By James Day
It looks like Kennedy High School will be losing football coach Randy Traeger. But it doesn’t appear as if he will be going far. Traeger, a 1975 Kennedy graduate who has coached the Trojans for more than 25 years – including the past eight years as head coach – is close to accepting a position as an assistant coach at Willamette University in Salem.
Although Traeger’s departure was noted on the Kennedy website, along with the fact that his coaching position has been posted, neither Traeger nor Willamette officials would confirm the transition to Our Town. It also was unclear what role Traeger, a 1979 Willamette graduate, might play for the Bearcats.
Traeger had a 49-40 record and won three Tri-River Conference coach of the year awards with the Trojans. His best finish in state competition was a runner-up finish to then Tri-River rival Scio in Class 2A in 2009. The Loggers beat the Trojans 14-7 in both the regular-season matchup and in the state championship game at Hillsboro Stadium. Traeger’s teams made the state playoffs in six of his eight years as head coach.
The notice on the Kennedy website noted that “Kennedy High School and Mount Angel have benefited greatly from the time, energy and passion that Coach Traeger has dedicated to the youth in our community. We wish him nothing but success as he moves onto his new journey.”
Equestrian: Silverton athletes competed well at the Pacific Northwest Invitational Championships held June 29 in Redmond. The meet brought together the top high school equestrians from Oregon and Washington.
Anne Moore was the highest finisher for Silverton with a third place in dressage, with teammate Anneliese Doerfler taking fifth in the same event. Anne Moore also finished seventh in driving, ninth in trail and 13th in hunt seat.
Other Silverton athletes competing included Naomi Hare (fifth in working rancher), Heidi Moore (sixth in showmanship) and Elsie Guenther (sixth in saddle seat and ninth in driving). In addition, the Silverton drill team of Doerfler, Hare, Brienne Hook, Angeline Starrs and Nicole Kuenzi took sixth.
Marathon: Silverton High graduate Rudy Gilman won the Foot Traffic Marathon on Sauvie Island on July 4. His time was 2:22:35, nearly two minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.
Also running were four members of the Catterall family of Silverton. Asher, 18, was 6th overall in 2:49:37; Hosea, 15, was 21st overall in 3:11:09; Charles, 45, was 30th overall in 3:18:21, and Jaaz, 19, was 38th overall in 3:21:52. Asher and Hosea finished first in their age groups, while Jaaz was second in his.
Homer: It’s not too late to sign up for the annual Homer’s Classic fun runs at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, with the start and finish on the track at the old high school on Schlador Street. Events offered include an 8K covered bridge run, a 2-mile fun run and a 2-mile walk. Go to homerdavenport.com/hevent14.php. to register or call Steve Ritchie at 503-845-1801. Day-of-the-race signups start at 7:30 a.m.
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