Senior David Jin will be back as Taft High’s starting quarterback Thursday despite nursing an injured ankle when the Tigers travel to Willamina.
Taft will need all the help it can get from all of its skill players, including sophomore running back JJ French, who scored both Tiger touchdowns last week. The Bulldogs (4-2, 1-1) enter in the 7 p.m. Class 3A Special District 1 West Division game ranked fourth in the state.
“Willamina is a good team with a good record,” Taft Coach Jake Tolan said, “but I feel we have a good shot to compete for a win.”
Jin’s ankle, which forced him out of last week’s game, won’t be 100 percent, so sophomore Antonio Suarez could also see some snaps despite an injured leg of his own, Tolan said.
Offense could be the least of the Tigers’ worries, however. Taft, 1-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play, must find a way to tighten up its defense after surrendering 256 points this season, or 43.6 points per game.
“This week our focus has been on tackling better,; something we didn’t do well against Clatskanie [in a 55-12 road loss],” Tolan said. “We have also worked both our offensive and defensive lines hard this week, as I feel these two groups will be vital tomorrow if we want to have a chance for a win.”
The Lincoln County School District Board of Directors has selected Dave Price to complete the term in Zone 1 vacated by the Sept. 11 resignation of Karen Bondley.
Price, director of the Small Business Development Center at Oregon Coast Community College, was chosen over Shawnee Bledsoe of Lincoln City and Megan Cawley of Otis.
The Zone 1 position, which covers the North County area, will be open for election after June 2019. It is a volunteer position and unpaid.
In a match Taft High boys soccer Coach Ryan Ulicni described as “the fastest-paced, back-and-forth game you would ever want to see but hate to watch,“ Tuesday’s scoreless home league tie with Dayton will go down as perhaps the Tigers’ most memorable showdown of the season.
“I believe we controlled most of the game, bringing the game to another level that had the other team trying to keep up,” Ulicni said after Taft and Dayton decided next to nothing in a 0-0 tie. “We’re still building this young team of ours, and now, using this speed, this is what we were meant for.”
Taft tri-captains Edson Fuentes, William Calderon and William Brooks “led the team in their own way, keeping the spirits up,” Ulicni said.
Brooks, an all-league senior goalie, had 12 saves.
“Very likely without his focus, skill and leadership, we would have lost,” Ulicni conceded.
Caldron and Fuentes led the charge in the midfield and at forward, respectively, while sophomore Adam Lascano also stood out with his midfield play by “going to every ball and never backing down.”
Taft moved to 6-3-3 overall and 5-3-3 in Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 play with the tie, while Dayton stands 6-1-4, 6-1-4.
“That may have been our team’s best game to date,” the first-year Taft coach said. “It’s still difficult to look at the scoreboard and wonder how. I see a better quality in everyone’s passing, dribbling and shooting.”
Ulicni said he liked the 11 shots his squad took on goal “because they were better attempts than in the past.”
“We had some changes in our formation, which allowed us to be more aggressive towards the goal,” he said. “These changes can be hard to get used to, but these boys have adapted so well.
“They are proud of their performance tonight and they seem hungry for more. We’re still sitting on the edge of the playoffs. I know they are going to press onward and upward.”
Taft returns to league play at 6 p.m. Thursday on Senior Night against Western Christian/Perrydale. The Tigers close out the regular season with two conference road matches next week.
Sophomore goalie Tristan Bradley (File photo by Lon French)
Calling it his team’s most complete match of the season, Taft High Coach Joey Arce-Torres’ girls soccer team played Dayton to a 1-1 league home tie Tuesday behind the stellar goalkeeping of sophomore Tristan Bradley.
“She had a big day and played as we expected her to perform all season,” Arce-Torres said. “She had double-digit saves and made good decisions all evening.”
Arce-Torres implemented a few changes defensively to provide more speed and assist senior sweeper Ana Ortiz with coverage against the state’s 11th-ranked Pirates.
Freshmen Chloe Peterson and Jaelyn Olmeda joined the back line to assist seniors Ortiz and Lydia Prins, who will be making their home farewell at 4 p.m. Thursday against Western Christian/Perrydale.
“With that looming, we very much needed to groom some athletic kids to step into their roles next year,” Arce-Torres said.
Junior Sammy Halferty scored midway through the first half for Taft’s lone goal, which came from the right side on a pass from freshman Nicole Reyes.
“It is her favorite angle to shoot from and she caught all of it,” Arce-Torres said.
Taft improved to 3-8-2 overall and 3-7-2 in Special District 2 play, while Dayton fell to 8-3-1, 8-3-1.
“Dayton was puzzled by our speed and tenacity of our midfielders,” Arce-Torres said. “They kept trying to muscle us and knock us off the ball. Regardless on how many times they knocked us to the turf, we got up each time and wouldn’t retreat.”
Arce-Torres said he believed his team earned a measure of respect from the Pirates, who scored in the second half following some strong passing on the right side of the pitch.
