Delaney Henery, a junior basketball player, stands for a portrait at West Salem High School on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015.

Delaney Henery’s version of going on a vacation to Hawaii is playing basketball.

When she goes out on the basketball court in a West Salem High School jersey, all her worries drift away.

All of that homework in Pre-Calculus or Spanish drifts away.

“Basketball for me is a way to channel something that I can’t really find anywhere else,” she says. “It’s a way to clear your mind. I’m in a different place when I’m playing basketball.”

That’s probably why the 5-foot-10 junior wing focuses so well when she’s on the court.

She was West Salem’s leading scorer last season , and this year again. Her influence is felt in more than just on offense.

Henery matured to the point where she doesn’t just have to score to impact a game.

Zach Bernards a dynamo of a player for Dayton

“She’s our best defensive player, just about,” West Salem coach Terry Williams said. “She rebounds. She’s getting, I think, an understanding that it’s a total team game and she’s good at everything.

“Scoring is just that big figure that jumps out at everybody. And she’s a good scorer, really good scorer.”

Henery’s mother, Colleen, played softball at Oregon State from 1980-83.

Henery, like most players, started playing basketball in the first grade and, after trying a lot of other sports, realized basketball was her thing.

She played soccer until she got to high school, then tried golf for a year and tennis last year, but there’s one sport in which she found her place.

“I’m a competitive person and basketball, that kind of satisfied me,” Henery said. “It’s physical, which I like. It’s competitive.”

After a freshman season in which she was a starter and second-team all-conference player, Henery broke out in her sophomore year.

She was West Salem’s leading scorer as a sophomore with 13 points per game and already has been more consistent as a scorer.

Where as a sophomore she might have a game where she put down 18 and disappear and score six the next, she’s already averaging 20 points per game this season.

She attributes a lot of that to the shooting work she put in last summer with assistant coach Kailey Keene and playing for the Mid-Valley Monarchs.

“I thought her confidence grew a lot,” Williams said. “Maybe that’s what we’re seeing now is her confidence level is so much higher.

“I think her leadership, her confidence, playing against tough competition, you just raise your level of play in all aspects. You get smarter about what you do with the ball. You get smarter about your passes. You get smarter about the moves you do with the ball. Her basketball IQ all around is pretty high.”

Though a wing, Henery hit the weights hard to put on strength and is more comfortable in drawing contract while going to the hoop.

She’s becoming the kind of player defenses fear.

“I think physically I’m pretty powerful, which gives me an advantage when finishing,” Henery said. “Tayler Gunesch, our point guard, is a really good distributor, so she gets me the ball in a position when I’m able to score, but that’s due to her point guard abilities.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Delaney Henery, a junior basketball player, stands for a portrait at West Salem High School on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015.

Greater Valley Conference

McKay

Coach: Lee Horton, second year

Last year’s record: 0-24, 0-16

Key players

Andrea Fennimore, Sr., PG: An honorable mention all-conference player and third-year starter.

Arely Rosas, Jr., P: A returning starter and determined player inside.

Tisha Rupelly John, Sr., W: The team’s most versatile player.

Outlook: The Royal Scots have the potential with an experienced core group to improve from where the team was a year ago.

McNary

Coach: Derick Handley, second year

Last year’s record: 14-11, 12-4, lost in first round of 6A playoffs

Key players

Madi Hingston, Sr., W: A first-team all-conference player who has signed to play in college at Seattle Pacific.

Kaelie Flores, Sr., P: She has signed to play at Central Washington after a strong junior year when she was second-team all-conference.

Sydney Hunter, Jr., W: A tenacious player with the ability to make plays and create from anywhere on the court.

Outlook: The Celtics have a strong combination of experienced players, size and promising young players and have the potential to challenge for the conference championship.

North Salem

Coach: Brent Turner, second year

Last year’s record: 3-21, 2-14

Key players

Kelsey Blackbird, Sr., G: A transfer from Chemawa who is the team’s spark plug.

Janel Urbina, So., P/G: A young player with the ability to compete at the varsity level.

Sydnee Rupp, Jr., G: An outside shooter and athletic player.

Outlook: The Vikings are young this season, but have the potential to sneak up on some teams.

South Salem

Coach: Nick McWilliams, ninth year

Last year’s record: 27-2, 16-0, OSAA Class 6A state playoffs

Key players

Jordan Woodvine, Sr., W: A second-team all-state player who has signed to play in college at Boise State.

Evina Westbrook, Jr., PG/W: A second-team all-state player who is one of the top high school players in the country.

Tori Swanson, Sr., W: A returning starter and a hard worker at both ends of the court.

Outlook: The Saxons graduated two players from last season’s state championship team and have the potential to compete for the state championship again.

Sprague

Coach: Casey Williams, second year

Last year’s record: 4-19, 4-12

Key players

Kiyah Brown, So., G: A returning starter from last year when she was honorable mention all-conference.

Sarah Teubner, Jr., G: A transfer from Cascade where she was an impact player as a freshman.

Katelyn Macaitis-Smith, Sr., W/P: Returns to the team after a year of focusing on softball.

Outlook: The Olympians have the pieces to be much improved with a young group of players who played big minutes last year, newcomers and returners.

West Salem

Coach: Terry Williams, second year

Last year’s record: 13-11, 9-7

Key players

Delaney Henery, Jr., G: The team’s leading scorer last year and a second-team all-conference player as a sophomore.

Taylor Gunesch, Sr., G: A third-team all-conference player as a junior who has signed to play softball at Portland State.

Brenna Redman, soph., P: A strong inside player who is one of the team’s leading scorers.

Outlook: The Titans have an athletic group of players with a lot of experience and add in a promising young group of players who were successful at the JV level a year ago.

The rest of the GVC

Forest Grove: The Grizzlies return a strong group of all-conference players in McKenzie Long, Alyssa Villalobos and Ashlie Collins and will challenge for a playoff spot again.

McMinnville: The team lost a lot to graduation and transfers, but has the potential to challenge for a postseason berth.

West Albany: The team lost a lot of talent from last year’s team that placed second in the conference.

Area leagues

Mid-Willamette Conference: A Silverton team that was the co-conference champion and placed sixth in the state last season returns senior Alia Parsons, who has signed to play in college at Division I Grand Canyon, along with sophomores Maggie Roth and Brooke McCarty and an athletic junior class including Hannah Munson and Kayce McLaughlin and will compete for the league championship. Corvallis always is among the best in the conference and returns first-team all-conference post Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson. Central returns seniors Kylie Nash and Reba Hoffman along with an up-and-coming sophomore in Krista Omlid and will contend for the top spot in the conference.

Oregon West Conference: With a roster including first-team all-state sophomore Halle Wright, first-team all-conference wing Alyssa St. Peter and varsity players Danielle Haddix and Kelsey Molan, Cascade is the heavy favorite to win the conference again. Stayton, which placed third in the conference last season, returns all-conference players in Alyssa Lindemann, Tess Hendricks, Mariah Hollenbeck and Madison Anderson and has the talent to push Cascade for the top spot. Philomath is talented and will challenge in every conference game. North Marion all-conference players in Kiley Florez and Kelsie Henry and will compete for a playoff spot.

West Valley League: Last season’s state champion Dayton has last season’s state player of the year Shawnie Spink and all-state players in Teddi Hop and Kalina Rojas and is the heavy favorite to win the conference. But Amity returns some strong players in all-state players Lindsey McShane and Madelynn Krotzer and will push Dayton for the top spot. Willamina returns senior Kasey Anderson, a first-team all-state player, and has the potential to surprise some of the conference’s top teams.

PacWest Conference: A Salem Academy team loaded with sophomores – including Aimee Smith and Sydney Brown – that swept the conference and placed second in the state a year ago is the favorite to win the conference. Blanchet has an interesting mix of players in first-team all-conference player Sophia Poole, Triad Christian transfer Erin Estabrook, sophomore all-conference player Emily Collier, seniors Johanna Counts and Kendra Campbell and a talented freshman class. A Scio team that was second in the conference last year and with a team including Courtney Tharp, McKenzie Reger, MiKayla Cortez and Kim Ortiz will be strong again. Gervais returns starters including Ariana Rios and Jelayna Bastidas and could compete for a playoff spot.

Tri-River Conference: The conference should have more parity this year, but will still have contenders at the state level. Returning state champion Western Mennonite will be without state player of the year Emma Gibb, who is out for the season after a knee injury. But the team returns one of the most solid all-around players in the state in junior point guard Madison Hull and adds in some experienced, accomplished players in senior guard Madison Hopper – a transfer from West Salem – senior post Brittney Freeman – a transfer from McMinnville – and gets back senior guard Kari Louthan, a second-team all-conference player as a sophomore who sat out last season. A Kennedy team that placed fifth in the state last year returns senior first-team all-conference players Lakin Susee and Kenzie Ratliff and will contend for the top spot in the conference. Regis will be competitive with experienced players including Emma VanVeen, Ashytyn Chamberland, Erin Malcom and Abigail Frith. St. Paul has an athletic group including all-conference players Emma Coleman and Cameron Stone along with seniors Cassidy Merten and McGwire Smith.

Casco League: Country Christian was second in the state last season and with three first-team all-league players back is the heavy favorite to win the league again. Perrydale drops down from Class 2A and will contend for a state playoff spot behind senior post Telaney Newton. Willamette Valley Christian and Falls City made their first state playoff appearances last year and both should compete for playoff spots again. Falls City returns first-team all-league senior Allison Kidd and Willamette Valley Christian returns starters in Liz Torres, Emma Kinler and Katie Tallon.

North Salem senior Cameron Jolly practices on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Olinger Pool in Salem, Ore.

Baseball players don’t swim, at least not competitively.

And then you get to Cameron Jolly.

North Salem High School’s fireballing 6-foot-5 right handed pitcher moonlights during the winter as the team captain for the Vikings’ swimming team.

But he’s not just swimming for cross training.

He found enjoyment in the competing in the pool.

“It’s neat that he can be competitive in multiple sports,” North Salem coach Britni Fisher said. “It takes true athleticism and just well roundedness. I think it’s awesome. I go watch him play in baseball and it’s really exciting, too.”

Baseball players who swim competitively are such a rare combination that Jolly has to think for a while to come up with any other baseball players he’s seen around a pool.

His sightings of baseball players competing in swimming have been limited to West Salem’s Andy Armstrong and Brody Wittman this winter.

“A lot of people do it because their senior year they want to do something in the winter so I’ll see, but last year, not very many baseball guys doing it,” he said.

