2003 had its share of titles, tough defeats and fun moments

By Steve Gress
Mid-Valley Sports

What a year 2003 turned out to be on the high school sports scene.

The thrilling victories and heart-breaking defeats, coupled with the many new working relationships I developed with players and coaches made the past year an exciting and memorable one for me.

Coming up with my top 10 moments wasn't an easy task, but here are the 10 I decided on. I hope you enjoy.

After a 3-6 season in 2002, there was optimism amongst the players the coaches of the Corvallis High football team. The Spartans started off 3-0 and entered week 4 tied for first with three other teams, including that week's opponent, Sprague.

The game was a defensive gem by both teams, with Sprague taking advantage of a bad snap on a punt to score a touchdown. The Olympians survived for a 14-12 win when Nick Hubel's two-point conversion pass to Billy Clontz skimmed the turf.

For four years I had the opportunity to watch Joanna Chadd play for the Philomath High girls basketball team. Over the years, I had the pleasure of getting to know her, and even played a game of one-on-one at a school assembly. Yeah, that's right, she won.

In her final game at the 3A state tournament at Gill Coliseum, Chadd did all she could to help her team stay alive. She hit two free throws at the end of the third quarter to give the Warriors the lead, and drained a 3-pointer at the four-minute mark for Philomath's last lead.

But in the end, Pleasant Hill hit its free throws and posted the victory. It was an emotional moment for PHS coach Terry Thomas, as it was for myself.

A week before watching Chadd play her final game, I said goodbye to another of my favorite athletes to cover when the Crescent Valley boys basketball team ran into yet another Metro League team and fell one victory short of reaching the 4A state tournament.

This time it was a Southridge team that came up with clutch shot after clutch shot to send the Raiders home with a 59-56 setback that was as painful as any of the previous four seasons.

The game marked the final time Mike Green would put on the CV uniform. Green had a reputation for being a hothead on the court (he was ejected in a game against Corvallis that got him suspended for a key game against eventual league champion McNary), and his struggle with alcohol was well documented in the newspaper. Still, spending time with Green off the court proved that appearances can often be deceiving.

It would have been fun to see Green and his teammates finally get a chance to see what they could do in Portland.

On the same day Green played his final game, I had the opportunity to watch the CV girls team, one many expected to lose two straight, play an inspired game against Glencoe in a battle for fifth place at the 4A tournament at the Chiles Center.

The Raiders had dropped a tough opener to Willamette before rebounding to stop Roseburg and Tigard to reach their second consolation final in three seasons. The victory against Roseburg avenged an earlier 30-point loss to the Indians.

Against a very strong Glencoe team in the consolation final, the Raiders fell behind early and managed to rally to cut the deficit to 56-53, before falling 61-53.

A majority of that team is back this year, and I'm expecting a return trip to Portland and another memorable moment from the Raiders in 2004.

When the Gazette-Times and Democrat-Herald combined to form one sports staff in 2002, it allowed me an opportunity to cover some new schools and athletes. I'll never forget heading over to West Albany to cover the Bulldogs in their subtournament game against Newberg.

It was a thrilling game to be sure. Staci Bielenberg tied the game with a lay-up and Meryl Witt and Megan Erner each hit free throws in the final 17 seconds to propel the Bulldogs to a 40-38 victory and trip to face Glencoe for the right to advance to the 4A tournament.

But it wasn't the mad rush at the end of the game that I'll always remember — it was the post-game celebration.

Standing by the Bulldogs' bench, I began interviewing WA coach Mike Haberly. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by the girls on the team and were being covered in silly string. What made it so much fun was that I didn't really know many of the players, and still they allowed me to be a special part of their celebration.

In 1999, John Williams led his daughter, Sara, and her teammates into the semifinals of the 3A/2A/1A girls soccer semifinals against Catlin Gabel. In 2003, he led his other daughter, Maura, and her teammates into the semifinals against the same program.

Unfortunately for the Williams family, the outcome was the same as Catlin Gabel posted a 5-2 victory, and went on to win its 10th consecutive crown and 11th in 12 seasons.

There may not have been a more difficult way to see a season come to an end than what transpired at Beaverton High School in November. The Corvallis girls soccer team was primed to advance to its first semifinal appearance until Sunset scored with 22 minutes left to tie the game.

