Caitlyn Rundstrom tips one over the net in a game earlier this season (File photo by Heather Hatton)
Taft High stretched Clatskanie to the limit in a Coastal Range League road volleyball match pitting winless teams Tuesday before falling in five sets.
“We had moments of greatness that helped us win two of the sets,” Taft coach Kelsey Hart said. “But we were down several key players due to injuries and other reasons. We definitely needed some of their experience on the court tonight.”
Taft fell to 0-7 overall and 0-2 in league play, while Clatskanie improved to 1-6, 1-1.
“The girls did a good job stepping into roles that they aren’t as familiar or comfortable with, so I am proud of them for that,” Hart said. “It was a hard- fought game, and we’re all upset over how it ended. I’m hoping that this close loss helps push us to practice harder and leave it all on the court as we continue on in our season.”
Taft returns to action at 6 p.m. Thursday at home against Nestucca.
Sera Fina, 42, was taken into custody and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on a child abduction warrant and fugitive complaint Tuesday after being found with her 11-year-old biological daughter near Beverly Beach State Park.
Bail was set at $150,000.
Kaia Fina
Newport Area Command received information regarding a missing child, Kaia Fina, from Orange County, Calif., who was possibly in the Lincoln County area.
Her foster parent was last to have seen Kaia on Sept. 6 at approximately 10:30 p.m. in San Clemente, Calif., and reported her missing. An attempt to locate was provided to law enforcement agencies with descriptions and vehicle information for Sera Fina, who had an active felony warrant for child abduction.
Oregon State Police, Newport Police Department, Lincoln City Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office spent the majority of Monday, Sept, 17, trying to locate Kaia and Sera Fina in a black 2007 BMW. At approximately 7:40 p.m., a trooper conducting a welfare check on a 2006 Lincoln Navigator parked on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 101 near Beverly Beach identified Kaia and Sera from photos from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The Department of Human Services responded to care for Kaia. It was discovered Sera Fina had recently purchased the vehicle they were found in and no longer had the suspect vehicle.
Boone Marker’s “enthusiasm, energy and passion” were rewarded Tuesday with his hiring as Lincoln City Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Supervisor.
“Boone brings a wide knowledge of sports, recreation, community partnerships, leadership and teamwork to our Department,” Lincoln City Parks and Recreation Department Director Jeanne Sprague said. “His enthusiasm, energy and passion for incorporating recreation into our community is a big plus.”
Marker, 34, started his recreation career in 2005 as branch manager for Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion & Polk counties, moving his way up to athletic director. He joined the City of Salem as recreation leader in early 2015.
Marker was hired by the Lincoln City Community Center in November 2015, coordinating and supervising its sports leagues, camps, after-school program and all sports programs. Marker owns a master’s degree in business administration.
In his spare time, Marker volunteers with many groups, such as with the Lincoln City School District as a sports announcer, coach and referee. He works with the Kiwanis, Family Promise and many more.
Marker has also coached numerous Parks & Recreation sports such as softball, basketball, volleyball, flag football, ping pong, etc.
Marker said he plans to meet with staff and the public during his first few weeks as recreation supervisor to discuss his visions and goals.
The nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) has been postponed until Oct. 3 due to ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Florence. The test will be conducted by FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In Oregon, the WEA portion of the test commences at 11:18 a.m. Pacific Time, and the EAS portion follows at 11:20 a.m. Pacific Time. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed.
The test was originally scheduled to take place this Thursday, Sept. 20, although FEMA held Oct. 3 as a back-up date. According to FEMA, a backup date was planned in case of widespread severe weather or other significant events on the primary test date.
Taft junior Ella Knott was one of many Tigers wondering what went wrong Monday in a 7-0 defeat (File photo by Lon French)
The Taft High girls soccer team played what Coach Joey Arce-Torres succinctly called “our worst match of the season” Monday in a 7-0 league loss at Westside Christian/Perrydale.
“The kids came out flat and hesitant,” he said as the Tigers (1-5, 1-4 Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2) behind 5-0 by halftime against the Eagles (3-2-1, 2-2-1). “We had much stronger play and recognition of assignments during the second half.”
Taft returns to action at 4:15 p.m. Thursday at home in a league match with Gervais.
Additional quotes from Coach Arce-Torres:
“It was a super-frustrating match for all concerned. The kids didn’t look ready to participate at game time. With a young squad, finding the fine line regarding too loose or scared and uptight was apparent. We had kids under the weather and some returning from long layoffs.
“Monday matches create a unique problem not practicing for days and the big layoff. Grass fields also bring large challenges to our young athletes for we can’t duplicate the surface. Our mesa is short grass and burnt, the field today and last week were tall grass and mud — way different and requiring time on field to adjust.
“I’m hoping we can regroup and come out Thursday and play our style of soccer.”
Photo illustration by Justin Werner (Photo by Garry Knight)
Funding for the Lincoln City Warming Shelter was slashed Monday from $45,000 to $4,600 — a 90 percent decrease — after just 38 percent of the aid organization’s $12,000 request was approved by the Lincoln City City Council.
Voting to drastically reduce grant funding and rewarding the money to other agencies were Councilors Dick Anderson, Judy Casper, Diana Hinton, Riley Hoagland and Susan Wahlke. Mayor Don Williams did not participate or vote as he had recused himself.
Monday’s vote granted 14 other agencies a total of over $40,000 more than they received last year. Other than the Warming Shelter, none of the other 22 agencies that requested money received less than they got last year. Approximately $214,000 was requested and $150,000 recommended and approved by the Council.
Warming Shelter Board President Patrick Alexander acknowledged the Warming Shelter has received feedback about concerns that led the City to decide against fully funding the $12,000 grant request.
“We are working to address those as we prepare for this year’s shelter season,” he said.
Alexander said the facility appreciated the City’s grant of $45,000 last year, but felt a request for that amount wouldn’t be sustained in the future.
“Rather than seek a similar amount in this year’s budget, the Board decided to pursue a strategy of approaching five separate governmental and charitable entities and seeking roughly 20 percent of our operational costs from each,” he said. “The $4,600 awarded by Council this year will be a great help as we pursue our core mission of preserving life and health during the cold winter months.”
The $40,400 in funding reduction was distributed to 14 agencies, including several that received 200 percent more than last year. Councilor Anderson expressed “surprise” that these agencies “got more than they asked for.”
Anderson also expressed dismay that local aid organization Shiloh the Gathering Place Ministries received $45,000 this year even though it “didn’t even spend” $14,000 of the $45,000 it received last year and “still has $43,000 in reserves.”
Outside Agency Requests for Funding
Click to enlarge
To review these agency’s requests, the City Council created a subcommittee on July 9, and appointed Councilors Casper, Hinton and Hoagland to the committee. The committee met on July 31 in what was identified as a “public” meeting, but no minutes or recording of the meeting have been provided to the public.
On June 20, the Lincoln County Commissioners gave $12,400 to the Warming Shelter for 2018, and asked Lincoln City to match the County’s grant, according to Warming Shelter Program Director Amanda Cherryholmes. She said she does not know why the City did not honor the County’s request.
Taft Warming Shelter
Local aid organization Family Promise received the full $10,000 it requested this year. Anderson, and his wife, Susan, have been actively involved with Family Promise, but Anderson did not declare a conflict of interest before voting to fund the organization. Mayor Williams declared a conflict of interest and recused himself from the deliberations, as he rents his building in Taft to the Warming Shelter.
Since opening in November 2017, the Shelter’s resource center has provided more than 6,806 meals, 1,071 showers, 357 loads of laundry, 40 bus tickets and 15 birth certificates to its daytime clients. The Shelter provided 396 overnight stays last year, providing 1,179 meals to its guests.
In addition, it provides warm clothes, shoes, toiletry and feminine hygiene products free of charge. The Shelter also offers job placement services, mental health and housing assistance, and works closely with Safeway, rehabilitation centers, and county and state assistance agencies. It also partners with hair stylists and dentists to provide free care on selected dates throughout the year.
Cherryholmes said she has asked City Recorder Cathy Steere several times to allow her to give a short presentation to the City Council but hasn’t received approval.
Based on a recommendation from Anderson, $3,000 was reallocated from Oceana Family Literacy and $2,000 from Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to the Taft High 7-12 Booster Club.
The Lincoln City Resource Center & Emergency Warming Shelter is located at 1206 SE 48th Place, past Shuckers, in Taft. The shelter’s resource center is open for assistance or donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To volunteer or donate, contact Sharon Padilla at 541-992-5748, or Cherryholmes at 206-713-8234/[email protected]/P.O Box 198, Lincoln City, OR 97367, or visit LincolnCityWarmingShelter.com for more information.
