Taft High’s underclassmen helped overcome the absence of several team members Saturday to help the Tigers launch the 2018 volleyball season with mixed success in a six-team preseason tournament in Warrenton.
“I am very proud of how the girls did,” Coach Kelsey Hart said, “We struggled a bit, and definitely identified some areas and skills to work on, but there were flashes of greatness. We were playing with only two-thirds of our team, so everyone got a ton of great game experience.”
Freshmen Lily Hatton, Shelline Nerup and Logan Jack joined sophomore Jordyn Ramsey to “really step up and got a feel for what it will be like on the varsity squad,” Hart said.
Hatton had the most service aces for the Tigers, while senior middle blocker Maleah Smith “had an amazing day, and was one of our most consistent, aggressive servers, and put up some monster blocks,” Hart said.
The second-year Taft coach said senior outside hitter Savannah Russo was “a hitting powerhouse,” and senior setter Lilly Salsbery and junior libero Corey Van Damme “did a great job running the court in tough situations.”
“Both had very consistent serving days,” she said.
“The competition at the Warrenton Tournament is always great, and pushes us to play our best,” said Hart, whose Tigers earned victories over Knappa and Clatskanie and challenged Nestucca, Culver and Warrenton. “We are looking forward to rematches this season with several of the teams we played yesterday. They were tough competition, and I can’t wait to see how we improve against them as we move forward.”
Well-wishers looked on Saturday to honor former community leaders Kenny Sr. and Lucille Morgan and family at the dedication of the Morgan Family Stage at Regatta Park.
Kenny, a local grocer and the first mayor of Oceanlake before Lincoln City’s incorporation, passed away on June 9, 1997, while wife Lucille died on Nov. 3, 2012. They were married on Dec. 10, 1938.
The Morgans are survived by five children, Tom Morgan, Carol Cruickshank, Kenny Morgan, Ronnie Malone and Patti Smith, 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
The Morgan Family Stage is a Ford Family Foundation Lincoln City Cohort 1 Project.
When Google accepted Lincoln City Homepage’s application this year to be a part of its Google News, it was a monumental cause for celebration among the staff. Now, Apple, the multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., has accepted Homepage into its Apple News platform.
Owners of the iPhone and iPad can now find Homepage news and sports stories in the News app on their devices.
Lincoln City Homepage shows up in Apple News channels
“This expands our reach to all countries on Earth, and it’s a pretty big deal,” Homepage Publisher Justin Werner said. “There are still some kinks to work out with the layout on Apple News, but we are working with the Apple team to make Homepage as good as it can be on their platform.”
Some technologies Homepage uses to disseminate the news are not supported on Apple News, such as Facebook-embedded videos and the Facebook Page plugin. Users will not be able to see videos when viewing articles on Apple News.
Taft 7-12 Tigers hosted the Lincoln County Football Jamboree Friday night. JV and varsity teams played Toledo, Newport, Coquille and Tillamook high schools. The exibition event was at Voris Field in Lincoln City.
Junior varsity and varsity squads ran a series of plays on a divided field for about three hours in preparation for the upcoming season. A set of contests were played on a 40-yard field using NHFS/OSAA rules. Each team was entitled 18 offensive snaps.
The Tigers open their season Friday, Aug. 31, at Harrisburg. The Newport Cubs open their season Friday at Tillamook, while the Toledo Boomers are at Nestucca.
A base group of experienced returning players and a crop of fresh faces promise to provide an interesting mix for the Taft High volleyball team in its 2018 debut in the newly formed Class 3A Cascade Range League.
Lilly Salsbery (1), Caitlyn Rundstrom (3), Maleah Smith (14), Savannah Russo (7), Makena Cole (9), Jordyn Ramsey (12), Corey Van Damme (16) – Photo by Robert W. Smith
Four key players return to lead the Tigers, while several underclassmen will immediately step into pivotal roles when the Tigers open play Saturday morning in a nonleague four-team tournament in Warrenton.
“Our goals this season are to grow as a program,” second-year Taft Coach Kelsey Hart said. “We have a very young team, so our goal will be to increase our skills and build a strong team culture.”
Senior Maleah Smith should be among the players to lead the way on the front row for Taft.
“She’s got a great passion for blocking, and has been working hard on her attacks,” Hart said.
