FOOTBALL FLASH

Central 41, Astoria 30...The Central Panthers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to defeat Astoria 41-30 in the final non-league game for the Fishermen.

Astoria led 24-14 after Tom Jaworski scored on a 25-yard touchdown run with 11:12 to go in the third quarter, but three second half turnovers, a punt returned for a touchdown and a missed field goal led to Astoria's third loss of the season against two victories.

Central's Casey Connor spun out of a tackle and raced 57 yards for his second touchdown of the third quarter, giving the Panthers a 28-24 lead with 21 seconds left in the period. J.T. Tirado returned a punt 87 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter and Grant Hedrick put the game out of reach with an 11 yard touchdown run to give Central a 41-24 lead with 2:17 to go in the game.

Astoria's Jordan Poyer had another huge night, amassing 358 yards of total offense with two long touchdown runs and a TD pass. But Central's beleaguered defense rose up in the fourth quarter, sacking the Astoria quarterback three times while holding the Fishermen to -8 yards rushing. Connor rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries for Central, and added his second kickoff return touchdown of the season with a 91-yard return in the first half. Grant Hedrick completed 9-of-14 passes for 128 yards and rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries.

La Center 60, Ilwaco 21...The Wildcats rushed for over 400 yards on the night, building a 48-0 halftime lead on the way to a rout of the Fishermen. Eddie Knick rushed for 235 yards and a pair of Ilwaco touchdowns in the loss.

Willapa Valley 7, Naselle 0...A scoreless tie at the end of three quarters, the visiting Vikings scored their only touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter and held Naselle on downs on a drive deep in their end of the field late in the game to preserve the shutout. A 31-yard pass from Austin Burkhalter to Nick Hines put the Comets in Valley territory. With third and two at 14, Naselle lost eight yards on a fumbled option pitch. A halfback pass in end zone on Naselle's final play fell incomplete and the eighth-ranked Vikings survived Naselle's upset bid, halting the Comets' 3-game win streak. Tony Fletcher rushed for 51 yards on 14 carries and Alan Erickson added 40 yards on 13 carries while leading the Comets' stingy defense with 16 tackles. Each team had three turnovers in the contest. Erickson 16 tackles, Jason Gradt 12. "It was maybe the best defense Naselle football has put together in a long time," said Naselle head coach Jeff Eaton. "At least as long as I can remember." The Comets were able to hang in the game despite losing Kyle Burkhalter, who reinjured his shoulder in the second quarter.

Knappa 28, Warrenton 14...Gary Aho scored four touchdowns as the Loggers knocked off Warrenton in the "Rumble On The River".

Check back later this weekend for a full write-up on The Last Dam Blog.

FINESSE OVER FOULS FUELS FISH

Astoria boys soccer coach Bill Patterson expected a physical battle with Scappoose Tuesday night and he was not disappointed.


The two teams combined for 25 fouls and a pair of yellow cards, but it was Astoria's continued development in the passing game that pleased the first-year coach the most. Well, that and the 2-1 final score.


After an early defensive lapse cost Astoria a goal in the fifth minute, Jair Macareno levelled the match by converting on a Sean Speer corner kick and Speer scored the game-winner off a free kick by Tomas Kallstrup early in the second half, sending the Fishermen to a 2-0 start to Cowapa League play.



Scappoose forward Brian Maloney got the Indians on the board when Astoria's inexperienced goalkeeper, Alex Reya, got caught out of position on a free kick. Reya, a junior, dodged a bullet moments earlier when he practically handed the ball to a Scappoose player in the goal box, but the Indians were unable to capitalize.


Reya may lack the 6-3 stature and range of injured junior Daniel Mathre, but he possesses a powerful leg on punts and goal kicks. That, and a resilient skull. During a sequence of four consecutive Scappoose corner kicks midway through the first half, Reya smacked his forehead on the left post while punching a ball over the crossbar. The collision of noggin and metal was hard enough to emit a clang audible to the entire assembled crowd. Reya went down on his back for a couple of minutes, but was able to remain in the game. The youngster deflected two more corner kick attempts to quell the Scappoose possession and was not seriously challenged the rest of the way.


"I didn't think he was getting back up," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "To his credit he did. He shook off the mistake and played well from there."


Mathre is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a broken finger, suffered in a flag football game during P.E.


"Alex is really playing well," said Patterson. "He was a bit nervous last week in his first varsity game, but he's doing fine. He doesn't necessarily look like he can play, but he can play. He played well in the men's league last spring and he's proven his ability to play at the varsity level."


Scappoose would regret the earlier missed opportunity because their shots on goal would be limited the rest of the way by strong play from Astoria's flatback defense. The Fishermen outshot Scappoose 13-7 in the match, 9-2 in the first half.


With the match even at one apiece, Astoria opened the second half with an offensive flourish, getting a pair of deep runs to turn up the pressure. Five minutes in, Kallstrup took a free kick from near the Astoria dugout on the right side of the field and sent it into the middle of the 18-yard box where Speer was able to slip a shot just inside the left post for the decisive goal.


The teams each had five shots in the second half, but Scappoose's attack was limited to some longballs and shots from outside the 18-yard line that did not threaten the back of the net. Reya was credited with three saves, but did not have to exert himself much in the final 40 minutes as his defensive line did much of the work.


Junior forward Zach Norton came off the bench late in the second half to provide his usual spark. Norton had a spectacular collision at full speed with Scappoose sophomore defender Jacob Davison that sent Norton cartwheeling through the air in front of the Fishermen bench. Norton popped back up unscathed after the foul, while Davison limped off the field.


"Zach is the consummate bench player," said Patterson. "He could start for us. He looks like an energizer bunny sometimes. He's very energetic. He plays with a lot of heart. I'd like to have a hundred Zachs."


Scappoose was limited to one substitute for the match, which played into Astoria's ball-control strategy. However, a strong effort from junior goalkeeper Zach Shuman (seven saves, six in the first half) kept the Indians within striking distance to the final whistle.


"Our mantra is to try to have the other team chase us and wear them down," said Patterson. "That eventually worked in our favor tonight."


Near the end of the game, Kallstrup and Muir got in a minor dustup after the Danish exchange student tackled the Indians' senior defender from behind. Both were issued yellow cards. Astoria had 13 fouls to 12 for Scappoose.


The Fishermen, now 5-3 overall, head to Tillamook next Wednesday.

LADY WARRIORS MAKE QUICK WORK OF CATLIN

The Warrenton volleyball team only needed about an hour to win their fourth Lewis & Clark League game.

Warrenton defeated Catlin Gabel 25-14, 25-16, 25-9 Thursday night, setting up a battle of Lewis & Clark League unbeatens when the Warriors travel to Oregon Episcopal School next Tuesday.

The Warriors hit, passed and served for a high percentage.

"That's what our goal has been," said Warriors head coach Jim Hackwith, "to play mistake-free as possible on the floor."

Ashely Poole led the Warriors in kills with nine, while putting 19 of 21 hits in play. Poole also passed 92% for teh match, while Roberta Kelly was 12-for-13 passing and a perfect 13-for-13 serving. Jordane Marxer was 20-for-20 on serve with four aces and Lauren Dove had another near-perfect hitting night with four kills. The Warriors' junior middle blocker has just one hitting error in the last two games combined.

As a team, the Warriors were 68-for-77 hitting, 62-for-65 at the service line and passed 82%, numbers that would make any coach happy.

"These girls have surprised me and really come on and played some good volleyball," said Hackwith. "And they've worked hard in practices so they're definitely getting the benefits of that.

"O.E.S. is coming up on Tuesday for us and we know that they've been really tough. It's going to be a fun game, I think. I'm looking forward to that game. Every time we've played a tough team, they've come on and played tough against them."

The Warriors improved to 7-1 overall with the win.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP

Astoria 3, Scappoose 0...Sophie DeWitt led a balanced Astoria attack with 11 kills. Kristen Saulsbury banged out ten kills and Meredith Barnes hit .500 while putting away seven kills. Sophomore setter Kayce Lilley contributed a pair of kills while dishing out 15 assists. Sara Cullen added ten assists and Emily Bunnell and Dani Bergeson led the Lady Fishermen in serve-receive. The Fishermen, 6-1 in Cowapa League play and 7-2 overall, face a critical game against Tillamook at home Tuesday in order to stay in the Cowapa championship hunt.
Nestucca 3, Knappa 0...The Bobcats got the sweep at home, defeating Knappa 25-11, 25-19, 25-19. Nestucca will battle with Portland Christian and De La Salle for top honors in the Northwest League, according to Knappa head coach Bob Harn. "The kids are starting to come together. They're starting to get a little more active." Knappa, coming off back-to-back losses to PC and Nestucca, will see the third team in the triumvirate this Saturday when they lead off a tournament at Columbia Christian with a match against De La Salle. Westside Christian, Oregon Episcopal and Blanchet are among the other competitors at that tournament in Portland this weekend.
Kalama 3, Ilwaco 0...Still seeking their first game triumph, the Lady Fishermen fell 25-22, 25-20, 25-16 Thursday night at Kalama. Erin McDonnell had eight kills and Melany Bliss put away seven kills for Ilwaco, which played without starting setter Charlotte Johnson, who missed a practice. Sophomore Teresa Goodwin filled in and kept Ilwaco competitive. "They are playing so much better," said head coach Candy Johnson, whose team heads to Raymond for a tournament on Saturday.
N.W. Christian 3, Naselle 1...A much-improved Navigators squad got the best of Naselle with a 26-24, 25-20, 14-25, 25-23 win in Lacey. "We were actually ahead numerous times," said Naselle head coach Kim Eaton. "We must made some silly mistakes at crucial times." Sylvia Herrold led Naselle with ten kills and Ashley Ahlstrom added five kills. The victory over Naselle was a first for the Navigators program. "They were very determined," said Eaton. The Comets, now 3-3, play Willapa Valley at home on Tuesday.
Tillamook 3, Seaside 1...The Cheesemakers stayed unbeaten atop the Cowapa League with a 25-12, 22-25, 25-17, 25-13 victory at home over the Seagulls. Tillamook and Astoria meet for the second time this season at Astoria on Tuesday. A win for Tillamook would likely secure a Cowapa League championship and a top seed to state. Seaside took it's first game win from one of the two teams ahead of them in the standings as the Seagulls continue to improve.
Jewell 3, Falls City 0...The Blue Jays got some precise spot-serving from Colleen Crook and strong finishes at the net by Jalina Johnston in a 25-11, 25-15, 25-3 sweep at home.

THURSDAY PREP SCOREBOARD

BOYS SOCCER
ASTORIA 2, Scappoose 1
TILLAMOOK 2, Yamhill-Carlton 0

VOLLEYBALL
Astoria def. Scappoose 25-21, 25-13, 25-20
Kalama def. Ilwaco 25-22, 25-20, 25-16
WARRENTON def. Catlin Gabel 25-14, 25-16, 25-9
Nestucca def. Knappa 25-11, 25-19, 25-19
N.W. Christian def. Naselle 26-24, 25-20, 14-25, 25-23
Tillamook def. Seaside 25-12, 22-25, 25-17, 25-13
JEWELL def. Falls City 25-11, 25-15, 25-3
Banks at Yamhill-Carlton, 7:00 p.m.

