TCP; The red filters through

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 3
Sports

Thursday night was an intersquad exhibition.  Each team was coached by an assistant coach. Navy Coach Bret Born vs. Scarlet Coach Rich Vigorito.

The Scarlet team won 22-21.

At 125 Josh Johnson defeated Jared Cash (Dec.)

125 Stevan Knoblauch defeated Kamron Day (Dec.)

133 CJ Palmer pinned Urmas Yanis.

“I pinned him,” said Palmer. “I like Urmas. It’s gonna’ be a rough season wrestling allot of D1 guys, they do this for four years, they got allot more time.”

141 Peter Shea defeated Jordan Brewer (Dec.)

141 Lawrence Otero defeated Robbie Rizzolino (Dec.)

141 Daniel Leonard defeated Jared Sublet (Dec.)

149 Kenny Martin defeated Dylan Holcomb (Dec.) 10-4.

“It feels good to wrestle this first match, it’s been a while, I felt like I was able to maintain a good pace,” said Martin. “It’s a new experience, I was kinda’ nervous, I heard this was a good school to go to, I feel like it’s done me justice so far, I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life right now.”

157 Eleazar DeLuca defeated Elijah Taylor (Dec.) 6-3.

“I have allot of things I need to work on, so it was a good match to open-up what I need to work on,” said Deluca. “Coach Rhoden’s a really good guy, all the coaches have a killer mentality, they want to win and I really like that.”

157 Nikko Veltri defeated Brandon Davidson (Major Dec.) 13-4.

165 Kyle Bateman defeated Tyler White (Dec.) 8-2.

174 Dustin Harris defeated Kolby Mays (Dec.) 6-1.

184 Adrian Salas defeated John Morin (Dec.) 5-1.

197 Dustin Johnson defeated Ihoughwama Odigizuwa (Dec.) 8-7.

The  Cougars head wrestling coach Josh Rhoden comented on the evening.

“I thought it was pretty good, we got areas we can improve in, most of them it’s gonna be a little shock to the system so we got some adjustments to make, but overall it was pretty good,” said Rhoden.

The Cougars will compete against  NAIA Simpson University in Redding, Calif. next Saturday.

The first home competition will be on Nov. 9 against Division 2 Simon Fraser University in Randall Hall at 5 p.m.

TCP; Clackamas Volleyball beats the Storm

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 3
Sports

Last Wednesday the Cougars volleyball squad brought down their opponent the Chemeketa Storm.

The match was a competitive fray of defense and offense with a few long-winded volleys.

Bre Gibbons played a very active game with some solid blocks, well placed tips over the net, 12 kills and 17 digs.

Taylor Balkan served an excellent scoring ball in the second set, she had 20 assists throughout the game.

Megan Minke got her hands on a few really nice plays in the third set.

“It feels good to be playing in the middle again. Getting a kill in the middle is more intense and fast paced than the outside,” said Minke. “I think that were starting to get back in the groove, were on the uphill. Hopefully the goal is to win NWAACCs and to come out on top in league.”

Hannah Olson set up some good plays from a couple nice serves, she had 10 kills and some good tips over the net. Chemeketa attempted to return one of her serves in set three, but it was blocked by the double wall of  Gibbons and Minke.

“I have a hurt shoulder right now, so it was pretty good, it was one of my better games,” said Olson. “We are working really well together, it’s nice to have a team that gets along.”

Chemeketa tried to come back in the third, bringing the score dangerously close at 24-21, but the Cougars won the third set and the game was theirs at 25-20, 25-15, 25-21.

The Cougars head coach Kathie Woods was impressed by her squad’s hard work so far this season.

“Were ranked seventh right now, were 24-10,” said Woods.

Dressed as the Harlem Globetrotters, the Cougars competed over the weekend at the Mt. Hood Dorian Harris Halloween Classic.

The Cougars won on Friday against Edmonds and Tacoma.  They won again against Columbia Basin.

In the semi-finals the Cougars lost to Olympic College and placed third in the Halloween Classic.

The Cougars play SWOCC Friday in Coos Bay at 6 p.m.

Wed Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. will be the last home game.

TCP; Cougars walk on water

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 2
Sports

The sun was shining on OC’s Pioneer Stadium last Wednesday afternoon. The Clackamas women’s soccer team beamed just as brightly with a 3-0 win against the Lakers of Southwestern Oregon Community College.

The Cougars attacked often, but couldn’t find clear shots. No. 4 Khadijah Kirkland made her way up-field early in the game and sent a nice cross in front of the Lakers goal but it went out. The Cougars continued to attempt offensive plays but the Lakers' goalkeeper Cassidy Crandall defended well. Crandall snatched a straight shot from No. 2 Hope Butler in the opening stanza.

Early in the first half, the plays were aggressive, but lacked set-up. Janine Szpara, the Cougars' head coach was on it, she instructed the team to use better tactics.

“Guys, stop running forward all the time, switch!” shouted Szpara.

Butler drove forward and passed to No. 8 Megan Luckenbach who found the ball right in front of goal. With the first of her two attempts at the beginning, Luckenbach shot, but Crandall denied the score. No. 17 Claudia Flores took two consecutive shots during the first half. The first attempt was halted with a save by Crandall and the next went just barely too wide. Later, Flores had a third attempt with a long shot, but it went too high.

After a foul by the Lakers, No. 5 Marci Haynes took a free kick for the Cougars that lobbed over the defense, but Crandall defended the follow-up. Shortly after, No. 11 Tahni Harr found herself in position to launch a long shot that missed, just barely too wide of the Lakers' goal. Goalkeeper Melanie Trumbull’s voice rang out clear from the opposite side of the field as her team marked-up for the Lakers' goal kick.

“Get to the ball first, you better get that ball first,” yelled Trumbull.

No. 20 Tori Roberts hustled in response to of Trumbull’s rallying cry. Roberts struck her third and best goal attempt of the first half. It was a solid shot, but went just wide and hit the outside of the net. After the Lakers next goal kick, No. 19 Olivia Thoroughman drove the ball to the penalty box, but Crandall stepped-up and defended the Lakers' goal aggressively.

The Lakers were able to take the action back to the Cougars' side of the field. Trumbull defended the resulting attack. The Cougars regained the offensive and towards the end of the first half, No. 9 Stephanie Corea struck a nice shot, but the tenacious Crandall saved it. The Lakers' goalkeeper seemed to home-in on everything the Cougars tried to slip past her. Crandall aggressively intercepted a pass to No. 10 Hristy Prado, then another long shot by the Cougars.

Although the Cougars controlled most of the first half, the Lakers' defense was enough to keep the score 0-0 at halftime.

At just 00:36 into the second half, No. 24 Taija Channel scored the first goal of the game.

“I didn’t play the first half, so I wanted to come out strong and make an impact on the team,” said Channel.

That was all the impact the Cougars needed to pick up steam. They were ahead, but continued to press forward retaining a tight hold on the 1-0 lead in the second half. Corea took another impressive shot, but Crandall saved it again. Flores stayed savvy as she attempted a couple more shots in the second half. Flores received a spot-on pass for her last attempt and Crandall just barely managed to save it.

The Cougars were still on the attack. At 69:00 on the official time, No. 12 Mecca Williams assisted a pinpoint shot by Butler for the second goal of the afternoon.

“Mecca did a really nice diagonal ball which was what we talked about at half,” said Butler. “Taija had a first-touch (to Williams) which allowed me to split the defense.”  

Still hungry for points in the final minutes and using smart positioning, Butler ran the ball towards the goal but Crandall defended. The Cougars still commanded a dominant lead of 2-0. Roberts had three goal attempts in the second half and at 89:00 on the clock, she assisted an excellent open shot on goal by Luckenbach. Her shot scored and the Cougars finished out the game with a 3-0 victory over the Lakers.

“I saw Tori, she gave a good ball right in the air to me, I took a good first-touch that set me up for the goal,” said Luckenbach. “There was a defender on my right side so I had to battle to get in front of her. The whole right side of the goal was open, so I took the shot.”

Last Wednesday was not only a convincing win for the team, but the ninth shutout this season for goalkeeping magician Trumbull. Crandall of the Lakers managed to grab 10 saves. The Cougars were still top of the South region after Wednesday’s game and they continue to build momentum towards an NWAACC title shot. Butler offered insight into their journey towards playoffs.

“We need to apply what we do in practice to games,” said Butler.

TCP; CCC produces new legends of the fall season

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 1
Sports

Amidst the busy bustle of autumn, new beginnings have given shape to CCC’s 2013 fall sports season. With so many new recruits added to each of the Cougars’ fall sports teams, this season promises a fresh experience.

Volleyball

The Volleyball team acquired 11 new players for the season. The team has a record of 3-2 in NWAACC league and 21-8 this season. They are ranked third in south region.

Cross Country

Cougar cross country picked up seven new men and seven new women this season. The team competed in a few recent events. Sept. 7 was the Clark XC Classic NWAACC Preview in Battleground. CCC competed against Spokane, Clark, Everett, Highline, Lane, Mt. Hood, Olympic and SW Oregon. Two Clackamas runners finished the men’s 8000 meters ahead of the rest. Jorge Gil-Juarez was first with a time of 26:03 and Jackson Baker came in second at 26:04.

Clackamas competed against Mt. Hood on Sept. 21 at the Oak Knoll Loop in Independence, Ore. Jorge Gil-Juarez finished the 8000 meters first out of all NWAACC competitors with a time of 25:06.15.

CCC hosted the annual Mike Hodges Invitational this past Saturday. The Cougars placed four men in the top five of the 8000 meter race against Spokane, Clark, Highline, Mt. Hood and SW Oregon. Pake Benthin finished first at 26:19.54, Jackson Baker was second with 26:19.77, Jorge Gil-Juarez came in third at 26:19.97 and shortly behind was Scott Schmitt in fifth at 26:28.03. CCC men placed first as a team and the women placed fourth.

Soccer

CCC women’s soccer gained eight new recruits this fall. The soccer team is 8-1-1 in NWAACC league and 8-3-1 this season. They are the top team in the south region and are second in league points, tied with Walla Walla.
“We’ve had a few good games, the girls are doing really well,” said Miriam Coto, assistant coach. “Pretty much half the team is returners, we’ve got a good freshman class too.”

Non-Fall Sports

CCC’s winter and spring sports teams have also been gearing up for their respective seasons.

Wrestling

The wrestling team has been active as they ready for their first scheduled events. Navy & Scarlet, an exhibition, will be at home on Thursday Oct. 24 starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 26 CCC will host their 30th annual Takedown Tournament which is open to the public. All ages and weight classes are eligible. Registration begins at 8 a.m., a takedown clinic will be offered between 9:30-10:30 a.m. and the competition starts at 11 a.m.

Basketball

The women’s and men’s basketball teams have been hard at work preparing as well.
“We worked out two to three days a week during the summer,” said the men’s head coach Clif Wegner. “This is our first official week of practice.”

Softball and Baseball

Both CCC’s softball and baseball teams have been keeping busy, practicing and playing non-league games. The baseball team was proud to have some star players shine last month at Lower Columbia in Longview, Wash.

“Seven of our guys were selected for the sophomore showcase All-Star game for NWAACC,” said Robin Robinson, head baseball coach. “Four of them have been heavily recruited since.”

The Cougar baseball team will play seven weeks of fall ball.

TCP; Cougar volleyball team digs deep

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 1
Sports

Wednesday vs. New HopeThe stars seemed to align over Randall gymnasium last Wednesday evening, when CCC’s volleyball team defeated the New Hope Christian College Beacons in a non-league match.

The Cougars came out strong from the start. Early in the first set, No. 11 Kiki Stonebraker, drove down a powerful spike to put the team at a 3-0 lead. Stonebraker is one of only two sophomores out of the 12 team members.

“I’m the only returner, it’s brought a completely new chemistry and it’s refreshing,” said Stonebraker.

The game was fast paced and the Cougars commanded the lead. No. 14 Courtney Lofton scored with a nice spike and brought the score to 8-6. With another highlight, No. 3 Megan Minke launched a well-placed spike earning 12-8 over the Beacons. The Cougars won the first set 25-13.

In set two, the Cougars started strong again and kept the lead, using great communication and teamwork. The Beacons hit quite a few outs and the Cougars used good judgment letting the ball go out. The Cougars dominated 25-10 in the second set.

“I feel like we improve every day. Practices are intense, it’s really important for a championship NWAACC team. We have a solid group of girls who work really well together,” said No. 2 Taylor Balkan.

Set three started more even and the Beacons stepped it up. But the Cougars picked up more steam and grasped the lead. It was a very close set. A hard-won Cougar spike after a long volley brought the score to 11-9. The match became more competitive in the third and the Cougars took their first three time-outs. The score read 19-16 at the last TO. The Beacons fought hard but the Cougars finished 25-19 in set three and won the match.

“It was fun, we’re really thrilled with the season so far,” said head coach Kathie Woods.

The Chemeketa Tournament in August was a rude awakening for the Cougar volleyball team as they endured a 1-4 in the competition. The team has been very active since their first games. They have had ample time to figure out how to fight as a team.

“We had a slow start but now we are 21-7, 3-1 in league,” said Woods.

The Cougars squad gained momentum in their second tournament of the season, taking home four wins to one loss at the Spokane Falls Tournament. They went on to remain undefeated throughout September.

“For me, the highlight of the season was the Spokane tournament,” said Balkan. “We learned to play together; it was a fun learning experience for everyone.”  

The Cougars’ only loss since the Spokane Falls Tournament came Oct. 2 against Linn-Benton. Wednesday night’s win gave Clackamas confidence for their next game, a league match against top regional rival Mount Hood Community College.

“It’s really awesome; we’re on fire this year,” said Stonebraker. “We had a 15 game winning streak until Linn-Benton, but we’re back on track and ready for Hood on Friday. It’s gonna be a good game.”    Friday vs. Mt. HoodIn association with cancer awareness month, Friday marked the annual Diggin’ Pink event. The fund raiser and proceeds from the game benefited pets with cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

“Diggin’ Pink is huge for us,” said Woods. “We raised $2,300 last year. We’re over $1,000 as of today [Oct. 11] and we are raising money all of October. Go to the athletic office to donate.”

Friday night was for fighting as the Cougars and Hood battled it out for regional supremacy. It was a rose-tinted evening as both teams sported pink jerseys in honor of cancer awareness. The Cougars even had pink shoelaces and spotted animal-print shorts.

“We call them Cougar shorts; they went well with the theme of tonight,” said No. 10 Hanna Olson.

While the Cougars were behind for much of the game, they had some nice plays and remained competitive. The Randall bleachers were full, the crowd was big. The team played well together often. One of the individual successes was Olson’s great block towards the end of set one, putting 16-20 on the scoreboard.

The Cougars suffered a hard- fought loss as set one ended in a close 21-25. They came back stronger in the second set. They gave Hood a run for their money, but even with the loud cheers and support from the Clackamas fans, Hood was able to steal the win for set two. The Cougars looked like they had a chance to win it after a great serve by Stonebraker, making it 22-24. They had great momentum, getting closer at 23-24, but were edged out 23-25.

After the second set of the Diggin’ Pink match, 2012 CCC volleyball alumna Annie Cook read a tribute in memory of coach Woods’ beloved pet dog Cougie and told the crowd about the fundraiser for animal cancer support and cancer awareness. The Cougars were down but not out; they still had desire to win. The third set was by far the most exciting and intense.

“It’s a big match for us, so we had to give it our all,” said Olson.

And they did. They managed to slide ahead on the scoreboard taking a 7-6 lead. There was a back and forth battle, with Hood getting the better of an epically long volley for 7-8. The Cougars later gained an 11-9 lead.

“I thought we played well, but inconsistent, we fought hard,” said No. 13 Bre Gibbons.

The fighting continued as Hood came back with a vicious five point lead in the remainder of set three. The game ended in a clear win for Hood at 19-25 of the third. The Cougars are now 3-2 in NWAACC league, but also an impressive 21-8 season total.

There is much to come from the championship-minded CCC team and the next home game is a league match against Chemeketa. The Cougars defeated Chemeketa before their match against New Hope and look to repeat that performance.

TCP; Cougars remain top in region

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Chris Browarski, The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 1
Sports

Cloudy fall weather was not able to drown out the character of the Clackamas women as they donned bright pink jerseys in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Last Friday afternoon, in a match at Oregon City High School’s Pioneer Stadium, CCC Cougars tied Lane Community College Titans. Clackamas No. 4 Khadijah Kirkland is pleased with their teamwork.

“It was our best game so far, especially as a team,” said Kirkland.

It seemed that the hard-fought, stalemate battle didn’t discourage, but brought out the competitive spirit in the Cougars. Clackamas has been successful this season, but they still see room for improvement as they continue to learn to work together. One of this season’s freshmen, No. 17 Claudia Flores, is excited about this opportunity.

“I think it’s a really good experience starting out as freshmen,” said Flores.

While the match remained scoreless through 90 minutes of play, both sides looked competitive as the top two teams in the South region squared off. The Cougars started off the first half eagerly with two shots on goal. Lane also had a couple of nice shot attempts early that were saved by Clackamas goalkeeper Melanie Trumbull.

Assistant coach Miriam Coto commented on Trumbull’s perseverance.

“Melanie works really hard, she’s really intense. We kind of have to tranquilize her sometimes, but she’s a good egg,” said Coto.

Clackamas continued their aggressive attack with eight shots in the first 45 minutes, four of them very close, but stopped by Lane’s goalkeeper Samantha Schoene. At halftime the score was still 0-0.

Early in the second half Lane took a wide shot that missed its mark. On the latter of two consecutive corner kicks, Clackamas’ No. 23 kicker, Tani Harr, had a nice shot on goal that was denied by Schoene. As tension rose with the back and forth battle, the Cougars attempted a goal, but were forced back to defense. Lane fouled on their attempt at goal, receiving a yellow card. The following free kick by Clackamas sent the action back up field.

“We played hard,” said No. 9 Stephanie Corea. “[It was the] first team we actually had competition against.”

At 63 minutes on the scoreboard, the sun suddenly emerged and Corea took a good shot at Lane’s goal. The Cougars were awarded a couple of free kicks towards the latter half of the game. On the second kick, No. 2 sophomore Hope Butler lobbed a shot towards goal from center, which sailed over Lane’s defense. It just barely missed, going slightly too high and over the goal. Lane attacked and attempted a long goal but missed.

Flores had a nice shot at about 78 minutes that was saved by Schoene. Lane No. 20 Maddi Barton kept the Cougars on their toes with two back-to-back long shots from center. One barely cleared over the goal at 90 minutes on the scoreboard.
As the referee signaled the end of the match, the score remained 0-0. Lane took two shots and had seven saves in the second half. The Cougars struck eight shots and no saves were needed.

“Even though it was a tie, we felt like it was a win in our hearts,” said Flores. “We want to win playoffs. We’re going all the way.”

Throughout the game, two yellow cards were issued to each team. The Cougars forced Lane goal keeper Schoene to make 11 saves total, showing their struggle scoring was not due to lack of effort on offense. Cougar goalkeeper Trumbull collected three saves of her own, for her eighth shutout of the season. The team is off to a great start towards a successful run at the playoffs.

“We’re excited to win NWAACC,” said No. 12 Mecca Williams.

Friday’s match put the Cougars’ record at 8-1-1, they remain the top team in South region and second in NWAACC league. It provided both women’s soccer teams with their first tie of the season and broke the Cougars’ six-game winning streak. It was the first non-winning game at home this year.

Their next game will be Friday, Oct. 16, 2013 at 1 p.m. at the OCHS Pioneer Stadium against Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers.