After breakthrough season, CHS hopes to stay on top

By Steve Gress
Mid-Valley Sports

It had to have been difficult for the seniors to look up at the scoreboard this past Friday night and see the numbers: Beaverton 55, Corvallis 14.

It was a tough way to end the season for all involved with the Corvallis High football program. Despite the lopsided finish in the second round of the OSAA 4A playoffs, there's no doubt the Spartans had a successful season.

The team finished with a 9-2 record, its first winning season and playoff appearance since 1992. The Spartans were 8-1 and finished second in the Valley League, their best finish since 1986. Their 20-17 victory over Summit on Nov. 7 was the program's first playoff victory since 1986.

But that tells only half the story.

Chris McGowan, in his second year leading the Spartans, defines success as "finding something you like to do and doing it the best that you can." But the most meaningful kind of success is "doing something you like to do and getting better at it and doing it the right way."

The Spartans were successful there as well. They respected each opponent. After each victory, the players celebrated with their fans by singing the alma mater.

"That has been one of the best things I've seen all year, the community and student involvement," McGowan said. "You don't have to be an athlete to appreciate athletics. Sports, if done right, can be a really positive thing for your school. I've seen that happen at CHS. It's rewarding to know that I have been a part of that."

The success on the field may have been a bit of a surprise for a program that had won 16 games in the last decade entering the 2003 campaign. One of those victories was a forfeit.

That doesn't mean McGowan and others didn't feel like the team could make a run at a playoff berth.

"We talked about how we had a chance to do it this year," McGowan said. "We as coaches talked about how it was important to do it this year. Then we found out we had three playoff spots, and that would be tough. We thought with the fourth playoff spot we would probably sneak in there somewhere with a 6-3, 5-4 record. We thought we could do it."

The Spartans used a tenacious, attacking defense that limited scoring opportunities for their opponents and came up with some scoring chances of their own as they opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 1986. Then came a tough 14-12 setback at home to league-leading and eventual champion Sprague.

However, the Spartans regrouped and ended a 14-game losing streak to South Salem in Week 5 before picking up a huge home win over McKay to go 5-1. They nearly stumbled at West Albany, but Jake Roy's interception return keyed a comeback win to set the stage for a Week 8 encounter with McNary for second place and a playoff berth.

The Spartans ended their playoff drought with a convincing 20-0 victory that ended a 10-game losing streak to the defending league champions. Kurtis Magee's 51-yard field goal highlighted the win.

"To beat McNary was a great step for us," McGowan said. "It was an exciting way to do it, and the way that all played out was probably the one football moment that really stood out."

Now comes the hard part — taking the next step and staying on top. With a number of holes to fill from departing seniors, McGowan said it won't be easy, especially with funding and user fees always an issue.

"There are still pieces to the puzzle that need to be fit in," he said. "In terms of wins and losses for the varsity football team, we couldn't ask for more. If you'd have told me we would be 8-1 in league and win our first playoff game, I'd have been thrilled to hear that.

"There is still work that needs to be done at the lower level. There are a lot of challenges still out there. I do see some excitement and some really good people out there working with some of the youth programs. I hope that will pay dividends in the future, but there is still work to be done."