Homepage is awaiting response to its request for comment from Councilors regarding this story
The “Get Ready Lincoln County, Emergency Readiness Fair,” held Saturday at North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District and put on by NW Natural, taught Lincoln City residents how to prepare for all kinds of natural disasters.
Representatives from numerous agencies across Lincoln County showed off their survival and educational expertise with booths designed to help the public “Get Ready.”
The Taft High boys placed 10th and the girls 12th Saturday in the Prefontaine Memorial Invitational in Coos Bay that honors Steve Prefontaine — the most dominant American distance runner of all time.
Grants Pass won the boys team title, while Roseburg claimed the girls crown.
Lucas Hindman placed 34th to lead the way for the Taft boys team, while fellow junior Autumn Ellis placed 43rd for the girls.
Lucas Hindman and his biggest fan
The race is held in honor of Prefontaine, a Marshfield High graduate and former Olympian who, at the time of his death at age 24, held eight American distance running records. Since 1980, the community of Coos Bay has put on a 10K run to honor their native son and his passion for running. To comply with OSAA guidelines, it introduced a high school 5K race as a separate event.
Participants competed on a challenging, hilly road course that covered a portion of one of Prefontaine’s favorite training routes. The race began in downtown Coos Bay and finished on Prefontaine Track at Marshfield High.
Taft’s Tolan mistakenly recognized as Husky Invite winner
Due to misinformation provided on the athletic.net website, Homepage incorrectly reported that Taft sophomore Claira Tolan won the girls 5,000-meter run at Thursday’s Husky Invitational near Sweet Home. Tolan notified Homepage of the mistake and the post was taken down.
Meanwhile, the Taft boys team placed ninth behind winning Newport. led by senior Micah McLeish, who finished 27th. The Tigers did not post a girls team score.
“The challenging terrain throughout the course, which consisted of a gradual incline with a substantial creek crossing made the runners have to fight until the end,” Taft coach Mandy Weiss said.
Taft High fell behind by four touchdowns twice in the first half, but outscored Class 2A power Knappa 26-20 in the second half before falling to the Loggers 52-32 Friday in a non-league road football game.
Senior quarterback David Jin threw TD strikes to senior Tyee Fisher, junior Logan Gilleo and sophomore Fco Ramos and ran for two scores as the Tigers continued to show second-half resiliency after sluggish second-quarter showings in their two road defeats.
“It was a great second-half effort, both offensively and defensively, that got us back into the game,” Taft coach Jake Tolan said. “We made some halftime adjustments and were able to come out of halftime getting some huge defensive stops that we turned around into points.”
Two crucial second-half lapses cost the Tigers a chance to close the gap to within a score after batting to within striking distance, Tolan said.
“Twice in the second half we were able to cut their lead to 14 points, but couldn’t get one more stop or one more big play,” he said. “Two plays that were critical moments that we didn’t execute well on were the long passing score we gave up right before halftime and the pick-6 in the fourth quarter.“
Class 3A Special District 1 West member Taft (1-2) returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, against SD1 East representative Yamhill-Carlton (1-2) at Voris Field.
First Quarter
The Tigers, wearing their road whites, took possession on the opening kick at their own 30-yard line. Taft senior quarterback David Jin gained nine yards on the game’s first play before junior running back Logan Gilleo gained a first down on the next carry. Senior Kam Kessler then fumbled the exchange with Jin and the Loggers recovered at the Taft 48.
Knappa junior quarterback Eli Takalo went the distance for a touchdown on the third play from there, and a two-point conversion pass made it 8-0 Knappa early in the period.
Taft took the ensuing kick at its own 21, before the Class 2A Loggers, featuring eight two-way starters, forced the Tigers into a fourth down situation that Taft senior running back Logan McLendon converted into a first down with a short gain.
The third-ranked Loggers, 2-0 following a 70-28 victory at Toledo last week, used a penalty to force Taft into a third-and-16 inside Knappa territory. A tipped pass intended for McLendon forced another fourth down situation before Jin ran six yards short of first-down distance to surrender possession to the Loggers at the 35.
