October 11, 2012

Ace Winningham Sparks Win vs. Siletz Warriors

Aces impact tennis and poker, and certainly volleyball as well. In Yahtzee, 6 of a kind nets big points. At Siletz on Monday, McKenzie’s Samantha Winningham rolled out 16 of a kind as she led her team’s win over the Warriors by serving 16 service aces. In fact, the Eagles were collectively dialed in that as a team they had 33 total aces on the afternoon. Peace Shepherd contributed 7 aces of her own. McKenzie Head Coach Dan Brenner was able to use his entire roster in the match as the Eagles win (5-1) kept the Defending Champs in the thick of the Mt. West League battle, a half game behind Triangle Lake and Lowell at 6-1 each. McKenzie won the first set 25-10; the 2nd set 25-11, dropped the 3rd set 13-25, and took the 4th set 25-9. Along with Winningham’s sharp serving; the Eagle Senior added 6 kills. Shepherd and Corinna Price also had 6 kills apiece and Price added 6 digs on the defensive end. Sydney King contributed 6 digs and Ayshia Seiler led her team with 19 assists.

Shepherd/King -Dynamic Duo- Liquidate Laker Surge

The Triangle Lake Lakers swept into McKenzie’s gymnasium fully intent on defeating the Eagles, who won 2 of the 3 matches the teams hooked up in last season. Triangle Lake fully intended to establish themselves as the favorites to dethrone the Defending Champs. Led by Senior Abi Wynn, the Lakers put up a tremendous challenge, but McKenzie Seniors Peace Shepherd and Sydney King had a game plan of their own that drowned any Laker thoughts of victory. Offensively, Shepherd was relentless in attacking Triangle Lake as she led her team with 15 kills and 5 service aces. Samantha Winningham added 10 kills and 5 blocks while Makaila Hiddleston had 6 kills and 3 aces to follow and support Shepherd’s lead. In fact, as a team the Eagles served 16 aces and had 9 blocks to increase the Laker pressure. McKenzie has participated in a very aggressive schedule this season and the experience of previous good competition and tense situations played out well for the Eagles as they held off a furious Triangle Lake effort. Defensively, King was simply outstanding as she accounted for 26 digs. Teammates Katey Totten tallied 12 digs and 18 assists, Hiddleston had 11 digs, and Ayshia Seiler had 15 assists. McKenzie won the first set in the match 25-18, dropped the 2nd set 23-25, and polished off the superb victory by winning the 3rd set, 25-22, and the final set, 25-17.

McKenzie Mauls Crow Cougars

The dust had hardly settled following McKenzie’s dramatic victory over Triangle Lake when the Crow Cougars rolled up for a re-scheduled make-up match, originally set earlier in the season. Weary, yet determined to retain a share of the League lead, the Eagles fought off all distractions to notch a pair of 7’s, i.e. their 7th League victory of the season and their 7th victory in a row. McKenzie, clearly one of the hottest 1A teams in the State currently and ranked at 14th in the latest OSAA 1A polls at the time, sits a half a match out of a 1st place tie with Lowell. The Eagles 3-0 win over Crow (25-10, 26-24, 25-23) kept McKenzie (7-1) a half game behind the League leading Lowell Red Devils (8-1). Makaila Hiddleston tallied 10 kills, 3 blocks, and 12 digs in the match for the victors. Samantha Winningham added 7 kills and 3 aces, Sydney King led her team with 16 digs, Shyla Harlan had 12 digs, while Katey Totten added 16 assists and Ayshia Seiler added 12 more assists. Again, it was very evident, that the Eagle’s hard work and difficult 2012 schedule paid off in securing the victory.

Photo By Corey Culp - Senior Sydney King prepares for a kill in a victory versus Crow

Happy Homecoming: Eagles Sink Sailors, 56-12

McKenzie remained one-half game behind Mt. West League leader Lowell (3-0) by defeating the Mapleton Sailors 56-12 in the Eagle Homecoming game. The Eagles are tied with Siletz, Crow, and Triangle Lake at 2-1. McKenzie defeated Siletz earlier and lost to Triangle Lake, thus the next game with Crow next Friday at Crow certainly holds a great deal of importance to the Eagles as they look to secure a State playoff berth. Junior Bailey Adams led the McKenzie offense in his first start of the season at quarterback, subbing for Senior Victor Vidal. Adams was sharp in completing 13 of 17 pass attempts for a total of 228 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. Blake Anderson caught three Adams passes for 89 yards total and 2 TDs, including one pass reception for 65 yds. Caleb Scrivner hauled in 2 for 69 yds. and Josh Ness collected 3 for 66 yds. Ness also led his team in rushing with 6 carries for 68 total yds. The Eagles as a team rushed for 145 yds. Defensively, Ness had 5 solo tackles and 2 assists for 7 tackles. Teammate Dorian Dilley spent some time in the Sailor backfield as he had 1.5 sacks and also had 1 fumble recovery.

Photo By Corey Culp - Seniors Bailey Adams at quarterback with fellow seniors Casey Mitchell and Jesse Eaton on the line. Homecoming win versus Mapleton

McKenzie Triumphs at Triangle Lake Tournament

The Eagles long and busy week on the volleyball court ended in grand style as McKenzie swept all opponents in the annual Triangle Lake Tournament and claimed the 2012 Championship Trophy. McKenzie defeated Jefferson in two matches 25-23 and 25-22. The Eagles next beat Tournament Host Triangle Lake for the second time in the marathon week, winning two of three matches (25-27, 25-12, 25-13). McKenzie also triumphed over the Triangle Lake JV Team in two matches (25-16, 25-11). And finally, the Eagles won 2 of 3 over the Central Linn Cobras (22-25, 25-19, 15-11). With the wins, McKenzie moved up in the OSAA State 1A Volleyball rankings to 11th place. Just as importantly, the Eagles now have a week to catch their breath and rest up as they have only one match scheduled on Thursday, Oct. 11 at Mohawk. This may prove advantageous as the following week, McKenzie travels to Crow and hosts Lowell, which will complete the regular season and determine final Mt. West League standings and playoff berths. Overall, in the T. Lake Tourney, Makaila Hiddleston led her team with 29 kills followed by Peace Shepherd with 21 kills. Hiddleston showed up defensively as well as she had 10 blocks and 24 digs on the afternoon. Shyla Harlan contributed 35 digs and 8 kills for her Eagle team while Shepherd earned 18 digs and offensively served up 12 aces. Other McKenzie standouts were Katey Totten and Ayshia Seiler who collectively added 66 assists for the Champs.

Satchell places 14th at Regis Invitational

McKenzie freshman Cross Country runner Ethan Satchell ran to a 14th place finish in the annual Regis Invitational Cross Country Meet in Stayton last Thursday, Oct. 4. Satchell was running in the Junior Varsity 3000 meters race against a field of 41 runners from around Western Oregon. McKenzie hosts the annual McKenzie Short Course event next Wed., Oct. 10.