Boys Lead the Way at the Elmira Relays

The Falcons boys Dominated 4 relay events and placed first or second 8 times in field events as they won the overall team competition at the Elmira Relays Saturday, April 13 at Elmira High School.

Meanwhile the Falcons girls team finished a distant second behind meet winner Philomath Despite placing first in four events.  Kennady Lainge led the girls, winning the triple jump with a mark of
32-06.5 as well as being a part of the first place 4x120 shuttle hurdles team, with Claire Head, Page Reichenberger and Lexie Geiger.  The Falcons won the relay with at time of 1:17.42.  Geiger also placed first in the High Jump with a leap of 4-10.  Sydney Green won the long jump competition with a leap of 13-10.5.

The Falcon boys were peerless hosts in the relays.  With Brady Nagel anchoring the 4x100 and the 4x200 runs and Riley Chambers Anchoring the Varsity DMR and 4x100 Shuttle Hurdle Relays, Elmira swept 4 relays events.  Desmond Wilson, Colton Zsiga, Brady Scroggins, Everett Greenwood, Derek Anderson, Brandon Foote, Tyler Henderson, Alex Head, and Josiah Lorenze filled out the winning relay teams. 

Lorenze had a spectacular and productive afternoon for the Falcons, not only a part of the winning 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay, but also placed 2nd in the pole vault with a jump of 11-6; second in the high jump and 3rd in the 110m hurdles. 

Other winners were Cobyn Herbert in the discus; Maisen Heide in the high jump; Ethan Yost in the long jump and Carlson Fix in the triple jump.

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.

TRIBULATION TUESDAY: Three Elmira Teams go into Battle with Mixed Rusults.

All aspects of emotion and success were on display Tuesday September 25 as three Elmira squads  felt the joy and agonies of three different results.

Elmira and Cottage Grove Fight to a Draw

At Swartz Field, the boys' soccer team rebounded from a horrid 10-0 drubbing at the hands of Henley to wage a scoreless draw with Cottage Grove in the Falcons' first league contest of the year.

"I was actually very pleased with the game," head coach Ryan Chambers said in an email.  "Clearly, a win would have been nice but I felt the score was indicative of the game as a whole. It was very evenly matched and both teams played pretty well."

In one of the best defensive performances of they year, Chambers kept midfielder Riley Chambers back to patrol the middle, a strategy that flummoxed any sense of rhythm that the Lions' offense was trying to muster.  When Cottage Grove was able to pressure the goal, Jaden Palmer was laying in wait, rejecting 9 shots on goal, unofficially, and registering his third shut out of the season.

Elmira Volleyball Team Returns to Winning Ways

After absorbing a first set loss to upstart Suislaw, the Lady Falcons flexed their combined talents and won the final three games as Elmira rolled past the Lady Vikings 3-1 at Elmira High School, Tuesday September 25.  

Putting the first game behind, the Lady Falcons began to methodically carry out their game plan with Sydney Green leading the team in assists.  The beneficiaries of Green's generosity were Maranda Hanson who led the team with 11 kills and Carly Grossmiller who added 8 kills.

"It was a rough first set," commented Elmira volleyball head coach Sarah Wartenbee in an email.  "They finally started palying together and completing the plays that they are capable of.  It was nice to see."

The improvement is easy to see in the record.  After suffering a dismal rut, losing 9 consecutive sets the week before last to league opponents Marist, Junction City and Cottage Grove, The Lady Falcons have rallied to go 6-5 in sets in the last week.  This is just in time as Elmira has a road tilt with 10th ranked Marshfield, who despite being in second place in the league sport a sparkling 12-3 record going into the match.  

Lady Falcons fall at Cottage Grove

Elmira's girls' soccer team was equally scrappy as they stayed within two goals of the 11th ranked Lady Lions until the 10:00 minute mark of the second half before a third goal and a penalty kick late spelled a 4-0 loss.  

Elmira's Paige Reichenberger delivers a header in front of a Cottage Grove defender in the Falcon's 4-0 loss to the Lady Lions, Tuesday September 25 at Cottage Grove High School.  Photo Kimberly Lillie

"Cottage Grove has some very talented and fast players," noted Elmira girls' soccer head coach Rob Lee in an email.  "(they) were very aggressive getting after loose balls."  

The Lady Falcons fell behind on an inexplicable deflection off a corner kick snuck past the goal line.  However, Lee saw continued progress from his young team. 

"We defended very well most of the time," Lee said.  "(Goalkeeper) Andrah Cobb made some incredible saves to help keep the score where it was."

Goalkeeper Andrah Cobb fires the ball out of the Falcons zone during their game with Cottage Grove.  Elmira fell to the Lady Lions 4-0, Tuesday September 25 at Cottage Grove High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

Boys Soccer Team Gets Ranked and Then Gets Rolled

"We didn't play our best soccer tonight," boys varsity soccer coach Ryan Chambers said to the opposing Banks coaches after the tangle with Elvira on Thursday September 6 at Swartz Field.
Employing a rough and tumble attack, Banks recovered from an early goal by Mason Oilar to holding the Falcons scoreless in the first half, out-shooting Elmira and general spending the rest of the first half in the their opponents end of the field.

The Falcons scored again on a broken play in front of the Banks goal when Brian Estrada notched a goal over the sprawled Banks goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead.  Then Elmira had to withstand the roughneck style of Banks to hold on for a 2-0.  The victory left the Falcons 8th ranked by the OSAA with an undefeated record, out scoring their opponents 13-2 in the process.

The accomplishment was short-lived.

If Chambers didn't like the play on Thursday, he definitely was unhappy on Saturday September 8 when the Henley Hornets came in and whipped Elmira by a 4-0 count that wasn't as close as the score indicated.  The previously ranked Falcons emerged Saturday morning like they hadn't had their first cup of coffee before the 11 am start.  Elmira struggled against a disciplined Hornets attack, surrendering an early goal at the 30:15 mark of the first half.  Plagued by a rash of midfield ball losses and uncharacteristic poor passing, Jaden Palmer was forced to defend a barrage of Henley shots.  Palmer may have played his finest half of soccer in his short career, collecting 11 first half saves, many of them athletic masterpieces.  Henley out shot the Falcons 13-5 in the first half.  Most frustrating for Coach Chambers was the goal given up with only 21 seconds remaining in the game, where it seemed that Elmira might have let up in the waning moments of the game.

Guillermo Farje (6) defends against a Henley mid-fielder in the Falcons' 4-0 loss on Saturday September 8 at Swartz Field.  Photo: Kimberly Lillie

Complicating the matter was the loss of two starters because they were running cross country.  Additionally, Riley Chambers suffered a high ankle sprain at the 5:47 point of the first half and was lost for the remainder of the game as well.  The prognosis is good that Chambers will return for the next start.

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.