Fellow senior Caitlyn Rundstrom could be Taft’s strongest player physically, and the most versatile on the scoring end.
“She’s got a cannon for an arm, and has very powerful attacks and serves,” Hart said. “I’m excited for all of the offensive options she gives us.”
Strong-serving senior Savannah Russo will patrol the outside and is expected to give the Tigers an immediate spark from the service stripe.
Savannah Russo
“She has always been a very consistent, reliable player,” Hart said. “She brings a great amount of control and steadiness to our team. And, her serves are killer.”
Aggressive net play will dictate the Tigers’ ability to force the action this season, Hart said.
“I think we will have a strong offense from our front row,” she said. “Specifically, our seniors [Maleah, Caitlyn and Savannah] will be very strong and play key roles in our offense.”
Another senior, Lilly Salsbery, is expected to oversee the offense.
Lilly Salsbery
“She is our returning setter, and has been doing a great job running the floor at practice,” Hart said. “She does a great job making sure everyone is in the right place, communicating about sets-plays, and just generally being a good leader.”
A trio of new faces will complement the Tigers’ play, including promising ninth-grader Lily Hatton.
“As a freshman on varsity, she has some big shoes to fill, but her hands are great and she’s learning to be a confident leader on the court,” Hart said.
Defensive specialist Corey Van Damme will likely prove a commodity along the baseline.
“Her movement and presence in the back row will help our team be successful this year,” Hart said.
Shelline Nerup
Another freshman, Shelline Nerup, gives the Tigers a new look near the net.
“Her skills are still raw, but with the improvement she’s made in the last week, I am very excited for the contributions she’ll make to our offense in the front row,” Hart said.
Two more seniors – defensive specialist Jazmyn Reyes-Cornejo and middle blocker and right-side player Charlotte Huppert – join sophomore outside/right side hitter Makena Cole, sophomore right side/defensive specialist Jordyn Ramsey and freshman outside/defensive specialist Logan Jack as key components to the Tigers’ hopes for success.
“Our team is very young, so our biggest challenge will be to quickly bring up the skill levels of our younger players,” Hart said. “I am looking to my seniors and juniors to help mentor our younger players.”
Photo illustration by Robert W. Smith
“I am excited to see where this season takes our program,” Hart said. “We have a huge potential for growth this year. Our group of young women is committed to getting better, working as a team, and improving our program.”
Photo by Justin Werner
Roster
No
Name
Position
Grade
1
Lilly Salsbery
S
12
3
Caitlyn Rundstrom
OH/RS
12
4
Logan Jack
RS/OH
9
5
Charlotte Huppert
RS/MB
12
7
Savannah Russo
OH
12
8
Shelline Nerup
MB/OH
9
9
Makena Cole
RS/OH
10
11
Lily Hatton
S
9
12
Jordyn Ramsey
DS/RS
10
14
Maleah Smith
MB
12
16
Corey Van Damme
L
11
17
Jazmyn Reyes-Cornejo
DS
12
Junior varsity roster pending
Lincoln County Jamboree recap
The Tigers, who open their 2018 volleyball season Saturday morning in Warrenton, joined squads from Newport, Waldport and host Toledo on Thursday for the Lincoln County Jamboree.
Taft Coach Kelsey Hart said the preseason exhibition matches served as an adequate barometer as to where her team stands and what it needs to work on in its four nonleague matches before the Cascade Range League opener Sept. 13 at home against Rainer.
“We came out a bit rough, and didn’t do some of the key things we’ve been working on, namely communication, keeping a positive attitude and ball control,” Hart said. “The girls had a brief team meeting between games 1 and 2, and came out looking like the team I knew they could be.”
Hart said she was particularly proud of the way the Tigers performed against Newport and Waldport.
“Both teams had solid front-row hitters, but Corey [Van Damme], Savannah [Russo], and Caitlyn [Rundstrom] really stepped up their defense and passing,” she said. “Once we improved our defense and ball control, we were able to get more balls to our setters.”
Hart said senior setter Lilly Salsbery and freshman setter Lily Hatton “made great decisions about where to send the ball,” and senior outside players Rundstrom and Russo “had some amazing attacks.”
“I’m super-excited to see what they can do Saturday,” she said.
