If you have a student in the Lincoln County School District expect to see a card in the mail that will be pre-loaded with $30 to spend in June, then $30 to spend in July and $30 to spend in August on groceries for your student. The cards are loaded with this amount at the 1st of each month.
This is a benefit funded by the Child Nutrition Program and is a joint project of USDA, Food and Nutrition Services Child Nutrition Program, Department of Human Services and the Oregon Department of Education.
There is no income limit to families, this is just a nice support offered to all LCSD students during summer months. Each registered student in the LCSD qualifies for this benefit because we participate in the Community Eligibility Program which provides no cost breakfast and lunch to all of our students.
Some families have been reportedly upset about receiving the card. If your family cannot use the card please consider simply not activating the card or buying non-perishable food items that you can donate to a cause of your choosing such as a family in need.
Taft High 7-12 athletes and musicians were honored Wednesday evening at the annual Champions of Character ceremonies in the school commons.
Craig Rothenberger
The night, which began with an address from keynote speaker Craig Rothenberger, father of Athletic Director Bart Rothenberger, honored six athletes as “Iron Tigers” for their commitment to athletics.
Last year’s recipients, Alex Monticelli and Christian Stockton, recognized athletes for their devotion to representing Taft High on the field of play by competing in three sports all four years of high school.
From left, McKenzie Evenson, Madison Clanton and Maya Hatton
Honored were McKenzie Evenson (volleyball, basketball and softball); Gabe Arce-Torres (soccer, basketball, swimming, track); Madison Clanton (football, volleyball, basketball, softball); Jack Stempel (football, basketball, baseball); Maya Hatton (volleyball/swimming/golf); and Preston Nightingale (cross country, basketball, swimming, track, soccer).
From left, Gabe Arce-Torres, Preston Nightingale and Jack Stempel
The Lifetime Tiger Award was presented by softball coach Sandy Stuart to assistant coach Tom Trunt, who was head coach of the school’s softball program for 28 seasons and coached Taft to its last State championship in any sport.
Tom Trunt and Sandy Stuart
Stempel and Arce-Torres were crowned Male Athletes of the Year, while senior golf star Hatton was named Female Athlete of the Year.
Baseball’s Matt Hilgers was named Coach of the Year. Hilgers’ Class 3A State semifinalists and regular-season West Valley League champion Tigers were named Team of the Year after being ranked No. 1 in the state for virtually the entire season.
Jake Tolan was honored as Assistant Coach of the Year, while Volunteer Coach of the Year went to Joan Prins. Volunteer of the Year went to Bill and Tara Stempel.
Athletes of Character, presented by Principal Majalise Tolan, went to Nightingale and Alyssa Tanksley.
Band director Mike Freel presented several awards, including Jazz Band Louis Armstrong Award to Ruben Ahumada; Vocal Excellence Award to Rachel Compton; the John Phillips Sousa Award and National Choral Honor Award to Mary Greenwood; and the Directors Award to Tanksley.
Mike Freel and Mary Greenwood
Retiring coach Heather Hatton was honored for her 20 years of commitment to the girls golf program.
The individual sports programs issued their respective team awards in separate ceremonies throughout the building following the formal festivities.
From left, Jack Stempel, Josh Salsbery and Caleb King
Taft High senior baseball players Caleb King, Josh Salsbery and Jack Stempel have been named first-team Class 3A All-State, while sophomore catcher Eli DeMello joined them as a first-team all-West Valley League selection.
Taft coach Matt Hilgers, whose No. 1-ranked Tigers went 22-4 overall and 12-0 in winning the regular-season conference championship, was named West Valley League Coach of the Year. The baseball team was recognized with the school’s Champion of Character award for Team of the Year.
Matt Hilgers
“Josh had a great season and was a sparkplug at the leadoff spot,” Hilgers said. “Jack had a great year from the mound and put up some amazing numbers, and Caleb again put up some great numbers. All three of them deserved to be up there this year.”
King hit .494 overall (.568 in league) with 38 hits, 35 runs and 42 RBIs to earn recognition as a first-team All-State centerfielder a year after claiming first-team honors as a pitcher. He also went 7-0 with a 1.94 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 36.3 innings.
Salsbery was selected first-team All-State at shortstop for his fielding and.482 (.465 league) average with 40 hits, 44 runs and 18 steals.
