Team scores weren’t kept, but winning titles wasn’t Taft High Coach Robb Ellis’ intent for Saturday's first Holiday Crab Pools Invitational, where 123 wrestlers from 13 squads battled in the school gymnasium to turn an abundance of mat time into individual improvement.
Freshman Sam Cortes won the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, while junior Micah McLeish won the 200-yard freestyle Saturday to lead the Taft High boys to third place at the Clemens Invitational swim meet in Philomath.
Turnovers and missed free throws proved costly as the injury-riddled Taft High boys basketball team opened its conference home season Friday with a 55-43 home loss to league-leading Clatskanie.
Taft High wrestlers will claw like crustaceans in pursuit of takedowns beginning at 10:15 a.m. Saturday when the school hosts a rare home meet against at least 13 schools on several mats in the school gym.
Freshman Sam Cortes, junior Sammy Halferty and senior Joram Hoff won two events each to narrowly lead Taft High to the boys and girls team titles Thursday in a dual meet with Seaside at the Lincoln City Community Center pool.
The Taft High boys basketball team fell to No.-1 ranked and undefeated Toledo 85-50 in Saturday's championship game of the Taft Kiwanis Holiday Tournament.
The Taft High boys basketball team used its first home-court appearance of the season Friday to advance to the title game of its own Kiwanis Holiday Tournament with a 78-57 victory over Waldport.
The Taft High girls varsity basketball team fell to Oakridge 45-37 Thursday night in the Taft Kiwanis Holiday Tournament despite double-digit scoring from Claira Tolan and Autumn Ellis.