But Jolly swims because he enjoys the sport.

He competed in club water polo for one season his seventh grade year, but it didn’t stick.

When he got to North Salem, his brother, Andrew, was on the swim team and so he decided to join.

“My brother did it his whole life and my parents both did it in high school,” Jolly said. “He had so much fun and I knew the guys that were on the team his senior year.

“When he was a senior I was a freshman so I decided to do it. My mom, she still does the clock at swim meets. They’re all super involved in it and they drag me to meets. I started coming my freshman year and I love it.”

Jolly was 18th in the 50 free (25.92) and 100 fly (1:09.81) at the Greater Valley Conference district meet as a junior.

You might think swimming would be a comparatively relaxing pursuit to someone who is used to having every eye on them when they are pitching, but Jolly insists it’s the opposite.

“I actually get more nervous before a swim meet,” he said. “Before my race I kind of feel like a little stomach butterflies. I just do.

“Before I pitch it’s just the opposite. I’m like super pumped up and I really want to go out there already and I have to wait two hours because I get there early to warm up and it takes forever because I really want to get up there.”

A second-team all-Greater Valley Conference pitcher as a junior, he hits 84 miles per hour on the radar gun and mostly relies on three pitches – fastball, curveball and change-up – though he mixes in a slider and two-seam fastball.

He’s the kind of student of the game who will spend an hour in front of a mirror working on the mechanics of his throwing motion.

It’s that kind of work ethic that North Salem’s swimmers appreciate.

“I have more confidence for baseball, even though everyone on this team kind of looks up to me,” he said.

“I kind of try to have as much fun here.”

His competitive spirit crosses over from sport to sport.

When it comes times for cross-training drills at the end of swimming practice, he wants to be first in every one.

“I love him,” Fisher said. “He’s kind of ornery, but he’s a hard worker and he motivates the team so it’s awesome.”

The difference swimming has made on his pitching game has been tremendous.

Where most high school pitchers are doing well if they can throw 70 pitches and throw six innings, Jolly far exceeds that.

While playing American Legion baseball for the Withnell Dodgers last summer he pitched nine innings in a shutout of Corvallis.

“Because I was swimming into spring a little bit, too, my arm, not tired the next day,” Jolly said. “I was able to play catch still after throwing 130 pitches.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

North Salem senior Cameron Jolly practices on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Olinger Pool in Salem, Ore.

Boys swimming

Greater Valley Conference

McKay

Coach: Andria Schmitt, fourth year.

Last year’s placing: Eighth in GVC.

Key athletes

Conner Breyer: A newcomer to the team and a promising competitor.

Outlook: The Royal Scots have improved numbers this season and have the potential to move up.

McNary

Coach: Casey Lewin, second year.

Last year’s placing: Seventh in GVC.

Key athletes

Jake Wyer, jr.: An improving swimmer who has the potential to place in the conference.

Isiah Holt, sr.: Was 17th in the league in the 100 butterfly as a junior.

Outlook: The Celtics have good numbers this season and have the depth to improve.

North Salem

Coach: Britni Fisher, second year.

Last year’s placing: Ninth in GVC.

Key athletes

Cameron Jolly, sr.: A district placing sprinter.

Vernon Stewart, soph.: The team’s top freestyler.

Outlook: The Vikings have some experienced swimmers but with five boys on the team is unlikely to move up.

South Salem

Coach: Eric Richey, 10th year.

Last year’s placing: Second in GVC, sixth in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Tyler Cook, soph.: Showed great potential as a freshman placing second in the district in the 200 free.

Daisuke Fitial, jr.: A district placer in the backstroke and butterfly as a sophomore.

Outlook: The Saxons have significant depth on the boys side, but will have a hard time competing with McMinnville and West Salem for the league title.

Sprague

Coach: Rebekah Wilcox, 10th year.

Last year’s placing: Fifth in GVC, 27th in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Parker Greene, jr.: Placed fourth in the district in the breaststroke as a sophomore.

Colby Evenson, soph.: A surprise as a freshman when he placed second in the conference in the individual medley and backstroke.

Outlook: The Olympians have solid numbers and some strong swimmers who could contend for the league championships.

West Salem

Coach: Dan Evans, 14th year.

Last year’s placing: Third in GVC, fourth in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Andrew Kauffman, sr.: The defending district champion in the 500 free and a returning state placer.

Micah Masei, jr.: Placed fourth in the state in the 100 breast and eighth in the 50 free as a sophomore and could challenge for a state championship this season.

Outlook: The Titans have a lot of excellent swimmers back and could contend for a state championship in the relays.

The rest of the GVC

Forest Grove: The Vikings have a young team again this season.

McMinnville: The Grizzlies won last year’s district championship and are a heavy favorite to win the league again.

West Albany: The team placed third in the conference a year ago and return the swimmers to make them a contender for the top three in the league again.

Area leagues

Mid-Willamette Conference: Corvallis is the favorite to win the conference again. Dallas returns a strong swimmer in Ryan Kennedy. Silverton has a lineup including senior Cole Hackett and a couple juniors who have improve a lot in Jason Orr and Ross Mackinnon.

4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3: It will be tough for any team in the league to contend with Sweet Home for the top spot. Salem Academy senior Taden Swing was a state placer in the 50 free and should be strong again.

Girls swimming

Greater Valley Conference

McKay

Coach: Andria Schmitt, fourth year.

Last year’s placing: Eighth in GVC.

Key athletes

Audrey Eckstein, jr.: A standout multi-sport athlete who was a district scorer the last two years.

Outlook: The Royal Scots have improving numbers and could move up in the league.

McNary

Coach: Casey Lewin, second year.

Last year’s placing: Sixth in GVC, 18th in Class 6A

Key athletes

Marissa Kuch, soph.: The defending district champion, and a state placer, in the 100 and 200 freestyles.

Sara Eckert, soph.: A district placer in the 100 fly and 500 free as a freshman.

Outlook: The Celtics have one of the best swimmers in the state in Kuch and should have improved depth this season.

North Salem

Coach: Britni Fisher, second year.

Last year’s placing: Ninth in GVC.

Key athletes

Jessica Braun, sr.: An all-around athlete who has the potential to qualify for the state meet.

Sirena Kobayasha, jr.: The team’s top distance competitor.

Outlook: The team has some athletes who should help it move up in the league.

South Salem

Coach: Eric Richey, 10th year.

Last year’s placing: Fourth in GVC, 23rd in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Anna Despain, soph.: Placed second and third in the league in the backstroke and 200 free as a freshman and will contend for district titles.

Alison Gabhardt, sr.: A district consolation finalist in both of the distance events as a junior.

Outlook: The Saxons have a lot of depth this season and have the potential to compete with McMinnville for the district title.

Sprague

Coach: Rebekah Wilcox, 10th year.

Last year’s placing: Fifth in GVC, 24th in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Lily Sloan, sr.: A district consolation finalist in two events as a junior.

Outlook: The team graduated a strong group of seniors from last season and will be young this season.

West Salem

Coach: Dan Evans, 14th year.

Last year’s placing: Second in GVC, seventh in Class 6A.

Key athletes

Madison Blissit, sr.: Placed fifth in the district in the 500 free and 100 breaststroke as a junior.

Hannah Bodkin, jr.: Was in the top four in the league in the individual medley and breaststroke last season.

Outlook: The Titans have a large and strong group of swimmers that will keep the team in the top three in the league.

The rest of the GVC

Forest Grove: The team placed seventh in the conference a year ago, but will struggle to keep up with most teams.

McMinnville: The Grizzlies are the heavy favorites to repeat as district champions behind an accomplished group of swimmers and a strong group of newcomers.

West Albany: The Bulldogs have a promising young crop of swimmers and will contend for a top three spot in the conference.

Area leagues

Mid-Willamette Conference: Crescent Valley and Corvallis will again compete for the league championship. Dallas junior Jolie-Rae Ford was a district champion in the 200 free last year and placed fourth in the state in the 500 free, and the Dragons return another strong swimmer in senior Liz Dressel. Silverton senior Lindsey Orr will contend for a state meet spot in the butterfly.

4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3: Salem Academy has the swimmers to compete with Sweet Home for the district championship this season. The Crusaders have a strong senior class, including state champion backstroker Kiera Supple, Callie Hinson and Grace Warde.

Collin Swinehart, one of the top wrestlers in Class 5A, practices on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Central High School in Independence, Ore.

INDEPENDENCE – Collin Swinehart has been close to being a champion so many times that it seems unfair.

The Central High School senior placed second or third at district and state tournaments four times in his first three years of high school wrestling.

He knows well how it feels to come close to being a champion, but not being close enough.

“It kind of sucks, but I feel like it kind of pushes you to work harder,” Swinehart said. “I worked hard all these years and I still didn’t quite make it. I pretty much have to work hard and keep pushing myself.”

It pushed him to spend a month last summer at a wrestling camp.

Being close, but not quit a champion is what has motivated Swinehart to get better.

As a junior Swinehart lost in the district and state finals to Crescent Valley senior Alex Rich, the latter by a pin in 26 seconds.

“Last year it was a pretty easy solution to figure out, don’t wrestle the four-time state champion,” Central coach Van Holstad said. “That’s the variable we had to deal with last year.

“This year, there comes a point when if you do all you can do outside of the season and then do everything your coaches ask you to do inside the season, you live it, you breathe it, you still only have a 90 to 95 percent chance of winning, and that’s the upper level.”

Being the youngest of three wrestler brothers Swinehart grew up tough.

The games the brothers made up and played sound unnecessarily tough.

“They used to beat the crap out of me when I was little,” Swinehart said. “I remember once they tied me to the trampoline in the middle of summer.

“We’d play like we’d call it trampoline football on our knees and we would just beat the snot out of each other. Or couch football. We’d beat the crap out of each other.”

Swinehart’s older brother, Tanner, was the state champion at 170 pounds as a senior last season.

The youngest Swinehart started this season ranked No. 2 in the 152 pound weight class.

Being overlooked is nothing new to him.

“I’ve been taking the Swinehart’s around the state for a long time because they were the ones who wanted to do it with the USA stuff, so I’ve been taking Tanner and Collin around,” Holstad said.

“It always seemed like Collin was in the most brutal weight class every time. And I knew he was tough back then. Usually the little brothers are used to trying to hold their own against the big brothers. I’m the youngest of my family, too, so I know what it’s like to stand your grown. Collin, he’s a tough kid, and he’s a fearless competitor, which is nice.”