Stempel, who hit .459 (.526 league) with 34 hits, 35 runs and 30 RBIs at first base, was honored as a first-team All-State pitcher after going 7-1 with a 0.74 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 47 innings.
DeMello was an honorable mention All-State selection after leading the Tigers in plate appearances (109) and at-bats (91) while tying Salsbery for the team lead in stolen bases and triples. He hit .440 and scored 43 runs with 20 RBIs on 40 hits, including a team-leading 12 for extra bases.
“Eli was solid for us behind the plate and kept many runners at bay on the bases,” Hilgers said. “He hit really well for us, especially early on. I felt like Eli should have been second-team All-State.”
Junior left fielder Tyee Fisher and junior second baseman Cody Knott were second-team all-league selections.
Fisher hit .387 with a team-high 10 doubles, while Knott batted .354 with 28 hits, 27 runs and 26 RBIs.
Junior third baseman Kam Kessler, who batted .282 with six doubles, four triples, 23 runs and 26 RBIs, and sophomore outfielder/designated hitter Caleb Jones, who batted .432, were honorable mention.
Despite accolades for many of his players, Hilgers said he believed some weren’t adequately recognized. He shouldered the blame for that.
“Overall, I felt like I didn’t do a very good job of selling our players at the all-league meeting,” he said. “I think the Player of the Year in our league should have come from our team. I didn’t do a good job of selling this, though.”
Santiam Christian senior Grant Carley was named first-team All-State and conference Player of the Year for the second straight season.
“The three guys that had a chance to get it [King, Salsbery and Stempel] I have apologized to, and I take most the blame for us not having the Player of the Year,” he said. “I also felt like we had a couple guys that deserved to be higher up in all-league. I have a biased opinion on this, though.”
Oregon State Police responded to investigate 11 deaths from motor vehicle crashes over the last three days.
Troopers are very concerned about this alarming trend with the dramatic increase in fatal crashes.
These are not just numbers to us, but our fellow Oregonians and visitors to our state.
Your State Troopers and partner public safety agencies are asking drivers to focus on Oregon’s “Fatal 5” driving behaviors, which contribute to the majority of motor vehicle crashes:
The safety of you, your passengers and fellow travelers depend on our collective choices.
You choose to obey the designated speed limit.
You choose to drive unimpaired.
You choose to put your cell phone down.
You choose to follow the rules of the road.
You choose to buckle up.
The choice is clear. Drive like you plan to stay alive.
Taft High sophomore catcher Hailee Danneker was named first-team All-State on Friday in Class 3A softball for the 2018 season.
Senior infielder Naomi Rini and sophomore pitcher Emma Coulter were named to the second team, while senior centerfielder Alyssa Tanksley earned honorable mention All-State honors.
“I am very proud of the hard work all of these ladies put in this year,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said. “Hearing the other 3A coaches talk so highly of Emma at our All-State meeting felt so great. I am so excited to get back on the diamond with this team again next season. I wish we didn’t have to wait so long.”
All four players were selected to the first-team West Valley League squad, while Stuart was selected West Valley Coach of the Year.
“I could not have done it without this team and my assistant coaches,” she said.
Freshman shortstop Claira Tolan was a second-team all-league selection.
Danneker led the Tigers in slugging percentage (.744), RBIs (22), hits (18) and triples (3), and shared the team lead in doubles with Coulter (5).
Rini challenged for the team lead in virtually every offensive category, while Coulter pitched every inning of Taft’s second-place West Valley League season (18-11, 8-2).
Coach Stuart’s comments:
Hailee Danneker, So., Catcher:
“Our stud catcher, she works very hard behind the plate and has a cannon for an arm. She even held the 2017 Player of the Year to only one stolen base attempt this season. She hit in the No. 3 spot and had a league average of .462 with five doubles, three triples, and 22 RBIs. Hailee is an amazing athlete and an overall great girl. We hope she sticks around to be a Tiger for two more years.”
Naomi Rini, Sr., Infielder
“Naomi is a great athlete. She led the team in hits from the second slot in the batting lineup with a league batting average of .515. She started the season at third base and moved over to shortstop part way. She is a leader and adds a lot of senior confidence at the plate.”
Emma Coulter, So., Pitcher
“Emma is our sole pitcher. She has thrown every league game this year and is an extremely hard worker. She even battled a fever and illness during the season and was there for it all. She is another powerhouse at the plate, batting .472 in league from the cleanup spot and had 18 RBIs in league. She had a league ERA of 1.89. We are excited to see her future unfold over the next two years.”
