McKenzie Sports Report - November 7

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

The OSAA 3A/2A/1A State Cross Country Championships Meet will be held on Saturday, November 9, at Lane Community College. The 2A/1A Boys 5,000 meters race starts at 10:00 am, the 3A/2A/1A Girls 5,000 meters race at 10:35 am, and the 3A Boys 5,000 meters race will begin at 11:10 am.

Will Meister Qualifies For State Championships

Eagle Runs PR 7th Place District Time

McKenzie's Will Meister is running the fastest cross-country times of his life. The Eagle junior set a new Personal Record time, just eight days past his last PR, in the 5,000 meters race. Meister's latest time, 18:18.50 minutes, was set at the 3A/2A/1A, SD4 District 4 Championships held at Lane Community College last Thursday, October 31, and placed him seventh out of 74 participants. Meister was the fastest Mt. West League runner in the District race and the second fastest Class 1A finisher.

Just the week prior, at the Umpqua Invite, the Eagle runner set his second PR of the 2024 season with a finish time of 18:33.6 minutes. McKenzie has not qualified an Eagle cross country athlete to the State Championship meet since 2011, when Sarah Sherman finished eleventh and Taya Harbick twentieth at LCC. And it's been even longer since a McKenzie Boy has qualified. Michael Sherman finished sixteenth in 2009, fifteen years ago.

Mt. West League Shut Out Of State Championships

The Mt. West League's three representatives to the 2024 OSAA State Volleyball Championships went 0-9 that is 0-3 each, in their respective First Round matches. All Class 1A First Round match play took place around the State on Saturday, October 30. Mt. West League Champion Triangle Lake lost on the Lakers' home court to South Wasco County in three sets, 27-25, 25-11, and 25-12. MWL second seed Mohawk traveled to Union, the State's third ranked team, and the Mustangs also lost in three, 25-10, 25-10, and 25-5.

Down at second ranked Umpqua Valley Christian, the Wolverines of Alsea, were defeated 25-14, 25-9, and 25-20. Indeed, it has been since the 2021 season, since a Mt. West team has earned a berth in the Second Round of the State Championships. Mohawk, the 2021 MWL Champion earned an automatic berth in the Second Round, but fell to top ranked North Clackamas Christian 3-0.

It's been since the 2017 season that a Mt. West League team has qualified for the Quarterfinals (Elite Eight) held at Ridgeview High School in Redmond. That team was McKenzie, coached by Head Coach Dan Brenner and Assistant Coach Mary Lipp, and the Eagles steam-rolled through the MWL regular season schedule 16-0 and finished with a 23-7 overall record. McKenzie fell to Crosshill Christian, 3-1, in the Quarterfinals and to South Wasco County, 3-0, in the Consolation Semi-finals, to finish out the season as the OSAA State 7th ranked team.

SD2-S Special District 2 South

Six-man Starts Post Season

Post season play kicks off this week with the 2024 OSAA /OnPoint Community Credit Union 1A (6) Football State Championship Round 1 contests. Six-man football is divided into three Special Districts. Special District 1 is comprised of eleven teams, all east of the Cascades. These teams are Harper Charter, South Wasco County, Joseph, Prairie City/Burnt River, Echo, Jordan Valley, Wallowa, Dayville/Monument/Long Creek, Pine Eagle, Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler, and Huntington.

The first five listed above qualified for the First Round State playoffs, except Harper Charter, which receives a Round 1 bye by virtue of winning the SD 1 Regular Season Championship and advances to the Quarterfinals held on November 15,16. Also, as one can see, these schools and communities represent some of the smallest in the State, and at times, in order to have the athletic participants to field a team, form cooperatives (ex: Prairie City/Burnt River), thus providing opportunity for their athletes to participate.

The other two Special Districts represent the Schools located on the West Side of the Cascades, for the most part. Special District 2 North is comprised of Eddyville Charter, Triangle Lake, Alsea, Falls City, C.S. Lewis Academy, and Siletz Valley. Triangle Lake and Alsea qualified for the Round 1 playoffs and SD 2 North Champion Eddyville Charter automatically advances to the Quarterfinals.

The Special District 2 South, which McKenzie is a member, advances three teams as well. Days Creek, the third place regular season team will meet SD 1 North second place South Wasco County in Round 1 play on Saturday, November 9, 1:00 pm, at SWC. SD-2 South second place North Lake earned the fourth best overall record this season in six-man football and will advance along with SD-2 South Champion Powers to the Quarterfinals.

Local Football/Volleyball/Cross Country Teams

Earn Post Season Berths

North Douglas and Mohawk will both play eight-man football in the OSAA State playoffs. The Mustangs of Mohawk will host Sherman County/Condon on Friday, November 8, 7:00 pm kickoff, and the Warriors of North Douglas earned an automatic Quarterfinal Berth with the winner of Powder Valley/Dufur, game date November 15.

Class 3A Cottage Grove earned Round 1 match up with Burns (Friday Nov. 8 at Cottage Grove), Marist Catholic toes up to Gladstone/Riverdale in Friday Class 4A Round 1 action, Churchill, Willamette, and Thurston will all represent local Class 5A teams in First Round play, and Sheldon, from the Class 6A ranks, tests its perfect 9-0 regular season record in Quarterfinal play on November 15.

The State's top-ranked Class 3A volleyball team, the Billies of Pleasant Hill, will meet Westside Christian in Quarterfinal play on Friday November 8 at Marshfield High School. Class 4A and second ranked Marist Catholic will meet Henley in Quarterfinal match play held Friday at North Bend, and Churchill meets Class 5A foe Wilsonville in the Quarterfinals at Forest Grove.

Central Linn Boys and Girls Cross Country teams both qualified for the 2024 OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union Cross Country State Championships Presented by Nike, held on Saturday, November 9, at Lane Community College. Mohawk's Corbin Dalton qualified as an individual entry. The Pleasant Hill girl’s team qualified for the 3A/2A/1A Championship race. Elmira's Jude Carman qualified for the Boys 3A race, as did Gage Roper of Pleasant Hill. Cottage Grove qualified its 4A Girls team as did Marist Catholic, its Boys team. The North Eugene and Springfield Girls teams qualified for the 5A Championship race and the Churchill and North Eugene Boys will also participate.

In Class 6A Girls action, Sheldon will be represented by Sylvia Czarnecki and Jazlene Washington as individual racers, as well Willamette's Piper Richmond. South Eugene will represent in both the 6A Girls and Boys team races and will be joined by the Sheldon Boys team.