time and nobody catching "The Chef" as baseball coach Dave Gasser calls him, or "Puppy" as he is refered to by his elder teammates.

With a 28-7 lead, Astoria recorded an important defensive stop just before halftime. In what could only be referred to as a desperation move, Yamhill coach Alan Boschma called for a fake punt, with the Tigers facing 4th and 15 from their own 20-yard line. Call it whatever you want, it worked to perfection. Sorenson lobbed a pass to a wide open Perry, who rambled 30 yards for a first down. Anderson hooked up with Perry three plays later for a 38-yard gain down the right sideline, with the lanky receiver creating separation from cornerback Justin Tikkala with a subtle shove-off, something "Tick" did not get away with last week at Scappoose when a touchdown was wiped off the board. On third and goal from the five, Anderson's pass in the end zone was intercepted by Culver, who jumped a slant route.

Instead of a manageable two touchdown deficit to start the third period, the Tigers kicked off to Astoria down 28-7. That became 35-7 in short order, when Poyer completed a 29-yard pass to Tony Robinson and two plays later connected with Koehnke for 11-yards to the Tiger 9-yard line. Poyer called his own number on an option keeper and broke an arm tackle on the way to the end zone.

From there it was a vain attempt at catching up for the Tigers, who scored on a long drive then recovered an onside kick to keep things interesting. But again, Astoria would not allow back-to-back scoring drives, with Koehnke intercepting an Anderson pass at the 4-yard line. That was the second of three Astoria interceptions inside the red zone. Poyer added a pick later in the quarter to go with his forced fumble and Nick Alfonse deflected an Anderson pass into the arms of Tom Jawarski on the final Yamhill play of the night, the sixth Tiger turnover of the evening.

Following Poyer's interception, the studly soph directed a six-play scoring drive, capped by a 38-yard touchdown pass by backup quarterback Nathan Stinnett, who tossed to Murray on a quick wide receiver screen while Poyer split out to the opposite side to act as a decoy.

After a 40-yard Sorenson kick return set up a quick Yamhill touchdown, Anderson finding Perry on a 5-yard fade route, Astoria tacked on its final score of the night, with Poyer hitting Jawarski on a 43-yard play, Jaws' second and Poyer's third TD pass on his final toss of the night. Poyer threw for 202 yards on six completions and a spectacular average of 22.4 yards per pass attempt! Anderson completed 24 of 41 passes for 334 yards, an average of eight yards per attempt.

"Our plan was to take away the run and make him throw," said Rub. "Let's get three interceptions because we have the personnel to make that happen. The fourth was a nice bonus at the end."

After a star-making performance at Scappoose the previous week, Poyer continued to dazzle, nearly topping the 200-yard mark in both rushing and passing. Poyer set a new school record with his 17th touchdown pass, eclipsing Astoria Hall-of-Famer Jerry Gustafson's 1951 record of 15 in a season, while adding his tenth and 11th rushing touchdowns of the year with 196 yards on 18 carries.

Astoria hopes to eclipse the mark of the 1951 team, which won 11 straight games before falling to Grant in the semifinals.

Anderson threw his 17th touchdown pass back in September and now has 37 TD's on the season.

Astoria (4-0 Cowapa League, 9-0 overall) will host a 2nd round state playoff game against a familiar opponent. The La Salle Falcons finished in second place in the Capital League and will visit Astoria for the second time this season. The Fishermen beat the Falcons 20-12 in week two, when the Fishermen were still experimenting offensively, alternating quarterbacks series to series.

"We're happy to be the number one seed," said Rub of his first Cowapa title at Astoria. "We know we've locked that up, but we want to get that trophy all to ourselves, so we know we have to finish the deal next week."

The Fishermen close out the regular season at Tillamook Friday night. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN, with gametime coverage starting after the SportsCenter update at 6:40 p.m.

YAMHILL-CARLTON 0 7 7--13
ASTORIA 21 7 7 13--48
1stQ-AST: Jawarski 66 pass from Poyer (Robinson kick)
1stQ-AST: Murray 60 run (Robinson kick)
1stQ-AST: Koehnke 36 pass from Poyer (Robinson kick)
2ndQ-Y-C: Sorenson 9 pass from Anderson (Nauman kick)
2ndQ-AST: Poyer 77 run (Robinson kick)
3rdQ-AST: Poyer 9 run (Robinson kick)
3rdQ-Y-C: Anderson 1 run (Nauman kick)
4thQ-AST: Murray 38 pass (Robinson kick)
4thQ-Y-C: Perry 5 pass from Anderson (kick failed)
4thQ-AST: Jawarski 43 pass from Poyer (kick failed)
4thQ-Y-C; Perry 15 pass from Anderson (McKinney kick)
RUSHING-Y-C: 28-149 (Webb 13-96), AST: 27-272 (Poyer 18-196-2td)
PASSING-Y-C: 25-43-4-361-3td (Anderson 24-41-4-334-3td), AST: 7-10-240-4td (Poyer 6-9-202-3td)
RECEIVING-Y-C: Sorenson 12-100-td, Perry 8-184-2td, Sorenson 12-100-td, AST: Jawarski 3-127-2td
TURNOVERS-Y-C: 6, AST: 0
PENALTIES-Y-C: 6-45, AST: 6-50

EASY COME, EASY GO. WARRIORS COLLAPSE AT RAINIER

Warrenton head football coach John Mattila has walked the sidelines for a long time. He's never been a part of something like this.

The Warrenton Warriors walked off Rainier's Chris Corl Field at halftime with what appeard to be a commanding 30-0 lead. They walked onto the bus on the losing end of a 32-30 score that sealed their playoff fate and set up a highly anticipated showdown between longtime rivals for the inaugural Lewis & Clark League title.

"This is the biggest turnaround I've ever been involved in in either direction," said Mattila. "At haltime we certainly didn't expect to be in that situation. We were thinking, 'Holy Cow', we might just steal first place if Rainier beats Clatskanie."

Now, if Rainier beats its downriver rivals next Friday night, the Columbians will clinch their first football league title in almost 15 years, while Warrenton must win its final regular season game against Riverdale to earn the right to play top-ranked Regis in the first round of the playoffs.

You can bet the Tigers will get a heavy whiff of "Diesel" fumes next week.

After quarterback Bobby Harding had most of Rainier's meager offensive production in the first half with 59 yards rushing, the Columbians' 4th-year head coach Thor Ware decided to ride him hard and put him away wet by switching to what he calls the "Diesel Package". With Harding taking shotgun snaps and running behind two blocking backs, the Columbians overpowered Warrenton's defenisve line in the second half as Harding rushed for 301 yards and two touchdowns. The senior QB finished the night with 360 yards rushing on a whopping 40 carries, adding a pair of two-point conversion runs and a touchdown pass.

The Rainier turnaround was not limited to the offense. After Harding's counterpart, Warrenton quarterback Eric Gantenbein, carved up the Columbians defense with 185 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first two quarters, the Columbians defense brought the Warrior attack to a dead stop in the second half, holding the Warriors to seven yards of offense and no first downs. Gantenbein completed two passes in nine attempts after halftime for a total of five yards.

Warrenton's running game was also non-existent. Gantenbein, not known for his running, led the Warriors with 46 yards, despite losing 22 yards on an errant shotgun snap that went for a sack. Leading rusher Michael O'Casey was held to 34 yards on 14 carries.

"We did not move the ball in the second half," said Mattila. "Even a couple of first downs would have at least allowed us to run the clock a little."

"They came out in the first half and did not move the ball at all. They used I and option and then switched to their "Diesel" in the second half and Harding continued to carry the ball time after time. We didn't get him stopped. We don't have the bodies to step up and stop a running game. We're fine against finesse teams."

Rainier rushed for 407 yards, while holding Warrenton to 81 yards on the ground.

Clatskanie stayed unbeaten in Lewis & Clark League play with a 41-6 victory at Vernonia. The two longtime rivals are reunited in the same league for the first time since Clatskanie dropped from the 3A Cowapa League to the 2A Northwest League four years ago.

WARRENTON 22 8 0 0--30
RAINIER 0 0 16 16--32
1stQ-WAR: Dan Wolfe 8 pass from Gantenbein (Michael O'Casey run)
1stQ-WAR: Gantenbein 1 run (kick failed)
1stQ-WAR: Brandon Garcia 24 pass from Gantenbein (Gantenbein to O'Casey)
2ndQ-WAR: O'Casey 2 pass from Gantenbein (
3rdQ-RAI: Harding 51 run (Austin McGlone run)
3rdQ-RAI: Billy Zimmerman 24 pass from Harding (McGlone run)
4thQ-RAI: McGlone 23 run (Harding run)
4thQ-RAI: Harding 49 run (Harding run)
RUSHING-WAR: 81 (Gantenbein 9-46), RAI: 407 (Harding 40-360-2td)
PASSING-WAR: Gantenbein 10-22-190-3td, RAI: Harding 4-8-56-td
RECEIVING-WAR: O'Casey 3-62, RAI: Zimmerman 3-52-td
TURNOVERS-WAR: 0, RAI: 1
PENALTIES-WAR: 2-10, RAI: 6-40

COMETS SNUFFED AT SOUTH BEND, STILL IN HUNT

With a chance to grab a playoff berth for the first time in more than five years, the Comets saw their three game winning streak end with a resounding thud in a 41-8 loss at Crogstad Field.

"They thumped us," said Naselle head coach Robin Andrea. "Their defense wouldn't let us do anything."

It's not that the Comets couldn't move the ball, as they compiled over 200 yards of offense. They just couldn't move far without giving the ball back to South Bend. Naselle lost four fumbles and quarterback Kyle Burkhalter struggled through a tough night, completing just 5 of his 14 passes for 42 yards and two interceptions.

South Bend took command with a 28-point second quarter, opening up a 35-0 halftime lead. Speedy quarterback Randy Eang, a 4-year starter, tossed two first-half touchdown passes and ran in a 2-point conversion. Eang rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries to go with 58 yards through the air. Brian Yi collected a screen pass from Eang and ran 25 yards to paydirt to put the Tribe on the board in the first quarter. Yi later added a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Indians built a 41-0 lead after three quarters. South Bend had a 18-8 edge in first downs.

Naselle finally scored in the fourth quarter when Nick Hines, who replaced injured quarterback Kyle Burkhalter in the second half, hooked up with Jeremy Ray on a 26-yard touchdown pass.