Alyssa Tanksley, Sr., Outfielder
“Alyssa is our outstanding centerfielder. She plays a very aggressive outfield and is always willing to lay out for the tough play. Alyssa worked her way out of an early hitting slump to finish league with a .303 average. She is an incredible person and great teammate and her presence will be missed next year.”
Claira Tolan, Fr., Infielder
“Claira is a great overall athlete. She works hard and doesn’t let anything bother her. She started at shortstop, but we moved her over to second base to try to level out our infield. She had a season-ending .400 league batting average that was brought down after an unfortunate ankle injury. She still manages to push through any pain in the ankle and give all her effort to her teammates.”
Nearly 90 Taft High 7-12 students were honored May 24 at the school’s Senior Awards Celebration:
The top scholarships included the Gleneden Beach Community Club scholarship, the Lincoln City Rotary scholarship, Tiger Forward scholarship, Williams Family scholarship, and the Zak Kromer Memorial scholarship.
The top awards included the Outstanding Math Achievement, National Honor Society Award, Excellence in Art STEAM Award, Excellence in Science and the Minna Lee Beene Award.
Taft will hold its graduation ceremonies at 2:18 p.m. Saturday, June 9, in the school’s gymnasium, 3780 S.E. Spy Glass Ridge Dr. in Lincoln City.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
Ruben Ahumada
*Gear Up
Excellence in Jazz Band
Sydney Anderson
*Gear Up
*AAUW
*Zak Kromer
AVID Tutor
Excellence in STEAM
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Gabe Arce-Torres
*Gear Up
*Kiwanis
*North Lincoln Eagles
*Rotary
*Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital Auxiliary
*JoAnn Hamilton (4 yr renewable)
*Western Oregon University Merit Scholarship
*Western Oregon University Athletic Scholarship
Leadership-ASB Class Representative
Principal’s Award
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Jocelyn Arguello
*Gear Up
*Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital Auxiliary
AVID Tutor
Jorja Arguello
*Gear Up
Madison Bayer
*Gera Up
*Frank Martin
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Lily Benham
*Gear Up
*Sodexo
Jonathan “Hunter” Bishop
*Gear Up
Excellence in STEAM
AP Physics
Blake Blakely
*Gear Up
Colby Bolan
*Gear Up
Kayla Braguy
*Gear Up
Kailynn Burbidge
*Gear Up
Enriching Contributions in Social Studies
Math Achievement
College Biology
Chris Carlson
*Gear Up
Jennifer Castro
*Gear Up
English Language Learner Excellence
Cash Cavendish
*Calvin J Ritchey Inspirational Basketball Player
“Quit Observer” Award
Aaron Chadwell
*Gear Up
*Tiger Forward”
Culinary Leadership
Math Perseverance
Brendon “Scott” Chavez
*Gear Up
Madison Clanton
*Gear Up
*Sodexo Custodial
Community Service-Green Cord
Riley Clark
*Gear Up
*Kiwanis
*Bateman Funeral Home
*Rotary
*Charles Elroy Memorial
*Marcy Taylor Memorial
*OSEA
*Sunshine Club
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Haylee Cochrane-Valencia
*Gear Up
*Eastern Oregon University Scholars
Indian Education Recognition
Rachel Compton
*Gear Up
Excellence in Choir
Principal’s Award
College Biology
Andrew Day
*Gear Up
“Rising Up” Award
Ben Delhorno
*Gear Up
*Gleneden Beach Community Club
Most Improved Math
Community Service Green Cord
Don Morris Service to Community
Key Club
Joseph Ellis
*Gear Up
Brandon Erickson
*Gear Up
*Oregon Coast Scholars
*Edith Modlin Memorial
*Phyllis Cary Chessman
Excellence in Social Studies
Superintendent’s Award
McKenzie Evenson
*Gear Up
Alliyah Flores-Keeley
*Gear Up
Indian Education Recognition
Club Social
Jesse Freeman
*Gear Up
Superintendent’s Award
Ashley Gamboa-Lara
*Gear Up
Club Social
Skylar Getty
*Gear Up
College Biology
David Gray
*Gear Up
Indian Education Recognition
College Biology
Logan Greenwood
*Gear Up
Mary Greenwood
*Gear Up
*Oregon Coast Scholars (2 yrs tuition)
*Minna Lee Beene Memorial
Superintendent’s Award
Faith Hacker
*Gear Up
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Christopher Hatcher
*Gear Up
Maya Hatton
*Gear Up
*AAUW
*Bill & Jean Biggs Academic Athlete
*Kiwanis
*Rotary
*Dave Bice Memorial
*Frank Olsen Memorial
*Elks Most Valuable Student
Community Service Green Cord
Leadership Co-Class President
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Salutatorian
Sydney Hodges
*Gear Up
CNA Program Recognition
Zanielle Hudson
*Gear Up
Ayala Irvin
*Gear Up
*Kiwanis
*Mid Columbia Bus
*Rotary
*Billy Ann Stempel
Calvin J Ritchey Memorial for Music
Corbin University Chancellor’s Scholarship
Math Achievement
Community Service Green Cord
Key Club
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Caleb King
*Gear Up
Assistant Athletic Director
Collin Kisor
*Gear Up
National Honor Society
Cole Kissell
*Gear Up
Antonio Lascano
*Calvin J Ritchey Inspirational Basketball Player
“Quiet Dedication” Award
Samuel Long
*Gear Up
Al Barzee Citizenship Award
Key Club
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Bulmaro Lopez
*Gear Up
O’Malley Martin
*Gear Up
*Kiwanis
*Rotary
LCSD Administrators
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Daniel Mathews
*Calvin J Ritchey Inspirational Basketball Player
“I’ve Got This” Award
Principal’s Award
Kyliann McClain
*Gear Up
National Honor Society
Kolton McLaren
*Gear Up
Enriching Contributions in Social Studies
Cooper Miller
Gear Up
Wesly Miller
*Gear Up
Samuel Moreno-Islas
*Gear Up
*Sodexo Food Service
Culinary Leadership
Hailey Morris
*Gear Up
*Hawaii Pacific (17,593 x 4 yrs)
Club Social
“Rising Up” Award
Community Service Green Cord
National Honor Society
Noelani Napoleon
*Gear Up
*Zak Kromer
Language Arts Achievement
US Marines Distinguished Athlete
Excellence in Social Studies
Math Achievement
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Ashley Noriega
*Gear Up
Elva Noriega
*Gear Up
Eric Nicolas-Fuentes
*Gear Up
Preston Nightingale
*Gear Up
ECMC
Math Achievement
Key Club
AP Physics
National Honor Society
Fatima Ochoa
*Gear Up
Community Service Green Cord
Carlos Ortiz
*Gear Up
Bonny Patel
*Gear Up
Oregon Coast Scholars (2 yrs tuition)
US Marines Scholastic Excellence
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Thomas Patterson, III
*Gear Up
Juan Perez Del Valle
*Gear Up
College Biology
Margery Price
*Gear Up
*AAUW
*Kiwanis
*North Lincoln Eagles
*Rotary
*Williams Family Foundation (4 yrs )
*Charles Elroy Memorial
*University of Oregon Summit Merit Scholarship (6000 x 4 yrs)
Excellence in Science
Excellence in Band
Community Service Green Cord
Franc Schaffer Most Inspirational
Leadership ASB Co-President
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Valedictorian
Hunter Riggs
*Gera Up
*Phyllis Cary Chessman
College Biology
Naomi Rini
*Gear Up
*Blue Mtn Community College (2yrs tuition)
AVID Tutor
Leadership Class Co-President
Bryan Rupprecht
*Gear Up
Joshua Salsbery
*Gear Up
*Sunshine Club
US Marines Distinguished Athlete
AVID Tutor
Edward Sanchez
*Gear Up
Kira Sciarrotta
*Gear Up
*Oregon Coast Scholars (2 yrs tuition)
CNA Program Recognition
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Sililo Scanlan
*Gear Up
Athena Skoglund
*Gear Up
Alex Smith
*Gear Up
Key Club
Ivan Stallard
*Gear Up
Jack Stempel
*Gear Up
*Johnson Family Memorial
*Bill & Jean Biggs Academic Athlete
*Kiwanis
*North Lincoln Eagles
*Rotary
*ECMC
*Charles Elroy Memorial
Community Service Green Cord
Bill & Jean Biggs Service to School
Leadership ASB Class Representative
Principal’s Award
College Biology
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Honors Diploma
Jamie Stephenson-Noble
*Gear Up
*Oregon Coast Scholars (2 yrs tuition)
College Biology
Superintendent’s Award
Alyssa Tanksley
*Gear Up
*Kiwanis
*Rotary
*Siletz Bay Music Festival
*Sodexo
*Phyllis Cary Chessman
US Marines Musical Excellence
Leadership ASB Co-President
National Honor Society
Superintendent’s Award
Katie Toro-Rodriguez
*Gear Up
Special Recognition
Rosemary Toro-Rodriguez
*Gear Up
Special Recognition
Diana Trapala-Fernandez
*Gear Up
Eneki Trujillo
Excellence in STEAM
Kindley Valenzuela
*Gear Up
Lisamar Velazquez Cornejo
*Gear Up
Club Social
Tora Vinter (Legal:Bailey Warner)
*Gear Up
Excellence in Art
College Biology
Taylor Welch
*Gear Up
Karl Wohlwend
*Gear Up
Ean Wood
*Gear Up
Dawson Wood
*Gear Up
*Denotes scholarship
College Based $181,622
Gear Up 210,000
Local 78,700
TOTAL $470,322
Plus 8 Gear Up Scholarships ($20,000) given to previous Taft High Students graduating from other schools.