OLSTEDT'S LATE GOAL SALVAGES DRAW

Missing four starters due to various injuries and illness, the Seaside girls soccer team was able to limp to a 1-1 draw in their Special District 1 opening tilt against Yamhill-Carlton.

Marla Olstedt placed a strong left-footed shot into the side netting in the 74th minute of play and the Seagulls survived a couple of Yamhill attacks as the final whistle blew before the Tigers could get off one last corner kick.

The Tigers, coming off a surprising 2-0 win over perennial power Catlin Gabel, albeit a non-league counter, had a decisive shot and possession advantage in the game, but lost top forward Tera Prosser on the play that put their only score on the board.

Prosser beat a charging Seaside goalkeeper Becca Lent to a ball at the edge of the penalty box to score in the 58th minute. Unfortunately for Yamhill-Carlton, the resulting collision with Lent left Prosser hobbled with a knee injury. Helped off the field, she would not return, leaving one of the Tigers' most dynamic players on the sideline.

"When she came out, our defense had better control on the backline," said Olstedt, a 4-year varsity standout. "They were able to do what they wanted to do. They didn't have to play 4-on-1. So they could spread it out a little bit more. There was help in other places and they were looking up and knew where to get the ball."

Seaside, which struggled to maintain possession and continuity through the first hour of play, would respond with an offensive push that nearly netted the equalizing goal as sophomore April Cockroft, herself returning from an injury layoff, got an open run at the Yamhill goal in the 69th minute. The Tigers' goalkeeper, sophomore Dakota Apke, timed her charge well and tackled the ball off the foot of Cockroft before she could get a shot away.

"We got her back for thirty minutes and you saw the difference that makes," said Seaside head coach Dave Rouse of the athletic Cockroft. "We get all our players healthy and that will help a lot."

Five minutes later, following a Cela Sibley throwin from the right sideline, Cockroft hooked a pass to Olstedt, stationed about 15 yards in front of the left post. Olstedt had time to settle the ball and, with the keeper frozen in her sights, buried a strong diagonal shot inside the right post for the equalizing goal.

"It was a good game for us," said Olstedt. "A good boost in our self-esteem. We knew we had to play tough and that's what we did. A 1-1 tie was good for us. We're pretty excited."

All-league midfielder Esther Harder had a crack at a direct free kick in the 78th minute, but sent it over the crossbar. The strong-legged Yamhill junior also bent a beautiful corner kick deep in the box from the left side, but Lent came off her line to pluck the ball out of the air and avert the threat. Another late run up the middle by Yamhill-Carlton was snuffed by an offsides penalty and Sibley tackled a ball over the goal line just before the end-of-game whistle.

The Tigers had a 17-6 edge in shots on goal and Prosser alone outshot Seaside before getting injured. The Seagulls closed the gap in the second half with four shots to Yamhill's seven.

"We played a lot harder in the second half, there's no question about it," said Rouse. "I think there was a lot of nervousness in the first half. We kind of let them do things. We were making bad passes and just not making things happen. The second half we came out and played much harder, started fighting for balls and playing with some assertiveness. That's an issue for us."

Lent finished with nine saves in the match, while Apke had just one save.

The Gulls have managed to bang out a 5-1-1 record without once having all of their starters on the field. Stephanie Hanthorn, who has five goals on the season, was not in uniform and fellow starters Maya Dooley and Fawn Rhodes remained sidelined. Hanthorn has returned to practice and Coach Rouse hopes to have all three players back for Tuesday's game against Astoria. Brittney Cave remains out with an ACL injury and her return is questionable.

LADY FISHERMEN WIN DISTRICT OPENER

The Astoria girls soccer team hopes the hard lessons have paid off this first month of the season.

Facing three top-ten ranked teams among their six non-league encounters in September, Astoria does not enter District 1 play with the most impressive record, but the record that counts is now 1-0.

And that was the final score at Scappoose, courtesy of a second half penalty kick by Melissa Law, following a handball call in the Indians' penalty box. It could have been much worse for the Indians, who were dominated much of the way.

"I thought it would be four or five nil," said Astoria head coach Jim Flint. "We had 14 shots to their two in the game. It was a strong performance by us."

The Indians' goalkeeper also had a strong performance, keeping Astoria at bay, particularly early in the game when Astoria's junior forward Charlene Harber got four or five cracks at the goal in the first ten minutes.

Astoria was down two players, but got one back as midfielder Jordan Crownover returned from a two-week absence due to a knee and thigh injuries.

"She made a big difference when she was on the field," said Flint.

Fellow midfielder Brooke Schauermann was out of action due to a staph infection and forward Shelly Gregory remains sidelined. Flint hopes to have both players back in uniform for Tuesday's showdown against Seaside.

An alignment switch from a 4-3-3 back to a 4-4-2 system seemed to play to Astoria's strengths.

"We won possession in the midfield consistently," said Flint. "It was one of those games that you clearly dominate statistically and come away with just a 1-0 win. I'm hoping our three previous losses to top-ranked teams is going to benefit our team."

Astoria improved its overall record to 2-3-2 heading into Tuesday's game against Seaside, which is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start.

TUESDAY PREP ROUNDUP

BOYS SOCCER
Astoria 2, Yamhill-Carlton 0...After a sluggish first half, Astoria scored two goals in a 4-minute span to put the game away in the second half for a Cowapa League opening win at Yamhill. Jair Macareno scored both Astoria goals off assists from Zack Norton in the 48th minute and Sean Speer in the 52nd minute. "We didn't play that well in first half," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "We ran into our same old problem, we seem to come out and play to level of our opponent. We just played a lot of kick ball, we looked lethargic, not a lot of energy. In the second half, we came out very hard and played the kind of soccer Astoria is known for. We played aggressive and had a nice passing game." The Fishermen (1-0 Cowapa, 4-3 overall) return home to face Scappoose Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. "It's gonna be a tough, physical game for first place in league," said Patterson.
Seaside 1, Tillamook 1...After a scoreless first half, Leo Luna put the Gulls on the board early in the second half off a Henry Broderick assist, but Tillamook took advantage of a defensive lapse to score the equalizer off the foot of sophomore midfielder Miguel Rosano in the 65th minute. "Two or three guys went to the attacker with the ball," said Seaside head coach Jon Broderick. "The guy was left unmarked by a young defense." The Seagulls are 2-2-1 and Tillamook moved to 1-3-2 overall following the Cowapa League opener for both teams. "We had a couple of chances and perhaps should have won it," said Broderick. "Our goalkeeper did a good job of stopping their shots." Seaside has bolstered its lineup with the addition of senior David Campos, who played his first match of the season. The Seagulls are off until Monday when they host Yamhill-Carlton

VOLLEYBALL
Astoria 3, Seaside 0...The Seagulls continue to play very competitive volleyball against Astoria, cut couldn't get over the hump Tuesday night. After Astoria slipped past Seaside 25-22 in game one, the Gulls stormed to a 21-11 lead in the second game and had five chances at game point with a 24-19 lead before Astoria came-from-behind to win 26-24. "That really took the wind out of our sails," said Seaside head coach Mitch Ward. The Lady Fishermen completed the sweep with a 25-18 result in game three. Kristen Saulsbury of Astoria and Seaside's Ellie Wiese each had ten kills in the match. Seaside's Meagan Potter had a strong game at the net with four solo blocks and a block assist. Astoria's middle blocker, Meredith Barnes, contributed seven kills and three service aces, while Hilary O'Bryan and Emily Bunnell each had five kills and a passer rating over 2.0. The Lady Fishermen, now 5-1 in Cowapa League and 6-2 overall, travel to Scappoose on Thursday. Seaside, now angling for a third place finish in league, travels to unbeaten Tillamook on Thursday. "If we are on, I think we can beat any team in the league," said Ward, "but if we are off any team can beat us."
Warrenton 3, Vernonia 0...The Lady Warriors continue to run roughshod over the Lewis & Clark League, having yet to lose a game in three matches after defeating Vernonia 25-13, 24-16, 25-9. Junior middle blocker Lauren Dove had one of her best matches of the year, hitting a perfect 12-for-12 with eight kills. Ashley Poole added eight kills, Brandi Jasmin had three kills and two blockes while passing 11-for-12 and Brooklyn Campbell was 11-for-12 at the service line. Warrenton hosts Catlin Gabel on Thursday. The Eagles lost to Rainier 24-26, 25-11, 25-12, 25-14 last night.
Portland Christian 3, Knappa 0...The undersized Lady Loggers did as well as could be expected against the top-ranked Royals and 6-4 senior Kim Hill, one of the state's top players, falling 25-10, 25-12, 25-16. Knappa faces another tall team on Thursday when they travel to Cloverdale to take on Nestucca, which lost a 4-game match to De La Salle Tuesday night. In other N.W. League action...Corbett defeated Portland Lutheran 3-0 and Gaston swept Faith Bible 3-0.
La Center 3, Ilwaco 0...The Lady Fishermen came close to taking a game once again, before falling 25-17, 25-20, 27-25 to a senior-laden La Center squad. "They were really good games," said head coach Candee Johnson. "I'm hoping this is the turning point."
Naselle 3, Tacoma Baptist 0...Naselle improved to 3-2 overall with a 25-21, 26-24, 25-6 win at home. Sylvia Herrold scored ten kills and served out the match with 11 straight points, seven on aces. Brandi Keightley added six kills for the Comets. Naselle's next game is at Northwest Christian on Thursday.

HOME SWEET HOME

Maybe it was the comfort of playing in familiar surroundings. Maybe it was the caliber of the competition. Maybe this Astoria team is beginning to realize its potential. Maybe its all of the above.

Whatever the reasons, it was good to see big play Astoria football again on Friday night as the Fishermen walloped the Philomath Warriors 45-13 at John Warren Field.

"I'm really pleased for the guys," said Astoria head coach Howard Rub, whose team had dropped out of the state rankings after back-to-back road losses. "They needed this. They needed to be full of smiles at the end of this thing."

After three straight games against rugged competition, the Fishermen wasted no time in putting away the Warriors, who have struggled in recent years. Astoria built a 28-0 first half lead in the manner that Fish Fans have become accustomed. Very quickly.

Astoria's first four scoring drives used up a combined total of less than 2:30 on the clock. While Astoria's starting offensive unit had just one play of 25 yards or more the last two weeks, they had three in their first six offensive plays against the Valco League visitors.

The Fishermen also went to the trick bag early on, much to the delight of the large crowd, starved for the highlight reel material they gobbled up during Astoria's unbeaten regular season a year ago.

Sophomore slot receiver Alex Eterno, making only his second varsity start, rambled 14 yards on a reverse on Astoria's first play of the game. With a quartet of receivers bunched to the right side, Eterno threw a key block to spring quarterback Jordan Poyer for a 16-yard run on the next play. Then Tom Jaworski ran around left end and down the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown, putting the Fishermen up 7-0.