Thanks to Tacoma Baptist's resounding win over Raymond, Naselle is still alive in the playoff hunt. The Comets host Ocosta Wednesday night at Pentilla Field in the final regular season games, needing a win over the Wildcats to force a 3-way tie for third place. South Bend clinched a playoff berth with the victory.

NASELLE 0 0 0 8--8
SOUTH BEND 7 28 6 0--41
1stQ-SB: Yi 25 pass from Eang (Erick Fuller kick)
2ndQ-SB: Garrett Dokter 1 run (Eang run)
2ndQ-SB: Michael Einman 6 run (Fuller kick)
2ndQ-SB: Yi 5 run (Fuller kick)
2ndQ-SB: Fuller 4 pass from Eang (kick failed)
3rdQ-SB: Einman 16 run (kick failed)
4thQ-NS: Ray 26 pass from Hines (Hines run)
RUSHING-NS: 29-145 (Hines 8-65), SB: 59-240 (Einman 13-99-2td)
PASSING-NS: 6-21-2-68-td (K. Burkhalter 5-19-2-42), SB: 5-12-61-2td (Eang 4-9-58-2td)
RECEIVING-NS: A. Burkhalter 2-15, Ray 1-26-td, SB: not reported
TURNOVERS-NS: 6, SB: 0
PENALTIES-NS: 3-30, SB: 1-10

FOOTBALL ROUNDUP-Friday, October 27

Knappa 28, Gaston 7...Still missing Mike Fulton, but bolstered by the return of Steven Bokor, the Loggers, behind a strong effort by their offensive and defensive lines, defeated the Greyhounds at Gaston Friday night.

Gaston scored on its first drive, but Knappa answered with 28 unanswered points, including an 89-yard touchdown run by Bokor, to improve to 3-5 overall and finish their Northwest League schedule at 2-2.

With the win, Knappa will move on to the playoffs if Nestucca defeats Corbett on Friday. A Corbett win would create a 3-way tie to be broken by the Ozzi points system, which would likely leave the Loggers home during the playoffs.

Gary Aho rushed for 95 yards on eight carries with a touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter with an injury. Freshman Teevan Klauser tallied Knappa's final two scores, picking up 43 yards on 11 carries. The Loggers did not attempt a pass, but intercepted Gaston three times, including two by Elias Hunsinger. The Loggers also got strong play from defensive back Lars Gjovik and lineman Doug Montgomery, who led the team in tackles.

Knappa likely faces a trip to Pilot Rock in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 10. The Loggers close out the regular season with a non-league game against Chemawa. The Indian boarding school, located in Salem, is a member of the 3A PacWest Conference, but is playing an independent football schedule.

Tillamook 27, Seaside 21...The Gulls tough-luck Cowapa run continued Friday, as the Cheesemakers Jeremy Coon won the game with a 3-yard touchdown run in overtime after the Gulls failed to score on the first possession.

Coon finished with 59 yards on 14 carries while track star Blaise Bennett rushed for 164 yards and a pair of first half touchdowns, including a 74-yard run to give Tillamook a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Gulls came back with 21 unanswered points in the second half, tying the game on Dennis Olstedt's 7-yard run in the fourth quarter, his second TD of the game. Olstedt finished with 127 yards rushing on 24 carries. Will Beatty sat out his second straight game with a shoulder injury.

The Gulls will try to reverse a 4-game losing streak when they take on Banks in the final game of the season Friday.

Jewell 40, Falls City 18...Jewell quarterback Cody Greenwood tossed two touchdown passes and ran for two more as the previously winless Blue Jays defeated Falls City 40-18.

Will Crook rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and led the Jays defensive effort with 13 tackles. Will Steinweg was on the receiving end of two Greenwood touchdowns, catching five balls for 60 yards and recording 12 tackles on defense. Greenwood had 12 tackles and one of two Blue Jay pass interceptions.

Jewell closes out the season against Country Christian next Friday night.

Scappoose 49, Banks 13...Justin Engstrom threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns and T.J. Crane rushed for 110 yards and a score as the Indians defeated the Braves to set up a second place showdown in the Cowapa League with Yamhill-Carlton next Friday.

ILWACO IN A FOG, NIPPED 27-24

As the fog drifted over Pederson Field Friday night and the final play was whistled dead, the Ilwaco Fishermen must have felt a certain degree of shock. How did Stevenson do it? What could we have done differently? The Fishermen team, especially the 12 seniors who were playing for the last time in front of the home crowd, had to swallow yet another bitter pill, watching the Bulldog's Tyler Moser dive in from the 1/2 yard line with 4 seconds left to steal a 27-24 victory over Ilwaco.

The last-second comeback against Ilwaco snapped a 16-game losing streak for the Bulldogs stretching back to Sept. 9, 2005.

The Fishermen overcame an early mistake on their first possession, as CJ Hawkinson, just back from injury, couldn't handle the low snap from center in punt formation. Stevenson recovered at the two-yard line of Ilwaco and Moser ran it in on the first play. With the Mark Kilpatrick extra-point, the Bulldogs had a quick 7-0 lead. But Ilwaco's defense stiffened and the offense came to life. Anthony Wirkkala caught a 9-yard TD pass from Jake Nesbitt, and Alex Martin scored on a 13-yard run. Nesbitt found Wirkkala twice more for two two-point conversions, and the Fishermen left for halftime with a 16-7 lead.

Ilwaco dominated the time of possession in the first half, running 37 plays from scrimmage to Stevensons 12. But the second half was a different story altogether.

Stevenson scored 13 unanswered points to vault ahead 20-16 on the third of the four rushing TD's for Moser, dashing in from 7 yards out to begin the 4th quarter. But showing a resiliency that has been lacking at times during the season, the Fishermen fought back, putting together a spectacular and time consuming 80 yard touchdown drive, capped off by an Eddy Knick 20-yard touchdown run, followed by a Nesbitt option keeper for two point conversion. So with Ilwaco clinging to a 24-20 lead with six minutes to go in the game, the defense needed to step up, and they did, with the Albino Rhino, Geoff Hylton, recovering a Moser fumble on the Fishermen 6. But the offense could not generate a first down, and watched the game slip away as Stevenson worked the ball from the Ilwaco 44 yard line and Moser scored his fourth and final touchdown of the night with four seconds on the clock. When it was over, the Bulldogs had run 36 offensive plays to just 13 for Ilwaco in the second half.

Nesbitt completed 6-of-11 passes for 159 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. Knick ran the ball 21 times for 138 yards and had an interception of his own.

Ilwaco is now 1-8, 1-5 in league, will finish off the season with a crossover game on Friday or Saturday against an opponent from the Evergreen Conference at a site to be determined.

STEVENSON 7 0 7 13 - 27
ILWACO 0 16 0 8 - 24

1stQ - ST: Tyler Moser 2 run (Mark Kilpatrick kick)
2ndQ - IL: Anthony Wirkkala 9 pass from Jake Nesbitt (Nesbitt pass to Wirkkala)
2ndQ - IL: Alex Martin 13 run (Nesbitt pass to Wirkkala)
3ndQ - ST: Moser 1 run (Kilpatrick kick)
4thQ - ST: Moser 7 run (Kilpatrick kick)
4thQ - IL: Eddy Knick 20 run (Nesbitt run)
4thQ - ST: Moser 1 run (pass failed)

Rushing- Ilwaco: 37-214, (Knick, 21-138), Stevenson 44-191 (Moser 32-160)
Passing- Ilwaco: 6-10-159 1 int, Stevenson: 6-11-76 1 int
Receiving - Ilwaco: Kaino, 3-72, Stevenson: Moser 3-50
Penalties - Ilwaco: 5-45, Stevenson: 2-10
Turnovers - Ilwaco: 1, Stevenson: 2

FOOTBALL FLASH-Friday, Oct. 27

Astoria scored touchdowns on its first two offensive plays and built a 21-0 1st quarter lead on the way to a 48-27 victory over Yamhill-Carlton. With the win, the 9-0 Fishermen locked up the top seed to state from the Cowapa League and will try to nail down the Cowapa League championship next Friday night at Tillamook, which upset Seaside 27-21 in overtime tonight. Jordan Poyer rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 202 yards and three more scores. Yamhill-Carlton's Zach Anderson completed 24 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted four times as Astoria forced six Yamhill-Carlton turnovers. The teams combined for nearly 1000 yards of offense.

In a shocking turn of events, the Warrenton Warriors rolled up a 30-0 lead after one quarter at Rainier, only to see the Columbians storm back with 32 unanswered points for a 32-30 victory. That sets up a Rainier-Clatskanie showdown for the Lewis & Clark League title next Friday night, while Warrenton will likely head south to play top-ranked Regis in the first round of the state playoffs.

Knappa shored up a playoff berth with a 28-7 win at Gaston, only the third win of the year for the Loggers.

Ilwaco fell to Stevenson 27-24 in yet another dispiriting loss, while Naselle had its slim playoff hopes dashed in a 41-8 rout at South Bend.

Jewell celebrated its first win of the season tonight with a 40-18 victory at Falls City.

More details on these games will be posted later this weekend on The Last Dam Blog.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD

Friday, October 27
FOOTBALL
ASTORIA 48, Yamhill-Carlton 27
Stevenson 27, Ilwaco 24
Rainier 32, Warrenton 30
Knappa 28, Gaston 7
South Bend 41, Naselle 8
Jewell 40, Falls City 18
Tillamook 27, Seaside 21 (OT)
SCAPPOOSE 49, Banks 13
Castle Rock 56, White Salmon 13
Kalama 19, La Center 6
ROCHESTER vs. Toledo 7:00 p.m.
Clatskanie 41, Vernonia 6
Riverdale 35, Neah-Kah-Nie 6
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN 52, Nestucca 20
CORBETT vs. Chemawa 7:00 p.m.
WILLAPA VALLEY 47, N.W. Christian 6
Ocosta at North Beach 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 28
BOYS SOCCER
Cowapa League Playoffs Tillamook at Yamhill-Carlton 2:00 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Cowapa League Playoffs Yamhill-Carlton at Scappoose TBA
Jewell at Casco League Championships at Country Christian H.S. in Molalla 5:30 p.m.
Lewis & Clark League Tournament at Clatskanie: O.E.S. vs. Neah-Kah-Nie 5:30 p.m., followed by Clatskanie vs. Portland Adventist, 7:00 p.m.
Lewis & Clark League Tournament at Vernonia: Catlin Gabel vs. Riverdale 2:00 p.m., followed by winner vs. Vernonia, 3:30 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Ilwaco and Naselle at 1A/2B District 4 Meet at St. Martins's, 10:00 a.m.