The Mayor’s position on Council as well as three council seats in wards 1, 2 and 3, have terms that will expire on December 31, 2018. An election for these positions will be on the General Election Ballot for November 6, 2018.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR HOLDING OFFICE
To be eligible to run for Mayor, a person must be 18 years of age, a registered voter, and must have resided in the City as of February 23, 2018.
To be eligible to run for a City Council seat, a person must be 18 years of age, a registered voter, and must have resided within the ward he or she seeks to represent as of February 23, 2018.
HOW TO GET STARTED
For candidates interested in running for a Mayor or Council position must:
First submit the “Filing of Candidacy For Nonpartisan Nomination“(SEL 101) with the City Elections Official, and the official “Petition For Nonpartisan Nomination Signature Sheet” (SEL 121), with top portion completed.
City Elections Official will review and approve the Petition for circulation, and will add the official city identification on both the Petition and signature sheets. You will receive a written approval to circulate the prospective nominating petition.
The candidate then circulates the Petition with signature sheets to obtain a minimum of 25 elector’s signatures from active registered voters in the Ward that he/she is seeking a position in. (You should obtain extra signatures should some signatures be declared invalid.)
The signature sheets then need to be submitted to the City Elections Official by August 21, 2018, 5:00 pm for the signature verification process. You will be notified of the results of the verification of signatures.
The City Elections Official will submit the Declaration of Candidacy to the Lincoln County Clerk prior to 5:00 pm, August 28, 2018.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE INFORMATION
Contribution and Expenditure filings (if required) must be made with the Secretary of State using their ORESTAR electronic filing system. The Secretary of State’s office is now the filing officer for all local campaign committees.
This requirement does not apply if you are a candidate who:
serves as their own treasurer
does not have an existing candidate committee;
and
does not expect to receive or spend more than $750 during a calendar year. (The $750 includes personal funds spent for any campaign-related costs, such as the candidate filing fee.)
Once you receive or spend money toward your campaign, you have three (3) business days to form a Principal Campaign Committee. You must file with the State of Oregon Secretary of State’s Office a completed:
SEL 220 Candidate’s Statement of Organization
and
SEL 223 Campaign Account Information. (This filing must be done with the Secretary of State using their electronic filing system called ORESTAR.)
If at any time during a calendar year a candidate exceeds $750 in either contributions or expenditures, the candidate must establish a campaign account and file a candidate committee not later than three business days after exceeding the $750 threshold and either file a Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditure (if eligible) or file all transactions not later than seven calendar days after the threshold has been exceeded. Please refer to the “County, City, and District Candidate Manual” for additional information.
The Taft High baseball team turned the page Tuesday to find that not every story comes with a fairy-tale ending.
From left, Josh Salsbery, Caleb King and Jack Stempel
In a season of pioneering achievements at the plate, on the mound and in the record book, the Tigers’ gripping scripture of small-school baseball lore came to a tumultuous conclusion in an 8-6 home defeat to La Pine in the semifinals of the OSAA State Baseball Championships.