If there was a trouble spot, Hart said it came from behind the baseline, where the Tigers’ serving was off target early against Toledo. However, senior middle blocker Maleah Smith produced a big run of serves that gave Taft a solid lead against Waldport.
“While we have a whole list of things we need to work on, I am beyond proud of my team and am so excited to see where this season takes us,” Hart said.
The Tigers will get a quick examination at where they stand in comparison to two of their four conference opponents beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in Warrenton as the host Warriors and Clatskanie are co-members of the newly formed Coastal Range League. Toledo (Class 2A Sunset) and Jewell (Class 1A Casco) will also participate.
Approximately 20 drivers were cited or warned Thursday as part of a pedestrian safety enforcement operation executed by the Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) at the crosswalk on SW 3rd and Highway 101.
Approximately 20 drivers were cited or warned Thursday as part of a pedestrian safety enforcement operation executed by the Lincoln City Police Department at the crosswalk on SW 3rd and Highway 101.
Officers issued citations for ORS 811.028, failure to stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian. The offense is a Class B violation and carries a $265 fine. ORS 811.020, passing stopped vehicle at a crosswalk, was also issued and is a $265 ticket.
Police support personnel crossed the street and observers radioed ahead to waiting officers in patrol cars stationed north and south on Highway 101. Traffic stops were made and drivers were either issued a warning or cited for any violations that occurred.
A police spokesperson said the safety enforcement program has had a greater impact this year, with a corresponding decrease in the number of citations issued for pedestrian- related violations.
SW 3rd and Highway 101 is known to the LCPD to be the busiest crosswalk for potential violations.
The operation was part of a series of enforcement actions taken by LCPD to raise driver and pedestrian awareness through education and enforcement of pedestrian right-of-way laws. Funding is made possible through a grant from Oregon Impact and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Taft High senior Micah McLeish placed third Thursday in the Two-Mile Trial cross country season opener at Cottage Grove.
Junior Lucas Hindman finished eighth for the Taft boys, who placed fourth in the five-team meet. Junior Hunter Lunstedt was 10th and senior Clayton Helfrich 19th.
Other Taft boys runners included juniors Trenton Fisher, Ethan Price and Ayden Woodard, and freshmen Austin Winters, Degen Sawyer, Joseph McCormick and Zander Hryczyk.
Cottage Grove junior Jimmy Talley won the boys race in 11:25.
Cottage Grove won the boys team competition with 49 points, followed by Crow, 61; Junction City, 62; Taft, 65; and Nestucca, 101.
Taft’s girls were led by sophomore Claira Tolan, who placed 29th, and junior Alania Cabal, who was 30th. Other Taft girls runners included freshmen Kaydince Beach and Charlotte Lundstedt, and sophomore Veronica Jin.
Junction City sophomore Anika Thompson won the girls race in 12:34.
Junction City and Cottage Grove shared the girls team title with 58 points, followed by North Eugene, 59; Sutherlin, 69; Coquille, 98; and Taft, 153.
The Tigers compete next on Saturday, Sept. 1, in the Ultimook Race Nike Invitational in Tillamook.
Taft High football coach Jake Tolan shows players how to lower their pad level Thursday morning at Voris Field
Strength in numbers will be the key Friday when the Taft High football team opens competition for the 2018 season with a five-team dress rehearsal at Voris Field.
“Our overall strength will be depth and experience,” Coach Jake Tolan said entering Friday’s 5 p.m. sneak preview. “Many players are returning with varsity experience under their belt.”
1 of 10
Joining Taft for Friday ‘s jamboree will be Newport (4-5, 3-2 Class 4A Oregon West), Tillamook (3-5, 1-4 Class 4A Cowapa), Coquille (9-2, 4-1 Class 3A Mountain Valley) and Toledo (2-7, 2-3 Class 2A Sunset).
Tolan and his staff are hoping a couple of impressive 7-on-7 summer camp showings and a wild 60-47 home victory over Jefferson to close out a 2-7 season last year will carry over to next week’s season opener at Harrisburg. Returning from that game are several key players Tolan succinctly described as bringing various coveted qualities to the lineup:
David JinTyee Fisher
Quarterback David Jin: leadership and experience;
Running back Logan Gilleo: toughness;
Wide receivers Tyee Fisher and Logan McLendon, playmaking ability and dependability.
The four skill players will be tantamount in developing what Tolan hopes will be the emergence of a capable running game behind a more experienced line.
“Offensively, we want to be more consistent and have the added ability to run the ball,” he said.
Tolan said newcomers JJ French and Kam Kessler promise to add speed, toughness and aggressiveness to the ground game when they join Jin and Gilleo in the backfield. Kessler will also play wide receiver (and safety on defense).
They’ll combine to benefit from a new-look “veteran” front line comprised of Victor Carrasco, Elin Fitch, Tyrese Hellman and Chris “Biz” Byrum, who Tolan called “bright spots so far this preseason.”
“Every year, the positions with the most questions going into a season are the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “This year, our line is further along and is looking good going into our jamboree.”
Improvement on defense will also be a key for the Tigers, who surrendered the most points in Class 3A play last season (459 or 51 per game).
“We want to be more aggressive and tackle well,” Tolan said.
In addition to Class 4A Corbett and Madras, Taft will move to a new 12-team “super conference” that includes seven teams (Amity, Blanchet Catholic, Clatskanie, Dayton, Rainier, Scio and Willamina) that reached the 16-team Class 3A State playoffs last year. The Tigers, who went 0-5 in the West Valley League, will play in a six-team sub-division comprised of Amity, Clatskanie, Dayton, Rainer and Willamina.
“Last year, due to our youth and inexperience, every opponent in the league gave us competition,” Tolan said. “But year to year, Dayton and Amity are two teams that we circle on our schedule as games we know that are going to be difficult.”
Taft opens its season Friday, Aug. 31, at Harrisburg. The Eagles, of the Mountain Valley Conference, reached the quarterfinals of the Class 3A playoffs last season, where they lost to eventual State champion Cascade Christian after defeating West Valley League member Amity 42-34 in the first round.
“Our numbers are up, and our depth and team speed has vastly improved,” Tolan said. ”Our kids have worked very hard this offseason. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.”
Newport Police have determined that 29-year-old Newport resident Nikolaus Hinton was murdered.
On Friday, Aug. 17, Newport Police were called to a reported suspicious death at Agate Beach Wayside near Newport, where responding officers located Hinton’s deceased body.
An autopsy was conducted by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s office, and it was determined Hinton died of homicidal violence.
The Lincoln County Major Crime Team was activated and has been following up on leads regarding the incident and reason behind Hinton’s murder.
Investigators believe that Hinton was murdered at a different location and his body was moved to the Agate Beach.
Anyone with information about Hinton’s whereabouts and/or activities in the days leading up to his murder should contact the Newport Police Department Tip Line at 541-574-5455 or text-a-tip to 541-270-1856.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Homepage intends to use information gathered from discussions at this week’s caucus to develop a series of stories on topics of interest to Lincoln County residents in the coming weeks.
Panelists discuss challenges facing the Oregon marijuana industry – Photos by Justin Werner
The seventh annual Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit got under way Wednesday at Chinook Winds Casino Resort, where approximately 400 attendees joined 25 federal and statewide elected officials in discussion about topics concerning coastal residents.
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Day 1 of the two-day seminars saw elected officials and experts speak on a wide array of subjects such as renewable energy, climate change, rural broadband and challenges facing the Oregon marijuana industry.
“The Taste of Oregon Coast” reception followed, featuring the finest seafood and tastings from wineries, breweries and distilleries throughout the Oregon Coast.
“This year, the Oregon Legislative Coastal Caucus members are dedicating the reception to local government partners with whom collaboration is essential to access information and resources to help effectively address challenges and new opportunities in rural and coastal regions,” the program guide from the University of Oregon stated.
Thursday’s agenda:
Student Success: Perspective from Oregon’s Nine Federally Recognized Tribes.
University Presidents’ Roundtable Panel to Discuss Challenges and Opportunities for Student Success in Higher Education.
Policy Leaders’ Contribution to Student Success: Preparing Students for a Post-Secondary Education.
Achieving Student Success through STEAM Education and State Investment.
Local Government/Business Leasers Working Group Roundtable.
Policy Perspectives on Building Codes Services.
Engage, Educate, Reengage–Promoting Student Success through Collaboration.
Business Leaders, Practitioners and Policy Makers–Working Together to Drive Student Success and Build Leaders of Tomorrow.
