Philomath High’s biennial appearance in the Clarke Cochran Christmas Classic arrives this weekend as the Warriors go up against some top talent in Alaska.
The Warriors have a long history at the tournament in Ketchikan, a city of around 8,000 people that’s best known for salmon fishing, totem poles and as a stop for cruise ships. Philomath’s boys first appeared in the tournament back in 2000 when Dave Garvin was the head coach. (In the championship game, Matt Simonson scored 15 while Logan Garvin and Brad Baldwin each added 14 in a 63-48 win over Middleton, Idaho).
So what about this trip?
Starting with the boys, they have seen their share of struggles so far as head coach Blake Ecker tries to rebuild a team that was hit hard by graduation after last season. Ecker has hinted at signs of the kids turning things around — unforced turnovers along with poor shooting both from the field and foul line have been the main culprits so far. At the same time, it should be noted that the Warriors have been playing some very, very good teams.
The boys open at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Houston, a town of less than 2,000 located north of Anchorage and 1,100 miles away from Ketchikan (however, the Hawks will be arriving via plane). The thing about these Alaska teams is they just opened their seasons on Dec. 19. Houston has played just one game — a 60-55 win over Eagle River.
Philomath could be facing the home school, which goes by the name “Kayhi,” in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. And believe me, the gym will be rocking if that’s the case. Folks up there in Ketchikan come out to support this tournament.
The rest of the boys’ field includes Haines, Metlakatla, Nome, Fairbanks Lathrop and Everett, Washington.
In the girls’ bracket, Philomath should be considered among the top teams. After all, the Warriors are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A here in Oregon. But again, the Alaska teams are just starting their seasons so there’s an element of the unknown in play.
The Warriors will open against Haines at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Called the Angry Lady Bears, the team went to state last season in Alaska’s 2A and it appears they haven’t played yet this winter. So the game against Philomath might just be their season opener.
Philomath will play either Fairbanks Lathrop or Metlakatla in the semifinals (or in a consolation game if the Warriors lose) on Saturday. Other teams competing include Nome, Eagle River, Ketchikan and Crook County (yes, the Oregon school from Prineville that is off to a 3-5 start this season).
Philomath coaches and athletes leave town Thursday for a drive to Seattle and will then catch an afternoon flight to Ketchikan via Alaska Airlines. After landing at 4:40 p.m. local time, the teams will take a ferry ride from the airport to the docks where they will be picked up for a ride to their accommodations at The Cedars Lodge.
Kramer averaging 15.3 points per game
Former Philomath High hoops star Sage Kramer is averaging 15.3 points per game through the first 10 games of her junior season with Westmont, the NCAA Division II team that she plays for down in Santa Barbara, California.
Kramer, who played with Westmont in an exhibition game last month at Oregon State, has a career scoring average of 11.2 (she averaged 8.0 as a freshman and 13.0 as a sophomore). Her top game this season as far as points scored came on Dec. 5 in the team’s 56-40 win over Fresno Pacific. In that one, she scored a career-high 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 10-of-13 on free throws.
Overall, the Warriors (yes, she still plays for the Warriors) are sitting at 5-5 after going 12-16 last season. During Kramer’s freshman year, Westmont went 25-4 and played in the NAIA tournament.
Kramer is an economics and business major who graduated with Philomath High’s Class of 2022. On the court, she proved to be a generational-type player for the Warriors, earning Class 4A Player of the Year honors, getting her name in the record books and helping PHS to the state title (should’ve been two state titles if not for COVID). She even won a couple of state titles in track and field (javelin and shot put).
Saathoff’s accomplishments at Linfield
It’s a little premature to be talking softball but I wanted to give a shout-out to Kaili Saathoff, who has developed into an exceptional collegiate athlete with what she’s been doing up at Linfield. Saathoff, who was a standout for the Warriors in all sports that she played, graduated with Philomath High’s Class of 2021. She saw action right away as a freshman with the Wildcats and hit .310 in her first season. As a sophomore in 2023, she really broke out with a team-best .445 batting average, first-team all-conference and second-team All-American.
This past spring, she had a .479 batting average on a team that finished third nationally in NCAA Division III. Saathoff, who plays first base, again was named first-team all-conference and second-team All-American.
Saathoff’s talents in the classroom are just as impressive. Back at Philomath, she was one of 13 co-valedictorians in 2021 and she’s continued to excel academically at Linfield. She maintains a 4.0 grade point average as a double major in math and physics.
So keep an eye out for her this coming season. Linfield opens the 2025 campaign Feb. 28-March 2 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia with games against Trine (Indiana), St. Benedict (Minnesota), Case Western Reserve (Ohio), Tufts (Massachusetts), Denison (Ohio) and St. John Fisher (New York).
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
