Comeback win over Bulldogs sets stage for Vandal title run
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
One hurdle was jumped when Klickitat swept Sunnyside Christian last week, 25-16, 25-22, 25-11, but the most telling match of the week might have been against a team that is completely out of their league.
Every year begins with a lot of question marks for coaches. Even if they have the same players as the year before, they are dealing with teenagers who are still growing and are often full of surprises. It is during early season play that the character of a team begins to emerge. That seminal event may have happened for the Klickitat Vandal volleyball team last week against Stevenson. Klickitat went into the game shorthanded and the opponent was a very good 1A team that went to State last year.
Things started badly, as the Vandals lost 25-22 and 25-15. A lesser team might have phoned in the third set and chalked it up as experience against a much larger school that was expected to win. The Vandals didn't see it that way, winning the next three sets 25-18, 25-21 and 15-10. Samantha Brewer had 14 kills and six blocks while new setter, Tia Spino was credited with 22 assists. Lara Parsons was 28-1 on serves and Chelci Curtis, Zoe Lindner and Spino combined for 88 percent success on serve receive. It was an important moment for the team and it told the coach this Vandal team aims to return to State.
Klickitat hasn't lost much from last year when they finished sixth at State, but there are two more teams to be tested in league play. Sunnyside Christian was a question mark since they have key players with State experience returning after sitting out last year. The results of this first game against a league opponent, albeit a non-conference match, looked much like last year as the Knights still have some rebuilding ahead of them and the Vandals are apparently still the team to beat. Spino set up Brewer 14 times for winners and Brewer finished with nine kills.
The other two tests are against Bickleton, last year's league runner-up, and a TLG team that is hungry for a trip to State. Bickleton will get their first shot at the Vandals on Oct. 16, and TLG waits until Oct. 23 for their first chance at the defending champs.
It won't be easy knocking off these Vandals. Coach Jaecee Hoctor lost one player with Kali Fargher's graduation, but it was a big loss, as she was a floor leader and main setter. The two most experienced players on the team are Lindner, a senior, and Brewer, a junior. According to Hoctor, they have stepped up to fill the leadership role, and instead of one main setter, Hoctor now has Spino and Ashley Meeks, giving the team more options for their attack. Hoctor says the main difference from last year's squad is team chemistry.
The team played well at the Stevenson Jamboree, then stumbled at Dufur losing three close games. They were still finding their way after rolling over Lyle-Wishram, a week before the big win over Stevenson.
Riding a high after the Stevenson and Sunnyside Christian wins, the team crossed the river and was the runner-up at the South Wasco tournament in Maupin. They went 6-0 against Arlington, Condon-Wheeler and South Wasco; took two of three from Sherman County, and lost 25-20 to tournament champion, Helix. Lindner was 92 percent on serves and had 29 kills. Brewer had 43 kills and 19 blocks, and Spino knocked down 14 aces.
The Vandals traveled to Sunnyside to play the Knights in their first league match on Tuesday, and they host Lyle-Wishram on Oct. 1.
Wolves overwhelm Warriors for fourth win
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale football continued to impress as Cle Elum became the latest victim, 36-14 last Friday, but it looked like it might be a long night as the Warriors easily scored on the first possession, a 75 yard drive.
Goldendale responded with two quick touchdowns and never looked back. The Warriors were held to 47 yards rushing and scattered 175 yards in passing, much of which was in the opening drive and late when the game was out of reach.
Credit the Goldendale offensive line for giving the Wolves an offense that hurt Cle Elum on the ground and in the air. Ty Cronin had another good day behind great protection, connecting on 13 of 20 passes for two touchdowns. Cronin spread the ball around, hitting J.D. Moss five times for 46 yards and a touchdown plus a two-point conversion, Cody Herin four times for 35 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Dobson three times for 49 yards and a two-point conversion.
Torey Spaulding-Jimenez led all rushers with 106 yards, much of it gained on the edge of the offense, while Justin Garrigus flashed wide, beating the defense to the corner on a number of occasions, scoring three times from 22 yards out and on five and four-yard carries.
Zane MacRae picked off a pass that reminded one of the Ki-Be game, and he was also a force against the running game. Two other interceptions went to an opportunistic Herin. Goldendale plays an unusual Saturday game this week against Napavine at 2 p.m. on Barthlow Field. Napavine is the defending 2B state champion, but they are off to a rough start on the year with a 1-1 league record. The game allows Goldendale to avoid having a bye, which in the two previous years was followed by a conference loss.
Matai brothers run wild over Badgers in 42-12 rout
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
The locals were truly blue in the Blue Mountains of Oregon following Lyle-Wishrams visit and a convincing 42-12 thrashing by the running juggernaut Cougars.
Lyle-Wishram traveled to North Powder, Ore., a town located between Baker and LaGrande, to take on the Powder Valley Badgers in a final tune-up before hitting the meat of their conference schedule. It became another Matai showcase. This time it was Alan Matai who put up incredible numbers with 32 carries and 287 yards and one touchdown.
The team put up more than 550 yards of offense, 462 on the ground, led by Matai's great running. Alan's 287 yards overshadowed an otherwise great game by Henry Matai who scored three times and picked up 169 yards on 22 carries and had one interception.
The game was a 12-12 tie at half-time with Lyle-Wishram scoring on a 24 yard pass from Flo Forsthuber to Keale Wiseman and Alan Matai taking it in from 37 yards out. At one point, the Badgers were on top 12-6 and may have believed they had a chance.
Then came Henry. All three of Henry Matai's touchdowns came in the second half on runs of 13, 20 and 40 yards. The Badgers didn't get another sniff of the goal line as the Cougars defense shut down the Badgers passing game.
Coach Don Smith made a change in his offense, moving Forsthuber to guard with Wiseman at quarterback, putting more size and quickness on the line, which Smith says improved the running game. The Matai brothers are averaging 10 yards per carry, so an improved running game is an ominous note for Lyle-Wishram's Southeast conference opponents. Wiseman went 2-6 at quarterback, including a second half, 26-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Smith.
Fumbles continue to be a problem with the wildcat offensive set. The Cougars haven't lost many fumbles, as they are generally on the shotgun snap, but Smith wants to fix that problem before meeting the tougher teams on the schedule.
Next up for the Cougars is an away game at Tri-Cities Prep. While the competition is expected to be much tougher than Powder Valley, there is a good chance that Henry Matai will go over 1,000 yards for the season in that game, as he is currently at 848 yards and is averaging over 200 per game.
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