Swinehart spent the past few summers in Michigan with his mother, Clarissa, but last summer he decided to spend time wrestling since he was in the Midwest already.

He spent 28 days of his summer at the J Robinson Intensive Wrestling Camp at Minnesota.

It was exactly the edge he needed to get to the level of being a champion.

“You work out like four times a day,” Swinehart said. “It’s crazy. I liked it a lot, though. Kids there are like I can’t wait to get home. I get to the last week, and I’m like I don’t want to go home.

“I like it a lot because pretty much it’s like you’re just focusing on wrestling. Everyone’s there to get better. That’s what everyone’s goal is to be a state champ and just to get better.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Collin Swinehart, right, one of the top wrestlers in Class 5A, practices with Marlon Tuipulotu on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Central High School in Independence, Ore.

Greater Valley Conference

McKay

Coach: Troy Thomas, second year

Last year’s placing: Seventh in GVC, 41st in 6A

Key athletes

Matthew Jarding, Jr.,: A returning state qualifier and strong athlete who makes an impact.

Adam Dryden, Sr.: Placed fifth at the district meet at 160 pounds last year.

Jaime Lara, Sr.,: Was one match short of placing at the district tournament a year ago.

Outlook: The Royal Scots have a young team, but the numbers are up significantly this season and the team has the potential to place in the top five of the conference.

McNary

Coach: Jason Ebbs, 13th year

Last year’s placing: Third in GVC, 13th in 6A

Key athletes

Brayden Ebbs, So.: Placed sixth at the state meet as a freshman and was a district finalist who has the tools to reach new heights.

Joey Kibbey, Sr.: A district runner-up last year who qualified for the state meet.

Jon Phelps, Sr.: A strong wrestler who was a district runner-up as a junior.

Outlook: The Celtics return eight wrestlers who placed at the district meet last year and have the potential to challenge for the top spot of the conference.

North Salem

Coach: Andy Pickett, sixth year

Last year’s placing: Fifth in GVC, 20th in 6A

Key athletes

Adan Ramos, Sr.: Placed third in the district as a junior and placed at the state meet.

Ian Carlos, Fr.: One of the top freshmen in the state, he was a triple crown champion a year ago in middle school.

Brandon Quezada, Jr.: A state meet qualifier as a sophomore who also made the national meet in freestyle and Greco last year.

Outlook: The Vikings have an experienced group of upperclassmen and combine them with a strong group of young wrestlers that give the team potential to move up.

South Salem

Coach: Eric Zehner, fourth year

Last year’s placing: Ninth in GVC, 22nd in 6A

Key athletes

Tanner Stones, Sr.: Placed fourth at the state meet as a junior.

Edwin Montez, Sr.: Had a strong junior year, including placing fifth at the state meet.

Vincent Villarreal, Sr.: A state qualifier as a junior who will be tough to beat at the upper weights.

Outlook: The team has a good group of seniors and a promising group of young wrestlers.

Sprague

Coach: Nolan Harris, first year

Last year’s placing: GVC champions, seventh in 6A

Key athletes

Jordan Short, Jr.: Placed fifth at the state tournament as a sophomore.

Jacob Nelson, Sr.: A conference runner-up and state tournament qualifier as a junior.

Tanner Sorensen, Jr.: The conference runner-up who starts the season ranked No. 1 in the state.

Outlook: Harris, a Sprague graduate who spent six years ending in 2013 as coach at North Medford, has a strong group between eight district placers and some accomplished newcomers.

West Salem

Coach: Mike Baker, third year

Last year’s placing: Eighth in GVC, 25th in 6A

Key athletes

Hunter Lucas, Jr.: Placed fourth in the district at 152 pounds last season.

Matt Manus, Fr.: A wrestler with the potential to be one of the team’s top heavy wrestlers.

Outlook: The Titans are young this year and its athletes will be an up and coming team.

The rest of the GVC

Forest Grove: The Vikings have some solid wrestlers, but not the depth to compete for the top spot in the conference.

McMinnville: The Grizzlies are ranked No. 3 in state in the preseason and will compete for the top spot in the conference.

West Albany: The Bulldogs are young, but have the potential to have several district champions.

Area leagues

Mid-Willamette Conference: Dallas has ruled the conference in recent years, having won six straight district championships. The Dragons are a heavy favorite to win the conference this season, and place high in the state with state placers Jeffy Dunagan, Tanner Earhart, Noah Sickles, Sammy Chung, Cody Janssen and Treve Earhart. Central returns a pair of state runner-ups in senior Collin Swinehart and junior Marlon Tuipulotu along with a district champion in David Megrete and has the athletes to move up in the conference.

4A Special District 2: Sweet Home is the favorite to win the conference again, but Cascade’s depth will make it a contender. Stayton returns a regional champion in senior Timothy Coblentz along with district placers in Cleveland Smith, Ryan Ninman and Levi Summers, who qualified for state as a freshman.

3A Special District 2: Scio and Willamina should have a tight battle for the top spot in the conference. Willamina returns district champions in Michael Reyes and Austin Howard while Scio has a strong group of heavyweights in Avery McDaniel, Dillon Robison and Justin Parazoo. Jefferson returns district champions and state placers in Justus Arlandson and Jacob Sobel and will be a contender at the district level. Amity has a state qualifier in senior Louden Andrews and a promising senior in Troy Cole. Sheridan has a state placer in Remy Tapia-Bravo and senior Oscar Tapia-Bravo will challenge for a spot in the state tournament.

2A/1A Special District 3: Culver is always the favorite in the conference and Central Linn should be competitive. Santiam has a former state qualifier in junior Robbi Archer and a district placer in senior Michael Dayton.

South Salem’s Jaden Nielsen Skinner (12) moves with the ball past teammate Christian Russell (21) and West Salem’s Isaiah Pineda (13) and Jared Oliver (11) in the first half of the West Salem vs. South Salem boy’s basketball game at South Salem High School on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015.

The Saxons are a work-in-progress.

At 5-0 they’re farther along than most teams, but there’s still a lot of room for growth.

South Salem High School’s No. 4-ranked boys basketball team defeated West Salem 81-61 to continue its perfect start to the season Tuesday night at home in a Greater Valley Conference game.

The Saxons are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the state, but there are so many new components that the team has a long way to go to reach its potential.

“I think what it comes down to is chemistry,” said 6-foot-7 junior post Khalid Thomas, who scored 17 points. “I feel like if we have better chemistry on the team, not just if we like each other, it’s knowing each other’s games and that will limit some of the turnovers.

“I think we’re trying to make the great pass, we’re trying to do that spectacular pass, but we’re not making the smart pass.”

South Salem, which has placed third and fourth in the state the past two years, had another influx of talent this season.

The Saxons are an interesting mix.

Between four-year starting senior post Gabe Matthews, who scored 13 points, a player in Thomas who barely played a year ago, 6-foot-11 senior post Christian Russell, a transfer from West Salem who scored 13 points and senior Joseph Carey off the bench, the team’s experience is in the frontcourt.

In the backcourt it’s the opposite.

South Salem’s Tyler Wadleigh (11) moves with the ball past West Salem’s Isaiah Pineda (13) in the first half of the West Salem vs. South Salem boy’s basketball game at South Salem High School on Tuesday.

The team starts freshman point guard Jaden Nielsen Skinner, who scored 14 points, sophomore Tyler Wadleigh – who scored 13 points including hitting three key 3-pointers – and sophomore transfer Gavin Baughman came off the bench to score eight points.

It’s just taking time for those pieces to come together.

“We are averaging far too many turnovers,” South Salem coach Tyler Allen said. “Our points per possession is quite well. We shot plus-60 percent tonight. Just imagine if we wouldn’t have had those 17 careless turnovers how effective we would have been, and it’s not just tonight. This is a continual issue with us.

“It’s the style of play we play. There’s a bit of reason behind the turnovers we have, but we want to see progress in our decision making and our transition. We’ve got some tools on our team that make it hard to defend, and for the most part we’ve shot a fairly good percentage, we just want to see more value for that basketball.”

West Salem (1-4, 0-2) kept with South Salem for most of the first half of Tuesday’s game.

The Saxons took off to a 31-19 lead with 3:27 left in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Wadleigh.

West Salem played large parts of the first half without leading scorer Jonathan Terleski – who finished with 24 points – due to foul trouble, but was able to close South Salem’s lead to 35-29 at halftime.

“We just needed to slow it a little more down instead of trying to push it so much on transition,” Russell said. “I think we got too excited trying to beat that press.”

South Salem put the game out of reach in the third quarter.

The Saxons went on a 13-0 run late in the third quarter capped by a 3-pointer by Nielsen Skinner and were up 60-38.

For South Salem to reach its potential as a team, the group is going to have to rely heavily on its young backcourt.

“In my opinion I feel like they’re doing a very good job,” Thomas said. “They’re not selfish. Sometimes with underclassmen that can be a problem.

“Last year I did barely play, but sometimes I got a little selfish and I know that that doesn’t really work. I know that working as a team is better than working alone and they’re doing a really good job moving the ball, not just trying to get themselves open, but getting their teammates open.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

West Salem: Jonathan Terleski 24, Lind 11, Bailey 6, Johnson 6, Pineda 5, Thompson 3, Splonski 2, Garcia 25 3-5 61.

South Salem: Khalid Thomas 17, Nielsen Skinner 14, Wadleigh 13, Russell 13, Matthews 11, Baughman 8, Schwartz 3, Carey 2, Martin, Low, Cabrera, Benjamin, Moe. Totals 29 14-16 81.

3-point goals: West Salem 8 (Terleski 3, Bailey 2, Oliver, Pineda, Thompson), South Salem 7 (Wadleigh 3, Nielsen Skinner 3, Schwartz).

Kennedy’s Hannah Arritola (21) looks to pass the ball past Western Mennonite’s Kari Louthan (23) in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.

Western Mennonite’s Maddie Hopper (11) moves out of a cluster of Kennedy players in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.

Western Mennonite’s Madison Hull (13) eyes the basket past the arms of Kennedy’s Taylor Brown (13) in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.

Kennedy’s Taylor Brown (13), left, and Western Mennonite’s Peyton Hopper (1) fight for the ball on the floor in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.

The Trojans proved beyond any doubt that they are for real in a way that only defeating last season’s state champion could.

Kennedy High School’s girls basketball team got clutch free throws down the stretch to knock off Western Mennonite 44-41 and legitimized its undefeated start to the season.

Kennedy improves to 5-0 with a win in the Tri-River Conference opener.

