2023 Year in Review — Sports: October to December

OCTOBER

Oct. 3 — The girls soccer team won for the fourth time this season on the eight-goal mercy rule with an 8-0 victory on the road over Sweet Home.

Oct. 3 — Philomath High’s boys soccer team evened its league record at 2-2 with an 8-2 victory over Sweet Home in a match that featured a fair number of unique goals.

Oct. 3 — The volleyball team worked through a slow start to take down Stayton on the road in four sets.

Oct. 5 — The girls soccer team wins for the fifth time on the mercy rule with an 8-0 final over Stayton.

Oct. 5 — The boys soccer team played Stayton scoreless into the second half on the road but the Eagles were able to pull away for a 4-0 victory.

Oct. 5 — Oregon West Conference leader Cascade held off visiting Philomath in a high school volleyball match.

Oct. 6 — On a homecoming evening that also honored former Warriors standout Cody Patterson, Philomath’s football team couldn’t keep pace with a power-focused Cascade squad, 49-29.

Oct. 7 — Leo Pausch placed seventh and Lukas Hernandez was ninth to help Philomath’s boys cross-country team to a third-place finish in the Paul Mariman Invitational.

Oct. 7 — Philomath High’s girls cross-country team continued to beat all-comers and that was certainly true on a hot afternoon at the 38th annual Paul Mariman Invitational. The Warriors placed all seven of its runners in the top 15 and Adele Beckstead and Ana Candanoza finished 1-2 in a dominating home performance.

Oct. 10 — In danger of losing the opening set against Newport, the volleyball team found a way to battle back and set the tone for the evening in what would end up as a three-set victory.

Oct. 10 — Philomath’s boys soccer team evened its record at 3-3 in the Oregon West Conference with a 4-0 road victory over Cascade.

Oct. 10 — The girls soccer team worked through challenging weather conditions to put away visiting Cascade, 5-0, to keep pace with first-place North Marion in the Oregon West Conference.

Oct. 12 — The Warrior boys soccer team plays first-place Newport to scoreless tie in the first half but the Cubs find momentum early in the second to come away with the win.

Oct. 12 — Philomath and North Marion both posted girls soccer victories to set up a match the following week that would likely determine the Oregon West Conference’s regular-season champion.

Oct. 12 — The volleyball team came at North Marion from all angles with players up and down the roster seeing time on the court in a three-set road victory.

Oct. 13 — Senior Kaden Muir had a pick-6 early in the game but Marist Catholic dominated the rest of the evening in a 43-6 football win over the Warriors in Eugene.

Oct. 14 — Adele Beckstead and Ana Candanoza finished 1-2 and Philomath placed five runners among the top 10 to post a girls cross-country team victory at the CG Bramble Scramble in Cottage Grove. Philomath edged the host school for second place in the boys’ race with two Warriors finishing in the top 10.

Oct. 14 — The Philomath High School volleyball team won two of three matches in bracket play at the Bend Clearwater Classic.

Oct. 17 — Philomath scored 45 seconds into the game, senior Kamilla Grimmer had a four-goal performance and the team’s defense stifled a North Marion squad capable of lighting up the scoreboard in a key 6-2 girls soccer win.

Oct. 17 — Philomath’s volleyball team secured a key road victory in the Oregon West with a four-set victory over Sweet Home that included a strong performance at the net.

Oct. 17 — North Marion holds off Philomath, 3-1, in boys soccer.

Oct. 19 — The boys and girls cross-country teams both finished atop the final standings at the fourth annual Harrisburg Gatorade Challenge.

Oct. 19 — The boys soccer team notched its fourth win of the season with a 5-1 victory at Sweet Home.

Oct. 19 — Playing on Senior Night, the Warriors posted a volleyball win in four sets over Stayton.

Oct. 19 — Seniors led the way in an 8-0 PHS girls soccer win over Sweet Home.

Oct. 20 — Sophomore CD Nuno scored two touchdowns in the first half and senior Kaden Muir had two touchdowns in the second half to lead the football team to a 30-8 victory at Klamath Union.

Oct. 24 — The girls soccer team ended the regular season with an 8-0 mercy-rule victory at Stayton and would next prepare for the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

Oct. 24 — Facing the Oregon West Conference champion and one of the teams expected to make a run for the Class 4A state title, the boys soccer team nearly pulled off a shocker in what ended up as a 1-0 loss to No. 3 Stayton.