Philomath's first two offensive series netted -1 yards, with Trevor Puckett blowing up a handoff in the backfield for a forced fumble on the first series and sacking Warriors' quarterback John Koeppe on third and 11 the next time the Warriors had the ball. Puckett had a big night defensively, laying out his signature loud licks throughout the game. The junior middle linebacker was helped by a tremendous effort in the middle of Astoria's 5-man defensive front by mountainous 6-5, 330-pound senior nose guard Chris Edwards, who occupied two blockers most of the night while making a handful of tackles including one tackle for loss.

"Chris was a real load for them," said Astoria head coach Howard Rub. "When those guys like him and Dante [Combs] and Will Bush at times when they can occupy a couple of offensive linemen, it makes life so much easier for your linebackers. Our defensive front overall and Chris in particular had a lot to do with Trevor's success."

After their second punt put Astoria on the Warriors' 41-yard line, the Fishermen treated the crowd with another trick play, a reverse flea-flicker, with Poyer launching the ball to a wide-open Marcus Brown at the three yard line. Another sophomore making his second start at wide receiver, Brown waltzed into the end zone with his first career catch and it was 14-0 Fishermen just a little over four minutes into the game.

"It's exactly what the doctor ordered," said Rub. "We wanted to regain some of our big play ability. And some of what they do defensively, it's not like that would be a gimme. I think what you saw was some real improvement on the edge by our wide outs being aggressive. Whether it was blocking or going after the ball."

The Warriors took advantage of the first of 11 Astoria penalties, a roughing the passer call, to gain their only first down of the quarter. The drive would stall shortly thereafter following a holding penalty on Philomath. Warriors punter Kory Stueve, who barely got his first two punts away after a heavy Astoria rush, never got the chance after a low snap forced him to scramble for his life. A desperation pass was broken up and the Fishermen had the ball on the Philomath 36-yard line. Cue highlight archive file.

For such a young player, Poyer has certainly built up a backlog of memorable plays. The electrifying junior added another one after reversing direction on an option run to the left side, avoiding tacklers to the right sideline then launching himself parallel to the ground from the 3-yard line to sneak the ball inside the pylon on a breathtaking 30-yard run.

The frustration showed early for Philomath. An Astoria offsides penalty in the second quarter still couldn't help the Warriors move the chains and they were forced to punt for the fifth time in the half. After Trevor Puckett took a short pass in the flat and ran 17 yards for a first down, Tom Jaworski carried the ball around left end for a six yard gain. Jaworski was run out of bounds by Philomath's All-Valco senior linebacker James Zook, who kept going well outside the boundary and finished the play by trying to plant Jaworski's facemask into the raised berm on the Warrior sideline with a full force body slam, drawing a personal foul penalty, but shockingly, not an ejection. While Zook was getting an earful from a furious coach on the sideline, Poyer zipped a pass to Sam Johnson on a skinny post for a 10-yard touchdown and the rout was on.

Max Johnson tacked on a 22-yard field goal on the final play of the half, capping Astoria's only extended drive of the night, a 64-yard march covering the final 3:12 that featured a 23-yard pass to Jaworski on 4th and five. Johnson had earlier missed a 37-yard attempt from the right hash mark, leaving Astoria with just one of six first half drives that did not result in points. It was about the only kick that didn't go Max's way as the left-legged soph boomed three kickoffs for touchbacks and was a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT's.

"He has to be a weapon for us," said Rub. "Offensively, it's a pretty good deal. You can almost feel like a college offense. If you get that ball to the 18-yard line, you feel like you can get some points."

Leading 31-0 at the half, Astoria wasted no time in adding to its cushion as Hans Lund returned the opening kickoff of the second half 90 yards to the house, capping his long journey with a Poyeresque swan dive that drew a taunting penalty. Lund had to retreat to the 10-yard line after the kick bounced through his legs, then got a lane down the left sideline and a crunching block from younger brother Dane to get sprung.

Philomath finally got on the board with 8:40 to go in the third quarter as a Koeppe pass somehow ricocheted off Sam Johnson's hands right to Derek Davis who rambled the final 15 yards to paydirt for a 39-yard touchdown. Zook, who was removed from the game after his cheap shot hit on Jaworski, returned to handle the long snap, only to send it sailing over the head of the holder for a failed conversion. Lyden Nyman made a nice play in the end zone to break up a desperation heave on the play.

Astoria only snappd the ball two times on its final scoring drive. A holding penalty sent the Fishermen back to the 21-yard line before Poyer got the crowd roaring one last time, showing off his speed on a 79-yard run down the right side line. Eluding tacklers to the corner, Poyer turned on the jets but had three defensive pursuers closing in from the middle of the field with an angle. The speedy QB neatly slipped between two of them and blew past the third on the way to the second-longest TD run of his magnificent career, trumped only by an 82-yard gallop at Philomath in last year's 28-0 win.

Poyer finished with 191 yards rushing on 12 carries and threw for 132 yards on 7-of-13 passing with one interception. Jaworski finished with 98 yards rushing and receiving and added a nifty punt return, picking up the ball after it was touched by a Warrior cover man and racing the right sideline for about a 30-yard return, helped by a shuddering block by sophomore Jake Hatcher.

"I thought Jaws had a really big night, stepped up big," said Rub. "I thought Hans showed what he's capable of when he gets his hands on the ball. And that was good to see, because in all honesty, I think at times even those two veterans were tentative in the last two weeks."

The Fishermen, hopefully with lost mojo in tow, will head to Monmouth Friday night to take on another tough customer. The Central Panthers are considered strong playoff material, although they have dropped back-to-back games to Junction City and Scappoose after winning their first two. The game will be played at Western Oregon University's McArthur Field and will be broadcast live on 1370-AM KAST starting at 6:45 p.m.

PHILOMATH 0-0-6-7--13
ASTORIA 21-17-7-0--45
1stQ-AST: Jaworski 28 run (M. Johnson kick)
1stQ-AST: Brown 41 pass from Poyer (M. Johnson kick)
1stQ-AST: Poyer 30 run (M. Johnson kick)
2ndQ-AST: S. Johnson 10 pass from Poyer (M. Johnson kick)
2ndQ-AST: M. Johnson 22 FG
3rdQ-AST: H. Lund 90 kickoff return (M. Johnson kick)
3rdQ-PHI: Davis 39 pass from Koeppe (pass failed)
3rdQ-AST: Poyer 79 run (Johnson kick)
4thQ-PHI: Fisher 5 run (Stephenson kick)
RUSHING-PHI: 41-177, AST: 30-274 (Poyer 12-191-2TD)
PASSING-PHI: Koeppe 4-15-1-69-TD, AST: 7-14-1-127 (Poyer 7-13-1-127-2TD)
RECEIVING-PHI: Davis 2-62-TD, AST: Jaworski 3-53
FIRST DOWNS-PHI: 12, AST: 14
TURNOVERS- PHI: 2, AST: 1
PENALTIES-PHI: 2-20, AST: 11-85

WEEKEND PREP ROUNDUP

BOYS SOCCER
Hidden Valley 2, Astoria 1...In a rematch of last year's showdown of the state's top-ranked teams, Hidden Valley changed its offensive attack in the second half with early dividends, scoring two goals in the first twelve minutes after halftime to come from behind for the win. Astoria struck early as Ryan Putman scored on a direct free kick in the fourth minute of play. Astoria outplayed the favored Mustangs for the first forty minutes of the game, played at Corvallis High School "We had them chasing the ball the entire half," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "Our problem was, we thought the game was over at halftime." Hidden Valley switched from a 3-5-2 alignment to a 3-4-3 to get an extra forward in the attack and scored in 48th and 52nd minutes to take the lead. Astoria, now 3-3, opens Cowapa League play at Yamhill-Carlton Tuesday with a home match against Scappoose scheduled for Thursday. Hidden Valley, based in a rural area south of Grants Pass, improved to 4-1 with the victory.

GIRLS SOCCER
Montesano 4, Astoria 1...Sarah Pope scored Astoria's only goal in a road loss against the defending 1A District IV champion Bulldogs. Sydney Bullington scored two goals for Montesano, which improved to 7-1-1 with the victory. Astoria fell to 1-3-2 with the loss.

VOLLEYBALL
Sisters Tournament...The rapidly improving Seaside Seagulls advanced to the consolation finals before falling to Junction City 25-21, 25-22 in a tournament featuring several of the state's top teams. Defending 3A champion Burns won the tournament.
Nestucca Tournament...Warrenton results not reported

FOOTBALL
Jefferson 39, Warrenton 26...The Lions outscored Warrenton 32-19 in the second half to pick up their first win of the season, sending the Warriors to their second loss in three games. Warrenton quarterback Kevin Moore ran for two and passed for two touchdowns in the loss. Jefferson's Lingo Diaz threw for 222 yards and three scores, two to Daniel Hochspeier, who caught five balls for 144 yards and added a 55-yard kickoff return for Jefferson's final touchdown.
Clatskanie 35, Knappa 8...Clatskanie's powerful rushing offense rolled past the overmatched Loggers, led by Cody Pesio's 152 yards and two TD's.
Ridgefield 56, Ilwaco 12...Leading 7-6 late in the first half, Ridgefield scored three touchdowns in a span of 26 seconds, taking advantage of an interception and a fumbled kickoff return. Eddie Knick rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in the loss as the Fishermen dropped their third straight game.
Naselle 28, Raymond 13...The Comets opened the Pacific 2B League schedule with a road win to improve to 3-0 on the season. Naselle rushed for 224 yards led by Alan Erickson, who carried 15 times for 74 yards and a TD. Tony Fletcher had a 70 yard punt return TD and Kyle Burkhalter returned an interception return for a TD that was called back on a clipping penalty. Burkhalter was 4-for-8 passing for 72 yards and a 20 touchdown pass to Gabe See. Naselle had several other drives deep into Raymond territory that did not result in scores. The Comets host Willapa Valley this Friday.

FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY

After two tough games on the road, the Astoria Fishermen felt right at home Friday night as the big play offense made its belated return in a big way.

Astoria rolled to a 31-0 halftime lead before Hans Lund returned the opening kickoff of the second half 90 yards for a touchdown and the Fishermen went on to rout the Philomath Warriors 45-13.

Astoria rolled up 401 yards of offense and had four scoring drives of under a minute in a dominating first half.

Quarterback Jordan Poyer rushed for 198 yards on 13 carries with touchdown runs of 30 and 79 yards and completed 7-of-13 passes for 132 yards and two more scores.

The Fishermen improved to 2-2 with the win and complete their nonleague slate with a game against 9th-ranked Central at Western Oregon University's McArthur Field next Friday.

Check back this weekend for a full game story with statistics on The Last Dam Blog.

THURSDAY PREP ROUNDUP

VOLLEYBALL

Astoria def. Banks 9-25, 25-12, 25-18, 25-21...After major serve-receive struggles in game one, the Lady Fishermen settled down and took three straight games at Banks to finish the first round of Cowapa League play at 4-1. Sophie DeWitt had 11 kills and a block for Astoria, while Meredith Barnes added seven kills. Dani Bergeson provided strong defensive play off the bench for the Fishermen, who travel to Seaside on Tuesday. Tillamook completed the first round of league play with a 3-game sweep at Yamhill-Carlton and currently leads the Cowapa League standings with a 5-0 record.