Taft forced a punt at the five-minute mark and took possession at its own 47. Jin connected with Gilleo for 11 yards on third down and a first down at the Loggers 39. Jin and Kessler combined for eight yards on first down and senior receiver Tyee Fisher caught another Jin toss for a first down in the red zone.
Junior Trenton Hall caught a pass from Jin to inch closer to the end zone before Knappa stopped play with its first timeout of the game. Jin threw incomplete to Gilleo on third down to force the fourth fourth-down situation of the game for Taft, and then overthrew Fisher to yield possession to the Loggers at their own 24.
Knappa converted a third-and-1 on a 22-yard gain by Takalo to the Taft 38. The Tigers forced a third-and-long before the Loggers came up a yard short and Taft stiffened to regain possession at its own 31. The clock then expired to end the quarter.
Second Quarter
The Loggers, who reached the State semifinals last season, forced Taft into its fifth fourth-down conversion try to start the quarter and took possession at the Taft 38. Takalo then went 28 yards to the end zone to make it 16-0 Knappa following a successful two-point conversion run.
The teams traded three-and-outs before a dropped snap on a Knappa punt changed possession on a tackle by Hall and gave Taft the ball inside the Loggers 10. Three errant plays left Taft with a fourth-and-goal at the 8 before the Tigers surrendered the ball back to Knappa for the fourth time in six fourth-down tries.
Knappa senior running back Luke Goozee gained 34 yards to get the Loggers out of poor field position, then moved into Taft territory on the next play midway through the quarter. Takalo and junior wide receiver Kanai Phillip then combined for a 30-yard score to make it 24-0 Knappa with about five minutes remaining before halftime.
The Loggers held the Tigers to a second straight three-and-out before Knappa took a Taft punt to its own 33. The Loggers managed a first down at their 44 and Goozee moved the ball inside Taft territory with a run up the middle.
After Takalo drew the Tigers offside, Taft took its second timeout as the first-half clock ticked down inside of four minutes. Goozee then ran 15 yards to inside the Taft 20. The Loggers ran 15 yards on third-and-5 for a score, but a penalty for an illegal block brought the play back to the 29. Knappa then surrendered possession on downs on an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Jin and Gilleo connected for about 20 yards to the 35, and sophomore Fco Ramos caught a pass from Jin for a first down to the Knappa 15, where the Tigers called their final timeout with 31 seconds remaining in the half. Jin overthrew McLendon on second down with 21 seconds left, before hitting Fisher for a score to make it 24-6 with 17 seconds remaining. A two-point conversion pass failed.
Knappa answered with a 48-yard scoring pass by Takalo to senior wideout Tyler Green to make it 32-6 as the first-half clock expired.
Third Quarter
Leading 32-6, Knappa fumbled the opening kick of the second half and Hall made his second opportunistic play of the game by recovering at the Loggers 30-yard line. Fisher’s fourth catch of the game put the Tigers at the 19 before Jin and Gilleo moved the ball to the 11 on two runs. Ramos then caught a first-down pass from Jin to the 3 before Jin ran it in for a touchdown to make it 32-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Knappa was unable to move the ball and punted to Taft midway through the quarter. Ramos had 15 yards added to a reception on a facemask penalty before Jin hit McLendon to the 39. McLendon hauled in another Jin pass to move inside the Loggers 5 at 6:22 of the period. Taft sophomore JJ French came up just short of a score on the ensuing play before a tipped pass from Jin was intercepted in the end zone at the 5:30 mark by Takalo, who also plays defensive back.
Knappa, starting at its own 23 after the interception return out of the end zone, failed to move the ball and surrendered possession on a punt to McLendon, who returned it 46 yards to the Loggers 19. Jin ran into the end zone from there following a block from Gilleo to make it 32-18 after a two-point conversion pass to Fisher fell incomplete.
Taft’s defense, which shut out Sutherlin in the second half of a 14-13 victory last week, made things difficult on Knappa on the next possession, and got the ball back to the offense on downs at their own 31 on the next series.
Knappa took possession on a punt on the next possession and Takalo ran for his third rushing touchdown and fifth overall following a personal foul penalty for a 40-18 lead as the third-quarter clock wound down.
Fourth Quarter
The Loggers blew through the line to pressure and intercept Jin deep in Taft territory and returned it for a score to make it 46-18 to open the quarter.
