Mixed results on 2019 Boys Hoops Campaign

"I know our boys are disappointed that we didn’t make one of the playoff spots," said Falcon's head basketball coach Nick Garman in and email.  "But I’m not disappointed in them at all."  Garman's enthusiasm on a 9-13 (3-7 in the 4A Sky-Em conference) was based on the Falcons previous year.  

"We were 0-10 in league the year before and we really only returned three kids off that team," Garman explained.  "So we started over in a way and finished 9-13 overall, a pretty dramatic improvement."

Starting Falcons' center, 6-7 Jacob Marr towers above Junction City opponents for a rebound in Elmira's game against the Tigers Tuesday, February 5 at Elmira High School.  Photo by Michelle Ossowski.

The 2019-20 version of the Falcons will move on without starting point guard Paul Ossowski, and loose some length with the graduations of Keegan Cook and Jaden Palmer.  Also moving on will be sixth man  Riley Chambers.

There is evidence that the progress made this season will not be a one season aberration.  Starters Christian Davis and Jacob Marr return this year.  Davis showed flashes of devastating offense but also had periods where his shot abandoned him.  Defensively he is long and aggressive.  Marr will be a junior and with a year of being a starter in the rugged Sky-Em conference, he will be ready to up his game which at times seemed unstoppable.  However, the 6-7 sophomore needed work defensively and sometimes struggled against offensively versatile centers.

Junior wing Christian Davis scores against two defenders in the Falcons' victory over the Vikings, Tuesday February 12.
Photo by Michelle Ossowski

Others playing a key role next year will be Gannon Harpole, 6-5 Cobyn Herbert, Mason Smart and Keaton Warner, as well as JV players Jacob Admire and Josiah Hernandez.

6-5 sophomore Cobyn Herbert battles two Siuslaw defenders for a rebound in the Falcons' 23 point blow out Tuesday February 12. Photo by Michelle Ossowski

The real revelation of the season was the ascension of Bryson Forsman during the last third of the season.  Not big or long, Forsman nonetheless became a vital scoring weapon for the Falcons down the stretch including a 25 point outburst in a victory against Junction City.  It will be interesting to see how coach Garman utilizes him next year.  Forsman's real contribution was an almost frenetic and fearless energy.  Smaller than most front liners, Forsman would courageously take forays into the paint, attacking the opponent's rim.  He also has a competent outside game to complement his aggression and, despite his size, he is a frustrating defender. 

Bryson Forsman shoots a three pointer off a screen by Riley Chambers in Elmira's big win over Siuslaw, Tuesday, February 12 at Elmira High School.  

"It probably seemed like Bryson did come out of nowhere," Garman commented.  "But that was mainly due to a lingering illness that kept him out of most of the first two weeks of the season. He then had to play catch-up in a couple of ways. One, he had to get in basketball shape and was two weeks behind in some ways and two, he had to learn our system and style of play as a transfer kid. He is an excellent penetrator, a decent three-point shooter and an above average pull-up jump shooter. He improved a lot defensively and is an excellent rebounder, especially for his size. He is a pretty tenacious kid. 

All this portends an even more successful season for Elmira Hoops in 2020.

Falcon Boys Make a Statement Against Siuslaw

At 5-13, no one is going to mistake the Siuslaw Vikings with the Golden State Warriors.  However, it was important for the Elmira Falcons basketball team to show that their resurrection from an 0-5 start wasn't a fluke and that with the second half of the conference schedule on tap, they still could find themselves in the upper tier of the 4A Sky-Em Conference.  The Falcons took a step in that direction by eventually dismantling hapless Siuslaw 70-44 at Elmira High School, Tuesday, January 22.

Elmira guard Bryson Forsman goes up to dunk on a breakway as the Falcons overwhelmed Siuslaw 70-44, Tuesday, January 22 at Elmira High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

On first glance of the statistics, Elmira's poor shooting under 40% would be a cause for concern.  However, the new strategy was clear: bombs away.  The Falcons chucked up a season high 66 shots, converting 26 of them.  Three players scored in double figures for the Falcons.  Jacob Marr who only scored 5 points in the first half, rebounded to finish with 16.

Christian Davis fires up a 12 foot jumper... one of his 14 shots on the night... in Elmira's 70-44 victory over Siuslaw, Tuesday, January 22 at Elmira High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

Keagan Cook and Christian Davis were the primary bombardiers though, firing up 27 shots between them and scoring 14 and 11 respectively.  Paul Ossowski chipped in 7 points and got to the line twice. 

6-6 Jacob Marr posts up for two of his 16 points in the Falcons 70-44 victory over Siuslaw, Tuesday January 22 at Elmira High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

The victory left the Falcons 7-9 (1-3 in conference play) going into a Friday night tilt on the road against 4th ranked Marshfield.  It is the first of three games on the road, including a non conference tilt with Crow, before starting the second half of the conference schedule.  A victory over the Pirates in Coos Bay would be a staggering, but not unrealistic, expectation for Head Coach Nick Garman's team.  Considering their start, and the quality of their improvement since the beginning of the year, the story is still yet to be written. 

Cook Moves on to Girls 4A State Championship Cross Country Meet

Kaitlin Cook, who ran to a scintillating 5th place finish at the 4A-4 Sky Em Conference Meet last week has qualified to run in the 4A State Championship this Saturday at Lane Community College.
Cook, who ran a time of 18:59:00, will race for the Championship at 11:35 AM, November 3 for all who would like to cheer Kaitlin on.

Andrea Griffin finished 7th at the Conference Meet with a time of 19:23:24.

Paul Ossowski continued his strong season with a 7th place finish at the Conference Meet also at Lane Community College last week, with a time of 16:39:90.  Right behind him placing 10th was Elmira runner Keegan Cook with a time of 16:51:00.  Ossowski and Cook failed to qualify for the state Championship which takes the top 5 times in the state.

Elmira Boys Soccer Vaults to #8 in OSAA Rankings

Fresh off a second straight shut out win, the OSAA has taken notice of the Elmira boys soccer team 3-0 record, as well as their gaudy defensive accomplishments so far this season, rewarding them with a #8 ranking in 4A.  In three matches, the Falcons have outscored their opponents a combined 11-1.

"I really do not put a lot of stock in early season rankings or predictions," said Head Coach Ryan Chambers in an email.  "My goals week to week and game to game are really to just see improvement with ball movement, communication, passing accuracy, and defensive structure.  So far, we are improving with those elements every game."

Riley Chambers moves the ball upfield in the Falcons' 4-1 home victory over North Bend.  Photo: Kimberly Lillie

Riley Chambers is leading a strong offensive charge early this season with 4 goals and 5 assists.  Keegan Cook, Ethan Yost, and senior Mason Oilar have all contributed to the scoring.  On the defensive side, coach Chambers sees potential as well.

"Paul Ossowski, Willito Farje, Jacob Admire and new goalie Captain Jaden Palmer are playing well together right now and I expect things to just keep getting stronger on the back line."

Changes in alignment means that the Falcons will have plenty of stern competition on their schedule as former 5A school Marist Catholic and Marshfield both move into the 4A Sky Em for soccer.

"There is potential for every team in our league to be pretty good," noted Chambers.  "Every league game this year will be a battle for sure.  I have confidence in our players to compete with every team in our league."

Falcon's Goalkeeper Jaden Palmer deflects a North Bend shot on goal during Elmira's 4-1 victory on August 28.
 Photo:  Kimberly Lillie

The Falcon's look to go 4-0 Thursday September 6 as they host Banks with a 4:15 start time.