Seaside def. Scappoose 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-14...The Gulls (3-2) are in third place after one tour through the Cowapa League following Thursday night's win. Ellie Wiese led the way with 15 kills with Mollie Schmidt adding 14 kills. Ashley Stinnett placed 17-of-18 serves with five aces and Abbie Huddleston contributed three blocks (1 solo and four block assists) to go with four kills in six attacks.

Raymond def. Naselle 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-14...The Comets dropped to 2-2 after a non-league loss at Raymond. Sylvia Herrold had 10 kills and Ashley Ahlstrom had a strong defensive game, while the Comets bench provided some quality digs and defense.

Gaston def. Knappa 3-2...game scores and stats not reported



GIRLS SOCCER

La Salle 3, Astoria 1...The unbeaten, 4th-ranked Falcons outshot Astoria 14-5 on the way to a non-league victory. Brooke Schauermann netted her third goal in two games with a 30-foot-plus rocket that ricocheted off the head of a La Salle defender over the goalkeeper's head with about 15 minutes of play remaining. The Fishermen just missed a potential game-tying goal earlier in the half when Melissa Law took a through ball pass from Sarah Pope to within 15 yards of goal, but her shot was just tipped wide of the far post. Astoria played without three starters and was unable to field a complete J.V. team due to various injuries. All three players are expected to be back in the lineup for the beginning of District 1 play next week. Astoria has a final nonleague game scheduled for Saturday at noon at Montesano, a Washington 1A quarterfinal team in 2006.

Seaside 2, Tillamook 0...The Seagulls opened their District 1 schedule with a win at Tillamook to improve to 5-1 overall. No details were reported.s

GOOD NEWS COMES IN THREES

The Astoria Fishermen boys soccer team picked up their third win of the season Wednesday, defeating the Newport Cubs 3-0 at the Warrenton Soccer Complex. It was the fourth consecutive 3-0 result for the Fishermen, three of which were victories.

"We had probably twenty opportunities," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "We got very few balls actually on the frame tonight. That will improve. We will work on our finishing of course. But, I was happy with the way we came out. Our effort was good. We played hard all game long."

Jair Macareno got Astoria on the board with a goal in the 18th minute off an assist from fellow sophomore forward Sean Speer. Macareno made it 2-0 Fish with a penalty kick in the 46th minute of play.

"Clearly in the second half, we dominated them with our possession game," said Patterson. "Numerous opportunities tonight. We probably had about 12 to 13 corner kicks. We couldn't get a head on any one of them."

Alfredo Garcia put the finishing touch on the win with a long goal in the 80th minute with an assist from Luke McAllister.

"The goal was scored from about 35 yards out," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "Just a brilliant strike. Just a laser into the upper right hand 'V'."

Astoria (3-2) has one nonleague game remaining against 4th-ranked Hidden Valley on Saturday. The teams met last year in Portland and played to a 1-1 draw. This year's matchup will also be on neutral ground in Corvallis.

Astoria begins Cowapa League play at Yamhill-Carlton on Tuesday.

LADY FISHERMEN PUT ALL HANDS ON DECK

There appears to be two different races in the Cowapa League this year in volleyball. The race between Astoria and Tillamook for first and second and the free-for-all among the rest of the league for the third state playoff spot.


Astoria defeated Yamhill-Carlton 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 at the Brick House Tuesday night to run their Cowapa League record to 3-1, 4-2 overall.


Yamhill-Carlton has a young, up-and-coming squad with great future potential, but the reality is right now they are no match for Astoria.


The Lady Fishermen, while still far from where they wish to be by the end of the season, were still able to dispatch the Tigers in three games, while rotating their entire bench onto the floor for significant action.


"For the most part we did a good job," said Astoria head coach Angee Hunt. "We kind of got down, but we got our momentum back under us and we were able to finish strong in the third game."


Yamhill-Carlton, which started three sophomores and a freshman, had the early advantage as two Astoria hitting errors and a tip kill by 6-2 soph Elle Anderson boosted the visitors to a 3-0 lead. Astoria would fight back to tie the score at fours before the teams got on the side-out see-saw. An ace serve by frosh defensive specialist Taelor Henderson gave the Tigers their last lead of the game at 10-8.


After another side out, Astoria's senior setter Sara Cullen served the Fish to a 13-10 advantage, helped by kills from Emily Bunnell and Sophie DeWitt. Bunnell would pilot another rally later in the game, serving four points with the second of her four aces to put Astoria up 23-14.


"Emily served really tough tonight," said Astoria head coach Angee Hunt. "She's got that nice topspin serve so when she's feeling it, the momentum, she can really rack up some points. She did a nice job all the way around of just playing a more prominent presence on the floor."


Bunnell would be featured up front on this night, as returning All-Cowapa League outside hitter Kristen Saulsbury took a seat on the bench after contributing one kill to the cause in the first game. Bunnell would display her versatility with six kills, while handling a number of tough serves from the Tigers.


"Y-C has some very strong servers," said Hunt. "Our serve receive really struggled tonight."


Cullen and Bunnell displayed a more aggressive service approach against Y-C, with Cullen mixing deep liners with an effective spin-free drop serve, placing all 12 of her efforts in the court, while leading Astoria in assists with 16.


Cullen served Astoria to a 5-0 lead in game two. Down 13-7, Yamhill rallied against Astoria's bench, closing to 14-14 on an ace serve by Sammie Weidner, the only senior to see court time for the Tigers, who were without two players slated to start the season and another, sophomore 5-10 middle blocker Sami Lee, who is just getting back into the flow after an ankle injury.


A net violation would give Astoria serve with a 19-17 lead and Bunnell quickly extended it to 23-17 with some strong serves and a back row kill off an assist by sophomore Kayce Lilley. Astoria scored the final two points of the game on a service error and a hitting error by Y-C.


After Y-C got the early jump again in game three, going up 2-0 and 4-2, Astoria got back-to-back long scoring runs with Hilary O'Bryan (19-20 serving for the game) and Emily Bunnell on serve. Astoria played some of its most inspired volleyball of the match as the Lady Fishermen ran off six straight points with Bunnell behind the line and Kayce Lilley setting. Ashley Martens and Meredith Barnes contributed kills and O'Bryan scored back row kill on a nice rally kept alive by some strong play in the back row by junior libero Kelsey Takko.


But, just when it seemed the Lady Fishermen would close out on an up note, the Tigers wrested momentum away with an 8-point run of their own with junior outside hitter Natalee Uhlich serving. Uhlich scored two aces, while Lee had two kills and a block during the run, which tied the game at 18-18. Astoria put the finishing touches on the game and the match by scoring seven of the next eight points with aces by Dani Bergeson and Sara Cullen couples with two service errors and three hitting errors by the Tigers.


"You're trying to get kids in off the bench and you've got momentum," said Hunt. "It's kind of a catch-22. Getting them in while there's still enough points in the game for them to get some worthwhile experience on the floor, yet trying to hopefully maintain the momentum.


"We were able to pull out of it. Those are situations that we have to be able to play through and be able to make subs in different situations. Maybe there's an injury? There's all sorts of unexpected things that can happen and we need to be able to play through that."


Barnes led Astoria in kills with eight as DeWitt and Saulsbury took a backseat to other players. Astoria gave up six service aces and did not get a single block for point in the match, but still emerged with the 3-game win. The Lady Fishermen close out the first of three tours through the Cowapa League with a road game at Banks Thursday night, followed by a trip to Seaside next Tuesday.


Yamhill-Carlton dropped to 2-2 with the loss, with wins over Banks and Seaside and losses to Scappoose and Astoria.

PREP SOCCER ROUNDUP

Astoria 2, Gladstone 2...Down 2-0 at half, Astoria outshot Gladstone 8-2 in the second half, scoring two goals on Brooke Schauermann direct free kicks, one from more than 30 yards out. Melissa Law just missed a goal in the first ten minutes, when her shot caromed off the crossbar. Goalkeeper Bug Coggins saved a Gladstone shot with five minutes to play to preserve the tie for Astoria. The Lady Fishermen, now 1-1-2, played without starting forward Shelly Gregory and midfielder Jordan Crownover, both injured in Saturday's 7-0 loss at Philomath. Astoria hosts a powerful LaSalle team at the Warrenton complex on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m.

Seaside 2, Central 1...Marla Olstedt scored both goals for Seaside as the Gulls outshot the Panthers 16-3 in the win. The banged-up Seagulls lost another player to injury as Stephanie Hanthorn went down with a sprained ankle in the second half. On a positive note, Jackie Cartright and Cela Sibley were able to return to action Tuesday and Brittney Cave, who tore an ACL over the summer, has begun practicing for Seaside. The Seagulls open District 1 play on Thursday at Cowapa League newcomer Tillamook.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP

Astoria def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-16, 25-18, 25-19...Astoria got back on the winning track with a 3-game home sweep over the up-and-coming Tigers. The usual suspects took a backseat for Astoria as the Lady Fishermen rotated their entire bench into the game. Meredith Barnes led Astoria with 8 kills, while junior outside hitter Emily Bunnell added six kills and four service aces. Sara Cullen doled out 16 assists and was a perfect 14-for-14 serving with two aces. The Lady Fishermen improved to 3-1 in Cowapa League and 4-2 overall with a road game at Banks Thursday completing the first of three tours through the league schedule.
Warrenton def. Clatskanie 25-23, 25-20, 25-23...Ashley Poole had 12 kills and Lauren Dove had eight blocks as the Lady Warriors improved to 2-0 in Lewis & Clark League play with a sweep at Clatskanie. Brandi Jasmin continued her strong all-around play with seven kills on 13-for-15 hitting and a perfect 12-for-12 serving performance.
Rochester def. Ilwaco 25, 23, 25-21, 25-19...The Lady Fishermen dropped to 0-2 in Trico Division with a loss at Rochester. Melany Bliss served 16 points and had six kills and Charlotte Johnson provided strong all-around play at the setter position. Ilwaco played without Courtney Gilgore, who suffered a death in the family. Ilwaco has a bye Thursday before returning home to face La Center on Tuesday.
Portland Lutheran def. Knappa 25-15, 14-25, 25-15, 19-25, 17-15...The Loggers could not pull off the win at home.

TUESDAY PREP SCOREBOARD

GIRLS SOCCER
Astoria 2 Gladstone 2
SEASIDE 2, Central 1
TILLAMOOK vs. Rainier, 6:00 p.m..