“They were relentless and kept bringing numbers,” he said. “The score came from a crowded box, our keeper couldn’t see the shot, and it found its way into our goal.
“I was a little concerned after that goal that we may lose our confidence, but it didn’t happen. Aubrey [Sciarrotta], Avery [Nightingale] and Sammy refocused and made sure Dayton wouldn’t complete a comeback.
“It was a great team performance and one that will motivate us to do the necessary things needed to make the playoffs, as well as set the precedent for play next season.”
Taft must win two of its next three matches to close out the regular season to have a shot at the playoffs, Arce-Torres said.
“I know we can do it, especially if we play as well as we did today,” he said.
Taft hosts Western Christian at 4 p.m. Thursday in the home finale before facing Gervais and Amity on the road next week.
Several new features and improvements were rolled out and introduced Tuesday on lchomepage.com, the social network created by Lincoln City Homepage for the people of Lincoln City.
One of the things users gave us feedback on was how bright their screens were late at night and how this was not conducive with a good night’s rest. We listened and there is now an option to “reverse” the color scheme to night mode.
This feature can be accessed from the three dots next to a user’s circle profile picture in the top bar.
The website will “remember” what mode you selected, so the next time you log in, that mode will be automatically selected.
Remember, you can always suggest new features to us at [email protected].
Night mode
Reaction system
Liking a post was never really enough, so when users asked us if there was a way we could emulate Facebook’s reaction system we knew it was an option.
Now, you can like, love, laugh, say wow, be sad and get angry.
The reaction system is close to Facebook’s we will admit, but ours is animated.
Points system
We struggled with this one. How could we reward users for engaging with each other? The point system works by giving a user points every time they like, create a post and comment.
Points can be used to buy advertising on the site or upgrade a profile to the pro-mode version that offers additional benefits like boosting posts and pages.
Quick Create
Users told us it was not easy to create new things on the site like blogs, events, groups and pages. Now you can do this by clicking the circle with a “+” at the top of the site. Hopefully, this addresses the issue and sees users creating more pages and groups.
Privacy
We added the ability to use your phone for lost passwords, which makes us all a little safer, as well as a session manager so users can see what devices have logged in to their account and gives them the control to log any devices out. This is a big step in keeping accounts secure, and we have doubled down on security on the admin side, too.
Other upgrades
This has been such a big update that an article focusing on all of them would be too large to read so we will condense the rest.
The Marketplace has been overhauled. The format changes are designed to make it easier to search for products and add them.
A new menu item called “Popular Posts” will display the most reacted to and commented on posts.
You can now poke users.
Events has also been overhauled. Should now be easier to add events and select the time.
Pro Mode Beta. This is an experiment that allows users to pay with their wallet with funds earned from interacting with the community to boost posts and pages and become a featured member. Pro members also get a verified badge. The main reason for this development is to generate revenue so the site can continue to improve and will not affect a free user’s experience by giving pro members overpowered or unfair advantages.
Advertising has been reworked to include points to be used as currency. 1,000 points = $1. With each like, comment or creation of a new post, users balances will increase until they have enough to advertise. A flat 10-cent per click cost for advertising can be set for now. Creating a new ad is easier now with the Quick Create link.
All features are in development and subject to modification based on user-input.
Thanks for visiting the site and offering feedback.
Autobahn 101 will host a public question-and-answer event with Lincoln City mayoral candidates Dick Anderson, David Dahle and Susan Wahlke from 6-8 p.m, Wednesday, Oct. 17.
“Conversation with the Candidates” has been posted to Facebook as an event so users of the social network are encouraged to respond if going.
“This will be a good chance to get to know your candidates, ask questions and mingle,” Autobahn 101 owner Roy Baker said. “I wanted to bring the community together and have people get to know their candidates on a more personal level.”
Bratwursts for $7, drink specials and live music will follow immediately after the event. Rock ‘n’ roll band “Uncle Roy” will perform.
Rock ‘n’ roll band “Uncle Roy”
Autobahn 101, 1512 SE Hwy 101, is a family-oriented restaurant serving authentic traditional German food, including rare micro and German beers on tap.
Taft High senior Micah McLeish placed 11th to pace the boys team and junior Autumn Ellis finished 19th to lead the girls Friday in the Fred Berkey Cross Country Invite in Tillamook.
Sixth-graders Ryan Best and Trenton Battle led the Taft boys middle school runners, while sixth-grader Julia Towers was the fastest Taft girls finisher.
The Taft boys finished fifth and the girls seventh in varsity competition at Camp Magruder. The Taft boys finished eighth and the girls seventh in the middle school meet.
Tillamook won the 5,000-meter boys and girls varsity meets, while Newberg claimed both 3,000-meter middle-school team titles.
Taft returns to action with Delphian, Santiam, Sheridan and the Oregon School for the Deaf Tuesday in the Willamina Cross Country Invitational at Fort Yamhill.