Oct. 25 — The Oregon West’s all-conference volleyball team featured the rare instance of two sisters making the first team — Clara and Nora Stanley. Ahnika Tryon, Madison Provance and Ashleigh Brown also earned recognition.

Oct. 27 — The football team finished its regular season strong at Clemens Field with a 33-14 victory over Sweet Home to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

Oct. 28 — The volleyball team’s season ended in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs with a three-set loss at Crook County.

Oct. 28 — Running on the home course in the Oregon West Conference Championships, Ana Candanoza and Adele Beckstead finished 1-2 and three of their teammates placed in the top 10 to help the Warriors to a dominating girls cross-country victory and automatic qualification into the 4A meet.

Oct. 28 — The Warriors boys cross-country team will head to state for the 39th time in the last 40 years with a runner-up finish in the Oregon West Conference Championships.

Oct. 29 — The Philomath Middle School girls cross-country team took first place at the Stumptown Youth XC Championships in Monmouth.

Oct. 31 — The girls soccer team moved on to 4A soccer quarterfinals with a 3-1 first-round victory over Molalla in the state playoffs.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 4 — The Philomath boys cross-country team capped a memorable season with fifth at the 4A championships.

Nov. 4 — Adele Beckstead, Ana Candanoza, Melea Lattin, Lucy King and Hanna McDaniel place high enough to outduel a strong La Grande crew for the school’s ninth state title in girls cross-country.

Nov. 4 — Philomath High’s girls soccer team had a rough ending to its season in Grants Pass with a 1-0 loss to Hidden Valley in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Nov. 8 — In girls soccer, the Warriors earned top Oregon West honors of Co-Player of the Year in senior Kamilla Grimmer and Coach of the Year in Mat Phelps. Grimmer, Bailey Bell, Melea Lattin and Heidi Bacho made the first team, Natalie Dunn and Aspen Russell made the second team and Sophia Bauer, Ana Candanoza and Kateri Pindell were honorable mention.

Nov. 8 — Ten players at 19 positions earned a spot on the all-Oregon West football squad. Those recognized included CD Nuno, Brady Russell, Kaden Muir, Lake Mulberry, Mason Stearns, Rocco De La Rosa, Warwick Bushnell, Hudson Raab, Caleb Russell and Shane Muir.

Nov. 10 — The venue may have been bigger and the game played much faster but Sage Kramer’s appearance with the Westmont College women’s basketball team last weekend during a two-game appearance at Western Oregon University definitely had a Philomath feel.

Nov. 15 — Philomath High’s Silas Pittman earned a spot on the all-Oregon West Conference first team in boys soccer. Also receiving recognition were Favian Aceves and Jacob Hernandez.

Nov. 22 — With more than 1,300 games courtside with the Philomath Middle School basketball program, longtime coach Jim Hall continues his enjoyment of teaching the sport to youngsters.

Nov. 29 — Two starters and a top player off the bench return for Philomath High along with several varsity-experienced seniors as boys basketball season gets ready to open this weekend.

Nov. 30 — Heading into the season, Philomath High’s girls basketball roster features an interesting mix of experienced players furthering their game and a collection of newcomers that are showing potential as immediate contributors.

DECEMBER

Dec. 1 — As the season gets ready to start, underclassmen dominate the Philomath High wrestling roster but many of those grapplers have significant experience on the mat.

Dec. 2 — The girls basketball team rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to win its season opener on the road over Junction City, 43-37.

Dec. 2 — The boys basketball team got off to a quick start in the first quarter but the momentum shifted to Junction City in the second quarter and then the home team pulled away to start the third quarter en route to a 60-49 victory in the season opener for both schools.

Dec. 2 — The boys wrestling team opened its season with a fifth-place finish in the Perry Burlison Invitational’s 24-team field at Cascade High School. In the girls tourney, senior Ellie Morton won two of her four matches.

Dec. 3 — Ane Martinsen of Norway, who was introduced to distance running for the first time as a foreign-exchange student eight years ago at Philomath High, finished a marathon in Spain in under three hours.

Dec. 5 — Philomath High School’s second-year swim coach, Iliana Kaiser, believes there could be strength in numbers when it comes to the Warriors seeing progress in the pool this season.

Dec. 5 — In a low-scoring matchup between two girls basketball teams that reached their respective state tournaments last season, 5A South Albany pulled away from 4A Philomath, 47-27.