VOLLEYBALL
ASTORIA def. Yamhill-Carlton 25-16, 25-18, 25-19
Rochester def. Ilwaco 25-23, 25-21, 25-18
Warrenton def. Clatskanie 25-23, 25-20, 25-23
KNAPPA vs. Portland Lutheran def. Knappa 25-15, 14-25, 25-15, 19-25, 17-15
SEASIDE vs. Banks, 7:00 p.m.
Jewell at Country Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Tillamook at Scappoose, 7:00 p.m.
Castle Rock at Stevenson, 7:00 p.m.
La Center at Columbia, 7:00 p.m.
NEAH-KAH-NIE vs. Vernonia, 6:15 p.m.
RAINIER vs. Riverdale, 6:15 p.m.
O.E.S. vs. Portland Adventist, 6:15 p.m.
CORBETT vs. Portland Christian, 6:45 p.m.
Nestucca at Faith Bible, 6:45 p.m.
GASTON vs. De La Salle, 7:00 p.m.
RAYMOND vs. Adna, 7:00 p.m.
North Beach at Morton, 7:00 p.m.

WHEALDON, ILWACO STRONG IN PORTLAND

With a fiercely talented young team, Ilwaco head boys golf coach Dan Whealdon has increased the level of competition for his 1A squad this fall.



The Fishermen participated in a 16-team tournament hosted by Vancouver's Mountain View High School at the Rose City Golf Course in Portland Monday, finishing in third place against the much larger schools.



It was the second-smallest school in the group that won as 2A Hockinson, behind the medal-winning 69 of Gaston de la Torre, took first place with a team score of 296, two strokes ahead of second place Camas.



Ilwaco shot a team score of 311, led by junior Jack Whealdon's 69. Whealdon tied with de la Torre, but lost a tiebreaker on the first playoff hole.



Ryan Kukula and Patrick Whealdon shot 80's and Todd Oakes carded an 82, while Ilwaco's fifth golfer, Tyler Johnson, did not complete his round after falling ill on the course.



"I was real happy with the kids and the way they played," said the elder Whealdon. "They had the tees all the way back at the Rose City course and stretched the course as far as it would go. The kids played well and competed well against the bigger schools."



Ilwaco hosts its own 8-team invitational tournament this Saturday at Surfside Golf Course, which includes Mountain View and Camas, 2A schools R.A. Long, Washougal, Ridgefield and Woodland and Trico Division rivals La Center and Stevenson.

MONDAY SOCCER ROUNDUP

Astoria 3, Philomath 0...Alfredo Garcia scored a pair of goals and Jair Macareno had a goal and an assist as the Fishermen boys shut out the Warriors in Philomath. Macareno tallied in the seventh minute off an assist from fellow sophomore forward Sean Speer and Astoria held the slim lead until Garcia struck twice in the final ten minutes of the match. "I was happy with the effort in the second half," said Astoria coach Bill Patterson. "We just wore down a team that gave everything on the field, but they just couldn't stay with us." Two Astoria players, John Heick (back) and Zack Norton (knee), left the game with injuries. Astoria faces Newport on Wednesday night at Warrenton and Coach Patterson said he hopes to play several swing players to get them some experience heading into the district schedule, which begins Sep. 25 at Yamhill-Carlton. The Fishermen improved their nonleague record to 2-2 with the victory.

Seaside 4, Taft 3...Chris Senick scored another hat trick for Seaside as the Gulls survived a furious second half rally to come from behind and defeat Taft in Lincoln City. Senick scored off a Henry Broderick assist in the first half, then gave Seaside a 2-0 second half lead with a long shot from outside the 18-yard box early in the second half. That's when Taft junior Ryan Willoughby got hot, scoring three goals for the Tigers in a 10 minute span against Seaside's beleaguered defense. As the Gulls shifted defensive players around to try to halt Taft's momentum, Senick struck again, gathering a missed clearance to score his third goal of the match, tying the score at 3-3. With six minutes remaining, Broderick drew a foul just outside the penalty box. Senick's resulting free kick caromed off the Taft defensive wall to Broderick, who one-touched the ball into the net from just inside the 18-yard line for the decisive goal. Seaside improved to 3-2 with the victory, but are struggling on defense, allowing an average of three goals per game. "We've beaten the teams we oughta beat," said head coach John Broderick. "Gladstone and North Marion are clearly better teams than us. We've just gotta stop the bleeding somehow." The Gulls host another Valco opponent Thursday as Sweet Home visits the Warrenton soccer complex for a 5:00 p.m. nonleague match.

Central 3, Tillamook 1...The 5th-ranked Panthers improved to 4-0-1 with their second 3-1 win over the Cheesemakers this month. Tillamook, now 1-2-1, hosts Taft on Wednesday.

SEAGULLS STAY WITH GLADS TO 2ND HALF

Take any core sample of the first 50 minutes of Saturday's boys soccer match between Seaside and Gladstone and if you would have figured the Gladiators were running away with an easy victory.

Yet, nine minutes into the second half, Chris Senick punched in a penalty kick and the young Gulls led the heavyweights from the Portland area 2-1 despite rarely having the ball in the offensive half of the field.

That proved to be the wakeup call, as Gladstone's All-State senior forward Jason Southmayd led a furious rally with three goals in a 5-minute span, finishing with four on the day as the Gladiators cruised past the Gulls 6-2.

"They gave us the same treatment we gave Newport," said Seaside head coach John Broderick. "We kind of expected that. They've been in the semifinals and finals in the last couple of years."

The Gladiators, returning 12 players with starting experience from a state playoff team, overmatched the Seagulls, who play 3 or 4 freshmen at times and return only a couple of starters from a .500 squad in 2006.

Despite the gaudy goal total, Gull goalie Bren Bletscher had an impressive performance while under assault much of the way, including a couple of spectacular saves.

"He was busy," said Broderick, "but he put away everything that was thrown at him. I had my back turned for a couple of goals, but it looked like they were reallly defensive mistakes and inattention that left Bren really vulnerable."

"We need a few defenders. Boys in their inexperience are chasing the ball a little too much on defense and watching the ball a little too much. They aren't anticipating trouble before it develops."

Senior forward Chris Senick continued a scoring tear with both Seaside goals, one on a breakaway in the first half to even the score at 1-1. Senick has scored seven goals in the last two Seaside games.

"He finishes most of the chances he gets good looks at," said Broderick. "That's a credit to his concentration. He is a wonderful, wonderful player for us this year. The youngsters need to look at him and emulate him."

Seaside's next match is in Lincoln City Monday against Taft.

The Astoria girls also faced a superior opponent Saturday, losing 7-0 at Philomath. No details were reported.

GLADS FRY FISH ON LAST SECOND FG

An exciting clash of playoff contenders ended on an 18-yard field goal as time expired as the Gladstone Gladiators defeated the Astoria Fishermen 17-14 Friday night at Pioneer Stadium in Oregon City.

The game shifted upriver on the Willamette when renovations of Gladstone's football field and track ran a little behind schedule. The Gladiators were playing their first "home" game on Oregon City's FieldTurf surface before inaugurating their own.

Austin Cote's game-winning kick came at the end of a 13-play, 79-yard drive over the final 5:30 of the contest. Gladstone junior quarterback Taylor Taft went 4-for-5 for 57 yards on the drive with each pass leading to a first down.

"They executed better than us when they had to," said Astoria head coach Howard Rub. "So they deserved it. Certainly, we feel like the last two weeks the end result is more our deal than anything the opponent has done. With that in mind, that's why things can still be in a good way for us. There's no reason that we cannot still do some of the things that we like to do, however, there's not much to talk about at this point. It's more a matter of rolling up the sleeves and going to work."

Astoria was victimized once again by poor tackling on the final march down the field, something that cost them in a 32-7 loss to La Salle the previous week. The Fishermen played much of the second half with two backup cornerbacks after starters Sam Johnson and Marcus Brown left with injuries. Brown, suffering from leg cramps, returned to the game, while Johnson was out of uniform down the stretch after suffering a knee injury.

"We're a little young in our secondary at the corner," said Rub. "Especially after Sam got hurt, we got real young at the edges. They took advantage of that a little bit."

With the game tied at 14-14, Astoria drove to the Gladstone 21-yard line, before a fumbled option pitch and a Brady Regier sack forced them to punt the ball on 4th and 20. The Gladiators effectively alternated run and pass as they drove the ball to the Astoria 1-yard line, never facing a third down.

With first and goal at the 1-yard line and 13 seconds remaining, Taft came up short on a quarterback sneak when his knee touched down before a forward surge. Cote, 5-for-7 on PAT's on the season to that point, nailed the kick from two yards ahead of the PAT spot to set off a jubilant celebration for the Glads, who were manhandled 50-27 in last year's meeting with the Fishermen.

"If anything would be frustrating for us, it would be missing out on our big play capability the last two weeks," said Rub. "We had a couple of opportunities again tonight and didn't take advantage of it."

"Anybody that's watching us, if they really realize how young we are, especially in terms of experience, there's no reason to hit a panic button right now. Hitting a panic button will get us into trouble. We just need to stay the course and get better."

Gladstone scored first when track star Darrell Fields took a short slant pass from Taft and blew past Astoria's secondary 65 yards to the end zone with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter.

Astoria had a chance to tie the game just before halftime, when Poyer punched the ball in on a 1-yard sneak with 0:00 showing on the clock. A 35-yard TD run by Poyer earlier in the drive was wiped out on an illegal block penalty, but Astoria recovered from that setback and caught a break when a second remained on the clock after Poyer tried a keeper sweep to the right pylon but was pushed out of bounds just short of the goal line on a second and goal carry.

The Fishermen tried to run a statue of liberty play for a 2-point conversion, but the Gladiators were not fooled and tackled Tom Jaworski short of the end zone.

Another Taft to Fields connection, this time for 12 yards, put the Gladiators back in front 14-6 after a short drive to open the second half.

Fields appeared well on his way to another long touchdown later in the quarter, when he came out of the backfield to take a pitch, got outside to the left sideline and was off to the races. One of the fastest men in 4A football, Fields still could not outrun Astoria's Poyer, who angled from the middle of the field and not only tackled the 5-8 sprinter, but punched the ball out of his hands down the sideline. Hans Lund covered the ball 54 yards from the Gladstone line of scrimmage at the Astoria 22-yard line.

"Jordan was amazing defensively tonight," said Rub, "similar to what you saw against Siuslaw. I don't know how you describe that play other than to say, 'Wow!' He made a great strip of a ball in the red zone that kept them out of the end zone earlier in the game. He just does a lot of amazing things as a football player."

"I think that as we progress and the team grows around him, all of those great plays he makes will be rewarded with improved play from the rest of us. Jordan will be the first to say he wasn't perfect tonight, he had some flaws tonight, too. But, he sure is a playmaker and is fun to watch and really helped keep us in the game."

Poyer led a rejuvenated Astoria rushing attack with 99 yards on 24 carries, while Jaworski picked up 67 yards on 15 totes.

"The offensive line was begging for that," said Rub. "As soon as our first offensive series, they felt like we could do some stuff inside. That bodes really well for us. Unfortunately, we just bogged down in the red zone, similar to last week."

However, Astoria's high-power passing game remains stuck in neutral. Despite a new fleet of receivers, Poyer was only able to complete 5-of-13 passes for 23 yards. The second-team All-state signalcaller was 0-for-3 in the second half.

"I'm glad that they're taking it personal and I'm glad that it hurts right now," said Rub. "I also need them to be ready on Monday to look at the positive things that happened and let's run with that and make it all better."