Taft reached midfield on a flare pass on its second play of the ensuing possession, and a key block by junior Connor Bailey sprung Gilleo for a 27-yard score on a pass from Jin. The TD made it 48-26 after a two-point conversion catch by McLendon.
Taft recovered an onside kick just inside midfield before Jin and Bailey connected for a gain of six at 9:11 of the period. Following a first down, Ramos caught a 32-yard strike from Jin to make it 46-32 after a two-point conversion attempt was intercepted by Goozee.
Goozee ran 28 yards on the Loggers’ next possession to the Taft 30 at the 7:30 mark. Taft jumped offside to give Knappa a first down inside the 20 at 6:23. Goozee busted up the middle from the 5 for a score to make it 52-32 at 4:48 after the conversion run failed.
Taft’s French returned the ensuing kick 18 yards to the 40 to start the Tigers’ next possession, but surrendered the ball on downs after going nowhere on four downs. French made back-to-back-tackles to hold the Loggers at bay on the next series, forcing a punt to the Taft 20 with 3:11 left.
Ramos caught a first-down pass at 2:33 before Jin ran to the Knappa 49. Jin was then sacked for the first time in the game for a loss of 12 with 1:35 to play. An 11-yard scramble made it fourth-and-1 before a desperation pass intended for Ramos was intercepted with 46 seconds to play.
This play-by-play post was updated live after every quarter and periodically throughout the game
More Coach Tolan post-game remarks:
“Overall, I’m proud of my team for showing the character and determination to battle back from being down 6-32 at halftime. I’m proud that we outscored them 26-20 in the second half and our defense and special teams allowed us to do that.
“Going forward, I need to find a way to get my team motivated or more ready, I guess, for the first half — and maybe not even the first half, but more just the second quarter. Our second quarter in our losses this year have really cost us wins, so trying to avoid the second quarter fatigue or let-up is what my focus will be going into next week.
“We will watch film this weekend and go back to work next week preparing for a home matchup against Yamhill-Carlton.”
Taft senior center Victor Carrasco will help lead the Tigers against Knappa (File photo by Lon French)
Stay tuned tonight for Homepage’s live, breaking, play-by-play coverage
The Knappa High football team prefers to run the ball, but the Loggers would be just as happy to throw it. That’s how you score 70 points in a game, which they did last week in a 70-28 road win over Toledo.
“Knappa is a very good team that has the ability to both run the ball on offense and throw the ball when they need to,” Taft Coach Jake Tolan said. “They have a good quarterback who is a dual threat and can be very dangerous when running the ball off of the inside zone read.”
While Coach Aaron Barendse’s Loggers are unbeaten at 2-0 and ranked third in Class 2A, Taft is also coming off a victory, 14-13 at home against Sutherlin in preparation for tonight’s 7 p.m. non-league road game. Tolan said he expects to see a lot of the ball on the ground, but understands the Loggers also like to air it out on occasion.
“Their running game is very similar to Harrisburg’s running game, which we faced in Week 1 [a 60-29 season-opening road defeat] and gave up more yards than we wanted to,” Tolan said. “We feel that defensively we have made some adjustments and have improved enough since the Harrisburg game that this time we will be much more successful in stopping the run.”
The Tigers were encouraged by the five turnovers they forced and the ability of their defense to rise up and stop the Bulldogs in last week’s one-point home win against Sutherlin, Tolan said.
“Last week, our defense was able to stop a very physical, run-heavy offense in Sutherlin, and we hope to do the same [Friday] against Knappa,” he said.
“What does worry us a bit is that Knappa also has the ability to pass the ball, which will be the first team we have faced this year that poses that threat to our defense. This week, we have tried to balance our time in making adjustments to stop their shotgun running attack, while also devoting time to scheme against their passing game.”
While the Tigers kept Sutherlin out of the end zone in the second half, they also failed to score after tallying the game’s final points 13 seconds before halftime on a 5-yard TD reception by Tyee Fisher and fellow senior DeVon Lindquist’s point-after.
“Our week of practice was productive, but going on the road and traveling three-plus hours will be a challenge,” Tolan said. “I’m excited for [Friday] night. We will be playing one of the best 2A teams in the state, and the matchup will be another tough road test.”
The main goal, of course, is to return home next week to face Yamhill-Carlton with a winning record.
“We need to execute better on offense and hope the personnel adjustments we have made up front on the line will give us better protection in both the running game and passing game,” Tolan said.