“It feels good to beat them senior year,” said Kennedy’s Lakin Susee, who scored 18 points and had three steals. “They were the state champs and of course had a target. We’ve always been amping to beat them, and it felt really good to finally get that here.”

For a Kennedy team with three seniors, six sophomores and two freshman, the win shows that its No. 1 ranking in the OSAA’s power ranking is deserved.

It was the first time in the career of Kennedy’s seniors that they had won a game at Western Mennonite’s gym.

“As head coaches this is the first time we beat them here so this is a big deal for our girls and for us. Huge game,” Kennedy co-head coach Kerri Hall said. “We feel like this is a great way to start off the league play, obviously.

“Most people thought for the Tri-River it was going to be between us, Western and probably Regis so this is a great first win, especially away, especially in this atmosphere and crowd. We feel like it’s about a 10-point disadvantage coming here and playing because of the way the court is, everything.”

Western Mennonite junior point guard Maddie Hull got loose a number of times in the first half, making three 3-pointers and helping the Pioneers build a 24-21 lead at halftime.

Hull finished with 16 points, but was limited to two points in the second half.

“Honestly our game plan with them is we feel like we’re faster and our goal was to be in better shape than everyone else,” Hall said.

“So we felt like if we could run them and run them we would slowly wear them down and she would eventually get tired. And when you get tired your shot’s a little shorter than it was. So we knew if we hung on for that first half, the second half we would be able to pull it out a little bit easier.”

Western Mennonite led 35-31 on two free throws by Brittney Freeman early in the fourth quarter, but Susee hit a 3-pointer from the side and followed that quickly with a lay-in in transition to take the lead at 36-35.

A baseline jumper by sophomore Hannah Arritola with 1:16 left gave Kennedy a 40-39 lead then sophomore Kaylin Cantu hit both ends of a 1-and-1 free-throw situation with 29 seconds left and Susee followed by doing the same for a 44-39 lead.

“I think it like clicked in our minds that we have a quarter left to beat them,” said Kennedy senior Kenzie Ratliff, who had nine points and eight rebounds. “We have to step it up. We just wanted to win so bad.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Kennedy 44, Western Mennonite 41

Kennedy: Lakin Susee 18, Ratliff 9, Cantu 6, Brown 5, Arritola 4, Jaeger, Frey. Totals 18 5-10 44.

Western Mennonite: Maddie Hull 16, Freeman 10, M. Hopper 7, P. Hopper 4, Louthan 3, Hess 1, Mansour, Pack. Totals 13 12-19 41

3-point goals: Kennedy 3 (Susee 2, Ratliff); Western Mennonite 3 (Hull 3). Rebounds: Kennedy 36 (Ratliff 8); Western Mennonite 30 (Freeman 8). Assists: Kennedy 8 (Brown 4); Western Mennonite 10 (Louthan 5); Steals: Kennedy 12 (Susee 3, Brown 3); Western Mennonite 13 (Hull 5).

Regis’ Sam Nieslanik (22) drives past Yamhill-Carlton’s Jackson Harloof (13) in the second half of the Regis vs. Yamhill-Carlton boy’s basketball game in the first round of the North Marion Holiday Classic at North Marion High School in Aurora on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. Regis won the game 59-44 and moves on to play in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday.

AURORA – In the first 23 minutes and 59 seconds of Tuesday’s game, Brendon Woodcock didn’t score — not that he shot the ball much.

In the final 8:01, Regis High School’s 5-foot-9 senior point guard hit every shot he attempted.

Regis dug its way out of an 11-point second quarter deficit to Yamhill-Carlton and with 5:40 left Woodcock buried a 3-pointer and finished with 16 points as the Class 2A Rams defeated the 4A Tigers 59-44 in the opening round of the North Marion Holiday Classic.

“I’ve noticed that as the season goes on, I think at least half of my assists has come off of him,” said junior guard Bryce Piete, who scored 10 points. “My first thought is if I’m driving, I’m mostly looking for him out of the corner of my eye setting up at the 3-point line.

“I just think that he has that confidence as he’s ready for that ball and as soon as he gets that ball either he’s taking it to the hoop or he’s hitting that 3. Just the whole game he progresses better.”

A Regis team that came into the game No. 11 in the OSAA’s power rankings improved to 5-1 with its third-consecutive win.

More than that, the Rams showed that they really can play to the level that brought them a third-place trophy at the state tournament a year ago.

Well, they showed it in the fourth quarter.

In the first half Regis committed a bunch of turnovers and made Yamhill-Carlton (2-3) look good.

“We started making smarter passes, we didn’t just throw passes just to get it up ahead,” Woodcock said. “We were actually looking to see if the open guys were there. We started getting them tired, also, and so we started breaking them down a little bit and so it started helping us a lot more in transition.”

The first half was not especially pretty for Regis.

Yamhill-Carlton went on an eight-point run early in the first quarter to lead 8-2 and got a lot of easy baskets in transition.

Tanner Myrick’s 3-pointer put the Tigers up 27-16 with 3:41 left in the first half.

Regis finished the half strong and Gibson Brown’s basket off an inbounds pass cut Yamhill-Carlton’s lead to 27-25 at halftime.

The Rams didn’t start the second half well, either, and Yamhill-Carlton quickly led 32-25 after a baseline jump shot by Luca Queirolo.

“We came in and we played flat,” Regis coach Tony Miller said. “We, for some reason, were not up-tempo and playing with the heart and desire we needed the whole first quarter, most of the second quarter and at the beginning of the third and the fourth quarter.

“We have a new team. We’ve got some guys in different roles, trying to learn some substitution patterns, but those are just excuses. What we talked about at halftime is show up to play as hard as you can. I have one rule in my program, go as hard as you can.”

Regis got it back to a one possession game late in the third quarter and kept Yamhill-Carlton in reach with smart play in the half court.

With 5:40 left and Regis down by two, Woodcock took a pass from Piete in front of Regis’ bench and sank a 3-pointer for a 42-41 lead with 5:40 left, Regis’ first lead since the first shot of the game.

Woodcock kept making baskets down the stretch. He was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 2:55 and made shots seemingly every time he touched the ball.

As the second half went on the Rams broke down Yamhill-Carlton’s 2-3 zone with quick passes and was able to get players open in space, especially Woodcock.

“I feel like there’s a lot of different players that can catch fire on our team, and if they’re on fire, it’s down in the post and they’re open, I’m just going to throw them the ball and get buckets,” said Regis senior post Sam Nieslanik, who scored 13 points.

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Regis: Brendon Woodcock 16, Nieslanik 13, Bry. Piete 10, Schmitt 8, Brown 7, Bra. Piete 4, Williams 1, Kelley. Totals 19 15-20 59.

Yamhill-Carlton: Tanner Myrick 17, Queirolo 8, Horne 7, Stokes 4, Frost 4, Rabung 2, Ramsdell 2, Harloff, Garrison, Mitchell. Totals 20 2-8 44.

3-point goals: Regis 4 (Woodcock 2, Bry. Piete, Brown); Yamhill-Carlton 2 (Myrick 2).

Sprague’s Teagan Quitoriano (right) is among the players who will play in the Capitol City Classic.

There are typically two kinds of high school boys basketball tournaments in the winter in Oregon.

There’s the Les Schwab Invitational, a tournament that draws in the best teams from the Portland area with a few of the best teams from around the nation.

Then there are tournaments high schools host.

The Capitol City Classic will be a third type.

From Monday through Wednesday, Willamette University’s gym will host 16 boys basketball teams from Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada in the kind of big tournament environment few teams experience.

“It showcases our Willamette Valley kids and all the effort they put in and brings in some great teams from the nation,” said Sprague coach B.J. Dobrkosvky, who played at Willamette in college.

“Salem has had a run of so many good teams that have come through and great players, it’s deserving of a great tournament like this.”

There are two brackets of competition in the tournament.

The Capital Auto Group Division is for larger teams such as Silverton, Sprague and West Salem – along with Timpview of Utah and Centennial of Nevada.

The Oregon Air National Guard Division is for smaller teams such as Dayton and Gervais, along with Yakima Nation of Washington and Kailua of Hawaii.

The championship game for the Oregon Air National Guard Division is at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday and the championship of the Capital Auto Group Division is at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Dayton’s Zach Bernards plays in the small school division of the Capitol City Classic.

A dunk contest, 3-point contest and hotshot contest will take place at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The tournament is being organized by Wilsonville coach Chris Roche. Roche played his high school basketball at McKay and played in college at Willamette.

“Salem-Keizer doesn’t have anything like this,” Roche said.

The teams coming from out of state have some of the top players in the nation.

Timpview’s 6-foot-8 senior forward Gavin Baxter signed to play at BYU.

Centennial’s 6-5 junior point guard Troy Brown Jr. has offers from Division I programs including Duke, Arizona, California, Kansas, Louisville, UCKA, UNLV, Arizona State, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Texas Tech.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for us because we play a lot in Vegas here locally,” Centennial coach Todd Allen said. “I think the kids like the challenge. We got a good group of kids, too.”

The OSAA Class 3A state tournament was held at Willamette from 2007-10 and state tournaments were also held there from 1951-55 and 1922-46.

The crowds were huge for the most recent run of the state tournament – to the point where fans were turned away because the gym was beyond capacity.

“I like the facility itself, the basketball venue at Willamette, and I think since school’s closed, maybe it will be a great tournament because we’ll get to park there and we won’t have to worry about all the student body going in and out,” said Dayton coach Ron Hop, whose team played at the state tournament in 2007, 09 and 10. “It should be fun. I think there are some good teams that are there.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Capitol City Classic

When: Dec. 21 through Dec. 23.

Where: Willamette University.

Teams: South Eugene, Silverton, Sprague, Timpview (Utah), Corvallis, Wilsonville, West Salem, Centennial (Nevada), Gervais, North Bend, Kailua (Hawaii), Horizon Christian, Bandon, Philomath, Yakima Nation (Washington), Dayton.

Tickets: $9 general admission, $25 all-tournament pass; $50 any day courtside; $125 all-tournament courtside. Available at the door or at http://www.capitolcityclassic.com.

Kids clinic

Cascade Sports Camp will run free kids clinics as part of the Capitol City Classic for boys and girls ages 8 to 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Willamette. Participants must fill out a registration form, which is available at http://www.capitolcityclassic.com. For more information email camps@campcascade.net.

T.J. Ferrando of Canby races at the Salem Indoor on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.

Kitty Taubenkrau was hard to miss at the races.

A long-time presence at race tracks in Oregon – most notably as the long-time starter at the Salem Indoor and Cottage Grove Speedway – she was missed at the Salem Indoor Saturday.