Taft went 11-for-19 through the air for 187 yards for the Gladiators, with Regier registering four grabs for 68 yards and Fields totalling 86 yards on three receptions.

Astoria, now 1-2 on the season, hosts 1-2 Philomath on Friday night. The game will be broadcast live on 1370 AM KAST starting at 6:45 p.m.

ASTORIA 0-6-8-0--14
GLADSTONE 7-0-7-3--17
1st Q-GLA: Fields 65 pass from Taft (Cote kick)
2ndQ-AST: Poyer 1 run (run failed)
3rdQ-GLA: Fields 12 pass from Taft (Cote kick)
3rdQ-AST: Jaworski 2 run (Poyer to Jaworski)
4thQ-GLA: Cote 18-FG
RUSHING-AST: 48-228 (Poyer 24-99-TD), GLA: 26-139 (Fields 3-64, Sander 3-48, Smith 11-30)
PASSING-AST: Poyer 5-13-1-23, GLA: Taft 11-19-187-2TD
RECEIVING-AST: Jaworski 2-8, H. Lund 1-9, GLA: Regier 4-68, Fields 3-86
FIRST DOWNS-AST: 14, GLA: 14
TURNOVERS-AST: 1, GLA: 3
PENALTIES-AST: 2-15, GLA: 1-5

THURSDAY PREP SCOREBOARD

VOLLEYBALL
Astoria at Tillamook def. Astoria 25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 25-20
Columbia def. Ilwaco 25-18, 25-15, 25-22
WARRENTON def. Neah-Kah-Nie 25-20, 25-18, 25-12
KNAPPA vs. Faith Bible def. Knappa 27-25, 18-25, 25-12, 19-25, 15-9
Naselle def. Mossyrock 13-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11
Seaside at Yamhill-Carlton, 7:00 p.m.
SCAPPOOSE vs. Banks, 7:00 p.m.
Castle Rock at Toutle Lake, 7:00 p.m.
KALAMA vs. Rochester, 7:00 p.m.
LA CENTER vs. Stevenson, 7:00 p.m.
CLATSKANIE vs. Vernonia, 6:00 p.m.
Rainier at Morton, 7:00 p.m.
RIVERDALE vs. O.E.S., 6:00 p.m.
Corbett at De La Salle, 6:45 p.m.
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN vs. Gaston, 7:00 p.m.
Nestucca at Portland Lutheran, 6:00 p.m.
RAYMOND vs. Willapa Valley, 7:00 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Wilsonville 3, Astoria 0

GIRLS SOCCER
Seaside at Estacada, 6:00 p.m.
Tillamook at North Marion, 4:00 p.m.
Yamhill-Carlton at Central, 4:00 p.m.
VALLEY CATHOLIC vs. La Salle, 4:15 p.m.

TUESDAY PREP ROUNDUP

GIRLS SOCCER
Astoria 0, R.A. Long 0...An evenly-matched, defensive battle ended in a scoreless draw for the Lady Fishermen and Lumberjills. Astoria outshot R.A. Long 5-to-4, while the Jills had two corner kicks to Astoria's one. Astoria's best scoring opportunity came off Kristina Wilson's corner kick in the second half, headed by 5-11 striker Charlene Harber just over the crossbar. "Both teams had lots of counterattacks up and down the field," said Astoria head coach Jim Flint. "Just not a lot of shots on goal because both back line were really spurning those attacks. It was an excellent game." R.A. Long got a quality shot in the first half, a well-struck low shot from 12-yards out that Astoria's All-Cowapa League goalkeeper Bug Coggins was able to save. Astoria's next two games are on the road, Saturday at Philomath and next Tuesday at Gladstone, which defeated Seaside 2-1 yesterday across the road from Astoria's game at the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association complex.



VOLLEYBALL
Wahkiakum def. Warrenton 17-25, 13-25, 26-24, 25-16, 16-14...The visiting Mules came from a 2-0 deficit to hand the Warriors their first loss of the season after three victories. Marxer 18-18 serving, Poole 16-16. Poole 15 kills, Dove 4 kills/4 blks, Jasmin 8 kills/4blks. "We got a little tired because we played last night and got home late, said head coach Jim Hackwith. "We got tired on the court." The Warriors rest up today for another match Thursday against defending Lewis & Clark League West Division champion Neah-Kah-Nie in the league opener for both teams.
Corbett def. Knappa 25-20, 25-23, 25-19...The Lady Loggers battled league power Corbett tough on the road, twice scoring in the twenties before falling in a 3-game sweep.
Tillamook def. Seaside 25-10, 26-24, 25-22...The improved Seagulls again battled one of the Cowapa League contenders toe-to-toe, at least after the first game. The Gulls let game two slip away as the Cheesemakers scored seven consecutive points, fending off five game points to take a two games to none lead. Seaside led 15-10 in game three before the Mooks came back again. For the second straight league match, Seaside's junior middles, Abbie Huddleston and Megan Potter, put up a forceful block. "Both set up some tremendous blocks," said Seaside head coach Mitch Ward. "And with right side help from Shelby Sebert we forced Tillamook to tip and chip in the second and third games." Tillamook improved to 2-0 in league while Seaside falls to 0-2.
Jewell def. Perrydale 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-15...Amanda DePonte and Jalina Johnson led the Jays to a home win over the Pirates.

ASTORIA SQUASHES SCAPPOOSE

Astoria head volleyball coach Angee Hunt felt like her already potent offense could use a tweak to get a little more efficient.


Volleyball efficiency, thy name is the 3-game sweep.


Astoria dusted Scappoose 25-10, 25-14, 25-15 to improve to 2-0 in Cowapa League play and 3-1 overall heading into their first big league test at Tillamook on Thursday.


"We kind of struggled a little bit over the weekend," said Hunt, "even hitting into the negative a little bit. So to make it into the positives and a significant positive leap, that was very encouraging."


Astoria experimented with a 6-2 offense early in the season, but has switched to what Hunt is calling a 5-2, still using two different setters, but alternating the position and allowing Astoria's experienced, versatile hitters to move around on the floor a little bit more.


Sophomore setter Kayce Lilley had the lion's share of assists with 11 and used her size to contribute a block and a kill. Lilley subbed out on her turn in the service rotation where senior Sara Cullen served 10-for-11 with a pair of aces while contributing eight assists.


Kristen Saulsbury had nine kills, using her patented paintbrush early before converting a couple of more forceful kills, showing that her balky right knee wasn't holding her back. Sophie DeWitt knocked down eight kills and served three aces, going 14-for-16 behind the line.


Speaking of behind the line, Saulsbury, DeWitt, and Meredith Barnes all converted well-struck kills from behind the 10-foot line, showing that Astoria has a backrow attack that can stack up with anyone in the state.


"That just kind of adds to the depth of our offense," said Hunt.


Astoria's hitters were letting it all hang out against the overmatched Indians, even whaling on free balls and "trouble plays" to finish strong rather than just trying to send the ball over the net.


"It's nice to see that chemistry developing," said Hunt, "and be able to take plays that typically we'd either free ball or down ball over and actually get a spike approach and hard swing in the court."


Scappoose's only lead of the night came at 1-0 in game one when Shauna Sapolek, a 5-10 sophomore middle blocker, converted the first of her team-high six kills. Leading 14-10 in game one, Astoria's Hilary O'Bryan served out the match, recording four of her match-high five aces.


Astoria had 15 aces on the night against eight service errors. Scappoose had only one ace, despite some aggressive serving. while matching Astoria's eight errors. O'Bryan was Astoria's most efficient server, going 14-for-15.


Tillamook swept Seaside in three games meaning the Cheesemakers and Lady Fishermen will each be 2-0 heading into the first of three Cowapa League meetings this year. Astoria's next home match is next Tuesday against Yamhill-Carlton.

TUESDAY SCOREBOARD

GIRLS SOCCER
ASTORIA 0, R.A. Long 0
Gladstone 2, Seaside 1
TILLAMOOK vs. Molalla, 4:15 p.m.
CATLIN GABEL vs. Blanchet, 4:15 p.m.
O.E.S. vs. Wilsonville, 6:30 p.m.
VALLEY CATHOLIC vs. Estacada, 4:15 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
ASTORIA def. Scappoose 25-10, 25-14, 25-15
Wahkiakum def. Warrenton 17-25, 13-25, 26-24, 25-16, 16-14
Corbett def. Knappa 25-20, 25-23, 25-19
Tillamook def. Seaside 25-10, 26-24, 25-22
JEWELL def. Perrydale 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-15
BANKS vs. Yamhill-Carlton, 7:00 p.m.
Kalama at Woodland, 7:00 p.m.
ROCHESTER vs. Morton, 7:00 p.m.
Clatskanie at Portland Adventist, 6:00 p.m.
RAINIER vs. O.E.S., 6:15 p.m.
Riverdale at Catlin Gabel, 6:00 p.m.
PORTLAND CHRISTIAN vs. Portland Lutheran, 6:00 p.m.
NESTUCCA vs. Gaston, 6:45 p.m.
De La Salle at Faith Bible, 6:45 p.m.
North Beach at Taholah, 7:00 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY- Lewis & Clark Pre-District Meet at Tualatin Hills Rec. Center

MONDAY PREP ROUNDUP

BOYS SOCCER

Astoria 3, Taft 0...Astoria bounced back from its 6-0 opening day loss at Central to dispatch the Tigers, improving to 1-1 on the young season. Zach Norton, Jair Macareno and Sean Speer all scored for Astoria, which hosts 5A Wilsonville on Thursday at 4:15 p.m.



VOLLEYBALL

Naselle def. Ilwaco 25-8, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20...It was an emotional night at Patterson gymnasium where both teams honored the late Doug Rogers, a longtime teacher and educator at Naselle whose influence was felt strongly on both programs. Rogers, who was a successful volleyball and softball coach at Naselle for a number of years, was a volunteer assistant for Ilwaco this season before passing away suddenly last Thursday. Rogers has also mentored players and coaches at other schools in the area over the years and will be sadly missed. Naselle senior middle blocker Sylvia Herrold made her presence felt early as Naselle stormed to an easy win in game one. Ilwaco settled in and played competitive volleyball for the remainder of the match, but Herrold (14 kills) and fellow senior Brandi Keightley (10 kills) were too much to overcome. Johnson praised the serving of Marin McDonnell and the overall play of Erin McDonnell. Ilwaco begins Trico Division play at home on Thursday against Columbia, while Naselle travels to Mossyrock for a nonleague match.

Warrenton def. South Bend 16-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-21...The Warriors picked up a win on the road to improve to 3-0 on the season. Sophomore Brooklyn Campbell played her best game yet, serving a perfect 18-for-18, while passing at an 85% rate. Lauren Dove and Claire Ogren were strong at the net, combining for nearly 15 blocks for the Warriors, who return to the floor tonight to host Wahkiakum, varsity play scheduled to begin around 6:15 p.m.



CROSS COUNTRY

Cowapa League Preview Meet at Camp Rilea...no results reported

LADY FISHERMEN COMPETE AT SOUTHRIDGE

One of only two 4A schools at a volleyball tournament at Southridge High School in Beaverton on Saturday, the Astoria Lady Fishermen had their work cut out for them.

However, bolstered by the return of ailing outside hitter Kristen Saulsbury, Astoria competed well against the two 6A and one 5A team they faced, despite losing all three matches.

"I don't think we played to the best of our potential," said Astoria head coach Angee Hunt, "yet we were still able to do a lot of good things. There is still room to improve and that's always a good condition to be in, especially early in the season. It was a good day overall.

Astoria opened against 5A West Albany, dropping the first two games 21-25 and 10-25 before rebounding with a 25-21 win in the third game. From there, the Lady Fishermen carried momentum into a match against Metro power Southridge, again falling 2-1 (20-25, 25-22, 18-25).

As it turns out, game two of the Southridge matchup was the only game the Skyhawks lost on the way to sweeping Estacada in the tournament championship match.

"[Estacada] played very well at the tournament," said Hunt.

"It was nice to see another 4A school doing well. It gives us something to shoot for."

Astoria, seeded third in the consolation bracket, lost a heartbreaker to another 6A Metro League team, falling 23-25, 27-26, 14-16 to Aloha.

"It was very encouraging," said Hunt

"We just had one game with a little bit of a lapse, but other than that, out of nine games we played eight pretty solid ones."

Astoria will return to Cowapa League action at home Tuesday night against Scappoose.

LOCAL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Willapa Valley 29, Ilwaco 8...Drew Ege rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown and Josh Mayfield rushed for two touchdows and a 2-point conversion and intercepted a pass on the goal line as the Vikings spoiled Ilwaco's home opener. Eddie Knick crossed the century mark for the first time this year for the Fishermen, rushing for 123 yards on 26 carries. Matt Kaino scored on a 9-yard pass from Jake Nesbitt for Ilwaco's only tally. Ilwaco opens Trico Division play at home Friday against Rochester. The Warriors dropped to 1-1 with a 34-6 loss to Woodland. In other action involving Trico teams...Ridgefield outgunned La Center 43-36, Castle Rock held on to defeat Montesano 29-28 in overtime, Toledo edged Stevenson 22-20 and Columbia defeated Medical Lake 34-6
Naselle 32, Evergreen Lutheran 12...The Comets rushed for 346 yards and got rushing touchdowns from four different players to win their home opener, improving to 2-0 on the season. Alan Erickson rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown and tied for team lead in tackles with eight. Locan Scrabeck also crossed the century mark with 104 yards on 14 totes and defensed three passes as the Comets survived without star quarterback Kyle Burkhalter, out with a shoulder injury. Naselle has a bye next Friday before heading to Raymond to open Pacific 2B League play the following week. The Seagulls were blanked 28-0 at Rainier on Friday. In other action involving Pacific 2B League teams...South Bend destroyed Chief Leschi 70-22, Ocosta knocked off Winlock 21-6 and North Beach defeated Christian Faith 34-14 on Saturday.
Gladstone 41, Seaside 14...The visiting Gladiators rolled up a 41-0 lead on the way to a win at Broadway Field. Senior running back Dom Walker scored both of Seaside's touchdowns on a pair of fourth quarter runs, finishing with 79 yards on 13 carries. Ed Kauffunger completed 13 of 19 passes for 173 yards and an interception. Jeremy Carow caught four passes for 93 yards for the Gulls. In other action involving Cowapa League teams...Central defeated Tillamook 42-14, Cottage Grove topped Scappoose 12-7, Molalla knocked off Banks 28-12 and Yamhill-Carlton handled Stayton 21-6.
Warrenton 14, Corbett 12...The Warriors picked up a win in their season opener. No details were reported.
Knappa 38, Neah-Kah-Nie 16...The Loggers evened their record at 1-1. No details were reported.

FISHERMEN RUN AGROUND VS. FALCONS

From the exhilaration of an opening week win over defending state champion Siuslaw, the Astoria Fishermen suffered a precipitous drop in their fortunes Friday night in Portland.


With a chance to avenge last year's only loss, Astoria fell completely flat in a 32-7 loss to the LaSalle Falcons in which they were dominated in just about every respect.


Yet, with just over five minutes remaining in the final period, Astoria was in position to snatch victory from the curved beak of defeat.


With an offense that couldn't shift out of first gear and a defense that had been pushed all over the field from the opening kickoff, Astoria had La Salle in a third down and two situation at the 41 yard line, clinging to a surprisingly precarious 12-7 lead. A stop would have forced Falcons' second-year head coach Mike Fanger into a difficult decision: go for it and continue to push toward a game-deciding score while running down the clock or punt and force Astoria's sputtering offense to take the long way from deep in their own end to try and salvage a win.


Fanger never had to make that fourth down choice. The decision on third down was easy. Give the ball to the defending Capital Conference Offensive Player of the Year and let him go to work one more time.


Chris Nagel took the handoff and hit the left side of his line, broke through two tackles at the line of scrimmage, slipped free of another at the line to gain, then took off for the end zone, scoring his third touchdown of the game and finally breaking Astoria's spirit.

The Falcons tacked on two more scores in the final five minutes to run away with the win in their season opener, while Astoria dropped to 1-1 with their first regular season loss since the final game of the 2005 season.

"I hate to use that saying, but nothing's ever as good as it seems or as bad as it seems," said Astoria head coach Howard Rub. "That really sums up the last two weeks, I think."

Nagel, who was not a major factor in La Salle's 20-16 playoff win over Astoria last November, was a lethal combination of kryptonite and teflon. The 2nd-team All-State senior running back caught two touchdown passes to go with his gamebreaking run, rushed for 229 yards on 29 carries, caught six passes for another 104 yards and racked up another 60 yards or so on kick and punt returns in what had to be one of the greatest individual performances in the history of LaSalle football.


Meanwhile, the Falcons defense pretty much pitched a shutout, but for some special teams misfortune. On LaSalle's second drive of the game, sophomore Dane Lund blocked Cam Keeney's punt and Trevor Puckett advanced the loose ball to the Falcon 26 yard line. Facing third down and five, Astoria QB Jordan Poyer connected with sophomore receiver Max Johnson for an 18-yard gain to the Falcons' 3-yard line. Poyer bulled into the end zone on the next play putting Astoria in front 7-0.


The LaSalle Nag...er, Falcons answered with a six-play scoring drive that featured four runs by Nagel and two pass receptions, the final one covering 14-yards after a time out to put La Salle on the board. A missed PAT left Astoria in front 7-6 with 0:38 seconds remaining in the first quarter and the score would remarkably hold up for two more full quarters.


Two LaSalle drives deep into Fishermen territory in the second quarter netted no points, both scuppered by penalties. Meanwhile, Astoria struggled to get any momentum going offensively, outgained 196-58 in the first two quarters, while accumulating just three first downs to nine for the hosts.


A pedestrian first half for the highly-touted Poyer took a downturn in the final two quarters as the much-hyped junior signalcaller went 1-for-11 for three yards and a somewhat questionable interception, a long launch downfield midway through the third quarter that seemed to migrate from the hands of Johnson to the ground then into the excited mitts of cornerback Luis Alvarado, who sold the pick to the officials. Little harm done as Poyer made a graceful leaping snatch of a long Vince Hicks toss on the very next play to return the ball to the Fish three yards downfield from where they'd been.


But, yet another drive would stall as Poyer was sandwiched by Falcons defensive ends Eric Whalen and Mike Oborn for a 10-yard sack on third and seven forcing a punt. On the ensuing possession, the Falcons marched 52-yards to the go-ahead score, a pass from Hicks to, you guessed it, Nagel on the left sideline. The muscular running back took care of the rest, eluding futile Astoria tackles while hugging the boundary to the end zone giving LaSalle a 12-7 lead after a failed conversion pass. The key play on the drive came near midfield on third and eight when Hicks, pressured from both sides of the pocket, stepped forward and raced 13 yards for a Falcons' first down. LaSalle had been 1-for-7 on third down conversions up until that critical play.


While Poyer suffered through a nightmarish offensive performance, he carried out his defensive assignment completely. Matched up against honorable mention All-State wide receiver Cam Keeney, who almost singlehandedly led LaSalle's comeback in their playoff win at Astoria, Poyer held the talented wideout to no receptions, breaking up a fourth down pass on the sideline inside the Astoria red zone to halt the Falcons' first drive of the game and pulling in his first interception of the season in the second half. Unfortunately, Astoria could have used another Poyer to help reign in Nagel, who torched the Astoria defense from opening whistle to final horn.


With almost no offensive production through three quarters, Astoria was given another golden opportunity to regain the lead early in the fourth quarter. On second and 14 from the LaSalle 44-yard line, 2nd-team All-Capital Conference quarterback Vince Hicks dropped back to pass and was blindsided by Astoria free safety Tom Jaworski coming on a blitz off the edge. Jaws stripped the ball and sophomore defensive end Jake Hatcher plopped on it at the Falcons 22 yard line.


Given another short field, Astoria quickly faced a fourth down and two, but Jaws picked up five yards to the Falcons nine to set up first and goal. Poyer fumbled the football on a keeper on the next play and LaSalle linebacker Travis Cisneros had the ball seemingly wrapped up, but it squirted away and Astoria was able to cover back at the 15. They failed to take advantage of this huge break as Poyer was hauled down for a sack and a disastrous 15-yard loss when he could not locate an open receiver. Taken out of field goal range, two passes in Johnson's direction were knocked way and Falcons' impressive defense made its biggest stand of the night.

On the very next drive, Nagel broke loose on his 41-yard gallop and Astoria's hopes were all but dashed.


Astoria, held to -1 yards rushing in the second half, was outgained 427-87 in a game that logically should have been over much earlier than it was.

"The reality of it is, the things that you use as motivation are not as important as actually executing," said Rub, whose team was definitely out for revenge for what they perceived as a premature end to last season. "We did not execute well enough offensively or defensively tonight to earn a victory and certainly LaSalle did."

LaSalle seems to have Poyer's number, which should have coaches statewide scrambling for tapes and DVD's, while Fanger shouldn't have to buy lunch for a very long time. The 2nd-team All-State QB's only subpar start came in last year's playoff, when he was held to 12-for-25 through the air, the only time he completed less than 50-percent of his passes in a full game last season. A 12-for-25 performance Friday night might have been enough to put Astoria over the hump, given the window of opportunity LaSalle left open with their third down and red zone futility. Instead, Poyer completed just 4-of-19 passes for 37 yards, while rushing for only 11 yards on 15 carries.

"They did a real good job of taking certain things away from us," said Rub. "Unfortunately, early we dropped some balls underneath in the quick game and in some intermediate areas. And then you saw us just trying to force some things deep, which shouldn't have happened if we'd just executed better earlier on."


The LaSalle defense, which has now played eight straight very good quarters against Astoria, never allowed the Fishermen to pull off a patented big play. Astoria's longest play from scrimmage came in the final minute with their reserves on the field, when Ian Erickson threaded the needle to Alex Eterno on a 25-yard pass, incidentally against the first-team LaSalle defense.


The win gives LaSalle, which has never won a league title in football much less a state title, big-time validation as a major player on the state 4A scene this year, while Astoria is left wondering where it stands in the grand scheme of things heading into next Friday's game at Gladstone. The game has been moved to Oregon City High School's football stadium and will be broadcast live on 1370 KAST-AM starting at 6:45 next Friday night.


ASTORIA 7-0-0-0-- 7
LASALLE 6-0-6-20-- 32
1st Qtr- AST: Poyer 3 run (M. Johnson kick)
1st Qtr- LAS: Nagel 14 pass from Hicks (kick failed)
3rd Qtr-LAS: Nagel 32 pass from Hicks (pass failed)
4th Qtr-LAS: Nagel 41 run (run failed)
4th Qtr-LAS: B. Swain 8 run (Thul kick)
4th Qtr-LAS: Maughan 35 interception return (Thul kick)
RUSHING-AST: 27-25 (Jaworski 7-18), LAS: 41-284 (Nagel 29-229-TD)
PASSING-AST: 5-22-2-62 (Poyer 4-19-1-37), LAS: Hicks 9-19-1-143-2TD
RECEIVING-AST: M. Johnson 2-29, LAS: Nagel 6-104-2TD
FIRST DOWNS-AST: 7, LAS: 16
TURNOVERS-AST: 3, LAS: 2
PENALTIES-AST: 6-30, LAS: 8-45

SHORTHANDED FISHERMEN BATTLE PAST GULLS

Any good team knows, you are usually only one injury away from being average.


The Astoria Lady Fishermen came into Thursday night's home matchup against rival Seaside as heavy favorites and won the match in three games, but battled every step of the way in a 27-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory.


Seaside had late leads in each game of the match, but could not close out against the experienced Fishermen in front of a partisan crowd at the Brick House.


"They stepped it up towards the end," said Seaside's second-year head coach Mitch Ward. "We had some key errors at the wrong times and had bad streaks when we were up and let them back in the game. We could have had all three of those games and it could have been the other way around fairly easily, I think."


Astoria played without all-Cowapa League outside hitter Kristen Saulsbury, who has been plagued by chronic knee pain dating back to the summer. Saulsbury played in Astoria's first two matches on Friday, but was severely hampered in practice Wednesday and was held out of the match for precautionary reasons.


Missing their strongest outside hitter, Astoria looked to other combinations and struggled at times, but was able to come from behind in each game to earn the sweep.


"We made it really interesting," said Astoria head coach Angee Hunt. "Seaside came to play. We need to realize that every team is going to want a piece of us this year and if we don't come ready to play it could be us on the other side."


The Gulls played very well defensively and put a strong double block at the net, while rotating two different setters into the game throughout the match, mirroring Astoria's early season look.


"We knew that the freshman last year who was the J.V. setter [Sarah LaCoste] was going to come up and play varsity this year," said Ward. "I knew we were going to do that because developing someone for the future, we kind of need that. She did a great job tonight."


The Gulls only graduated two seniors from last year's team, including 6-foot middle blocker Becca Weaver, who missed most of the season with a knee injury. Last year's setter McKenzie Bauske has moved to right side hitter with LaCoste sharing setsswith senior Ashley Stinnett. Senior Mollie Schmidt, who did not play last year, provided Seaside's most consistent attack from the outside while juniors Abbie Huddleston, Megan Potter and senior Shelby Siebert give Seaside a trio of tall players up front to establish a strong block.


Another pair of juniors, Ellie Wiese and Jamie Osburn return on the outside with experience and junior Ashley Nice was all over the floor, selling out her body to dig up balls from her libero slot.


"We've got pretty much everybody returning," said Ward. "Heather Cleary (senior defensive specialist) in the back row and Ashley Nice, our libero, is doing a great job. It's really nice having her back there."


"We're really excited. We've got three or four people in every position we can put in any given time. It's kind of nice to have."


Schmidt put away a kill to put Seaside up 25-24 in game one, but a service error returned the side out to Astoria and sophomore setter Kayce Lilley served up two of her patented high arcing short serves to earn Astoria's final two points.


Service errors late in games two and three were also costly for Seaside, which led Astoria 23-22 in game two and 22-20 in game three before faltering.


DeWitt served Astoria back into game two with back-to-back aces as the Lady Fishermen came from 13-8 down to tie the score at 16-16. With junior libero Ashley Nice serving, Seaside sandwiched a double-block by Abbie Huddleston and McKenzie Bauske between two aces to jump back in front 21-18. Two DeWitt kills and an errant Seaside shot accounted for Astoria's final three points and a 25-23 edge in game two.


In game three, Astoria had a rare lead in the early going before a string of four consecutive hitting errors allowed the Gulls to pull in front 15-12. The Gulls would extend to a 17-13 edge before a momentum-killing service error. Two more errors down the stretch with a slim lead kept Astoria poised for their third late comeback and back-to-back kills by Meredith Barnes put Astoria up 23-22. After Ellie Wiese tied the match with a kill, back-to-back hitting errors gave Astoria the match point serve and the win.


DeWitt led the way for Astoria with 12 kills and a block, while Barnes added eight kills and a block. Sara Cullen contributed 19 assists and Lilley led Astoria at the service line with a perfect 18-for-18 performance and an ace.


Schmidt's six kills led a balanced Seaside attack. Huddleston was involved in four double-blocks for the Gulls, who were playing their season opener.


Astoria, now 2-1, continues to find an opportunity for all of the girls on its bench to contribute early in the season. The Lady Fishermen will need all of their resources this Saturday as they step up in classification to play in a tournament at Southridge High School in Beaverton.


"We are still learning the ropes and getting the chemistry," said Hunt. "With 12 [players], there are a lot of combinations, but the mental toughness is the thing we've got to look at now."


Seaside is off until Tuesday when the Gulls play their home opener against Tillamook, which defeated Banks 25-11, 25-13, 27-25 Thursday night.

LADY FISHERMEN OPEN WITH SOCCER WIN

When Jim Flint took over as head coach of the Astoria girls soccer program two years ago, he began what he felt would be a four or five year project of building to a competitive level. If Wednesday's season opener is any indication, the Lady Fishermen may be ahead of schedule.



Astoria dominated its match with the visiting Central Panthers on the way to a 1-0 victory at the Warrenton soccer complex, outshooting the visitors 13-1.



Astoria also opened last season with a victory, but notched just one more win on the way to a 2-9-3 finish. However, they competed in nearly every match during the season and lost a number of close games. Flint hopes that his team can take the next crucial step this season and learn to take advantage of offensive opportunities and put the ball in the back of the net.



"The area we struggled in today was finishing," said Flint. "We created a ton of opportunities and we need to learn how to finish. We will be working with great intensity with our forwards to take their opportunities early and learn how to finish.

"When you dominate a game and win 1-0 you still win. It could have been 5-0 with the opportunities we created. I estimate we had the ball 70 percent of the time. That’s a dominating performance!"



Despite owning possession throughout the match yesterday and limiting the Panther to a single shot and no corner kicks, Astoria did not score until the final five minutes, when junior striker Charlene Harber came out of a scramble in front of the Central goal to notch the game-winner.



Astoria returns eight starters from last year's team, which finished seventh in the 8-team Special District 1 with a record of 0-5-2. Among those lost to graduation were Janae Poe, an athletic defender who is playing at Pacific Lutheran University, one of three Astoria graduates currently on college rosters.



This year's squad is comprised of seven seniors and a strong core of ten juniors, including Harber, one of the state's top 4A athletes, who was hampered by persistent asthma and an assortment of injuries in 2006. Harber is beginning the season with some calf strain issues, but when healthy is a devasting combination of speed and size, two things this year's squad has an abundance of. Flint believes a new regimen of medication will keep his best offensive weapon on the field longer this season.



Six-foot, one-inch senior defender Kristina Wilson has the team's strongest leg. Wilson handles most of Astoria's set plays last year, but will likely get in the mix on corner kicks this year to take advantage of her height. Astoria's senior tri-captains all play on the back line of their flatback-four zone defense, with Wilson and 5-9 Lynae Huber on the inside and 5-10 Brooke Schauermann on the outside along with junior Katie Beck, another player who hopes to overcome asthma to be a consistent contributor.



Switching from a 4-4-2 defensive-oriented alignment to a 4-3-3 look will give Astoria more attacking players this season and lead to more goal scoring for a team that found the net just eight times in 14 games last season.



"Our ability to finish is what prevented us from having a breakout year last year," said Flint. "That’s why we switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 because it’s a more assertive offense that will allow us to get players forward."



Juniors Jordan Crownover and Melissa Law, both recognized on the all-Cowapa League team in '06, will be in attacking midfield positions with rapidly-emerging junior Sarah Pope playing more of a defensive midfield position.



Juniors Shelly Gregory and Dani Stevens are first-year starters at the forward positions flanking Harber up front.



Elizabeth "Bug" Coggins, a junior, was a revelation in goal last year in her first year of soccer. Gordon Thomsen joins Flint's staff as an assistant to help coach up Coggins, who displayed outstanding hands and quick feet, but is still learning the details and skills of the position. Kevin Speer, who assisted with the Astoria boys along with Thomsen last year, will coach the fowards, while Cathy Aydt joins the staff as J.V. coach, doubling the number of coaches from last year. All have helped institute a conditioning regimen that has Astoria ready to run.



"Last year we had a tendency to die in an 80 minute game and that’s when we would be exposed," said Flint. "We are the fittest we have ever been."



"We know we are fit and that’s the foundation of soccer. You step on the field and you need to be able to play a full 80 minutes and go hard a full 80 minutes. It won’t take us a third of the season to get match-ready."



Flint's goal for this season is to compete for a spot in the district playoffs, no easy task in a district that includes three teams that reached last year's state quarterfinals.



"They have improved as a group. They are not the team that finished last year. They are not the same team. Our dominating play tonight is an example. We’ll see how we do this weekend at the Catlin Gabel mini-tournament because we will see some quality sides".



Astoria will face Gladstone, Westside Christian and Pleasant Hill on Saturday, starting at 8:45 a.m. Each game will be 30 minutes long, split into 15 minute halves. The top four of eight teams will advance to semifinals and finals. Catlin Gabel is in the opposite bracket, along with Valley Catholic, North Bend and 6A Rex Putnam.



Astoria returns home to face R.A. Long at 6:00 p.m. on Sep. 11. After non-league tilts with Philomath, Gladstone, La Salle and Montesano, the Lady Fishermen open district play at Scappoose on Sep. 26


HEAD COACH: Jim Flint (3 yrs, 6-18-4)

ASST COACHES: Gordon Thomsen, Kevin Speer, Cathy Aydt (JV)

2006 RECORD: 2-9-3 (0-5-2 Special District 1 7th)

LAST PLAYOFF: 2001

LAST LG TITLE: none

LAST STATE PLAYOFF: none

KEY LOSSES: Janae Poe (D, 4-yr starter), Maren Holyoak (M, 3-yr starter), Stacy Law (M)

RETURNING ALL-STARS: Kristina Wilson (SR, D), Bug Coggins (JR, GK), Mel Law (JR, MF)

RETURNING STARTERS: 8

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 8