A correction was made at 6:42 p.m. Nov. 13 relating to references on the number of girls cross-country state titles won with Joe Fulton as head coach and the current streak of track and field championships.
Philomath High School saw four of its players recognized on the all-Oregon West Conference volleyball team with one on the first team, two on the second team and one on the honorable mention list.
Warriors sophomore hitter Nora Stanley was named to the first team. Senior setter Ashleigh Brown and junior hitter Shaylee May were on the second team. Junior middle blocker Taylor Hudson earned honorable mention recognition.
Despite Philomath’s conference championship, the Warriors had just one player on the first team and did not win any of the individual honors. On the first team, runner-up Cascade had two players plus the player of the year and third-place Stayton had three. Philomath swept the Cascade matches during the regular season and split with the Eagles.
The individual honors went to Cascade senior Kamryn Sande for player of the year, Newport junior Madi Smallwood for libero of the year and Stayton coach Ruth Daniels for coach of the year. The Eagles improved from 9-11 and a first-round playoff loss in 2023 to a 16-11 record and fifth-place trophy in this year’s playoffs.
The all-conference teams were selected prior to the state playoffs. In addition to Stayton, Cascade also advanced past the first round and finished sixth at the state tournament. The Warriors lost in the first round to Crook County, a team that beat Stayton in straight sets in the match for third/fifth.
Others on the first team were Stayton sophomore Kathryn Samek, senior Kenzi Hollenbeck and senior Laina Atiyeh, and Cascade junior Irene Rocha-Ibarra and junior Emma Kirschenmann. In all, Cascade had six players recognized, followed by Stayton with five, Philomath and Newport with four, Sweet Home with three and North Marion with two.
Wrap-up on cross-country
Philomath High’s state champion cross-country team celebrated its most-recent first-place trophy with a “Big Blue” assembly on Tuesday. Members of the team also marked the occasion by painting the spirit rock in front of the high school.
As reported in coverage from last weekend, Philomath won its second straight Class 4A title and 10th state championship in the school’s history. For Fulton, it was the fourth state title team in girls cross-country, the first two back in 2001 and 2003. Paul Mariman coached PHS state championship teams to a pair of threepeats from 1984-86 and 1988-90.
Philomath’s boys and girls teams have now earned eight state meet trophies over the past six years — an impressive statistic that shows the overall strength of the program. That trophy run includes three firsts, four seconds and a third.
Many of the same athletes will likely be wearing Warrior colors this spring in track and field. Philomath’s girls will be attempting to win their fourth straight championship in that sport.
Individually out of last weekend’s meet, six athletes earned all-state status. Junior Leo Pausch had a first-team performance with his fifth-place medal. Freshman Cassidy Smart (10th) and junior Lukas Hernandez (13th) were second-teamers. Senior Adele Beckstead (16th) made the third team and honorable mention went to senior Melea Lattin (22nd) and junior Lucy King (23rd).
Kramer scores 13 vs. OSU
As mentioned in this column a few weeks ago, former Philomath High standout Sage Kramer played with her Westmont team in an exhibition game at Oregon State University. Playing just down the road from where she played in high school, I’m sure it was a fun experience for Kramer with family and friends watching at Gill Coliseum.
Kramer returns to the Warriors after averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game last season — that scoring average being the sixth-best in the PacWest Conference — and she also led the team in steals.
Oregon State won the exhibition game, 59-51. Kramer scored a team-high 13 points for Westmont.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
