2023 Year in Review — Sports: July to September

JULY

July 1 — Philomath High School nearly pulled off a repeat but came up just short in the final OSAA Cup standings for 2022-23. Scappoose finished first in Class 4A with 3,215 points with Philomath second at 3,152.5 and La Grande third with 3,052.5.

July 19 — A Philomath family is getting some pretty good exposure as Payton Starwalt gets ready to embark on her freshman year. Although she attended middle school in Philomath, she’ll be headed this fall to Crescent Valley High over in Corvallis.

July 26 — The Philomath High baseball team headed into its summer program in unfamiliar territory — coming off a losing record during the varsity spring season. So this summer, there was work to be done.

July 29 — Philomath High alum Cole Beardsley received glowing comments from his new head coach at Bushnell University in a post published online earlier this week.

AUGUST

Aug. 2 — PHS baseball coach Levi Webber, who is leading an effort to raise money for the installation of artificial turf on the baseball and softball fields, reports a positive response from the community.

Aug. 14 — The Philomath High School football program appears to have built some momentum as the Warriors launch into official practices. Soccer, volleyball and cross-country athletes also started practice with their teams.

Aug. 22 — Adele Beckstead and Ana Candanoza were among the key returnees for a girls cross-country program expected to compete for a state championship while the boys were rebuilding following the loss of several seniors.

Aug. 25 — The cross-country teams opened their season in Monmouth with a strong showing in a meet that included mostly 5A and 6A schools.

Aug. 26 — The girls soccer team returns the bulk of its lineup with expectations to be in contention for league title and postseason run.

Aug. 29 — PHS boys soccer coach Dave Ellis said he has a roster featuring young talent but believes the team can improve week to week and have a shot at returning to the playoffs.

Aug. 29 — The girls soccer team won its season opener over South Albany, 9-1.

Aug. 30 — Philomath volleyball coach Autumn Hilberg heads into the season with deep roster that she describes as very competitive.

Aug. 31 — In a rematch of two girls soccer teams that battled in last season’s Class 4A quarterfinals, Marist Catholic held on for a 3-2 victory over Philomath in Eugene.

Aug. 31 — The volleyball team opened the season and after falling to Class 6A Sprague, posted a victory over 5A host Corvallis in a five-set thriller.

Aug. 31 — In a performance that seemed to include just a whole lot of bad luck — an own goal and two penalties in the box contributed — the boys soccer team dropped its season opener on the home pitch 4-1 to Marist Catholic.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1 — The PHS football program sees a jump in numbers and that means more options for a Warriors team getting ready for its season opener.

Sept. 1 — The football team opened the season with a 96-yard pass on its first offensive play but inconsistency over four quarters led to a 22-13 loss to Crook County.

Sept. 2 — The Philomath High girls conquered The Ultimook Race’s unique course to take the event’s 1A-4A team title for the third straight year. The boys finished sixth in the 35-team field.

Sept. 5 — The PHS girls strike early and often in a 8-0 soccer rout over Cottage Grove.

Sept. 5 — The volleyball team swept Gladstone and the host school during an appearance at Junction City High School. 

Sept. 5 — Following Philomath High’s 3-0 boys soccer loss at Cottage Grove, bus issues stranded players and coaches in the school’s parking lot for hours until a new ride could arrive to pick them up.

Sept. 7 — The volleyball team ran into a hard-hitting Salem Academy all-stater in a four-set loss in the home opener.

Sept. 8 — The football team posted a 48-0 win over Newport behind a strong performance in all facets of the game.

Sept. 8 — Former Philomath High soccer standout Teddy Benbow recorded his first shutout as a collegiate goalkeeper with the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana.

Sept. 9 — The girls cross-country team easily ran to first place at the Stayton XC Invitational with five of the top 15 runners. In the boys’ race, Philomath had a top-five placewinner.

Sept. 13 — Organizers earlier in the month made a final decision to go on with the 38th Paul Mariman Invitational on Oct. 7 while efforts continued to create a new course.

Sept. 14 — The girls soccer team worked through early challenges to crush Estacada, 9-1.

Sept. 15 — In a football game that started a half-hour late and featured big plays by both teams, Philomath High moved to 2-1 on the season with a 41-17 victory at Cottage Grove.

Sept. 19 — Cascade takes three of four sets to down PHS in volleyball.

Sept. 21 — The volleyball team evened its record at 1-1 in the Oregon West Conference with a three-set sweep at Newport.

Sept. 21 — The girls soccer team opened Oregon West Conference play with a 5-0 victory on the road over Cascade.

Sept. 21 — Philomath High’s boys soccer team creates some success on the offensive end and notches its first victory of the season.

Sept. 22 — The football team had a strong showing in the first half with a 17-6 lead but visiting Junction City rallied to take a 20-17 win.

Sept. 23 — Five meets into the season, the Philomath High School girls cross-country team had found nothing but success with five first-place trophies, the latest occurring at the Northwest Classic in Eugene. Philomath High’s boys placed two runners in the top 10 and had a respectable third-place finish in a competition that had 17 teams.

Sept. 26 — The volleyball team improved to 2-1 in the conference after serving, passing and spiking its way past North Marion.

Sept. 26 — Philomath High’s girls soccer team passed its first test of the week with a 4-1 victory on its home pitch over a capable group from Newport.

Sept. 26 — The boys soccer team fought to the end in a physical battle at Newport with the Cubs coming out on top on the scoreboard, 3-1.

Sept. 28 — In a showdown between the top two girls soccer teams in the Oregon West Conference, North Marion came from behind to defeat Philomath, 2-1.

Sept. 28 — The volleyball team rallied to force a fifth set and came through late to win a marathon match over Sweet Home.

Sept. 28 — The boys soccer team put up a fight but ended up with a 3-1 loss at home to North Marion.

Sept. 28 — The football team edges Stayton in a comeback thriller on road.

Sept. 29 — Philomath High’s boys and girls cross-country teams both finished first place at the Willamette Golden Hour 5K in Eugene. The girls squad was made up of JV runners.

Sept. 30 — The cross-country girls placed five runners in the top 50, including two in the top 20, at the Nike Portland XC Classic.

Sept. 30 — The volleyball team defeated a Class 5A opponent but lost to three other schools at the Mt. Hood Invitational in Gresham.