LIFE GOES ON
Yeah, sorry, it's been awhile. Promised you some big changes were coming, didn't I?
No more ESPN Radio on the North Coast. All I'm going to say on the topic is that it was a business decision. I'm a sports reporter not a business decision maker. So, please stop asking me questions. And complaining to me about it will be about as useful as yelling down a well somewhere. If you really want to be heard, you need to talk to the decision makers not the order takers. If you want to know what I think about it, you probably already know. 'Nuff said.
Yes, we still cover local sports here in dripsville. That won't change at least for the near future. So, let's talk playoffs.
As in, no playoffs for the Astoria football team. A case could legitimately be made that the most dangerous team in the Cowapa League will not represent the league in the playoffs this season. If Jordan Poyer doesn't get hurt, does Astoria reach the playoffs? I think yes. Are they likely the league champs? Quite possibly. Yes, he did play offense against Scappoose, but didn't run with authority until the second half and was missed on defense, particularly on two long touchdown runs, one of which I'm certain doesn't go for 69 yards (If Poyer can catch Darrell Fields of Gladstone on a sideline sprint, I'm pretty damn sure he's catching Ryland Geiger).
However, I think two other things hurt them perhaps even more than Poyer's injury, because they definitely could have beaten both Banks and Scappoose without him.
Number one: turnovers! Two costly turnovers at Banks potentially cost them 21 points in an eight point loss. A fumble at the Braves five yard line, that the Braves turned into a long touchdown drive. Another fumble inside the Astoria 30 that turned into a short TD drive. Against Scapoose, Astoria was inside the red zone driving for a tying touchdown, when Jesse Lindsay picked up a fumble and returned it all the way for a backbreaking TD.
Number two: Willie Webb. What? What did he do against Astoria? Not a lot, but it's what the pigskin sprite did against Tillamook and Scappoose that spelled doom for the Fishermen. A Webb kickoff return for a TD provided the winning margin in a 14-7 victory for Y-C over the 1-win Cheesemakers (best one win team in Oregon?). Tillamook also didn't do themselves any favors by committing back-to-back illegal procedure penalties when they had 1st and goal at the Y-C one-yard line, eventually turning the ball over (and you think Astoria had some costly TO's!). Then, in the season finale with Astoria needing a Scappoose win over Y-C to reach the playoffs, the Indians had just taken a 10-7 lead in the 3rd quarter when Webb returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for the deciding touchdown.
I guess we can throw in a 2-and-a-half for the leadfooted line judge at 'Poose who failed to be in position on a critical fumble call late in the fourth quarter that allowed Y-C to nearly run out the clock (Hey, if the Spotlight reporter can bellyache about our coastal refs, I can do the same to the Portland guys).
In the end, very disappointing for Astoria to not be playing again in November. Especially considering they would have had a very winnable first round game (Sutherlin) and an opportunity to go all bizarro world on La Salle. Think about it: Astoria goes undefeated in 2006 including win over good Falcons team in preseason, then falls at home in playoff upset rematch. In 2007, Falcons go unbeaten including impressive win over Astoria, then host Fishermen in second round playoff rematch. What an opportunity lost!
Speaking of lost opportunities, the fact that Junction City defeated Astoria's 15-2 volleyball team at the Brick House Saturday night is not in itself a huge story. The Tigers had made two straight trips to state, played in the rugged Sky-Em League and had equivalent talent to the Lady Fishermen. Much like last year's home playoff with Douglas, this game was pretty much a pick'em.
The sad story is the way this exciting match ended. Already approaching marathon status after going to extra points in each of the first two games, the Lady Fishermen responded down two games to none by taking games three and four and fairly walloped the visitors 25-12 in the fourth game. JC's star outside hitter Kayla Rauschert had 16 kills in the first three games, but was clearly tanking late. Meanwhile, Astoria's star middle Sophie DeWitt was bringing her big game, pounding 24 kills through four games, many of the fierce and sharp angled variety. Kristen Saulsbury was providing consistent offense on the outside with her varied attacks, Meredith Barnes looked rejuvenated after going 0-for-3 on her first three attacks and the back line gals, after a bit of an erratic start, were digging up everything and passing on a dime.
To game five with JC's Rauschert serving, a shaky receive led to a DeWitt shot that took an unfortunate roll down the net tape out of bounds. No worries, right? Wrong. De Witt's next opportunity came after a bad pass and a set outside the boundary, followed by a check swing yip. That opened the floodgates to what could only be described as a group gack! Painful to watch as at least five of the six girls on the floor did their darnedest to hide in a square with no dark shadows. Passes were shanked into the stands, free balls sent into the net, hitters practically screaming don't set me with their body language, errant serve, you name it, all of the trademark symptoms of the bodily reflex that made Dr. Heimlich famous.