CROSS COUNTRY DISTRICT ROUNDUP

4A District 1 Championships at Camp Rilea in Warrenton...Seaside's Ashley Mayfield took home the girls individual title, but it was a race a little further back in the pack that landed the Astoria girls team in the state meet field. Astoria's Maia Donachy edged Paloma Newcombe of Seaside by less than a second at the finish line to place 18th. The difference between Astoria's sixth runner and Seaside's fourth proved to be significant, as Astoria beat Seaside by a point to claim second place and an automatic state berth. Bridgette Nurding led the Fishermen girls with a fourth place finish (22:06). The Fishermen boys finished well out of the running in third place, as Tillamook came on strong to take the team title with 38 points, led by Miguel Velez' fourth place finish. Astoria's Mike Pounders finished 13 seconds ahead of Velez in third place and will head to state along with teammate Ross MacDougall (13th place, 18:46). Scappoose won a state berth with a second place finish, led by individual champion Jered Graham (17:21). Seaside's Tom Benson placed second in 17:26 to qualify for the state meet aty Lane Community College next weekend.
3A/2A/1A District 1 Championships at Tualatin Hills Recreation Center in Beaverton...Knappa's qualified its boys team and two girls for the state meet. Josh Frye led a group of Knappa runners with a fifth place finish, immediately followed by Kevin Martens, Ryan Isom and Steve Allen in "Kenyan Style" according to first-year head coach Kenboi Chesimet. Nate Boardman crossed the line just ten seconds behind that group in 12th place. Knappa's boys finished just short of the district team title, much to Chesimet's dismay, as Catlin Gabel scored 34 points to Knappa's 38. The Logger girls finished third in the team race with 90 points behind Catlin Gabel (25) and Valley Catholic (67). Gretchen George (5th place, 20:45) and Anna Hain (12th place, 22:13) qualified for the state meet. Warrenton's Janessa Gramson finished in 14th place with a time of 22:55.

FISHERMEN CRUISE TO LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Make that two Astoria teams with league titles and a third hoping to do the same tonight.

Astoria's volleyball team, needing a win over Banks to cinch their second Cowapa title in three years, swept past the visiting Braves 25-13, 25-17, 25-20 to earn the season sweep. With the win, Astoria (13-2 Cowapa League, 14-2 overall) avoided a 3-way tie for first, finishing a game ahead of Tillamook (12-3, 12-3) and two games ahead of the Braves (11-4, 12-4).

"We kind of did the whole pregame speech yesterday," said head coach Angee Hunt. "Today was more about action than words. That was the theme of the last couple of days, that we can say things but we have step out onto the floor and do it.

"Defense was a big priority for us tonight. I think every long rally there was, we came out on top of."

Astoria dominated from the outset. After Banks took a 1-0 lead on an Andrea O'Connor kill, Astoria's Kristin Saulsbury earned a side out with a kill and served a point for a 2-1 lead. The Fishermen never trailed again in game one as Saulsbury racked up three more kills and junior teammate Sophie DeWitt added five kills. Four of Banks 13 points came on Astoria service errors.

Astoria again dominated in game two as the Braves appeared lackluster and lifeless, as if they were resigned to a third place finish. Maybe they were. The Cowapa League's second place team must beat North Bend at North Bend to get to the state finals at Lane Community College. At least this way, Banks can avoid playing the second-ranked Bulldogs in their house, instead facing the Baker Bulldogs if they get to the second round of the state tournament.

Rachel Gascoigne matched her game one output with 11 assists, with DeWitt and Saulsbury equalling their game one stats with five and four kills respectively.

The Braves finally showed signs of life in game three, taking a 12-5 lead as Astoria struggled with the basics. O'Connor served three aces in a 5-point run to put Banks up 7-3, then later Meredith Barnes and DeWitt each whiffed on routine hits as Banks took a 7-point lead. But three straight Braves errors got the ball rolling Astoria's way again. Saulsbury had two kills to bring the Fish within two at 11-13. After a fluky bump return for a kill and a wide shot by Wendi Agalzoff put the Braves up 15-11, a service error returned the ball to Astoria's side of the net. Senior DS Amelia Hernandez served three straight points to tie the game at 15. The teams alternated points until Hilary O'Bryan served out the match with four straight points. Saulsbury salted it away with a tip-kill, her 12th of the night.

"If we didn't take care of this, we were prepared for a mess," said the junior opposite hitter, "but we came to play. I'm just so ecstatic about this."

DeWitt, also part of a strong junior core on the team, finished with a team-high 14 kills.

"This year compared to last year it's amazing the difference," said the all-league outside hitter, who is Astoria's only year-round volleyball player. "Angee has done a real good job helping us along the way to develop, but definitely this year we have stepped it up. We've matured and have a better sense of the game."

Astoria has more than a week to prepare for its next opponent. The Douglas Trojans were the Far West League runners-up, losing only to powerful North Bend in league play. Douglas played a challenging schedule, facing a number of 5A and 6A schools, winning against several. The Trojans also took two out of three games against a highly-regarded Henley team at a tournament.

Astoria and Douglas will play Saturday, Nov. 4 at Astoria High School. The game time will be determined, but will start no earlier than 5:00 p.m. and will also be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN. The winner clinches a berth in the state quarterfinals at Lane Community College on Friday, Nov. 10.

COMETS CLINCH PACIFIC 2B CHAMPIONSHIP

The home floor was very kind to Naselle this week as the Comets volleyball team defeated league contenders South Bend and Ocosta, both previously unbeaten, back-to-back to win the inaugural Pacific 2B League championship.

Naselle finished a perfect 7-0 in league and 13-1 overall, earning a first round bye at the district tournament with a 25-15, 25-23, 25-21 win over Ocosta Thursday night.

"We played well enough to get it done," said head coach Debbie Denny, who will retire after this season. "It's nice to finally win the championship by ourselves."

The top two teams from the rival leagues earn first round byes and enter double elimination play Wednesday at Winlock. Five teams from the tournament will advance to the 2B State Tournament at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP-Thursday

Castle Rock def. Ilwaco 25-10, 25-12, 25-18...The Lady Fishermen fell to the visiting Rockets, who clinched the Trico League title with the victory. Ilwaco said farewell to four seniors: Erin Shaw, Amber Stanley, Tara Hankins and Sara Morris, in their final regular season home game. Ilwaco closes out the regular season at Stevenson Tuesday.
De La Salle def. Knappa 25-7, 25-15, 25-9...Meagan Harn and ALlie Lambert played their final games for Knappa as the Loggers closed the season with a 3-game loss to De La Salle, finishing 3-11 in the Northwest League and 3-12 overall in dual matches.
Scappoose def. Seaside 25-18, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23...The Seagulls took a rare game from the Indians, but lost their final match to finish 0-15 in Cowapa League play. Seniors Meagan Macomb and Natasha Adams played their final match and the Gulls will also lose Becca Weaver (knee injury) to graduation.

VOLLEYBALL-Cowapa League Final Regular Season Standings

Astoria 13-2, 14-2 overall
Tillamook 12-3, 12-3 overall
Banks 11-4, 12-4 overall
Scappoose 5-10, 5-10 overall
Yamhill-Carlton 4-11, 4-11 overall
Seaside 0-15, 0-15 overall

POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
10/28 Cowapa League Playoffs: Yamhill-Carlton at Scappoose (loser out), TBA
10/30 Cowapa League Finals: Y-C/Scappoose winner at Banks (winner to state, loser out), TBA
11/1 4A State Tournament-1st Round: Tillamook vs. Rogue River, TBA
11/4 4A State Tournament-2nd Round: Astoria vs. Douglas, TBA
LEAGUE RESULTS
9/7 Astoria def. Seaside 25-8, 25-13, 25-9
9/7 Scappoose def. Yamhill-Carlton 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18
9/7 BANKS def. Tillamook 25-20, 25-27, 25-13, 25-20
9/12 Astoria def. Scappoose 25-15, 25-8, 25-18
9/12 Tillamook def. Seaside 25-14, 25-9, 25-13
9/12 Banks def. Yamhill-Carlton 19-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-14
9/14 ASTORIA def. Tillamook 25-17, 25-21, 19-25, 21-25, 15-11
9/14 Yamhill-Carlton def. Seaside 25-23, 26-24, 25-17
9/14 Banks def. Scappoose 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22
9/19 Astoria def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-11, 25-9, 25-13
9/19 Banks def. Seaside 25-11, 25-14, 25-22
9/19 Tillamook def. Scappoose 25-12, 25-13, 25-13
9/21 ASTORIA def. Banks 25-19, 25-18, 25-13
9/21 Scappoose def. Seaside 25-20, 25-18, 25-14
9/21 TILLAMOOK def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-15, 25-13, 25-21
9/26 Astoria def. Seaside 25-17, 25-9, 25-8
9/26 Yamhill-Carlton def. Scappoose 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 25-12
9/26 Tillamook def. Banks 23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14
9/28 ASTORIA def. Scappoose 25-14, 25-9, 25-16
9/28 Tillamook def. Seaside 25-12, 25-14, 25-15
9/28 BANKS def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-22, 25-20, 25-15
10/3 Astoria at Tillamook def. Astoria 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-8
10/3 Yamhill-Carlton def. Seaside 25-9, 26-24, 25-12
10/3 Banks def. Scappoose 25-19, 25-23, 25-21
10/5 ASTORIA def. Yamhill-Carlton 26-24, 25-16, 25-12
10/5 Banks def. Seaside 25-11, 25-13, 25-12
10/5 Tillamook def. Scappoose 25-20, 25-18, 25-10
10/9 Astoria def. Banks 25-10, 14-25, 25-18, 24-26, 17-15
10/9 Scappoose def. Seaside 15-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-14
10/9 Tillamook def. Yamhill-Carlton 18-25, 25-21, 25-5, 25-12
10/11 ASTORIA def. Seaside 25-5, 25-16, 26-18
10/11 SCAPPOOSE def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-18, 12-25, 25-15, 26-24
10/11 Banks def. Tillamook 25-23, 25-18, 25-19
10/17 Astoria def. Scappoose 25-11, 25-16, 25-14
10/17 Tillamook def. Seaside 25-12, 25-10, 25-8
10/17 Banks def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-18, 25-14, 25-20
10/19 Tillamook def. Astoria 20-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13
10/19 Yamhill-Carlton def. Seaside 26-24, 25-20, 25-22
10/19 Banks def. Scappoose 25-15, 25-23, 25-13
10/24 Astoria def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-9, 25-12, 25-18
10/24 Seaside at Banks def. Seaside 25-13, 25-16, 25-12
10/24 Scappoose at Tillamook def. Scappoose 25-23, 25-14, 25-16
10/26 ASTORIA def. Banks 25-13, 25-17, 25-20
10/26 Scappoose def. Seaside 25-18, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23
10/26 TILLAMOOK def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-12, 25-15, 25-22
NON-LEAGUE MATCH RESULTS
9/1 ASTORIA def. Molalla 25-2 25-9 25-15
9/5 Banks def. Gladstone 26-24 25-13 25-16

