By Dixon Bledsoe
Memories of Matthew Knight Court – Silverton’s sixth-ranked boys’ basketball team finished an incredible season, taking sixth place in the state 5A playoffs at the new and spectacular Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. They finish the season at 22-6, and placed four of five starters on the Mid-Valley Conference team. Zach Gengler and Toby Roth took first team honors, Torrey Rogness made the second team, and Julian Canda made honorable mention. Gengler was voted Player of the Year for the conference and Coach Darren Shryock was named coach of the year. But memories of Mathew Knight Arena are indelibly etched in my brain where they are to remain the rest of my life. Grant Martinson diving for a loose ball against Corvallis, when the beautiful floor did not give way to his face. An ER visit, seven stitches and a chipped tooth later, he was back in action against Eagle Point, but not without a photographic entourage taking pictures of the dent the ardent Oregon State Beaver fan left on the University of Oregon’s new floor.
Watching Joyce Gengler, Zach’s mother, imploring her son to score in a zealous manner, breaking the chair in this multi-million dollar Nike-bought arena. We all had a good laugh, because the chair broke, dropped her down a foot to the floor, where she continued to watch the game until a time out. Oddly enough, “risk management” came quickly and asked about the chair, not the fan. The emerging mini-triathlete had a stiff shoulder but memories for life.
The absolute hit of the tournament was the face-off between arch-rival Corvallis’s muscle-bound Spartan warrior against Silverton’s Fox. It was no contest. Our Fox was a dancing fool, and the Warrior thug was no match. How do you compete when all you have left are pushups when your opponent has the “Worm” and can raise a leg up to the rafters, then finish it off with some moves that scream new series – “Dancin’ With the Fox.”
Then it got ugly, The Spartan lost his cool, chest bumped ol’ Foxy, who lifted his gargantuan head up just in time to knock the Spartan’s head off. This didn’t set well with the misguided mascot, who wanted to turn it into a fight until it was broken up by administrators. It is on You-Tube and Facebook – a must-see.
The Silverton students went wild and picked the Fox up and worked it through the crowd. We lost to Corvallis, but Foxy was an all-state selection. Magic for a moment. Memories for life. Thank you players and fans for a great season. Go Foxes!
The Alan J. Feinstein organization is helping fight hunger in America, and Silverton Area Community Aid, Inc. (SACA) is destined to be a beneficiary of Mr. Feinstein’s largesse. For every dollar raised or pound of food donated directly as a result of the Feinstein Hunger Challenge between now and April 30, nonprofit agencies like SACA will benefit by splitting $1 million with other groups across the country, with a minimum $250 award up to a maximum of $35,000. Let’s show them what Silverton is all about as we work together to help those of our neighbors in need. For information, call SACA at 503-873-3446, email to [email protected], or check out the Feinstein Foundation at www.feinsteinfoundation.org.
The Foxes boast the best 5A bowling team in Oregon. SHS juniors Izaak Tobin and Quinn Dreher each placed second in the 5A State Wrestling Tournament last month, and the Silver Foxes placed 10th. The girl’s freshman basketball team went undefeated.
Life is good here.