Taubenkrau died after a long battle with leukemia at the age of 46 on Dec. 9 and she was memorialized by multiple groups of drivers with memorial laps at the 1/10-mile clay oval at the Livestock Pavilion at the State Fairgrounds prior to the races Saturday night.

Tobey Ferrando of Salem came back from a mid-race hesitation to win his second straight Pro-4 Modified main event.

He led the first four laps from the pole position with nephew T.J. Ferrando right behind in second, but coming out of turn two his car momentarily died and slowed dramatically.

Salem Indoor Speedway enters its 10th season

T.J. Ferrando had to jam on the brakes to miss him and get by for the lead, but Tobey Ferrando got moving again without falling farther back from second.

Two laps later he passed T.J. Ferrando on the outside and a led the final 14 laps to win with T.J. Ferrando in second and Andrew Aaron managed to finish third.

Shane Youngren won his second dwarf car main event of the year, Nik Larson won the midget main, Eric Scofield of Albany won in Open Kage, Lindsay Barney continued her domination of the 600 micro class, winning the main event again, and Crystal Flath won the mini stock main event.

The next cars and karts race at the Salem Indoor takes place Jan. 9 and 10.

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Drivers take part in a memorial lap for former starter Kitty Taubenkrau, who died Dec. 9 of leukemia before the races at the Salem Indoor on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.

Salem Indoor

Saturday’s results

Pro-4 modified

Main- 1. Tobey Ferrando, Salem; 2. T.J. Ferrando (Canby); 3. Andrew Aaron; 4. Rick Wagner.

Dwarf cars

Main- 1. Shane Youngren; 2. Greg Long; 3. Jim Paulson; 4. Dion Zelmer; 5. Bob McNeil; 6. Curtis Zelmer; 7. Rebecca Parsons (Lebanon); 8. Max White; 9. Bill Poehler (Salem); 10. Brian Hicks (Eugene); 11. Danny Altom (Sodaville); 12. Frank Pool.

Midgets

Main- 1. Nik Larson (Graham, Wash.); 2. Bailey Jean (Mt. Angel); 3. Kevin Larson.

Open Kage

Main- 1. Eric Scofield (Albany); 2. Duke Johnson (Portland); 3. Brenden Waterman (Bend); 4. Casey Smith; 5. Kevin Towne; 6. Cory Yeack (Brownsville); 7. Makayla Massey (Mt. Angel); 8. Brenden Bartlett (Eagle Point); 9. Kyle Comican (Vancouver, Wash.); 10. Kenneth Boardman; 11. Justin Jones (Lebanon); 12. Parker Stephens; 13. Dillion Lambirth; 14. Doug Pirtle (Gresham); 15. Johnny Burke (Eagle Point).

600 micro

Main- 1. Lindsay Barney (Eagle Creek); 2. Alysa Pyles; 3. Lynden Lebedynski (Langley, B.C.); 4. Doug Pirtle (Gresham).

Mini stocks

Main- 1. Crystal Flath (Troutdale); 2. Devon Traslavania; 3. Hal Farness; 4. Tracy Muse; 5. Ko Scott; 6. Kris Krebs (Gervais); 7. Tyler Pagel (Brightwood); 8. Jason Scheibel; 9. Eddie Farness; 10. Samantha Packard (Bend); 11. Kylee Pagel (Brightwood); 12. Hunter Johnson (Gresham).

Cascade fans cheer against Scappoose during the OSAA 4A state championship game, Saturday, November 28, 2015, at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore. Cascade won the game 37-28.

The state championship is the goal of every person involved in high school sports.

But if they were easy to get everyone would have one.

Winning a state championship puts a team or individual into rarified air and makes the record books.

These state champions are the top-10 athletic moments in high school sports in the Mid-Valley in 2015.

Cascade’s Cameron Molan (8) celebrates after beating Scappoose during the OSAA 4A state championship game, Saturday, November 28, 2015, at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore. Cascade won the game 37-28.

1. Cascade football wins OSAA Class 4A state championship

Nothing was going to stand in the way of the Cougars.

It didn’t matter that the impediment – be it playing on the road in the entirety of the state playoffs or tough opponents – Cascade’s football team wasn’t going to be denied in its quest to win the title.

Cascade (12-1) won its final nine games of the season, including defeating Scappoose 37-28 in the state championship game, to win the second state championship in the program’s history.

“Look at all these people over here,” Cascade coach Steve Turner said after the championship game win. “And I’m going to say half of them are ex-players. It means a lot to our community.

“It means a lot to those guys that busted their tails in the 80s for coach (Karl) Elliott. And now we can bring another one home to them. I couldn’t be any happier.”

The run-heavy team was led by Oregon West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Garrett Coffey, who finished the season with 2,548 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on 367 carries and a strong senior class.

South Salem celebrates winning the championship game of the OSAA class 6A basketball tournament against St. MaryÕs inside the Chiles Center, on Saturday, March 14, 2015, at the University of Portland. South Salem won the game 56-50.

2. South Salem girls basketball wins 6A state championship

In 1976, South Salem won the first state championship for girls basketball that the OSAA sanctioned.

Who knew that it would take 40 years to win another one?

South Salem went 27-2, was undefeated against Oregon opponents then defeated St. Mary’s 60-56 in the state championship game.

Led by 6A Player of the Year Katie McWilliams, who now plays for Oregon State, along with all-state players in Jordan Woodvine and Evina Westbrook, the Saxons weren’t going to be stopped.

“People always tell me how hard it is to coach your own kid, and a lot of times it is, but she made it all worthwhile just because she worked so hard and she supported what I did and we did it together, and it was just a lot of fun,” said South Salem coach Nick McWilliams, Katie’s father.

“I can’t wish anything better for her than what happened. I’m happy for all the girls, but it’s a little more special just because my kid got to be a part of it.”

Dallas High School senior Matt Hofenbredl poses for a photo on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 in Dallas, Ore. Hofenbredl is the Statesman Journal All-Mid-Valley wrestler of the year.

3. Dallas’ Matthew Hofenbredl wins 5A state championship, grandfather dies

Matthew Hofenbredl’s third and final OSAA Class 5A state championship was his hardest to win and his most meaningful.

In his senior year, he defeated Christian Marquez of Hood River Valley 7-1 in the state championship match at 132 pounds.

After losing in the state championship match as a junior, this state championship meant more than the state championships he won his freshman and sophomore years.

But while having his hand raised in celebration, Hofenbredl’s grandfather, Larry, had a fatal heart attack in the grandstands at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum and died.

“Like my sophomore year after I won state, I was like, oh I won state. Did it again. Didn’t really appreciate it and think much of it again,” Hofenbredl said.

“So then my senior year winning it again is like kind of the same emotions as my freshman year, like I finally got it again. It made me happy, and then I got really sad.”

West Salem senior Mackenzie Rumrill (center) stands on the medal stand after winning the state championship in the 100 butterfly. At front is West Salem coach Dan Evans, at left is Clackamas’ Laine Visscher and at right is Century’s Sara Metzsch.

4. West Salem’s Mackenzie Rumrill wins two 6A state championship, sets state record

When Mackenzie Rumrill took off her junior year of high school swimming at West Salem, she did it because she wanted to improve.

The amount she improved was surprising to even her.

She won OSAA Class 6A state championships in the 200 individual medley – in a meet record time of 2:00.62 – and the state championship in the 100 butterfly.

“It’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in my entire life, so I definitely have that expectation of myself every time I jump in the water to be the best that I can be, and today I was the best that I can be,” said Rumrill, who now is competing at Arizona as a freshman.

West Salem’s Ahmed Muhumed wins the boys varsity race with a time of 15:17 during the Greater Valley Conference District Cross Country meet Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem.

5. West Salem’s Ahmed Muhumed wins 6A state cross country championship

There was no doubt Ahmed Muhumed had the talent to win a state championship in cross country, but he needed to convince himself.

The West Salem junior won the OSAA Class 6A state championship in 15:38 on Halloween at the Lane Community College course in Eugene.

“Unbelievable,” Muhumed said. “After all the work I’ve done, I think it pays off. And it did today so that’s why I’m very proud of myself to do all that I’ve done to get here.”

West Salem’s Tristan James receives his runner-up medal in the long jump at the OSAA class 6A track and field state championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday, May 22, 2015.

6. Tristan James wins third 6A state triple jump championship

Winning a state championship multiple times is not easy to do.

Winning it convincingly isn’t either.

West Salem senior Tristan James won his third consecutive OSAA Class 6A state championship in the triple jump with a winning mark of 49 feet, 1.5 inches, giving him the state championship by over two feet more than his nearest competitor in May.

“I’m honored to pursue that title,” said James, now competing for Oral Roberts. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m truly blessed. I just want to thank God, thank my family, thank my coaches and my friends.”

Dayton’s girls and boys basketball teams pose with their state championship hardware on Thursday, March 12, 2015.

7. Dayton boys and girls basketball teams win 3A state championships

For a school to have its teams both win state championships on the same night is a rare feat.

Dayton’s boys and girls basketball teams won OSAA Class 3A state championships in March.

The boys, led by all-state players in D.J. Flowers, Zach Bernards and Zack Spink, defeated Horizon Christian and the girls, led by state player of the year Shawnie Spink and all-state Teddi Hop, defeated Salem Academy as they both won state championships on the same night.

“What was great about it was I don’t think any of the boys missed any of the girls games, and I don’t think any of the girls missed any of the boys games,” said boys coach Ron Hop.

Western Mennonite coach Robby Gilliam (right) raises his arms as he walks towards his team that is celebrating winning the 2A state championship on Saturday, March 7, 2015.

8. Western Mennonite girls basketball win 2A state championship

Getting the first is the toughest task.

Western Mennonite got over the hump by beating Burns 43-38 in the OSAA Class 2A state championship game in March.

With a team including UC Davis signee Emma Gibb and all-state players Jenna Christenson and Madison Hull, the Pioneers won the first state championship for a girls team in the school’s history.

“To realize that this is what we trained for all year ever since we lost that game last year, everything we did we had this in mind, just to realize that we did it,” Gibb said.

Amity’s Lindsay McShane prepares to throws the discus during the OSAA Class 3A Track & Field Championships inside Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, on Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Eugene.

9. Amity’s Lindsay McShane wins two 3A state championships

Lindsay McShane made her big throws count.

The Amity junior set personal records in winning her second straight OSAA Class 3A state championships in the shot put (40-10) and discus (144-7).

