Alejandra Lopez of Kennedy closed her senior cross country season in style,
winning the Class 3A-2A-1A state championship Nov. 3 at Lane Community College.
Lopez ran 19:02 on the 5,000-meter course to edge runner-up McKenzi Hoyt of Burns by 8 seconds while finishing her career with four top 10 finishes (she was eighth as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore and junior).
Lopez told Our Town that the key to the victory was following her race plan. Because she does not have the closing speed of some other runners her goal was to set the pace.
She took the lead during the second mile and coach Steve Ritchie told Our Town “she was able to open up about a 30-meter gap on the other (leaders) and held that through the finish. The big thing we wanted was to not have it come down to a sprint in the last 150 meters and she carries that strategy out perfectly with patience, poise and grit.”
Lopez said it was a goal to win state her senior season. “I thought it was possible,” she said, adding that she had no idea it might be possible when she started running.
For three years she ran with JFK standout Kaylin Cantu who graduated last year.
“We were friends and we worked together well,” Lopez said. “She really helped me and I was able to pace myself with her. This year I was kind of running on my own.”
Lopez is the first Trojans runner to win a state title in cross country since Deanna Schiedler, who won back to back titles in 1981 and 1982. She hopes to run at Southern Oregon University.
Lopez, who won the district meet Oct. 24 while setting a meet record in the process, helped the Trojans finish seventh as a team at state. Also scoring for Kennedy were freshman Aleksandra Eyles (43rd, 22:13), sophomore Cassie Traeger (44th, 22:20), senior Clarissa Traeger (58th, 23:29), junior Whitney Lopez (65th, 24:18). Also participating were junior Mikayla Schaecher (67th, 24:26) and senior Claire Seller (79th , 26:30).
The Kennedy boys squad, led by junior Luke Hall, took sixth as a team in Class 2A-1A. Hall ran 18:08 to finish 32nd. Also scoring for the Trojans were freshman Korbin Wedding (36th, 18:20), sophomore Gianni Velazquez (38th, 18:28), junior Nick Riedman (43rd, 18:41) and senior Micah Parker (46th, 18:43). Also participating were sophomore Jose Salazar (64th, 19:17) and sophomore Michael Savage (74th, 21:01).
Silverton, meanwhile, finished eighth in Class 5A boys. Haile Stutzman, the Mid-Willamette Conference district champion, was sixth overall in 16:10, 40 seconds behind champion Evan Holland of Ashland. Also scoring for the Foxes were sophomore Miles Decker (23rd, 17:02), junior Jonathan Hansen (49th, 17:37), junior Jadon Mansur (54th,17:46) and sophomore Charles Petrik (56th, 17:47). Also competing for the Foxes were sophomore Trevor Ortega (58th , 17:47) and freshman Carter Gauvin (63rd,17:53).
Football: Kennedy is in the Class 2A semifinals after rallying for seven consecutive wins that followed an 0-2 Special District 2 start.
One of those early losses was a 44-7 road defeat against Sheridan. Nov. 9 the visiting Trojans turned the tables, dominating the Spartans 27-6. Kennedy has outscored its opponents 274-40 during the winning streak.
The Trojans will take on either Lost River or Neah-Kah-Nie in the semifinals.
Kennedy coach Joe Panuke told Our Town that the key to the streak was a new defensive scheme. “But the biggest thing is we are playing much more physical and tackling better,” he said.
The Trojans, who finished 4-2 in Special District 2, scored well on the district all-star squad, led by Nick Suing, who was named lineman of the year. Suing was a first-teamer on both offense and defense. Emorej Lynk, meanwhile, was first team on offense at running back, first team defense at linebacker and also was named the second-team punter. Other Kennedy honorees: DB-RB-PK Bruce Beyer: First team defense, honorable mention offense, second team place-kicker; WR Rocco Carley: First team offense; DB-QB Angel DeLaRosa: Second team defense, honorable mention offense; OL Cole Boen: Second team offense; OL Camryn Biegel: Second team offense; DL Bryce Vandervoort: Second team defense; TE/LB Brady Traeger: Honorable mention offense and defense.
Silverton, meanwhile, finished 9-2 after falling 20-16 Nov. 9 at McGinnis Field against Special District 3 foe West Albany. It was the second meeting between the Foxes and Bulldogs in 15 days. Silverton won 17-14 on Oct. 26 at Memorial Stadium in Albany to knot up the district standings and earn the league’s’ top ranking for the Class 5A playoffs.