Last year's team had more of a stabilizing influence from it's seniors. This team probably had more athletic gifts and talent than any other Astoria volleyball team, but lacked clear leadership on the floor and, as it turned out, intestinal fortitude. Fortunately, Astoria didn't have to play in too many 5-game matches this year as they nearly ran the table in a talent-depleted Cowapa League (Tillamook and Banks not nearly as strong as last year).
Still, it's been a great three-year run for these seniors, with DeWitt, Saulsbury and Hilary O'Bryan starting during that whole stretch and Sara Cullen and Meredith Barnes contributing until becoming full-time starters this year. Astoria finished with it's best-ever regular season record of 15-2 and won back-to-back Cowapa League titles for the first time in the program's history. DeWitt is probably the most talented volleyball player to come out of here and an exemplary student as well, who will be an asset to a small college program somewhere. Saulsbury battled through a troublesome knee injury all year, putting off surgery to be with her team when they needed her most. The unsung O'Bryan has also had to overcome health hurdles and unfortunately will not get the chance to play at Lane CC after injuring her ankle in the subtournament last year. Cullen accepted the responsibility of setter with aplomb and is one of the hardest workers on the team and Barnes showed polish to go with her passion in her senior year.
Three local teams remain and two of them will be on the soccer field Tuesday. Seaside travels to Philomath after knocking off South Umpqua 1-0 in a first round match on Saturday. After a first round bye, Astoria hosts 3rd-ranked La Salle at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Anybody else notice that the third place team in the Cowapa got a much more favorable bracket slot than the league champ? The Gulls could easily get to the quarterfinals after beating Philomath earlier in the year, when they weren't playing nearly as well as they are now. Meanwhile, Astoria has it's work cut out against what has to be the toughest two seed in the field. La Salle finished behind top-ranked Gladstone in the Capital Conference and is a state championship contender every year. Gotta say it again, I hate these prefab brackets in Oregon. Play a regional playoff, then seed the state bracket right before the tournament and don't play any quarterfinal or later games on anything less than a regulation size, quality field.
Also, good luck to the Naselle football team after an 8-1 season and Pacific 2B League co-championship. The Comets travel to Bellevue's Interlake High School on Saturday for their first state playoff game in more than a decade. If they beat Seattle Lutheran on Saturday, they better enjoy the celebration for as long as they can, because they will be Adna's sacrificial lamb in the quarterfinals. The loaded Pirates are simply at a different level this year as former Ilwaco HC K.C. Johnson looks to be on his way to a state title. Still, great job by Coach Eaton and his hard-hittin' Comets.
See you at the (soccer) game!
No more ESPN Radio on the North Coast. All I'm going to say on the topic is that it was a business decision. I'm a sports reporter not a business decision maker. So, please stop asking me questions. And complaining to me about it will be about as useful as yelling down a well somewhere. If you really want to be heard, you need to talk to the decision makers not the order takers. If you want to know what I think about it, you probably already know. 'Nuff said.
Yes, we still cover local sports here in dripsville. That won't change at least for the near future. So, let's talk playoffs.
As in, no playoffs for the Astoria football team. A case could legitimately be made that the most dangerous team in the Cowapa League will not represent the league in the playoffs this season. If Jordan Poyer doesn't get hurt, does Astoria reach the playoffs? I think yes. Are they likely the league champs? Quite possibly. Yes, he did play offense against Scappoose, but didn't run with authority until the second half and was missed on defense, particularly on two long touchdown runs, one of which I'm certain doesn't go for 69 yards (If Poyer can catch Darrell Fields of Gladstone on a sideline sprint, I'm pretty damn sure he's catching Ryland Geiger).
However, I think two other things hurt them perhaps even more than Poyer's injury, because they definitely could have beaten both Banks and Scappoose without him.
Number one: turnovers! Two costly turnovers at Banks potentially cost them 21 points in an eight point loss. A fumble at the Braves five yard line, that the Braves turned into a long touchdown drive. Another fumble inside the Astoria 30 that turned into a short TD drive. Against Scapoose, Astoria was inside the red zone driving for a tying touchdown, when Jesse Lindsay picked up a fumble and returned it all the way for a backbreaking TD.
Number two: Willie Webb. What? What did he do against Astoria? Not a lot, but it's what the pigskin sprite did against Tillamook and Scappoose that spelled doom for the Fishermen. A Webb kickoff return for a TD provided the winning margin in a 14-7 victory for Y-C over the 1-win Cheesemakers (best one win team in Oregon?). Tillamook also didn't do themselves any favors by committing back-to-back illegal procedure penalties when they had 1st and goal at the Y-C one-yard line, eventually turning the ball over (and you think Astoria had some costly TO's!). Then, in the season finale with Astoria needing a Scappoose win over Y-C to reach the playoffs, the Indians had just taken a 10-7 lead in the 3rd quarter when Webb returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for the deciding touchdown.
I guess we can throw in a 2-and-a-half for the leadfooted line judge at 'Poose who failed to be in position on a critical fumble call late in the fourth quarter that allowed Y-C to nearly run out the clock (Hey, if the Spotlight reporter can bellyache about our coastal refs, I can do the same to the Portland guys).
In the end, very disappointing for Astoria to not be playing again in November. Especially considering they would have had a very winnable first round game (Sutherlin) and an opportunity to go all bizarro world on La Salle. Think about it: Astoria goes undefeated in 2006 including win over good Falcons team in preseason, then falls at home in playoff upset rematch. In 2007, Falcons go unbeaten including impressive win over Astoria, then host Fishermen in second round playoff rematch. What an opportunity lost!
Speaking of lost opportunities, the fact that Junction City defeated Astoria's 15-2 volleyball team at the Brick House Saturday night is not in itself a huge story. The Tigers had made two straight trips to state, played in the rugged Sky-Em League and had equivalent talent to the Lady Fishermen. Much like last year's home playoff with Douglas, this game was pretty much a pick'em.
The sad story is the way this exciting match ended. Already approaching marathon status after going to extra points in each of the first two games, the Lady Fishermen responded down two games to none by taking games three and four and fairly walloped the visitors 25-12 in the fourth game. JC's star outside hitter Kayla Rauschert had 16 kills in the first three games, but was clearly tanking late. Meanwhile, Astoria's star middle Sophie DeWitt was bringing her big game, pounding 24 kills through four games, many of the fierce and sharp angled variety. Kristen Saulsbury was providing consistent offense on the outside with her varied attacks, Meredith Barnes looked rejuvenated after going 0-for-3 on her first three attacks and the back line gals, after a bit of an erratic start, were digging up everything and passing on a dime.
To game five with JC's Rauschert serving, a shaky receive led to a DeWitt shot that took an unfortunate roll down the net tape out of bounds. No worries, right? Wrong. De Witt's next opportunity came after a bad pass and a set outside the boundary, followed by a check swing yip. That opened the floodgates to what could only be described as a group gack! Painful to watch as at least five of the six girls on the floor did their darnedest to hide in a square with no dark shadows. Passes were shanked into the stands, free balls sent into the net, hitters practically screaming don't set me with their body language, errant serve, you name it, all of the trademark symptoms of the bodily reflex that made Dr. Heimlich famous.
Last year's team had more of a stabilizing influence from it's seniors. This team probably had more athletic gifts and talent than any other Astoria volleyball team, but lacked clear leadership on the floor and, as it turned out, intestinal fortitude. Fortunately, Astoria didn't have to play in too many 5-game matches this year as they nearly ran the table in a talent-depleted Cowapa League (Tillamook and Banks not nearly as strong as last year).
Still, it's been a great three-year run for these seniors, with DeWitt, Saulsbury and Hilary O'Bryan starting during that whole stretch and Sara Cullen and Meredith Barnes contributing until becoming full-time starters this year. Astoria finished with it's best-ever regular season record of 15-2 and won back-to-back Cowapa League titles for the first time in the program's history. DeWitt is probably the most talented volleyball player to come out of here and an exemplary student as well, who will be an asset to a small college program somewhere. Saulsbury battled through a troublesome knee injury all year, putting off surgery to be with her team when they needed her most. The unsung O'Bryan has also had to overcome health hurdles and unfortunately will not get the chance to play at Lane CC after injuring her ankle in the subtournament last year. Cullen accepted the responsibility of setter with aplomb and is one of the hardest workers on the team and Barnes showed polish to go with her passion in her senior year.
Three local teams remain and two of them will be on the soccer field Tuesday. Seaside travels to Philomath after knocking off South Umpqua 1-0 in a first round match on Saturday. After a first round bye, Astoria hosts 3rd-ranked La Salle at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Anybody else notice that the third place team in the Cowapa got a much more favorable bracket slot than the league champ? The Gulls could easily get to the quarterfinals after beating Philomath earlier in the year, when they weren't playing nearly as well as they are now. Meanwhile, Astoria has it's work cut out against what has to be the toughest two seed in the field. La Salle finished behind top-ranked Gladstone in the Capital Conference and is a state championship contender every year. Gotta say it again, I hate these prefab brackets in Oregon. Play a regional playoff, then seed the state bracket right before the tournament and don't play any quarterfinal or later games on anything less than a regulation size, quality field.
Also, good luck to the Naselle football team after an 8-1 season and Pacific 2B League co-championship. The Comets travel to Bellevue's Interlake High School on Saturday for their first state playoff game in more than a decade. If they beat Seattle Lutheran on Saturday, they better enjoy the celebration for as long as they can, because they will be Adna's sacrificial lamb in the quarterfinals. The loaded Pirates are simply at a different level this year as former Ilwaco HC K.C. Johnson looks to be on his way to a state title. Still, great job by Coach Eaton and his hard-hittin' Comets.
See you at the (soccer) game!
posted by Matt Richert at 9:29 PM
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