“I can’t even explain how excited I am,” McShane said. “I’m really proud of myself for PRing as much as I have this year. I’ve come a long way, and attribute that to weight training and spending long hours practicing. It’s just good to see it all come together.”

Silverton players celebrate their win following the Silverton vs. Wilsonville boy’s basketball OSSA Class 5A tournament championship game at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore., on Friday, March 13, 2015. Silverton won the championship 33-32.

10. Silverton boys basketball wins 5A state championship

Nobody saw the Foxes coming.

A Silverton boys basketball team that was an afterthought coming into the season went 22-4 and defeated Wilsonville 33-32 for the OSAA Class 5A state championship in March.

Silverton was led by state player of the year Sam Roth and all-state player Julian Downey.

“I’m so proud of them,” Silverton coach Steve Roth said. “They did it. They did it themselves. It wasn’t any coaching today, they just hung tough and played together.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

West Salem’s Andrew Kauffman competes in the 200 yard freestyle in the West Salem vs. South Salem swim meet at the Kroc Community Center in Keizer on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.

The Saxons had been looking forward to this for a long time.

South Salem High School’s boys and girls swimming teams used a combination of depth and some big wins in key races to sweep rival West Salem in a Greater Valley Conference dual meet Tuesday at the Kroc Center.

“We weren’t sure how we were going to do against West,” said South Salem junior Paul Lomax. “We thought about this meet over and over. We’ve had countless talks about West Salem High School. We knew they were going to come in and be fast. They were going to have placers in state. They were going to be unbelievable.

“To beat them today, it’s a good feeling. It’s what we came here to do. What really did us today was the second and third-place finishings.”

South Salem’s boys defeated West Salem 97-73.

Lomax’s improvement was necessary for South Salem to remain among the top teams in the conference.

Even when he didn’t win Tuesday, he was pretty good.

South Salem’s Paul Lomax competes in the 100 yard butterfly in the West Salem vs. South Salem swim meet at the Kroc Community Center in Keizer on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.

Lomax led the first half of the 200 individual medley, but West Salem junior Micah Masei came back in the second half of the race to win in 2:06.67 with Lomax in second at 2:09.48.

Lomax came back to convincingly win the 100 fly in 57.20.

“He was kind of that outside, really trying to get in, and just has completely stepped up his game,” South Salem coach Eric Richey said. “He’s swimming club, swimming year round now. That has been a big key in trying to replace two amazing, amazing swimmers.”

South Salem’s boys won the 400 free relay, sophomore Tyler Cook won the 100 free relay in 51.99 and junior Daisuke Fitial won the 100 back in 57.73.

West Salem’s biggest race win was the best race in the meet.

West Salem senior Andrew Kauffman was the district champion in the 500 free, but he got the race of his life against Fitial.

Kauffman led the first 250 yards, but Fitial came on strong and took the lead. With four lengths of the pool left, Kauffman decided that he wasn’t tired, passed Fitial and won in 5:03.93, .40 seconds in front of Fitial.

“We definitely push each other,” said Kauffman, who also won the 200 free. “If he wasn’t in there I would have tried my best, but it would not have been that fast, and the end wouldn’t have been that fast. He definitely made me go faster. I think I made him go faster, too.”

Swimmers cheer on their teammates while keeping track of laps completed in the West Salem vs. South Salem swim meet at the Kroc Community Center in Keizer on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.

South Salem’s girls, who placed fourth in the district last year, won by a convincing 99-71 margin against West Salem.

The Saxons won the 200 medley and 400 free relays, sophomore Anna Despain won the 100 butterfly in 1:01.82 and the 100 back in 1:02.23, junior Joanna Zuckerman won the 200 IM in 2:22.58 and freshman Victoria Privalova won the 50 free in 26.73.

“I think we’ve grown a lot together as a team this year,” Despain said. “We’ve gained some freshman that are strong and fast. I kind of figure that our relays would get stronger together, and our team has just become closer and we cheer each other on and we’ve become good friends.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Dallas’ Joseph Foster, top, and Central’s Manuel Martinez compete in the 120 pound weight class during a wrestling meet at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2015.

LEBANON – Tanner Earhart figures he’s automatically doing better this year.

At this point last season, the Dallas High School junior was sitting out with a concussion so just to be wrestling right now is a good thing.

Earhart continued his solid season by pinning Central’s John Lippsmeyer in 3:51 as part of the No. 4 Dallas commanding 63-15 win against the No. 9-ranked Panthers in a dual meet Wednesday at Lebanon High School.

“But I feel like right now I learned that if I push the pace on someone that I can open up a lot more opportunities to score, and I’m really working on that in practice, just pushing the pace when I’m tired and getting some better lines in matches,” Earhart said.

Dallas’ sweep of Lebanon, Central and Corvallis confirms the Dragons are the favorite to win the Mid-Willamette Conference for a seventh year in a row.

“Right now I think we’re still a little bit rusty because we don’t have all our guys at their weights for state, but I feel like when we get to state we can to take a state championship,” said Jeffy Dunagan, who won his match at 170 by a pin in 25 seconds.

Dallas’ Sammy Chung, top, and Central’s Caedman Whisenhunt compete in the 132 pound weight class during a wrestling meet at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2015.

Also scoring pins against Central for Dallas were Dawson Barcroft (106), Jacob Jones (113), Joseph Foster (120), Jesse Stuhr (126), Sammy Chung (132), Noel Reyes (145) and Clay Coxen (182).

In the closest match of the night, Central senior Collin Swinehart, who is ranked No. 1 in the state, defeated Dallas’ Cody Janssen, who is ranked No. 9, by a 4-0 decision.

“We got a state runner-up there and Cody placed in state last year so that was probably, in the dual, that was the one that we were kind of focused on,” Dallas coach Tony Olliff said. “Getting that first takedown was a huge deal.

“Swinehart’s a tough rider, he doesn’t give up points, he doesn’t give them away, you got to earn them. It’s one of those deals that you can keep it close, but can you grab the win. We got a month to figure that out. Swinehart’s tough.”

Dallas has a couple clusters of strong wrestlers in its lineup, none more than in the 160- to 170-pound weight range.

Between Earhart, Treve Earhart and Dunagan, there are times in practices that the majority of the coaching staff will stop what they’re doing and watch them go at it.

The competition between the Earhart brothers is especially close.

“As the older brother I can’t lose to the younger brother,” Tanner Earhart said. “It’s awesome wrestling him, having him there because he can always push me really hard because he does beat me sometimes, and it really does, it eats at me. It motivates me to get better and not let my younger brother beat me.”

Tanner Earhart has learned to diversify his attacks, and that has paid off against some tough competition this year.

“Tanner probably the most exciting, he’s a 4-point student, he obeys every rule,” Olliff said. “If you ever have him in class, he’s quiet as a mouse, he never misses a point, but for six minutes he gets to be a complete jerk, and he takes full advantage of that.

“You just see all this stuff that in the regular world he can’t be and do, and you just get to see it ooze out of him.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Dallas 63, Central 15

At Lebanon

106- Barcroft (D) p. Martinez 1:55; 113- Jones (D) p. Arciniega 1:03; 120- Foster (D) p. Martinez 3:25; 126- Stuhr (D) p. Martinez 1:40; 132- Chung (D) p. Whisenhunt 4:56; 138- English (D) by fft; 145- Reyes (D) p. Vargas 1:42; 152- Swinehart (C) d. Janssen 4-0; 160- Earhart (D) p. Lippsmeyer 3:51; 170- Dunagan (D) p. Stepp :25; 180- Coxen (D) p. Chadwick :34; 190- Crow (C) p. Colipano 2:38; 220- Molina d. Tuipulotu 7-2; 285- Sedlaeck (C) p. Kiggins 1:02.

Dallas’ Jacob Jones, top, and Central’s Michael Arciniega compete in the 113 pound weight class during a wrestling meet at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2015.

South Salem’s Jordan Woodvine is a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American game.

South Salem’s Jordan Woodvine and Silverton’s Alia Parsons have been named as nominees for the McDonald’s All American Game.

The annual all-star game is at 4:30 p.m. March 30 at the United Center in Chicago.

Parsons and Woodvine are among the 760 high school seniors from across the nation who were nominated.

The final 24 boys and 24 girls for the McDonald’s All-American Games will be announced Jan. 17.

Parsons, a 5-foot-10 wing who has signed to play basketball at Grand Canyon, averaged 18 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2 steals per game as a junior and was a first-team all-state selection.

Woodvine, a 5-foot-11 wing who has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Boise State, averaged 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a junior and was second-team all-state.

Silverton’s Alia Parsons (left) is a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American game.

South Salem junior Evina Westbrook (22) looks for a way around McMinnville senior Elizabeth Logsdon (14) in Salem on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016.

Sometimes bad things can bring about good results.

When South Salem High girls basketball team star junior Evina Westbrook went down with a right leg injury in the third quarter against McMinnville on Friday night, the rest of the Saxons responded.

Without Westbrook the final 11 minutes, No. 2-ranked South Salem turned a 20-point lead into a commanding 73-41 home win to take sole possession of first place in the Greater Valley Conference.

“That’s happened a couple of times,” said senior wing Tori Swanson. “Whether or not it was a cramp, now we never really know because you know she wears low tops. We never know if it’s an ankle or a cramp in her calf, because she gets those a lot.

“We can’t let it affect us and we got to keep us going and we got to keep us going and we got to play for her because you know she wants to be out there.”

South Salem, last year’s Class 6A state champion, improved to 12-1 and 5-0 in the GVC with its third-straight win, while dropping McMinnville to 9-3 and 3-1 in the GVC.

A South Salem team that has won four consecutive conference championships is where it was expected to be.

“Whenever you’re at the top of the league you feel good,” South Salem coach Nick McWilliams said. “Tonight I felt really good. I thought we played really well throughout our lineup when we went to our swing players and stuff.

“We were pretty consistent with the exception of a couple minutes, but other than that I thought we played pretty good. We’re where we want to be, we just got to keep getting better.”

Westbrook, who scored a game-high 17 points, came off the floor and was immediately attended to by the athletic trainer.

She returned to South Salem’s bench in the fourth quarter, but didn’t return to the game.

“E is a really tough kid,” McWilliams said. “She’s a competitor. She told me after the game she’ll be ready on Tuesday. She’s used to playing with a little bit of pain. I think she’ll be fine. I sure hope so.”

McMinnville controlled the tempo of the game through the first quarter, slowing down the game with a triangle-and-two defense and led 14-13 early in the second quarter.