The rematch was just as intense, with the Bulldogs clinching the win on an 18-yard TD pass with 2:28 left. It was the second consecutive quarterfinal loss for Silverton, which fell 46-42 at Mountain View in 2017.
“We came this close two years in a row,” Foxes coach Josh Craig said. “It was a great season, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to coach. This hurts. I want to get back with these guys and keep battling.”
“We had several chances to score, but we couldn’t put it through,” said Nathan Kuenzi, the junior running back who pounded away at the stout Bulldogs’ defense for 76 yards on 23 carries. “As a team I think we accomplished a lot, and I look up to all of our seniors. They’re crazy good guys. I wish I could play another season with them. They’re like brothers to me.”
The Foxes’ season led to a series of honors in the all-district all-star squad selected by league coaches. Josh Craig, in his second year in charge, shared coach of the year honors with Brian Mehl of West Albany. Foxes defensive coordinator Matt Craig shared assistant coach of the year honors with Cole Pouliot of West Albany.
Ben Willis of the Foxes turned in a trifecta, named first team on the offensive line and the defensive line and was a second-team choice as place-kicker. Here is a look at the other Silverton honors: QB Levi Nielsen: First team offense; LB Owen Magill: First team defense; DB/KR Hunter Runion: First team defense, honorable mention kick returner; RB Hayden Roth: Second team offense; WR Grant Buchheit: Second team offense; OL Spencer VonFlue: Second team offense; OL/DL Tashaun Treat: Second team offense, honorable mention defense; TE Zachary MacBean: Second team offense; DL Jacob Adrian: Second team defense; DB/WR Riley Kramer: Second team defense, honorable mention offense; RB Nathan Kuenzi: Honorable mention offense; OL Jackson Clements: Honorable mention offense; WR/DB Isaac Magana: Honorable mention offense, honorable mention defense; LB Logan Fergus: Honorable mention defense.
Volleyball: Kennedy turned in a 28-3 season and wound up fifth in the state. The Trojans, who took the No. 1 seed into the Class 2A tournament in Redmond, were upset in the semifinals by eventual champion Portland Christian in five sets (16-14 in the fifth). Central Linn downed Kennedy in four sets for third place.
Kennedy had defeated Portland Christian in four sets on Sept. 27, but Trojans coach Laura Beyer told Our Town the Royals “played very well, much better than when we played them at midseason. Their defense was much improved and their two main hitters both played very well.”
Kennedy senior outside hitter Hallie Sprauer was a unanimous first-team, all-tournament selection, while junior middle blocker Sophia Carley also was named to the first team. Sophomore libero Hailey Arritola earned a second team slot.
Sprauer and middle blocker/outside hitter Kalyssa Kleinschmit are the lone seniors.
“(They) had outstanding seasons and were both very strong leaders that were instrumental in leading our team to success,” Beyer said.
Silverton, meanwhile, finished 13-11 in its first year under coach Kate Trimble. The Foxes fell one match short of the Class 5A state tournament, falling in five sets to Wilsonville in the round of 16.
Soccer: Both Silverton soccer squads made runs to the Class 5A quarterfinals before being eliminated on the same day at the same time in the same town.
The Foxes boys squad, in its second year under coach Derek McElfresh, took the No. 6 seed into the playoffs and blanked Springfield 3-0 before falling 5-1 Nov. 3 in the quarterfinals at South Albany. The team finished 11-3-1. Midfielder Owen Bischoff, who scored twice against Springfield, also scored the lone goal against South Albany on a penalty kick.
“It’s tough to walk away from this one,” Bischoff, one of eight senior starters, said. “We had a season we could be proud of. They played quicker than us. I’ll give them that. I don’t think the score reflected how we played, and we have every right to hold our heads high.” Other senior starters for Silverton were goalkeeper Carsen Koch; defenders Gerardo Cortes, Cruz Lopez and Isaac Doyle; midfielder Isaac Vargas; and forwards Anthony Fleshman and Maximillian Linn.
The girls squad, which had the No. 11 seed, fell 3-2 at West Albany in the quarterfinals. It was the second one-goal loss against the Bulldogs, who downed coach Gary Cameron’s squad 2-1 during the Mid-Willamette Conference season. Silverton advanced to the quarters with a 1-0 win at Ridgeview of Redmond. The Foxes finished this season 7-6-1.