VOLLEYBALL-Lewis & Clark League Standings

EAST
O.E.S. 12-0, 13-0
Rainier 8-4, 9-4
Portland Adventist 4-7, 4-7
Catlin Gabel 2-10, 2-11
Riverdale 0-11, 0-12
WEST
Neah-Kah-Nie 10-1, 11-1
Warrenton 8-3, 11-3
Vernonia 4-7, 4-11
Clatskanie 3-8, 3-10
10/28 L&C League Tournament
GAME 1 Oregon Episcopal vs. Neah-Kah-Nie at Clatskanie 5:30 p.m.
GAME 2 Catlin Gabel vs. Riverdale at Vernonia 2:00 p.m.
GAME 3 Vernonia vs. Catlin/Riverdale winner 3:30 p.m.
GAME 4 Clatskanie vs. Portland Adventist 7:00 p.m.
10/30 L&C League Tournament
GAME 5 Clatskanie/PAA winner vs. Game 3 winnerat O.E.S./N-K-N loser, 5:00 p.m.
GAME 6 Game 5 winner vs. O.E.S./N-K-N loser, 7:00 p.m.
GAME 7 Rainier at Warrenton, 6:00 p.m.
11/1 L&C League Finals at neutral sites TBD
GAME 8 Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner 5:00 p.m.
GAME 9 O.E.S./N-K-N winner vs. Game 8 winner 7:00 p.m.
GAME 10 Game 6 loser vs. Rainier/Warrenton loser, 5:00 p.m.
LEWIS & CLARK LEAGUE RESULTS
9/12 CLATSKANIE def. Portland Adventist 25-20 25-17 25-10
9/12 O.E.S. def. Rainier 25-12 25-17 25-17
9/12 Catlin Gabel def. Riverdale 25-14 26-24 25-19
9/14 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Warrenton 25-13 25-13 21-25 15-25 15-5
9/14 Vernonia def. Clatskanie 25-20 25-22 25-16
9/14 Portland Adventist def. Catlin Gabel 17-25 25-10 25-12 25-23
9/14 O.E.S. def. Riverdale 25-7 25-17 25-15
9/19 WARRENTON def. Clatskanie 25-22 25-6 22-25 25-19
9/19 Rainier def. Riverdale 25-6 25-5 25-13
9/19 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Vernonia 25-11 25-10 25-17
9/19 O.E.S. def. Portland Adventist 25-13 25-9 25-18
9/20 Vernonia def. Riverdale 25-10 25-20 25-12
9/21 RAINIER def. Portland Adventist 25-20 25-13 25-16
9/21 O.E.S. def. Catlin Gabel 25-7 25-14 25-7
9/26 WARRENTON def. Vernonia 25-9 25-14 25-12
9/26 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Clatskanie 25-6 20-25 25-13 25-20
9/26 Rainier def. Catlin Gabel 25-4 25-6 25-14
9/26 Portland Adventist def. Riverdale 25-7 25-22 25-15
9/28 Warrenton def. Catlin Gabel 25-10 25-8 25-15
9/28 Rainier def. Clatskanie 25-20 25-21 33-31
9/28 O.E.S. def. Neah-Kah-Nie 25-14 25-17 25-13
9/28 Portland Adventist def. Vernonia 26-24 25-19 16-25 26-24
10/3 O.E.S. def. Warrenton 25-17 25-15 25-13
10/3 CLATSKANIE def. 25-23 25-15 25-18
10/3 Rainier def. Vernonia 25-20 25-14 25-13
10/3 NEAH-KAH-NIE def. Riverdale 25-2 25-4 25-6
10/5 Warrenton def. Portland Adventist 25-13 25-14 25-18
10/5 Clatskanie def. Riverdale 25-21 25-14 25-10
10/5 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Rainier 25-20 25-18 25-23
10/5 O.E.S. def. Vernonia 25-9 25-10 25-17
10/10 WARRENTON def. Riverdale 25-5 25-5 25-4
10/10 O.E.S. def. Clatskanie 25-14 25-19 25-12
10/10 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Portland Adventist 22-25 25-18 25-8 25-19
10/10 Vernonia def. Catlin Gabel 25-16 25-11 25-12
10/11 Portland Adventist def. Catlin Gabel 25-19 25-18 24-26 25-5
10/12 WARRENTON def. Rainier 25-22 26-24 14-25 25-11
10/17 Vernonia def. Clatskanie 25-22 20-25 25-15 25-17
10/17 RAINIER def. Riverdale 25-6 25-4 25-10
10/17 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Catlin Gabel 25-6 25-7 25-19
10/17 O.E.S. def. Portland Adventist 3-0
10/18 Portland Adventist vs. Riverdale
10/19 Warrenton def. Vernonia 25-22 25-21 25-17
10/19 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Clatskanie 25-9 25-10 25-14
10/19 RAINIER def. Catlin Gabel 25-10 25-7 25-10
10/24 Neah-Kah-Nie def. Warrenton 21-25 25-15 19-25 25-10 15-8
10/24 Rainier def. Portland Adventist 25-7 26-24 25-17
10/24 O.E.S. def. Catlin Gabel 25-7 25-15 25-5
10/26 Warrenton def. Clatskanie 21-25 17-25 25-19 25-15 15-10
10/26 O.E.S. def. Rainier 25-21, 25-17, 25-13
10/26 NEAH-KAH-NIE def. Vernonia 25-9, 25-9, 25-8
10/26 CATLIN GABEL def. Riverdale 25-18, 25-13, 25-23

THURSDAY SCOREBOARD

CROSS COUNTRY
4A District 1 Meet, at Camp Rilea in Warrenton...BOYS: Tillamook 38, Scappoose 41 (Jered Graham 1st, 17:21), Astoria 64 (Mike Pounders 3rd, 17:38; Ross MacDougall 13th, 18:46), Seaside 115 (Tom Benson 3rd, 17:26), Yamhill-Carlton 123, Banks 160; GIRLS: Scappoose 36 (Jenny Elder 2nd, 21:30), Astoria 61 (Bridgette Nurding, 22:06), Seaside 62 (Ashley Mayfield 1st, 21:19), Banks 68, Tillamook 127
3A/2A/1A District 1 Meet at Tualatin Hills Recreation Center in Beaverton...BOYS: Catlin Gabel 34, Knappa 38 (Josh Frye 5th, 18:04, Kevin Martens 6th, 18:06, Ryan Isom 7th 18:09, Steve Allen 8th, 18:11), Valley Catholic 74; GIRLS: Catlin Gabel 25, Valley Catholic 67, Knappa 90 (Gretchen George 5th, 20:45; Anna Hain 12th, 22:13), Neah-Kah-Nie 106
VOLLEYBALL
ASTORIA def. 25-13, 25-17, 25-20
ILWACO vs. Castle Rock def. Ilwaco 25-10, 25-12, 25-18
Warrenton def. Clatskanie 21-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-10
De La Salle def. Knappa 25-7, 25-15, 25-9
NASELLE def. Ocosta 25-15, 25-23, 25-21
Scappoose def. Seaside 25-18, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23
TILLAMOOK def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-12, 25-15, 25-22
O.E.S. def. Rainier 25-21, 25-17, 25-13
NEAH-KAH-NIE def. Vernonia 25-9, 25-9, 25-8
CATLIN GABEL def. Riverdale 25-18, 25-13, 25-23
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN vs. Faith Bible 6:30 p.m.
Portland Lutheran at Gaston 7:00 p.m.
Corbett def. Nestucca 26-24, 10-25, 14-25, 25-19, 15-10
Kalama at La Center 7:00 p.m.
Rochester at White Salmon 7:00 p.m.
SOUTH BEND vs. North Beach 7:00 p.m.
RAYMOND vs. Tacoma Baptist 7:00 p.m.
Willapa Valley at N.W. Christian 7:00 p.m.

FISH RISING. ASTORIA CLOSES IMPRESSIVELY

Erasing the memory of a lackluster performance at Tillamook, the Astoria Fishermen boys soccer team looked a lot more like the team sitting atop the polls all year long in a 4-1 victory over Seaside Wednesday.

On a night when 17 seniors from both teams were honored in front of the usual big crowd for this event, Astoria put on a clinic on the field, showcasing its greatest attribute: an abundance of speed.

"Astoria is a well-oiled machine," said Seaside head coach Jon Broderick, whose team finished in third place with the loss, still earning a first round district playoff bye. "I'll tell you, it's cool to see how fast some of their kids are. We've got two or three fast kids, they've got more like six or eight. It's fun to see that."

One of those speed demons is senior forward Kevin Speer, who missed a month with strained knee ligaments. Speer is working to get into game shape as the Fishermen head into the playoffs and contributed three assists, two off first-half corner kicks.

"I can actually sprint now," said Speer. "It felt good to run."

The Fishermen had the Gulls pinned early in the first half, resulting in eight corner kicks. It took Speer six attempts from the corner before senior defender Matt Brause was able to put away a rebound for Astoria's first goal at the 14 minute mark.

Nine minutes later, Speer was in the corner for the seventh time, this time connecting with junior Michael Price.

Senior midfielder Josimar Macareno scored the final two goals for Astoria, converting Speer's third assist of the first half into a goal in the 31st minute and adding a second score early in the first half, charging down the middle of the box to put away a cross off the foot of Christoph Mundt.

Seaside found the back of the net in extra time in the first half when Sal Oros slipped a pass through from the left side and junior forward Jose Peon caught Astoria's goalkeeper out, finding the right side netting.

Astoria (11-0-1 Cowapa League, 12-0-2 overall) outshot Seaside 26-8 and had an 8-2 edge in corner kicks, all eight corners coming in the first half.

"We wanted to dominate the game and do it for two halves," said Astoria head coach Jerry Boisvert. "Certainly not the team that was at Tillamook. We were asleep. It was a Monday that day."

Both teams will return to their home field in the playoffs. Seaside will host the winner of a first-round district playoff game between Yamhill-Carlton and Tillamook. The Tigers will host the Cheesemakers on Saturday after closing the season with a 1-all draw at Scappoose. That result allowed the Indians to finish second, earning their first state tournament berth in boys soccer. Seaside (4-6-2, 5-7-2) will play the Y-C-Tillamook winner on Monday in a winner-to-state loser out game for the league's third seed to state.

Astoria is off until Tuesday, Nov. 7 when the Fishermen host a second-round state tournament game against an opponent to be determined. The Fishermen hope to have goalkeeper Gabe Davis (quadriceps injury) cleared by a doctor next week and ready to play by the following week.

BOYS SOCCER-Cowapa League Standings-Final Reg. Season

Astoria 11-0-1, 34pts, 37gf, 7ga, 12-0-2 overall, 40gf, 9ga
Scappoose 4-5-3, 15pts, 14gf, 17ga, 4-7-3 overall, 15gf, 29ga
Seaside 4-6-2, 14pts, 11gf, 19ga, 5-7-2 overall, 17gf, 21ga
Yamhill-Carlton 4-6-2, 14pts, 13gf, 16ga, 4-8-2 overall, 14gf, 23ga
Tillamook 1-7-4, 7pts, 13gf, 29ga, 2-7-4 overall, 15gf, 29ga

COWAPA LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
10/28 Tillamook at Yamhill-Carlton (loser out), 2:00 p.m.
10/30 or 10/31 Tillamook/Y-C winner at Seaside, TBA

COWAPA RESULTS
9/7 Astoria 3, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/7 Seaside 3, Tillamook 1
9/12 Astoria 3, Scappoose 0
9/12 Yamhill-Carlton 5, Tillamook 1
9/14 Yamhill-Carlton 1, Seaside 0
9/14 Tillamook 4, Scappoose 3
9/19 Astoria 4, Tillamook 0
9/19 Scappoose 2, Seaside 1
9/21 ASTORIA 4, Seaside 1
9/21 SCAPPOOSE 2, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/26 Astoria 2, Yamhill-Carlton 1
9/27 Seaside 1, Tillamook 1
9/28 ASTORIA 2, Scappoose 0
9/29 TILLAMOOK 1, Yamhill-Carlton 1
10/2 Seaside 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/2 Scappoose 1, Tillamook 1
10/4 ASTORIA 4, Tillamook 1
10/4 Seaside 0, Scappoose 0
10/10 Astoria 3, Seaside 0
10/10 Yamhill-Carlton 2, Scappoose 1
10/12 SEASIDE 1, Tillamook 0
10/13 ASTORIA 3, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/17 Astoria 2, Scappoose 0
10/17 Yamhill-Carlton 2, Tillamook 0
10/19 SEASIDE 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/19 SCAPPOOSE 1, Tillamook 0
10/23 Astoria 3, Tillamook 3
10/23 Scappoose 3, Seaside 1
10/25 ASTORIA 4, Seaside 1
10/25 SCAPPOOSE 1, Yamhill-Carlton 1

WEDNESDAY SCOREBOARD

BOYS SOCCER
ASTORIA 4, Seaside 1
SCAPPOOSE 1, Yamhill-Carlton 1

STAGE SET FOR ASTORIA

The Astoria Lady Fishermen moved to within one game of clinching their second Cowapa League title in three years with a 25-9, 25-12, 25-18 victory at Yamhill-Carlton Tuesday night.

Banks and Tillamook also won, keeping pace with Astoria in the three-way race to the finish. The Braves swept Seaside 25-13, 25-16, 25-12 while Tillamook took care of Scappoose 25-23, 25-12, 25-16.

Sophie DeWitt led Astoria's attack with 16 kills and two blocks, while Kristin Saulsbury added a team-high 21 digs to go with five kills. Wendi Agalzoff added nine kills for the Lady Fishermen, who will be trying to sweep the season series against the Braves Thursday night and prevent a 3-way tie for first.

If Astoria wins, the Lady Fishermen would host a second-round state tournament game against Far West League runner-up Douglas on Saturday, Nov. 4. Should the Fishermen lose to Banks tomorrow and Tillamook defeats Yamhill-Carlton, the three teams would play off for seeds at Scappoose High School on Saturday.

PIRATES OUTLAST WARRIORS TO WIN DIVISION

After falling in the first game and trailing two games to one, the Neah-Kah-Nie Pirates fought back with strong service to claim two straight games, the match and the Lewis & Clark League West Division title with a 21-25, 25-15, 19-25, 25-10, 15-8 victory at Warrenton Tuesday night.

The win puts the Pirates into a league title matchup with unbeaten top-ranked Oregon Episcopal School at Clatskanie High School this Saturday. The loser will be back at Warrenton on Monday to play the second game of a doubleheader, with Warrenton taking on Rainier in the first game.

The Warriors got off to a strong start, taking the lead for good at 7-6 on an ace serve by sophomore setter-outside hitter Jordane Marxer, who scored five service points with four assists in the game. Senior LesleAnn Hayward led the way with four kills and 7-for-7 serving and Emily Ogren picked up three blocks.

In game two, the Warriors struggled early receiving serve, as Neah-Kah-Nie's Tracy Avritt scored back-to-back aces on a 5-point run to give the Pirates a 7-3 lead. Avritt was big in game two with two kills, two blocks and 9-for-9 serving, closing out the game with her third ace.

The Warriors put up a huge block in game three, with Ogren recording four stuffs at the net and Ashley Poole nailing down three of her team-high eight kills. But everything went south for the Warriors in game four as Neah-Kah-Nie stormed to an 18-3 lead on another long service run by Avritt, who finished the night a perfect 31-for-31 with six aces. Neah-Kah-Nie kept the momentum going into game five and took advantage of back-to-back service errors to grab an early lead and hold it on the way to a 15-8 finish.


Avritt and Kayleen Vandecoevering each had ten kills for the Pirates and explosive middle blocker Tia McCormick led Neah-Kah-Nie's all-senior squad with five blocks.

All nine teams in the Lewis & Clark League will participate in a postseason tournament beginning on Saturday. Warrenton has a bye to Monday and hosts a 5:00 p.m. match with East Division number two Rainier. The Warriors play their final regular season game at Clatskanie Thursday night.

COMETS WIN FIRST SHOWDOWN OF WEEK

Naselle hammered South Bend 21-25, 25-14, 25-7, 25-20 at Patterson Gymnasium Tuesday night in a battle of longtime rivals and Pacific 2B League unbeatens.

Now the Comets must do it all over again, hosting an Ocosta Wildcats team Thursday night that has yet to drop a league match.

"It was amazing stuff," said head coach Debbie Denny. "The kids were real tight the first game. We missed serves, we were out of rotation. I'm going, "Oh no, this can't be it.'"

It certainly wasn't. The Comets rebounded with a decisive 25-15 result in game two before taking it to the Indians to the tune of 25-7 in game three.

"We played amazing volleyball," said Denny. "Game four we started out slow again because we stood around so much in the third game. They were pumped up and we weren't. They got us down by about three or four points, but the girls finally got it going."

Sylvia Herrold, who missed Saturday's Adna Tournament--won by South Bend--with an illness, led all players with 25 kills and added six blocks. Kellyn Pakenen had perhaps her best game in a Naselle uniform with eight kills and a team-high seven blocks.

"She really had a smart game," said Denny. "She'd hit the ball where nobody was standing, she served well and her blocking was key. She got to where they just wanted to dink or hit around her."

Jamie Bighill was credited with a phenomenal 70 assists in the match.

"I started my starting six and they played all four games, said Denny, who is looking to pilot the team to a return trip to state in her final season. "It was just good volleyball by our side. I think the blocking was key."

Naselle (6-0 Pacific 2B League, 12-1 overall)leads Ocosta and South Bend by a game in the standings heading into Thursday's regular season finale against the Wildcats, who topped North Beach 25-17, 25-26, 15-25, 25-20 to improve to 10-3 overall. One of those losses was a three game match against Naselle, but wasn't as easy as it sounds according to Denny.

"It took us forever to win those three games. They're not afraid of the ball and they run after everything."

The match will begin around 7:00 p.m. at Patterson Gymnasium with a large crowd expected to be on hand. If the Comets lose and South Bend wins its final match, there will be a three-way tie for first in the league.

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP-Tuesday

Kalama def. Ilwaco 25-13, 25-10, 25-18...The Fishermen droppd to 1-9 in the Trico League and 1-11 overall. Erin McDonnell had a strong service in game in Ilwaco's third game to make the score close. Ilwaco celebrates senior night on Thursday against Castle Rock, then travels to Stevenson to close out the season on Tuesday.
Portland Christian def. Knappa 25-16, 25-9, 25-9...The Royals remained tied with Corbett atop the Northwest League standings with a sweep of the Loggers.
Jewell def. Oregon Deaf School 25-10, 25-9, 25-12...The Blue Jays, now 16-0, closed out the Casco League season unbeaten and will play for the first or second district seed to state at Country Christian on Saturday. The game will be at 5:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

GIRLS SOCCER ROUNDUP-Tuesday

Scappoose 1, Astoria 0...Senior forward Emily McCoy took advantage of a defensive letdown to score the only goal of the game in the first half as the Indians blanked the Fishermen in the final regular season game for both teams. "It was an even match," said Astoria head coach Jim Flint, whose team closed the season with a 2-9-3 overall record, finishing seventh in the District 1 standings at 0-5-2. "We had our chances and created some dangerous plays, but had trouble finishing." The Indians (3-3-1, 5-5-2) finished in a tie for fourth place and will travel to Yamhill-Carlton (3-3-1, 5-7-2) for a loser-out playoff game on Thursday.
Seaside 4, Rainier 0...Sarah Weber scored a pair of goals in the second half and April Cockroft and Maya Dooley each scored in the first half as the Gulls closed out their season with a victory over the Columbians, vaulting past Rainier and Astoria into a sixth-place finish. "We were a developing team this year," said Gulls head coach Dave Rouse. "The last two years we had nine or ten girls play the majority of the minutes. We were playing much better at the end of the season, even in the Scappoose and Astoria games. The girls were moving the ball better." Rouse hopes to have nine to ten seniors on next years roster and expects significant improvement on this year's rare sub-.500 record.
O.E.S. 5, Catlin Gabel 1...The Aardvarks clinched the District 1 title in convincing fashion, beating the Eagles in a battle of league unbeatens. Both teams will advance to the state tournament.
Valley Catholic 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0...The Valiants finished second and Yamhill tied for fourth in the district standings. Valley Catholic will play the winner of Thursday's Scappoose-Yamhill-Carlton game on Saturday for the district's third and final berth to state.

GIRLS SOCCER-4A/3A District 1 Standings

O.E.S. 7-0-0, 21pts, 43gf, 1ga, 12-2-1 overall, 63gf, 11ga
Catlin Gabel 6-1-0, 18pts, 24gf, 7ga, 7-7-0 overall, 27gf, 32ga
Valley Catholic 5-2-0, 15pts, 23gf, 7ga, 9-4-0 overall, 39gf, 13ga
Yamhill-Carlton 3-3-1, 10pts, 13gf, 8ga, 5-7-1 overall, 18gf, 20ga
Scappoose 3-3-1, 10pts, 13gf, 17ga, 7-5-2 overall, 30gf, 30ga
Seaside 1-5-1, 4pts, 5gf, 22ga, 6-7-1 overall, 23gf, 29ga
Astoria 0-5-2, 2pts, 2gf, 13ga, 2-9-3 overall, 8gf, 25ga
Rainier 0-6-1, 1pts, 1gf, 47ga, 2-10-1 overall, 6gf, 70ga
DISTRICT 1 PLAYOFFS
10/26 1st Rd.-Scapoose at Yamhill-Carlton (loser out)
10/30 2nd Rd.-Scappoose/Y-C winner at Valley Catholic (winner to state, loser out)

DISTRICT 1 RESULTS-September games do not count in District 1 standings
9/20 SEASIDE 1, Scappoose 0
9/21 Astoria 3, Rainier 0
9/21 O.E.S. 4, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/22 Valley Catholic 4, Catlin Gabel 1
9/26 Seaside 2, Astoria 1
9/26 SCAPPOOSE 5, Rainier 0
9/26 CATLIN GABEL 2, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/26 O.E.S. 2, Valley Catholic 1
9/28 ASTORIA 0, Scappoose 0
9/28 Seaside 6, Rainier 0
9/28 O.E.S. 2, Catlin Gabel 0
9/28 Valley Catholic 3, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/3 Catlin Gabel 2, Astoria 0
10/3 Yamhill-Carlton 4, Seaside 0
10/3 O.E.S. 7, Scappoose 0
10/3 Valley Catholic 10, Rainier 0
10/5 Yamhill-Carlton 1, Astoria 0
10/5 Catlin Gabel 5, Seaside 0
10/5 Valley Catholic 5, Scappoose 1
10/5 RAINIER vs. O.E.S. 8, Rainier 0
10/9 O.E.S. 6, Astoria 0
10/9 Valley Catholic 2, Seaside 0
10/9 SCAPPOOSE 1, Yamhill-Carlton 1
10/9 Catlin Gabel 10, Rainier 0
10/11 Astoria at Valley Catholic 4, Astoria 1
10/11 O.E.S. 9, Seaside 0
10/11 Catlin Gabel 3, Scappoose 1
10/11 Yamhill-Carlton 7, Rainier 0
10/16 ASTORIA 0, Rainier 0
10/16 Scappoose 1, Seaside 0
10/16 CATLIN GABEL 2, Valley Catholic 1
10/17 O.E.S. 5, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/18 ASTORIA 1, Seaside 1
10/19 Scappoose 8, Rainier 1
10/19 Catlin Gabel 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/20 O.E.S. 3, Valley Catholic 0
10/24 Scappoose 1, Astoria 0
10/24 SEASIDE 4, Rainier 0
10/24 O.E.S. 5, Catlin Gabel 1
10/24 VALLEY CATHOLIC 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0

VOLLEYBALL-N.W. League Standings

Corbett 12-1, 12-1
Portland Christian 12-1, 12-1
Nestucca 10-3, 10-4
Portland Lutheran 6-7, 8-7
De La Salle 5-8, 5-8
Knappa 3-10, 3-11
Faith Bible 3-10, 4-10
Gaston 1-12, 2-12
NORTHWEST LEAGUE SCHEDULE
10/26 KNAPPA vs. De La Salle 6:15 p.m.
10/26 PORTLAND CHRISTIAN vs. Faith Bible 6:30 p.m.
10/26 Portland Lutheran at Gaston 7:00 p.m.
10/26 Corbett at Nestucca 7:00 p.m.
10/28 N.W. LEAGUE PLAYOFFS #5 at #2 6:00 p.m.
#4 at #3 6:00 p.m.
10/31 N.W. LEAGUE FINALS at #1
11/4 2A State Tournament-1st Round
11/10 2A State Tournament-Pool Play at Pacific Univ.
11/10 2A State Finals at Pacific Univ.

TUESDAY'S SCOREBOARD

GIRLS SOCCER
Scappoose 1, Astoria 0
SEASIDE 4, Rainier 0
O.E.S. 5, Catlin Gabel 1
VALLEY CATHOLIC 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
VOLLEYBALL
Astoria def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-9, 25-12, 25-18
Kalama def. Ilwaco 25-13, 25-10, 25-18
Neah-Kah-Nie def. Warrenton 21-25, 25-15, 19-25, 25-10, 15-8
Portland Christian def. Knappa 25-16, 25-9, 25-9
NASELLE def. South Bend 21-25, 25-14, 25-7, 25-20
Jewell def. Oregon Deaf School 25-10, 25-9, 25-12
Banks def. Seaside 25-13, 25-16, 25-12
Tillamook def. Scappoose 25-23, 25-14, 25-16
Rainier def. Portland Adventist 25-7, 26-24, 25-17
O.E.S. def. Catlin Gabel 25-7, 25-15, 25-5
Corbett def. Portland Lutheran 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18
Nestucca def. De La Salle 27-25, 25-16, 25-15
Gaston at Faith Bible def. Gaston 25-18, 25-19, 25-22
CASTLE ROCK vs. White Salmon 7:00 p.m.
ROCHESTER vs. Stevenson 7:00 p.m.
RAYMOND vs. Willapa Valley 7:00 p.m.
OCOSTA vs. North Beach 7:00 p.m.
N.W. Christian at Tacoma Baptist

SOCCER SHOCKER AT TILLAMOOK

Tillamook boys soccer coach Brian Reynolds believed his team could compete with Astoria, despite two previous losses to the unbeaten Fishermen. Yesterday he was proved right.

The fledgling Cheesemakers, in their first year of varsity boys soccer, upset the top-ranked Fishermen by playing Astoria to a 3-3 draw at Tillamook Monday. It was only the second blemish on Astoria's record this season, with one other tie coming to second-ranked Hidden Valley.

"Not one of our best efforts for sure," said Astoria head coach Jerry Boisvert, whose Fishermen clinched the league title two weeks ago and may have lacked the necessary urgency, "but we played with a lot of heart and desire. They did come back from deficits twice."

The last deficit came in the final ten minutes of play, when Tillamook forward Juan Aguilar, a dangerous scorer who was out of the lineup with an ankle injury when the teams last met, controlled and Astoria goal kick, worked past two defenders and scored in the 72nd minute.

Astoria didn't stay on the ropes for long, as the Fishermen countered just two minutes later on a free kick. In a melee in front of the goal, the ball deflected in to tie the score at 3-3, which held to the final whistle.

It was a physical match, with each team whistled for ten fouls. Astoria outshot Tillamook 11-8, a much closer game than the last meeting at Astoria, when the Fishermen had a 35-7 edge in shots in a 4-1 victory.

German exchange student Christoph Mundt scored the first goal of the game for Astoria, but the Cheesemakers countered with two scores, the second coming on a penalty kick in the 31st minute of play.

Down 2-1 at the half, Kyle McMullen levelled the match with a pretty goal, taking a feed from Ryan Putnam, working past the defense to set up a one-on-one situtation with the Cheesemaker goalkeeper before putting it away. Putman also assisted on Mundt's goal.

The Fishermen, now 10-0-1 in Cowapa League and 11-0-2 overall, finish the regular season against Seaside at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night. Seniors from both teams will be honored prior to kickoff, which is expected to be more like 6:15 p.m.

INDIANS TOP GULLS, WILL PLAY FOR STATE

Brian Maloney scored two goals as the Scappoose Indians defeated the Seaside Seagulls 3-1 at the Warrenton Soccer Complex.

"Clearly Scappoose is the better team," said Seaside head coach John Broderick. "They looked pretty good, frankly."

The win was the second for Scappoose over Seaside this year and puts the Indians (4-5-2 Cowapa League, 4-7-2 overall) into a winner-to-state matchup Wednesday against Yamhill-Carlton in the regular season finale for both teams. The winner would clinch second place in the Cowapa League and an automatic state berth. Scappoose has never played in a boys soccer state tournament.

The Indians had a 1-0 advantage at the half after a Maloney shot hit the post then deflected off a Seaside defender into the goal. The senior forward, who also handles PAT and kickoff duties for the Scapppoose football team, received a corner kick at the far post and scored, giving the Indians a 2-0 lead in the second half.

"I thought our boys did a good job of coming back in the second half," said Broderick. "They pressured Scappoose's goal a lot of the second half and possessed the ball nicely. They were more deliberate with their attacks and didn't squander opportunities."

Sal Oros tallied Seaside's only goal about halfway through the second half on a rebound deflection.

Junior midfielder Marcus Kienlen found the back of the net to seal the deal for the Indians, who host Yamhill-Carlton tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. The teams have split their previous two results, with the Indians winning 2-0 at home and the Tigers winning 2-1 at Yamhill.

"I think our boys played pretty courageously and deliberately," said Broderick, "but Scappoose just had a little bit more skill and speed than we could muster tonight."

Seaside (4-5-2, 5-6-2 overall) will finish the regular season against Astoria tomorrow and could conceivably still finish in second place with an upset of the Fishermen and a Yamhill-Carlton victory over Scappoose. The fourth and fifth place teams will play a loser out playoff game on Saturday with the winner taking on the third place team on Tuesday for the league's third seed to state.

BOYS SOCCER-Cowapa League Standings

Astoria 10-0-1, 31pts, 33gf, 6ga, 11-0-2 overall, 36gf, 8ga
Scappoose 4-5-2, 14pts, 13gf, 16ga, 4-7-2 overall, 14gf, 28ga
Seaside 4-5-2, 14pts, 10gf, 15ga, 5-6-2 overall, 16gf, 17ga
Yamhill-Carlton 4-6-1, 13pts, 12gf, 15ga, 4-8-1 overall, 13gf, 22ga
Tillamook 1-7-4, 7pts, 13gf, 29ga, 2-7-4 overall, 15gf, 29ga

COWAPA LEAGUE SCHEDULE
10/25 ASTORIA vs. Seaside 6:00 p.m.
10/25 SCAPPOOSE vs. Yamhill-Carlton 6:00 p.m.
10/28 COWAPA LEAGUE PLAYOFFS-#5 at #4 (loser out)
10/30 or 10/31-COWAPA LEAGUE PLAYOFFS-5/4 winner at #3

COWAPA RESULTS
9/7 Astoria 3, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/7 Seaside 3, Tillamook 1
9/12 Astoria 3, Scappoose 0
9/12 Yamhill-Carlton 5, Tillamook 1
9/14 Yamhill-Carlton 1, Seaside 0
9/14 Tillamook 4, Scappoose 3
9/19 Astoria 4, Tillamook 0
9/19 Scappoose 2, Seaside 1
9/21 ASTORIA 4, Seaside 1
9/21 SCAPPOOSE 2, Yamhill-Carlton 0
9/26 Astoria 2, Yamhill-Carlton 1
9/27 Seaside 1, Tillamook 1
9/28 ASTORIA 2, Scappoose 0
9/29 TILLAMOOK 1, Yamhill-Carlton 1
10/2 Seaside 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/2 Scappoose 1, Tillamook 1
10/4 ASTORIA 4, Tillamook 1
10/4 Seaside 0, Scappoose 0
10/10 Astoria 3, Seaside 0
10/10 Yamhill-Carlton 2, Scappoose 1
10/12 SEASIDE 1, Tillamook 0
10/13 ASTORIA 3, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/17 Astoria 2, Scappoose 0
10/17 Yamhill-Carlton 2, Tillamook 0
10/19 SEASIDE 1, Yamhill-Carlton 0
10/19 SCAPPOOSE 1, Tillamook 0
10/23 Astoria 3, Tillamook 3
10/23 Scappoose 3, Seaside 1

LIGHTS, CAMERA, FISH!

Jordan Poyer is no longer the Cowapa League's best-kept secret.

With accolades, attention and college letters heaped on senior quarterbacks Zach Anderson and Justin Engstrom, Astoria's young signalcaller has emerged as the league's most dangerous player, if not its most talented. And the sophomore slinger has never shined so much as when the spotlight was at its brightest.

It wasn't just the [South County] Spotlight on hand Friday night at Scappoose, but a Portland radio station, a reporter from the Oregonian, Fox Channel 12 News cameras and a packed-house homecoming crowd to see what folks from the North Coast have known for some time now. The kid is the real deal!

Poyer threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 129 yards and another score as the Fishermen defeated the Indians 34-21 to improve to 8-0 on the season.

"Tonight they had a pretty big crowd," said Poyer, "but it didn't bother me at all. They were playing their music, but I was dancing with them. Didn't bother me at all. I had a few nerves before the game, but if you're not nervous you're not ready to play.

"Our O-line stepped it up a lot tonight," Poyer continued. "They gave me time to look at one receiver, look back to the other receiver and look at another receiver. I give so much credit to them."

Despite coming in with a superior record and higher state ranking, few expected Astoria to come out of Scappoose with a victory. One man who had few doubts was head coach Howard Rub, who cinched his winningest season in seven years at the school, even though his team has technically not yet clinched a playoff berth.

"I wouldn't have viewed us winning--and neither would our kids--as being an upset," said Rub. "It is obviously going to be a tremendous confidence booster.

"You always kind of take rankings tongue in cheek and you don't want to put emphasis to it, because when you go out there between the lines it has nothing to do with anything anyway. But it does certainly validate the fact that we are ranked as one of the top three teams in the state. It's important in terms of where we hope to go from here, which is finish with a league title and go on from there."

The Fishermen can accomplish that mission with a win at home Friday against Yamhill-Carlton, which currently shares first place in the Cowapa League with Astoria after defeating Seaside 41-14. Rub hopes to have injured running backs Andy Murray and Joey Dursse, both defensive starters as well, back in practice Monday and hopefully ready to play against Y-C.

Astoria has never won an outright Cowapa League title in football, and the Fishermen hadn't beaten Scappoose since 1997, a span in which the Indians won the league title seven times in eight years. This was only the second Cowapa League loss for Scappoose during that period, the other one costing them a title in 2003 when the Banks Braves beat the Indians 8-6 in the league opener.

Not only did Astoria have history and reputation to overcome, but the Indians had the fanfare of homecoming, the motivation of being ranked a notch below a team they have dominated for eight years and the glare of the media spotlight on Astoria's inexperienced QB. Not to mention that the Fishermen were missing their two starting running backs, including the player [Murray] who was their most proven offensive weapon entering the season.

"I think that's a tribute to their makeup," said Rub. "I think that's a little bit of a tribute to the coaches who helped them get prepared for all that. I think we anticipated that type of hype and buildup and I think the coaching staff overall did a pretty good job of letting them be aware of all those things. The bottom line was still about us and how we played and how we do.

The Fishermen had another obstacle to overcome--an early deficit.

Scappoose jumped ahead 7-0 in the first quarter after Ryan Goodnight recovered a muffed punt at the Astoria 38-yard line. Astoria appeared to have overcome the mistake when a pair of penalties put the Indians in a 4th and 17 situation, but Engstrom, their 3-year starting QB, found tight end R.J. Logue in the corner of the end zone with a perfect touch pass behind two defenders for a touchdown.

Astoria's response was swift. On the second play after the kickoff, Poyer launched the ball down the right sideline for his favorite receiver, Adam Koehnke, running a deep corner route. Koehnke caught the ball behind his defender, straightened his path and turned on the jets, racing 67 yards for a touchdown.

"It really helped set the tone for the rest of the night," said Rub of Astoria's early counterpunch. This team would not be intimidated in any way. "I think that play in itself signified the fact that we would not come in here and be pushed around."

Later in the quarter, Poyer finished a short drive, set up by a shanked Scappoose punt, locating Koehnke in the middle of the end zone with a 4-yard laser to put Astoria in front 14-7.

Scappoose responded with a 10-play, 88-yard scoring drive, capped by T.J. Crane's 1-yard touchdown run. Crane ran 14-yards to the goal line on the previous play to set up his plunge, but the biggest play of the drive came immediately prior to that, when senior receiver Weston Powers made an outstanding, diving catch on the sideline of a 24-yard Engstrom pass on 3rd and four. Powers, Scappoose's most dangerous receiver, sat out the first quarter for disciplinary reasons, a continuation of a penalty that saw him miss a half of action the previous week against Seaside. And much like the Seaside game, he produced four quarters worth of results, catching seven balls for 122 yards and a touchdown.

The Fishermen would respond in kind, maintaining a long drive of their own to regain the lead before halftime. Astoria marched 68 yards in nine plays, mixing runs by Poyer and junior fullback Dylan Jensen with three passes to three different receivers. Poyer even caught one of his own passes, when an attempted shuffle pass was blown up by penetration by Scappoose's defensive line, deflecting the ball back into his hands. Poyer ran eight yards around right end to make a positive gain. The athletic sophomore would motion out to wide receiver a couple of plays later, as tight end Nathan Stinnett shifted under center. With the Indians defense scrambling to account for the quarterback-turned-receiver, Stinnett floated a pass to running back Tom Jawarski in the right flat for a 9-yard gain and a first down. Four plays later, Poyer called his own number again on a quarterback draw and ran 18 yards up the middle for a touchdown.

A key defensive stand ended the first half as Scappoose' Sean Wasson returned a Nick Alfonse punt 47 yards to the Fishermen 14-yard line with just under two minutes remaining. But Powers slipped on a second down incompletion and Poyer--yes, he's a defensive standout, too--belted Engstrom for a 2-yard loss on an option play. Going for it on fourth down from the Fishermen 10-yard line, junior Grady Parker, who moved inside to defensive tackle for this game, batted down Engstrom's attempted screen pass and the Fishermen strutted off the field with a 21-14 halftime lead.

That was the first of three fourth down holds for the Astoria defense, which showed a variety of new looks for this game. Brent Culver moved to linebacker from cornerback and made several key tackles. The senior 3-year starter knifed into the backfield to cut down Sean Wasson for a 4-yard loss on an attempted fourth down reverse on Scappoose's first series of the second half. That gave the Fishermen the ball on their own 35, leading to a drive deep into Indians territory, ending in a Tony Robinson field goal to make the score 24-14 Fishermen.

"They like to run those short routes," said Culver. "The linebackers do a great job, but they kind of needed a lot more help on the secondary side too. So I was there to help out as more of a pass defender there and it worked out."

Later in the quarter, Koehnke, who started in Culver's right cornerback spot and matched up with Powers most of the night, made a leaping interception in the end zone to snuff out a potential Indians scoring drive. That turned into points when the Fishermen drove 80 yards in seven plays, capped by a 35-yard Poyer pass to Tony Robinson for six. Robinson added another field goal at the end of a fourth quarter drive, set up by a 67 yard run by Poyer, who got Crane, the Indians strong safety, to bite on a pitch fake and spun him completely around.

Robinson, who took over kicking duties from 2-year all-leaguer Kye Johnson, is a perfect 14-for-14 on PAT's and 2-for-2 on field goals in Cowapa League play.

Astoria would end the night with 438 yards of offense, a nearly even balance of run and pass, and 21 first downs. Poyer completed 15-of-20 passes to six different receivers, with Robinson having his biggest night of the year with five grabs for 66 yards.

Trailing 34-21 with 9:14 to play after Robinson's 21-yard field goal, the Indians were completely stymied by the Astoria defense on their next possession. Stinnett bottled up backup running back Ryland Geiger for a nine-yard loss on first down and T.J. Crane, the Cowapa League's leading rusher with over 900 yards entering the game, was cut down two yards behind the line of scrimmage by Koehnke. A third down pass to Goodnight was underthrown and, with Scappoose deep in its own end with 7:30 to go, the Indians were forced to punt.