But the Saxons went on a 24-3 run – including 11 points from Westbrook – by pushing the pace and didn’t allow McMinnville a field goal until the final seconds of the half.

“If you realize that we’re doing good on defense, it’s easier for us to execute our offensive plays because usually we get a lot of transition buckets or we’ll just be more together as a team,” Swanson said. “Because when you’re playing good defense as a team, you’re just an overall better team together, and so that reflects on offense, too.”

South Salem led 42-22 with 3:22 left in the third quarter when Westbrook collided with a McMinnville player and didn’t return.

But the Saxons responded as Dani Harley and Swanson got hot from the field, and South Salem built its lead to 63-28 with 4:52 left when Hannah Hersh hit a reverse lay-up.

Swanson scored 16 points, Harley finished with 15 points on five 3-pointers, and the Saxons never let McMinnville back in the game.

“We were able to move the ball, and we shot the ball really well in the third quarter especially,” McWilliams said. “Both Dani and Tori got some really good looks, and then we had some other kids, Hannah Hersh, who hasn’t scored a lot this year, she contributed a lot.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

South Salem 73, McMinnville 41

McMinnville: Elizabeth Logsdon 10, Reeser 6, Smith 6, Heuberger 5, Miller 5, White 5, Legard 2, Fox 2, Rhoads, Williams, Mehlhoff. Totals 13 12-21 41.

South Salem: Evina Westbrook 17, Swanson 16, Harley 15, Hersh 6, Woodvine 6, Huston 2, Winder 2, Leeks, McGhee, Ferry. Totals 25 14-19 73.

3-point goals: McMinnville 3 (Logsdon, Smith, White); South Salem 9 (Harley 5, Westbrook 2, Swanson, Hersh).

Willamette Valley Christian junior Cahldwell Peetz plays against South Wasco County at the Moda Center Wednesday.

Opponents are learning they shouldn’t leave Cahldwell Peetz open.

The Willamette Valley Christian junior hit eight 3-pointers on his way to scoring 32 points in Friday’s 62-45 win against Portland Waldorf and had five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

In three games last week he averaged 20.3 points, five rebounds, four assists and 3.5 steals per game.

These are the rest of the players on this week’s American Family Insurance ALL-USA Mid-Valley basketball weekly watch list:

Scott DeSalle, Jefferson basketball: The junior guard scored 14 points in Tuesday’s 46-42 loss to Gervais and six in Friday’s 72-38 loss to Salem Academy.

Zach Spink, Dayton basketball: The senior guard scored 24 points in Friday’s 67-63 win against Amity.

Alyssa Lindemann, Stayton basketball: The junior guard scored 22 points in Friday’s 57-45 win against Junction City.

Sam Roth, Silverton basketball: The senior wing scored 18 points in Tuesday’s 53-47 win against Marist and 17 points in the 72-53 Thursday win against Lebanon.

Aimee Smith, Salem Academy basketball: The sophomore guard scored 22 points, had four assists and four steals in Friday’s 63-29 win against Jefferson.

Keaton Hull, Western Mennonite basketball: The freshman guard scored 17 points in Friday’s 58-53 win against Regis.

Halle Wright, Cascade basketball: The sophomore point guard scored 22 points, had 19 rebounds and five assists in Friday’s 54-52 win against Valley Catholic.

Alia Parsons, Silverton basketball: The senior wing scored 31 points, including hitting seven 3-pointers, in Tuesday’s 57-41 win against Marist.

Kylie Nash, Central basketball: The senior guard scored 18 points in Tuesday’s 46-31 win against Beaverton.

South Salem senior Vincent Villarreal

Silverton’s Alia Parsons controls the ball as Corvallis post Stephanie Vallancey-Martinson pressures during the quarterfinals of the OSAA Class 5A state basketball tournament at Gill Coliseum, on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Corvallis. Silverton loses to Corvallis 41-40.

McNary senior Harry Cavell

South Salem senior Gabe Matthews

South Salem junior Evina Westbrook

South Salem High’s Jordan Woodvine and Silverton’s Alia Parsons were named as nominees for the McDonald’s All American Game.

The annual all-star game is at 4:30 p.m. on March 30 at the United Center in Chicago.

Parsons and Woodvine are among the 760 high school seniors from across the nation who were nominated.

The final 24 boys and 24 girls for the McDonald’s All-American Games will be announced Jan. 17.

Parsons, a 5-foot-10 wing who signed to play basketball at Grand Canyon averaged 18 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2 steals per game as a junior and was a first-team all-state selection.

Woodvine, a 5-11 wing who has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Boise State averaged 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a junior and was second-team all-state.

Signings

West Salem graduate Connor Mattison and Silverton graduate Bradley Cock have signed letters of intent to play baseball at Corban.

Cock, a 6-1 catcher who most recently played for Clackamas Community College, batted .094 in 12 appearances last year as a sophomore.

Mattison, a 5-10 left handed pitcher who is currently a sophomore at Lane Community College, was 2-1 as a freshman last season with a 3.57 ERA with 14 strikeouts.

He was a first-team all-league and honorable mention outfielder for West Salem in 2014.

USA Today | Sports

Camps

Linfield’s softball program will host instructional All-Skills Fastpitch clinics for girls ages 8 through 18 Jan. 16 and 30.

The instruction will be from Linfield’s coaches and players, who placed third in the NCAA Division III World Series last season.

The clinics will stress skills including hitting, bunting, base running and defensive play for infield and outfield.

Both clinics will feature a speaker for girls ages 13 through 18 about developing skills on and off the field and attendees can ask questions about the recruiting process.

The flier for the clinics is available at http://www.linfield.edu/sports/data_assets/pdfs/2016%20All-Skills%20Winter%20Clinic.pdf

For more information, contact assistant coach Staci Doucette at sdoucet@linfield.edu or (360) 989-5340.

Honors

The Salem Sports & Breakfast Club recognized South Salem quarterback Gabe Matthews as its senior offensive football player of the year and defensive lineman Vincent Villarreal as its senior defensive player of the year at its Dec. 4 meeting.

Villarreal had 60 tackles, including 14 for loss with eight sacks, forced one fumble and was the Greater Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Matthews passed for more than 2,200 yards and 35 touchdowns, rushed for 369 yards and 11 touchdowns and was first-team all-conference at quarterback, kicker and punter.

At the SSBC’s Dec. 11 meeting, Harry Cavell and Evina Westbrook were named the group’s athletes of the week.

Cavell, a senior shooting guard for McNary, scored 14 points in the second half of a win against Tualatin and scored 44 points and had 24 rebounds in wins against Lewis & Clark and University.

Westbrook, a junior point guard for South Salem, scored 18 points against Jesuit, 29 against Lewis & Clark, 16 against University and 25 points against Corvallis.

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Cascade head coach Steve Turner talks with his team after they won against Scappoose during the OSAA 4A state championship game, Saturday, November 28, 2015, at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore. Cascade won the game 37-28.

Steve Turner didn’t intend it this way, but he’s still going out a winner.

He coached Cascade High School’s football team to the OSAA Class 4A state championship this fall in his fourth year as the school’s coach.

But after 30 or so years of coaching and 40 of being involved in football, Turner met with Cascade’s players Friday and told them he was retiring.

“Winning didn’t really have anything to do with it,” Turner said. “It is a great way to go out, but that didn’t have anything to do with my decision.

“For years and years and years I always expected the best out of our kids. I asked them to give me 100 percent. I can’t give them 100 percent anymore. It’s not fair for the kids to have a coach who’s not going to give them 100 percent. I can’t coach the way I have in the past. That was the main reason.”

Cascade football team wins 4A state title with win over Scappoose

A graduate of Willamette, Turner’s first coaching position was an assistant coaching job at Cascade in 1978, and he spent six years as an assistant under coaches Len Federico and Karl Elliott – including help win the school’s first state championship in 1980.

After stops at Rainier, North Medford, Crook County and Mountain View – which he coached to the 5A state championship in 2011 – it was appropriate that Turner finished his coaching career back at Cascade.

“You talk about full circle, I started here and I finished here,” Turner said. “I always promised Leonard Federico if I ever could come back I would. There was a lot of emotion out here, a lot of emotional ties. It was the right thing to do to come back and it’s the right time to step away.”

In Turner’s four years at Cascade, his teams went 37-9, reached the state playoff four times, the state semifinals two times and won the school’s second state championship this fall.

Turner will continue teaching at Cascade until the end of the school year.

Under Steve Turner’s guidance, Cascade gets back on top

Turner said he and wife, Mary, intend to move to Eugene, where she volunteers as a meet official at Hayward Field.

He said he wants to spend time traveling – mostly going to sporting events – and enjoy his second retirement from teaching.

“I want to see what it’s like to not coach,” Turner said. “I’ve had several offers already. I’m not going to. I want to see what it’s like. When I quit coaching wrestling and baseball, I wanted to see what it was like.

“Like I told our players the other day, 1966 was the last time I wasn’t on a football team. We’ll see how that works.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

The Cascade bench celebrates a play in the Cascade vs. Junction City girl’s basketball game at Junction City High School on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2015. Cascade won the game 61-43.

JUNCTION CITY – Being No. 1 in the state at midseason has pluses and minuses.

On the good side for Cascade High School’s girls basketball team, there are going to be no easy games.

On the negative side for the Cougars, there are going to be no easy games, even though some look easier than others.

No. 1-ranked Cascade defeated Junction City 61-43 on the road Tuesday night after leading by as much as 28 points in the third quarter before most of its starters were subbed out of the game for good.

Being No. 1 in the OSAA’s power rankings brings one level of pressure, but being No. 1 in the coaches’ poll is something else to live up to, and Cascade has so far.

“So we know that it’s going to obviously be helpful if we can stay (highly ranked) because we get better seeding and everything, but it’s kind of a downfall because we have that target on our back now and everybody’s going to want to play us, everyone wants to beat us,” said Cascade senior Alyssa St. Peter, who scored 12 points and had six assists.

“We’re going to see everybody’s best game. I think that helps us, too, because it’s going to push us all season. We’re not going to have everyone being lazy.”

Cascade’s 11th consecutive win moves the team to 11-1 overall.

The Cougar loaded with sophomores after placing third in state a year ago is this high up at this point in the season is unsurprising.

“I think that it makes us want to not lose because we don’t want to lose our spot, and all of the teams want to beat us, so it makes us pumped up to play them,” said sophomore Kelsey Molan.

Cascade’s Peighton Williams (21) looks to pass the ball in the Cascade vs. Junction City girl’s basketball game at Junction City High School on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2015. Cascade won the game 61-43.