Dec. 5 — The boys basketball team came up big on defense in the third quarter to provide just enough of a spark on offense in a 54-46 win over South Albany.

Dec. 6 — The boys and girls swim teams opened their seasonwith a home tri-meet against Taft and Crosshill Christian. The Warriors easily won the girls’ portion of the meet and the boys were edged out by Taft.

Dec. 8 — After an 11-point loss in the season opener and a single-digit win in the followup, the boys basketball team could breathe a little easier in a 78-28 victory over Pendleton.

Dec. 8 — The Philomath girls basketball team hit on all cylinders in a 51-22 rout over Pendleton.

Dec. 8 — Philomath’s wrestlers put together a solid performance in the Warrior Classic with the boys easily taking first place. Eight Warriors won first-place medals — seven boys and one girl — and several others put in exceptional showings.

Dec. 9 — The boys basketball team went into the halftime locker room with a 10-point lead against North Eugene but the Class 5A Highlanders rallied in the second half to steal a 48-45 victory.

Dec. 10 — The Retrievers, a girls soccer squad made up mostly of Philomath third and fourth graders, barked their way through an unbeaten league season and tournament titles to advance all the way to an AYSO sectional tournament in San Francisco.

Dec. 12 — Cameron McLennan for boys and Kyah Weeber for girls were among the PHS swimmers seeing encouraging results in the first two weeks of the season.

Dec. 13 — Former PHS standout athlete Ty May was invited to join the Oregon State football team in January after going through a team audition.

Dec. 14 — The boys basketball team opened the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament at Marshfield High in Coos Bay with a 69-62 victory over Hidden Valley.

Dec. 14 — The girls basketball team took care of business against Crook County in the first round of Marshfield’s South Coast Les Schwab Tournament with a 40-24 victory.

Dec. 15 — The girls basketball team came through in the final seconds to pull out a 44-39 victory over the host school at Marshfield in the semifinals of the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament.

Dec. 15 — The boys basketball team advanced to the championship game of the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament with a 51-38 victory over host and previously unbeaten Marshfield.

Dec. 16 — The girls basketball team withstood a fourth-quarter comeback by Bandon to win Marshfield’s South Coast Les Schwab Tournament, 44-39.

Dec. 16 — The boys basketball team controlled the championship game of the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament against Crook County from the opening tip-off in Coos Bay in what ended up as a 60-36 rout.

Dec. 16 — Philomath sophomore wrestlers Riley Barrett and Porter Compton won first-place medals to help the Warriors to a sixth-place team finish in the Grants Pass Varsity Winter Kickoff.

Dec. 16 — The swim teams competed in their first full invitational of the season with a trip to the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Salem for a six-school meet hosted by Blanchet Catholic.

Dec. 19 — Philomath High’s Lucas Brandt added two more individual wins to his freshman season, Cameron McLennan, Kyah Weeber and Jessica McLennan also had victories and two relays beat the competition in a home swim meet at Clemens Community Pool.

Dec. 21 — Eight Warriors finished unbeaten at a wrestling tournament at Siuslaw.

Dec. 22 — Five meets into his freshman swim season, Philomath High’s Lucas Brandt has never lost a race. Making the feat even more impressive is the fact that he’s competed in all nine individual events that can be entered in a standard meet.

Dec. 27 — Back-to-back 3-pointers and a 16-2 run to open the third quarter boosted the Sutherlin girls basketball team to a 38-33 victory over Philomath.

Dec. 27 — The boys basketball team opened its home tournament with a 42-point victory over an outmanned Sutherlin squad.

Dec. 28 — Pulling away behind a strong defensive effort, the Philomath High girls posted a 17-point victory over Scappoose on the second day of the team’s home basketball tournament.

Dec. 28 — Senior Preston Kramer scored 25 points and Philomath got a strong performance from its bench in a 54-34 boys basketball win over Scappoose.

Dec. 28 — Freshman Lucas Brandt remained unbeaten in his individual events and sophomore Cameron McLennan had a victory as well in Philomath High’s appearance at a competitive six-school Stayton Christmas Invitational.

Dec. 29 — Philomath High senior wrestler Ellie Morton won her weight division and two teammates placed fourth at the Junction City Girls Invitational.

Dec. 29 — The girls basketball team finished its home tournament on a high note with a 46-32 victory over Marist Catholic.

Dec. 29 — Marist Catholic’s boys came through in the fourth quarter to hold off Philomath, 49-46.