The final Scappoose drive ended when Culver tackled Cody Hoglund short of the first down marker on a 4th down pass for the ESPN Radio "Dambuster Play Of The Game". Astoria held the Indians to 17 yards rushing in the second half and limited Crane to 80 yards on 22 carries, his lowest output of the season. Engstrom completed 19 of 32 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

"It was a physical game," said Rub, "but I felt like we were the more physical team. And I think their coaching staff would echo the same. We earned a lot of respect not only because of how we executed, but how we played the game. We played it hard, we were very physical and we certainly did leave a lasting impression."

Probably no satellite trucks, but there will be a likely near-capacity crowd in attendance on Friday at John Warren Field when the 8-0 Fishermen take on the 7-1 Yamhill-Carlton Tigers in a battle of Cowapa League unbeatens. Hear the game live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. Also, stay tuned to ESPN Radio and KAST-99.7-FM this week to find out how you can win $99.70 in a halftime field goal kicking contest!

ASTORIA 14 7 10 3--34
SCAPPOOSE 7 7 0 7--21
1stQ-SCA: Logue 20 pass from Engstrom (Maloney kick)
1stQ-AST: Koehnke 67 pass from Poyer (Robinson kick)
1stQ-AST: Koehnke 4 pass from Poyer (Robinson kick)
2ndQ-SCA: Crane 1 run (Maloney kick)
2ndQ-AST: Poyer 18 run (Robinson kick)
3rdQ-AST: Robinson FG-22
3rdQ-AST: Robinson 35 pass from Poyer (Robinson kick)
4thQ-SCA: Powers 34 pass from Engstrom (Maloney kick)
4thQ-AST: Robinson FG-21
RUSHING-AST: 32-214 (Poyer 19-129-td), SCA: 26-76 (Crane 22-80-td)
PASSING-AST: 16-22-224-3td (Poyer 15-20-215-3td), SCA: Engstrom 19-32-1-230-2td
RECEIVING-AST: Koehnke 3-74-2td, Robinson 5-66-td, Alfonse 4-46, SCA: Powers 7-122-td
TURNOVERS-AST: 2, SCA: 2
PENALTIES-AST: 5-50, SCA: 7-50

WARRIORS EFFICIENT IN SHUTOUT WIN

The Warrenton Warriors needed just two plays to score 20 points Friday night on the way to a 39-0 win over the Neah-Kah-Nie Pirates at Rockaway.

Warrenton's Brandon Garcia returned the opening kickoff 67 yards for a touchdown. On Warrenton's second play from scrimmage, Eric Gantenbein hooked up with Dallas Moses on a 68 yard touchdown pass. Before the Warriors saw the ball again on offense, Dan Wolfe intercepted a pass and returned it 60 yards for a score. Michael O'Casey, who rushed for 82 yards on nine carries, scored on a 2-yard touchdown run before the first quarter was out and the rout was on.

With the game comfortably in hand, Warrenton quarterback Eric Gantenbein had an easy night, completing both of the passes he threw before taking the rest of the night off.

Steven Peterson came off the bench to rush for 17 yards, including a 5-yard second quarter touchdown. He also recovered a fumble. Garcia added an interception and Josh Engebretson recovered a fumble for Warrenton. Beau Torres rushed for 69 yards on six carries, dashing 59 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the second half. Dallas Moses caught both of Warrenton's passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Neah-Kah-Nie running back Taren Keesey accounted for 159 of the Pirates 164 total yards on 33 carries. Warrenton accumulated 315 yards of total offense with reserves getting extended playing time.

The Warriors, now 5-2 and 2-1 in league, can throw their hat into the Lewis & Clark League title race with a win at Rainier on Friday.

WARRENTON 27 6 6 0--39
NEAH-KAH-NIE 0 0 0 0--0
1stQ-WAR: Garcia 67 kick return (kick failed)
1stQ-WAR: Moses 68 pass from Gantenbein (Engebretson kick)
1stQ-WAR: Wolfe 60 interception return (Engebretson kick)
1stQ-WAR: O'Casey 2 run (Engebretson kick)
2ndQ-WAR: Peterson 5 run (kick failed)
3rdQ-WAR: Torres 59 run (run failed)
RUSHING-WAR: 35-230 (O'Casey 9-82-td), NKN: 53-164 (Keesey 33-159)
PASSING-WAR: Gantenbein 2-2-85-td, NKN: Will Latter 0-7-2-0
RECEIVING-WAR: Moses 2-85-td
TURNOVERS-WAR: 1, NKN: 4
PENALTIES-WAR: 3-40, NKN: 2-30

ILWACO RUNS STRAIGHT INTO 'NOOK BUZZSAW

Too much running game. Too much special teams. Way too much defense. The Kalama Chinooks did not play the hospitable hosts Friday night in a Trico Conference matchup with the Ilwaco Fishermen. The Chinooks displayed for all to see that they deserve their #4 Washington State 1A ranking and the top spot in the Trico.

The only thing that went wrong for the Chinooks was a 5-yard delay of game penalty before the opening kickoff assessed against Kalama because their pre-game festivities on Senior night ran about 5 minutes too long. No bother, the 4th-ranked Chinooks then went to work on a business-like 49-0 drubbing of the injury-plagued Fishermen in Southwest Washington 1A Trico Division football action.

This was basically a dress rehearsal for next Friday's titanic matchup at La Center for Kalama and featured a goal-line stand by the Chinooks at the 1-yard line just moments into the game, after the Fishermen seized the home team's attention with an impressive opening drive. Jake Nesbitt hit Matt Kaino on the second play from scrimmage with a 45-yard pass that put the ball on the Chinook 6-yard line. After two short Eddy Knick runs put it down to the 3 yard line, an incomplete pass brought up 4th down, and the Chinooks stuffed Knick just shy of the goal-line on 4th down. Little did anyone know that this would be the closest Ilwaco would get to paydirt.

From there, it was classic Chinooks. Trevor McCain dashed for 38 yards on the first play from scrimmage. After an encroachment penalty on Ilwaco, McCain slipped on the turf for no gain. Then the player who will challenge Castle Rock's Lucas Myers for Player of the Year, Charlie Ashlock, took a handoff from Jeff Vossen, burst past the line of scrimmage, lowered his shoulder into a Fishermen defender and turned on the jets for 55-yard touchdown. Three plays, 99 yards.

It was basically over from there. The Chinooks were rolling, and the Fishermen could do nothing to stop the onslaught.

Kalama coach Mark Buchanan, whose Chinooks (7-1, 5-0 league) take on La Center (6-2, 4-1 league) next Friday with a chance to clinch the Trico crown outright, started subsituting liberally in the 2nd quarter, but the train kept rolling.

Ashlock, who also burst for an 80-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and finished with an incredible 143 yards on just four carries, also stood out on special teams. Ashlock broke through and blocked a Jordan DeSimone punt on Ilwaco's next possession, which was plucked out of the air by Chase Berry and returned 36 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 with 3:53 left in the first quarter. The Fishermen's next series started with Mike LaRoy's 10-yard sack of quarterback Jacob Nesbitt, and Ilwaco went three-and-out. Then Kalama punched it in quickly, after just four plays, Chris Pierce darted in from 14 yards for a 21-0 lead.

The Chinooks made it 28-0 after Buchanan decided to insert starting offensive guard Sean McDonald into the backfield for a Refrigerator Perry flashback, with the 260-pounder blasting straight up the middle from 1 yard out. Pierce's 41-yard touchdown ramble on a toss sweep vaulted Kalama's lead to 35-0 by the half. Pierce finished with 104 yards on six carries, all coming in the first half.

Ilwaco's Eddy Knick, the No. 2 rusher in the Trico behind Castle Rock's Lucas Myers, managed 21 yards on 12 carries in the first half and just 24 yards for the game. But he still managed to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier for the second straight season (1,019). Things started off well for Ilwaco in the third quarter after it recovered a fumble on Kalama's second play from scrimmage. But Nesbitt, who has shown steady improvement over the course of the season and struggled through a 3-of-14 for 73 yards performance on this night, was under constant heavy pressure, and was intercepted by Pierce on fourth down from the Chinooks' 12-yard line. On the Pierce's runback, Ilwaco senior R.J. Jamieson was hit near the Fishermen's sideline and stayed down for 15 minutes while medical personnel attended to him. He was placed onto a stretcher and transported by ambulance to St. John Medical Center, where he was treated for a neck injury.

Ilwaco coach Ned Bittner said that part of Jamieson's first vertebrae in his upper neck area had "broken off," but that he was not expected to experience any lasting damage. And although Jamieson's injury shouldn't cause any permanent and lasting damage, his football season is over.

After the long delay due to Jamieson's injury, Ashlock took off on his 80-yard touchdown dash on the first play back from scrimmage for a 42-0 lead, and Robby Sanders' 23-yard TD run finished the scoring with 2:46 left in the third.

Bittner was hoping his team could come out and score quickly on the Chinooks. And they nearly did. "That was our game plan. We got down there close, but we couldn't punch it in," he said. "But our kids played hard. I was happy with the way they competed against a very good team."

Bittner's squad has now lost to all three at the top of the heap in the Trico. Alex Martin led Ilwaco (1-7, 1-4 league) with 44 yards on 11 carries, which only generated 122 yards in total offense on the night. Kalama, which rushed for 409 yards, amassed 449 yards in total offense.

ILWACO 0 0 0 0 - 0
KALMAMA 21 14 14 0 - 49

1Q-K - Charlie Ashlock 55 run (Jason Merritt kick)
1Q-K - Chase Berry 36 blocked punt return (Merritt kick)
1Q-K - Chris Pierce 14 run (Merritt kick)
2Q-K - Sean McDonald 1 run (Merritt kick)
2Q-K - Pierce 41 run (Merritt kick)
3Q-K - Ashlock 81 run (Merritt kick)
3Q-K - Robby Sanders 23 run (Merritt kick)

RUSHING- K, 19-407 (Ashlock, 4-143); IL, 28-47 (Martin, 11-44)
PASSING- K, (Vossen, 1-2-1 TD, 40 yards); IL, (Nesbitt, 3-14-1 INT, 75 yards)
RECEIVING- K, Peacock, 1-40; IL, Kaino, 1-45
TURNOVERS- K, 2; IL, 1