Who’d have ever thunk it? They say winning is contagious, but seriously?
Before the hangover from snapping a three-year league losing streak Thursday had even worn off, Taft High started a winning streak Saturday before emerging as runner-up of the 12-team Western Christian Volleyball Tournament in Salem.
“I am beyond impressed and proud of the girls today,” second-year Taft coach Kelsey Hart said. “It’s like Thursday’s win flipped a switch in them.”
Mere hours after winning their first volleyball match of the season and first league match in almost three years, the Tigers defeated two teams in pool play and another in the championship bracket before falling in Saturday’s title game.
Thursday’s 3-1 (25-21, 25-11, 19-25, 25-20) Class 3A Coastal Range League win over Clatskanie was the Tigers’ first league victory following 37 straight defeats since a 3-1 home win over Horizon Christian-Tualatin on Oct. 5, 2015. It snapped a 29-match overall losing streak.
Calling her team “relaxed, controlled and aggressive,” Hart’s Tigers amassed a number of aces and kills over the course of Saturday’s tournament to secure second place.
Taft swept City Christian and Chemawa in pool play before suffering a narrow loss to Westside Christian. The Tigers’ high scores in the first two matches earned the fourth seed overall in the championship bracket.
“We were stoked,” Hart said in her best beach volleyball slang.
Based on the seeding, Taft took on Western Christian of the Class 2A Tri-River Conference and rallied after losing the first set 25-15 to win two straight, 25-14, 15-11, and advance to the title game before falling to Tigard’s Class 3A Westside Christian of the Lewis & Clark League, 25-13, 25-13.
“While we would have loved to have taken first, they were a great team and it was just amazing to see the improvement we’ve made over when we played them in league last year,” Hart said. “I am so proud of them, and can’t wait to see where we go from here.”
Where it takes Taft from here is to a 5:30 p.m. non-league home match against Creswell. The Tigers play Wednesday at Willamina in a Coastal Range League match before closing out the regular season Tuesday, Oct. 16, at home against Warrenton.
Kite flying professionals and enthusiasts descended upon the coastal town of Lincoln City at D River State Recreation Site on Saturday for the annual Fall Kite Festival.
Biannual kite festivals bring thousands of visitors to Lincoln City and have been a tradition for almost as long as there has been wind. To the amusement of hundreds of event-goers, professional kite flyers from the American Kitefliers Association showed off their skills with choreographed stunt-flying to music.
The City of Lincoln City puts on summer and fall kite festivals every year, and with every new year, a contest is held to determine the name of the event based on a letter. This year’s letter was “Y” and the Fall Kite Festival was dubbed “Year of the Kite.”
Professional kite fliers, Amy and Connor Doran flew kites and shared news that indoor kite flying would return to Lincoln City in April, when Homepage plans to preview the event.
The Doran duo travels around the country spreading awareness for epilepsy and bullying with the Dare to Dream program, which inspires people of all ages to try the impossible and never listen to the word “no.” Connor has epilepsy, but he doesn’t allow it to get in the way of his passion for kite flying.
Explore Lincoln City’s Eric Johnson was in the main tent and told us of a water rescue that had just occurred. According to Johnson, a family let their children go into the water and a wave pulled one of the kids underwater. A retired fireman and kite flyer rescued the boy. “He just went into action.” Johnson said.
Practice beach safety as the festival continues through Sunday at D River Wayside.
The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA) will honor Lincoln City Senior Planner Debra Nicholson with the “Distinguished Leadership Professional Planner Award” as the state’s planner of the year on Oct. 18 at the chapter’s annual conference in Bend.
“Public participation is one of Debra’s passions,” Lincoln City Planning Director Richard Townsend said. “And, she works doggedly to reach out and get the involvement of groups and individuals who often are absent from the city planning process.”
The Distinguished Leadership Professional Planner Award recognizes a professional planner in Oregon who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of planning and to his or her community.
The award criteria specify that the planner’s work must stand out and demonstrate exceptional practice, must amount to a significant contribution to the community, region, or state, and must have been effective in formulating and implementing plans and ideas is support of good planning.
Townsend cited Nicholson’s work on the city’s Transportation System Plan, Walking and Biking Plan, Parks and Recreation System Plan, Nelscott Gap Neighborhood Plan, as well as her involvement with the city’s ongoing planning efforts relating to the Imagine Lincoln City vision plan, the master plan for the Villages at Cascade Head property, and the city’s comprehensive plan.
“We are so proud that she got this recognition,” Townsend said. “She so richly deserves it. Lincoln City is a better place because of her planning efforts.”
OAPA is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in community planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change.
The American Planning Association is the professional association for the nation’s professional urban and regional planners. The American Planning Association provides leadership in community development by advocating excellence in planning, and promoting education and citizen empowerment.
The Lincoln County School District Board of Directors has selected Dave Price to complete the term in Zone 1 vacated by the Sept. 11 resignation of Karen Bondley.