Just a victory away from an appearance Friday in the State title game in Keizer, the top-seeded Tigers surrendered three runs in the first inning and couldn’t recover in a showdown of the two most dominant teams in the Class 3A ranks.
“It sucks that it had to end this way, but it is what it is,” senior starter Jack Stempel said. “We are the first team in Taft baseball history to do a lot of things we accomplished this year, and that is very memorable. I love all of this team like my family.”
Jack Stempel
Fourth-seeded La Pine (23-4, 11-1 Mountain Valley) will play 10th-seeded Horizon Christian, Tualatin (20-7, 7-5 West Valley), a 5-1 winner over third-seeded Santiam Christian (20-9, 9-3 West Valley) for the title Friday afternoon at Volcanoes Stadium.
Undefeated West Valley regular-season champion Taft (12-0) concluded its season 24-4, with two of the losses coming to the Hawks, winners of the Mountain Valley regular-season title. La Pine defeated Taft 8-5 on March 27.
“I felt like we did a good job of battling them,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “We didn’t have our best stuff today, and made some mistakes we don’t normally make that cost us some runs. It’s the game of baseball, and momentum can change with one pitch. We saw it go back and forth today, and we were two hits away from tying the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
Trenton Fisher
The Hawks jumped on top with three runs in the first off Stempel before the Tigers went quietly in their half of the inning.
After silencing La Pine in the top of the second, junior third baseman Kam Kessler scored Stempel with the Tigers’ first run before scoring on a passed ball to make it 3-2.
Kam Kessler
After the Hawks went up 5-2 with runs in the third and fourth innings, sophomore designated hitter Caleb Jones walked to lead off the fifth, moved to second on a sacrifice, and came around to score to trim the lead to 5-3. However, La Pine scored three times in the seventh to build an 8-3 advantage.
Caleb Jones
After Jones and senior shortstop Josh Salsbery reached with base hits in the bottom half of the inning, sophomore catcher Eli DeMello bunted to score two runs on a throwing error at first. Down 8-5, junior second baseman Cody Knott cut the margin to two by driving in DeMello, but that was all the scoring the Tigers could muster.
Eli DeMello applies the tag for an out at home
Senior left-hander Jake Farnsworth struck out nine in going the distance for the win for the Hawks. Farnsworth and his younger brother, freshman Alex, had two hits each and scored twice apiece for La Pine.
Salsbery and Knott had two hits each for Taft, while Jones scored two runs.
Cody Knott
“Everybody wants to win their last game of the year,” Hilgers said. “We were close to giving ourselves a chance to do that, but didn’t make it over the hump today.”
The game pitted the two most dominant teams in small-school Oregon baseball. Taft, ranked first virtually the entire season, entered the game with a 284-76 scoring advantage over the opposition, with the Hawks not far behind at 259-99.
Tyee Fisher made a great run-saving catch
“We had an amazing season that these kids should be proud of,” Hilgers said. “I know the two coaches [Hilgers and assistant Jason King] are proud of the season that these gentlemen put together. We had a season that no other baseball team at Taft has had – 24 wins and the No. 1 team in the state for most of the year is something to be proud of. I’m proud and happy to have been given the opportunity to coach each and every one of these kids.”
The Tigers, behind senior tri-captains Caleb King, Salsbery and Stempel — reached the semifinals with 9-2 and 5-1 home victories over Clatskanie and Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa. La Pine defeated 13th-seeded Vale 18-4 and fifth-seeded Pleasant Hill 5-4 to advance.
“The seniors — Josh, Jack and Caleb — had a great year, and carried our team to this game today,” Hilgers said. “I expect to see great things from all three of them.”
Taft’s semifinal appearance was its best in school history, according to OSAA record books. The Tigers made the State playoffs six times prior to this season, losing in sub-round play in 2010, in the first round in 1979 and 2004, and in the quarterfinals in 1968, 1978 and 2017.
Bleiz Kimbrough
“It’s been a hell of a season,” Stempel said. “We all became brothers this year — brothers that we will never forget.”
“It was a great year, but sure not how I imagined it ending,” Salsbery said. “Not everything is picture-perfect, but I’m excited to see where these guys go in the future. It’s time for me to look forward to new things. I’ll always remember this team when I tell my kids about what I was able to be a part of.”
Josh Salsbery
King rattled off the accomplishments:
“24-4; league champs for the first time since 1984; No. 1 seed in the bracket for the first time in program history; semifinalists for the first time in program history – it’s something to be proud of,” he said. “We didn’t deserve to go out that way, but we did. We were a part of something special and I’ll always love each and every one of these guys.”
PHOTOS BY ERIC DEMELLO
La Pine 8, Taft 6
LA PINE AB R H BI
Adam Plant 3 1 1 0
Alex Farnsworth 4 2 2 0
Jake Farnsworth 3 2 2 0
Wyatt DeForest 2 2 1 1
Angelo Roes 4 0 1 1
Eddie Price 2 0 1 1
Riley Pinckney 3 1 0 0
Austin McKittrick 3 0 1 1
Ben Plant 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 27 8 9 4
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 3 1 2 0
Eli DeMello 3 1 1 0
Caleb King 4 0 0 0
Jack Stempel 2 1 1 0
Cody Knott 4 0 2 1
Kam Kessler 4 1 0 0
Tyee Fisher 3 0 0 0
Caleb Jones 2 2 1 0
Trenton Fisher 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 27 6 7 1
A familiar foe in name only will take the field at the Pit Tuesday when the Taft High baseball team plays La Pine to advance to Friday’s Class 3A State championship game.
“We are not the same team that played them back in March, and I don’t expect them to be the same team either,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said of the Hawks, one of just three teams to defeat the Tigers this season. “We have come a long way since then, and I am guessing they have as well.”
No arguing that.
La Pine went on to complete a 22-4 season as once-beaten Mountain Valley Conference regular-season champions before losing a home league playoff game 4-3 to Pleasant Hill.
Taft went on to complete a 24-3 season as undefeated West Valley League regular-season champions before losing a home league playoff game 9-8 to Santiam Christian.
The fourth-seeded Hawks avenged the defeat to Pleasant Hill on Saturday with a 5-4 home win over the Billies.
The top-seeded Tigers could get a chance at redemption against the third-seeded Eagles in a State title matchup Friday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
The Taft Tigers host the La Pine Hawks, 4 p.m. at The Pit today. It’s history in the making as the Tigers have never made it this far. Jason King Matt Hilgers Melissa A. Griffin-Jones Taft High 7-12 Athletics
“We have taken the same approach in every game, and we need to stay with what is working,” Hilgers said. “This game is no bigger than any previous game. If we didn’t win the last two games, we wouldn’t be playing on Tuesday at home. That can be said about every game we have played this year, and that is how we have approached every game. We just need to focus on the task at hand and stay within ourselves and be successful.”
When the respective league champions take the field at 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Tigers and Hawks are expected to unmask mirror images of each other. In other words, expect solid pitching, sound hitting and steady defense from both dugouts.
“They are very similar to us,” Hilgers said. “They have quite a bit of pitching depth that will help them. They put the ball in play and force the other team to make plays on defense.”
La Pine is the only semifinal team left in the 16-team tournament that isn’t from the West Valley League, a seven-school conference Taft dominated by outscoring its opponents 156-8 in the regular season. While the No. 1-ranked Tigers’ supremacy over their opponents is evident in its 284-76 overall scoring margin, the Hawks’ were nearly as dominant, outscoring the opposition 259-99 — easily the two largest run differentials in the Class 3A ranks.
“Having three teams in the final four shows you how good our league was this year,” Hilgers said. “I know there is one or two other leagues that could have maybe had two make it had they not played each other, but that’s not how it worked out. We have had to bring our best game every game this year and we are looking to continue that on Tuesday and play our best seven innings of baseball.”
That, Hilgers said, was not the case on March 27, when the Tigers fell 8-5 at La Pine just prior to spring break.
“We struggled in that game to make plays on defense and we left a few guys on base that resulted in the final score not being in our favor,” he said, “They are a tough ball club, but we have played tough ball clubs throughout the season.”
Aggressiveness at the plate could be a key in Tuesday’s outcome, Hilgers said.
“We will continue to do what we have done — throw strikes, make plays on defense and put good swings on pitches,” he said.
Numbers aside, anything the 2018 Tigers accomplish establishes precedent for the program.
According to the OSAA, Taft has made the State playoffs six times prior to this season, losing in sub-round play in 2010, in the first round in 1979 and 2004, and in the quarterfinals in 1968, 1978 and 2017.
Friday’s 5-1 home quarterfinal victory over Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa set a standard for future Taft teams to surpass.
The only two words that matter now are “Play ball!”