But Tuesday’s game also showed how important point guard Halle Wright is to the team.

The sophomore superstar scored 19 points and was hardly challenged when she was on the court, shooting 8 of 9 from the field.

Late in the first quarter, though, she picked up two quick fouls while playing defense on the perimeter and had to come out of the game with Cascade up 18-6.

“I’m definitely confident when I come out of the game,” Wright said. “We’re definitely deeper than we were last year, especially with our six sophomores playing together basically since seventh grade. When I come out, I know they can compete with intensity out there.”

Without Wright in the game for four minutes, the Cougars struggled to find their flow offensively, though they still played remarkable defense.

When Wright returned with six minutes to go in the half, Cascade went on a 13-0 run and went up 32-10.

The 5-foot-11 Wright is that stellar of a player.

“She was obviously phenomenal last year, but I think she’s facing a new challenge this year because a lot more people know more about her so we’re seeing a lot more things like box-and-1’s, trying to take her away,” St. Peter said.

“For her to still be putting out the offense that she is, I think that just kind of shows how good she really is. I think she could have done that last year, too, but we see it more this year.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Cascade 61, Junction City 43

Cascade: Halle Wright 19, St. Peter 12, Wilson 7, Miller 6, Molan 6, Cade 4, Bangert 4, Mack 3, Haddix, Williams, Loukojarvi. Totals 22 14-27 61.

Junction City: Katarina Thompson 15, Evans 9, Graton 9, Thompson 4, Norris 4, Ohman 2, Mehlbrech, Ward. Totals 15 14-20 43.

3-point goals: Cascade 3 (Wright 2, St. Peter); Junction City 1 (Graton).

NOMINATIONS NEEDED

Do you know someone who should be nominated for the Statesman Journal’s fan voting awards to be announced during the Mid-Valley Sports Awards?

Courage Award: Recognize an athlete who exhibited leadership during difficult or sensitive times.

Heart and Desire Award: Nominees for this award are the ones who show up and give maximum effort and support the team, even if they are sitting on the sidelines.

Comeback Player Award: Honors an athlete who returned to competition from an injury or other situation that forced him or her to miss significant playing time.

Fan Experience Award: Recognizes the area’s most outstanding school sports environment, shining a spotlight on the bands, cheerleaders, dance squads and fans.

Let us know at MidValleySportsAwards.com. You can also buy tickets to the first Mid-Valley Sports Awards show on June 7 at the Salem Convention Center.

Silverton’s Brooke McCarty (12) drives through Crescent Valley’s Cali McClave (23) in the Crescent Valley vs. Silverton girl’s basketball game at Silverton High School on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2015.

SILVERTON – Good teams make their own breaks, and great players play a big part in those.

The No. 2-ranked Silverton High School girls basketball team improved to 12-0 – the Foxes are the only undefeated Class 5A team in the state – with a 45-27 win against Crescent Valley in a Mid-Willamette Conference game on Wednesday.

With Silverton holding a slim 30-25 lead going into the fourth quarter, sparked by senior wing Alia Parsons, the Foxes went on a 15-0 run to put the game out of reach.

It’s not a coincidence when Silverton needed a spark, the team’s only senior and one of the top players in the state provided it.

“She’s played a lot of varsity basketball,” Silverton coach Tal Wold said. “It’s her fourth year playing. I think that’s key. She’s a captain and a leader, and she’s really kind of taken that seriously. Some of that comes from that, we got to get going, I got to do a better job here.

“She did come on and a key for her is that focus and concentration of playing, whether your shot’s going or not, for 32 minutes. That’s an important part of her piece is keeping that focus. Sometimes she can drift in and out, and we needed her.”

In a game in which it seemed like there was a lid on the rim for Silverton, the Foxes figured out a way to win.

Silverton shot 30 percent (17 of 56) from the field and 22 percent (6 of 27) from 3-point range.

But in the fourth quarter the Foxes turned defensive stops and defensive rebounds into easy baskets in transition.

Silverton’s Maggie Roth (20) moves with the ball between Crescent Valley’s Marin Plemmons (22) and Vanessa Taylor (12) on Wednesday.

The ability to close out games like Wednesday’s is a good sign for Silverton.

“I think we’re just mentally tough,” Parsons said. “When it comes down to it, it’s mental toughness. It’s all in your head. We’re all a bunch of skilled players. If we have a positive attitude we know we can pull through.”

Inevitably the season will get harder for Silverton (2-0 Mid-Willamette Conference).

And it gets tougher quickly.

The Foxes host No. 4 Corvallis (9-3, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday with their share of first place in the conference at stake.

A Silverton team that is No. 1 in the OSAA’s power rankings has gotten used to life on top.

“It’s a big target on your back,” said junior wing Hannah Munson. “In practice every day you have to go hard because you know the next team wants to beat you just as bad as the one before.”

Crescent Valley led 13-12 early in the second quarter on a lay-up by Elisia Harder.

But Munson hit a 3-poitner to give Silverton the lead back on the ensuing possession, and the Foxes led 25-18 at halftime.

The Raiders (4-7) cut Silverton’s lead to 30-25 on a lay-in by Taryn Gray.

Munson hit another 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, Parsons scored six of Silverton’s next eight points, and the Foxes scored 15 straight points to put the game out of range.

“We share the ball well so we’re not all a bunch of individuals,” Parsons said. “I think none of us are concerned with how much we score. How much we win by is a better measurement of our success. So the more we move the ball, the more it feeds us to keep pushing.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Silverton 45, Crescent Valley 27

Crescent Valley: Elisia Harder 12, Gray 6, Huang 3, McClave 3, Taylor 2, Daniels 1, Van Laere, Plemmons, Moore, Hollon. Totals 12 1-9 27.

Silverton: Alia Parsons 11, McLaughlin 8, Munson 6, Roth 5, H. Smisek 5, E. Smisek 5, Ulven 3, McCarty 2. Totals 17 5-12 45.

3-point goals: Crescent Valley 1 (McClave); Silverton 6 (McLaughlin 2, Munson 2, Ulven, Parsons).

Stayton’s Alyssa Lindemann was selected as the athlete of the week.

Alyssa Lindemann’s ability to create offense has vaulted her to the top of the class.

The 5-foot-5 junior guard from Stayton High School scored 22 points in Friday’s 57-45 girls basketball team win against Junction City.

She was chosen as the athlete of the week by readers of the Statesman Journal.

A dynamic scorer and three-year starter, Lindemann was a first-team all-Oregon West Conference selection as a sophomore last year.

She, and the rest of the athletes of the week, will be honored during the first Mid-Valley Sports Award on June 7 at the Salem Convention Center. Terry Bradshaw will be the keynote speaker.

For tickets and more information on the event, go to MidValleySportsAwards.com.

Sprague’s Andy Hernandez competes in the 200-yard IM during a Greater Valley Conference dual meet on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at the Kroc Center.

McNary’s Marissa Kuch competes in the 200-yard freestyle during a Greater Valley Conference dual meet on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at the Kroc Center.

There is a compelling reason why Marissa Kuch has rocketed to the level of one of the top freestyle swimmers in the state.

After handily winning the 200 free (2:01.28) and 50 free (25.35) and anchoring McNary High girls swim team’s winning 200 medley relay (1:47.35) and 400 free relay reams (4:09.83) in Thursday’s dual meet against Sprague, the sophomore left the Kroc Center and went straight to a practice with her club team, Mid-Valley Aquatics.

Dedication like that has been common practice as Kuch wants to swim for McNary, but also be one of the top swimmers around.

“So for like high school, I care how I do because I’m under McNary’s name and I want to get McNary’s name out there because I want to show them that McNary’s strong in certain races and certain sports,” Kuch said.

Where concentration on club swimming was all the rage for club swimmers a few years ago, Kuch bucked that trend.

In winning the 200 free in a time faster than all of the boys and girls in the meet with Sprague, she displays that competing in high school swimming and club swimming can be conducive to success on both ends.

“I think having someone like that doing high school swimming is definitely a plus because it does show those kids that you can be very successful in swimming and very good at something and still be part of the team aspect of it,” second-year McNary coach Casey Lewin said.

“Club swimming is very much about the times and high school swimming is about the team. It shows that kids can do both and be successful at both.”

Kuch has fun competing in the high school atmosphere, but there isn’t a lot of competition for her in most meets.

Instead, she says she concentrates on mowing down McNary’s school records in the freestyle races, which were previously held by Amber Boucher.

She broke the school’s 200 free record as a freshman last season and she broke the 500 free record last week.

McNary’s Marissa Kuch gets ready to compete in the 200-yard freestyle during a Greater Valley Conference dual meet on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at the Kroc Center.

“The 100 and 50 I’m actually very close,” Kuch said. “To be able to get those records I’m going to need to be tapered and in a suit. With the 100 free, I’m hoping at state this year I can get the record.

“It’s all mental so like I could get in the pool right now and do it if I was mentally prepared, but our bodies right now are so tired from club, I need to be rested, I feel like.”

McNary defeated Sprague in the girls side of the dual meet 102-63.

Besides Kuch’s contributions, McNary won the 200 medley relay, sophomore Bailey White won the 100 fly in 1:14.91 and sophomore Lizzie Bryant won the 100 back in 1:11.31.

Sprague’s freshman class was impressive as Charis Duffus won the 200 IM (2:26.69) and 500 free (5:42.73), freshman Isabelle Dolezal won the 100 free (1:02.94) and freshman Ericka Greene won the 100 breast (1:19.04).

McNary’s boys defeated Sprague 109-45.

In the boys, McNary swept all three relays, senior Georgio Corrieri won the 100 free in 1:01.74 and the 100 back in 1:01.74, junior Jake Wyer won the 50 free in 25.33, sophomore Grant Biondi won the 200 free in 2:06.00 and freshman Harrison Vaughn won the 100 breast in 1:12.68.

Sprague’s Andy Hernandez won the 200 IM (2:26.34) and 100 fly (1:02.60) and Theo Lassen won the 500 free (5:43.36).

McNary’s strength, along with Kuch’s big-point scoring swims, is its young swimmers.

“Right now, which is very exciting for me as a coaching staff, is we’re in kind of an upswing,” Lewin said. “We only graduated eight last year, and this year we’re only going to graduate about 10.

“We have 54 out this year, which is about 10 or so more than we had last year, and I want to say 35 of those kids are underclassmen. We have another handful of freshmen coming in next year, especially on the girls side, that should help us get stronger.”

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler