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Coos Bay Cliff-Notes: Day Two
We were focused entirely on the games at Marshfield High School today, so we were too short-handed to cover both gyms. Hidden Valley 44 Philomath 39 Valley Catholic threw a lot at Philomath: speed, pressure, quickness, and perimeter shooting. There was one thing they couldn’t do, however, and it cost them in the semis: they […]
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Coos Bay Championship and 3rd Place Game Previews and Predictions
Cascade Christian vs. Yamhill-Carlton: This all revolves around one thing: how well can the Challengers play defense? Keeping the Seely-Roberts twins under 45 combined points seems to be the tipping point between competing with the Tigers and watching them run it up on you. Can Cascade Christian hold their own against Moroni and Malachi Seely-Roberts […]
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Coos Bay Cliff-Notes: Day One
Girls Clatskanie 73 Nyssa 43 Nyssa came out with a lot of energy, and was fueled by their larger fan turnout than Clatskanie. However, the initial burst was limited, and in the end the defending champs pulled away. Clatskanie was bolstered by a career night from Shelby Blodgett, as the senior notched 36 points and […]
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Boys Coos Bay Final-4 Preview and Predictions
Banks vs. Cascade One matchup impacts this game more than the rest: Dom Ball versus Tyler Exline. In the battle of these two bigs, fighting in the paint will go a long way in determining who plays in the state title game. The perimeter players of both teams will play with tons of energy on […]
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Rapid Reaction: Pirates Struggle Offensively as Knights Advance to Coos Bay to Face Yamhill-Carlton
Ultimately, this game went as expected. We said it would be a 2-3 possession game throughout, and that’s what it was. We said an offensive output similar to what they had against Amity could sink Dayton‘s ship, and ultimately, it did. Here are some thoughts on Tonight’s game: In certain situations you can see a […]
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Boys Quarterfinal/Sweet-16 Preview and Predictions
Banks vs. La Grande: This could get ugly. The Braves come into this one undefeated and, by virtue of COVID, still technically defending state champions. La Grande, as much as they have outperformed their contemporaries in the east, may be way too outmatched. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this one end up with a […]
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Opinion: PacWest in Three-Way Tie, Should Knock De La Salle Out of Elite-8
The debate should be settled with Amity’s win over Dayton 52-45, but, sadly, the angling will only ramp up from here. As a group which has seen every team in the at-large bid chase multiple times both in person and on NFHS, has talked to multiple coaches, players, and media members both inside and outside […]
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Rapid Reaction: Siuslaw Beats Junction City on the Road, Sets Up Potential Tie Scenario
Why not? Why not throw a massive monkey wrench into this final week of the regular season? Why not send the Sky-Em League into utter chaos 3 days before the final selection meeting? Siuslaw, you never cease to amaze. Here are some takeaways and then some statewide implications. First, let’s talk about Siuslaw: We knew they […]
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Rapid Reaction: Westside Silences Doubters with Win Over De La Salle, Ensures End-of-Season Controversy
Let the drama begin. In the 3A ranks, there was one nightmare scenario that could lead to controversy: ambiguity in the Lewis and Clark League. The elite-8 format was always going to leave somebody on the short end of the stick, but with Westside’s win today, that team might be a little higher up the […]
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Rapid Reaction: Pirates Throw Curveball at Spartans, Escape Eugene With Massive League W
Two contenders, a student section, a packed house, and toxicity in the stands: just beautiful. Here are some takeaways from one of the best matchups we’ve seen at the 4A level: First for the Pirates: Putting in a box-and-one defense the day before one of your most important games of the season takes stones. To […]
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Rapid Reaction: Amity Holds On to Beat Yamhill-Carlton on the Road in Potential #1 v #2 Matchup
Amity did something tonight I didn’t think was possible: they played at a fast pace against a fast-paced team and won. Not only did they win; in spots, they dominated. Here are some takeaways first for the victorious Warriors: If you’re looking for signs that this Amity team is different, that this is the group […]
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Rapid Reaction: Cascade Stays Alive in OWC Title Race, Drops Philomath on the Road
It was nice to be back in Philomath, even without the band and the normally ruckus crowd. It was also nice to see the Wild West Conference hasn’t lost its way. Here are some takeaways, first for Cascade: There was one main question still facing Cascade coming into tonight: Can the Cougars win a slow […]
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Rapid Reaction: Wart-less Warriors Hold Off Western, Could Be 3A Front-Runners
Back in the day, Amity, Dayton, and Western Christian (Western Mennonite at that time) had a “tobacco road”-style triangular rivalry in the old West Valley League. Seeing these teams duke it out in a non-jamboree setting for the first time in a long time should be the headline, but there is much, much more to […]
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Rapid Reaction: Yamhill-Carlton Takes Next Step, Hands Dayton Biggest Loss to 3A Opponent Since at-least 2012
Driving into Carlton there’s a banner hanging on the side of a power pole which reads, “Small town, big achievements.” It struck me through the middle of the fourth quarter as the Tigers began to separate: this was no little achievement. This was program defining. Here’s some takeaways. First, YC: Since Heather Seely-Roberts took over […]
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Rapid Reaction: Portland Adventist Holds On to Beat Westside, Looks Like a Coos Bay Team
A true tale of two halves. Here are our takeaways: PAA can play. Short and simple. They’re intelligent, don’t take unnecessary risks, and handle pressure very well. The Cougars are senior heavy, and it shows. PAA owned the boards in the first half. Length wasn’t heavily favoring the Cougars, nor was size, but they attacked […]
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4A “Playoff” rankings bring immediate controversy: Where’s Hidden Valley? An Explanation:
A Thursday piece on OSAA Today from Jerry Ulmer detailed an effort at the 4A level to have something close to a “championship” game during culmination week for football. Essentially, the plan took elements from the college football playoff system, the old BCS system, and media polls, rolled them into one, and settled on how […]
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Rapid Reaction: Marist Beats Cascade, but Questions Loom.
First, we need to revise our final score tweet. Marist, or at least this version of Marist, did not look the part. Coming into the year, we said if Marist ran the table they would stand alone as the default champion of 4A football. However, this Marist team isn’t what we expected. The Marist we […]
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Philomath starts a true 2-0 for first time since 2013, Dayton 0-2 for second time in last three seasons. Rapid Reaction:
The headline from tonight isn’t representative of the story itself. Dayton made strides in the past week, but it wasn’t enough. Philomath had a lot of chatter around them after week one, but this de facto top 10 audition in all likelihood wasn’t enough to get them in. Clunky, a little disorganized, and a little […]
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4A Football Preview
2020 would’ve produced one of the best title chases in recent memory, but we’ll have to take what we can get. What do we get? We have a criss-crossing of the state by the apparent powers that *could* end up giving us a de facto champion. Here’s what we see: Sky-Em League/SD4 Why start with […]
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2A Football Preview
This preview is going to be different than the others for one simple reason: 2A football is an abject mess. The predictability of 2A is nearly zero outside a handful of teams. We’re going to talk about our top-ten exclusively simply because they’re the brightest stars in a sky of confusion and uncertainty. Honorable Mention […]