The game remained tied through the two overtime periods and went to a shootout. Kelli Cronkrite and Anna Miller gave the Spartans a 2-1 advantage, but two misses by the Spartans and they trailed 3-2. Bre Kerkvliet had her shot hit the cross bar, bounce down and back onto the field sending the Sunset players into a wild celebration.

However, Kerkvliet's shot was ruled to have crossed the goal line, knotting the penalty kicks at 3-3. The reprieve didn't last long as Sunset scored on its next PK and took the victory.

The first playoff game for the Corvallis High football program since 1992 was one few will soon forget. The Spartans cruised into the postseason with a 55-6 victory over Crescent Valley and were set to face a Summit program in just its third year of existence.

The Storm proved worthy opponents and took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Spartans made it 10-7 at the half and took a 14-10 lead on their first possession of the second half before Summit responded and regained the lead at 17-14 in its first possession.

The Spartans eventually regained the lead at 20-17 on a Kurtis Magee 32-yard run. But Summit wouldn't quit as the Storm moved down the field and were primed to possibly tie the game with a field goal or take the lead on a touchdown after back-to-back pass interference calls and a quarterback scamper.

Then Jake Roy, the Valley League defensive player of the year, stepped in front of a Justin Valley pass for a game-clinching interception that sealed the Spartans' victory.

They would end the season a week later with a 55-14 loss at Beaverton.

No. 2 on my list was watching the Philomath High boys and girls cross country teams win state titles, and Brianna Anderson-Gregg capturing her unprecedented third 3A individual title in relatively easy fashion.

The boys title was a family affair as coach Joe Fulton celebrated the title with his son, senior Leland Fulton. For the younger Fulton, it was the first team title after finishing second three other times in cross country and track and field.

The Warriors have the most dominant program in the 3A the past 20 years and to see both teams celebrate together was a fitting conclusion to the season.

And then there was one.

As I've mentioned before, the CHS football team had a tremendous season and two games have already earned mention on the list. But if I had to choose one game that stood out, it would have to be the one against McNary.

The Spartans entered the eighth week of the season with a 6-1 record and in position to wrap up a playoff berth. McNary, the two-time defending Valley League champion, was all that stood in the Spartans' way.

Nobody could have expected what transpired.

The vaunted CHS defense shut down the high-powered McNary offense and Magee defied my odds with a 50-yard field goal that hit the cross bar and bounced over for a 13-0 lead in what turned out to be a 20-0 victory for the Spartans. The win gave the Spartans second place and a trip to the postseason for the first time since 1992.

Those are my top 10 high school moments, but this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning the three plus weeks I spent traveling with the Richey's Market American Legion baseball team.

It began simple enough with several trips to Eugene and the state tournament. The Marketmen started on a roll at the right time with some timely hitting and clutch pitching to capture their first state title since 1990.

Then it was off to Whitefish, Mont. and a berth in the Region 7 tournament. Hanging out with the players and coaches made the trip enjoyable, as was catching up with former Gazette-Times photographer Jennifer DeMonte and her husband Steve.

It looked like the Marketmen might be overmatched, falling 11-1 in seven innings in the opener against a team from California, but they responded by winning the next two games. A meaningless home run by a player on the California team sent Richey's into the semifinals by virtue of a run differential tiebreaker.

They breezed through the semis and finals and were off to Bartlesville, Okla. for the World Series.

About an hour after the Marketmen clinched a World Series berth, I began the long drive back to Corvallis with coach Eric Dazey as my driving partner. We followed coaches Jim Owre and Kirk Myrold across four states through the wee hours of the morning, only to get home and start making plans for a trip to Oklahoma.

Dreams of a national title seemed within the Marketmen's grasp as they swept through pool play undefeated, but a berth in the finals was not meant to be as Cherryville, N.C. had the pitching and hitting to end the dream with a 15-1 setback.

Still, there was nothing like the three-week trip the Marketmen took me, and I will never forget the parents and fans I met along the way. It's quite interesting to be hanging out in the airport at 5:30 a.m. with 23 of your most recent friends, waiting to head back to Oregon and get back to some semblance of a normal life.

What a ride, and what a year for sports in Benton County in 2003. Here's hoping 2004 can top it.

Steve Gress can be reached at 758-9544 or steve.gress@lee.net.