Canby Herald's top prep sports moments of 2023-24

With summer in full swing, a bit of nostalgia has begun to set in for the 2023-24 preps season.

It was my first ever full year covering prep sports — roughly nine months of traveling to communities all across the Mid-Willamette Valley to document the stories of young athletes. I was incredibly excited, albeit a bit nervous, to begin this journey, but have felt a deep sense of fulfillment when reflecting on the year.

I hope you all enjoyed the coverage as much as I had fun doing it. We'll take this trip together once again pretty soon, but for now, I thought we could look back and reminisce on some of the best moments from the preps season. What a ride it was.

A turnaround season

How do you turn a program around?

Simple.

You bring in someone who knows how to win.

Or at least, that’s what Canby girls’ soccer did. Under second-year head coach Dallas Hill, who won the Class 5A state title with Wilsonville as co-head coach in 2021, the Cougars authored their best season since 2018.

Oh yeah, and they did it in arguably the most competitive league in the state – the Northwest Oregon Conference.

“A motto we’ve really been using is, ‘Why not us?’” Hill said. “Why can’t we win? Why can’t we be that team that does the upset? Why can’t we be that team that scores? Why can’t we be the team that goes to state?”

While the Cougars completed the program’s best season in recent years, the road to get there had been paved since the 2022 season. Goalkeeper Madi Bigej said the 2023 team is tighter knit than in the past, and that it’s been the foundation behind their success. They accept each other’s criticism in stride and blossom together.

The camaraderie led to a complete shift in the group’s mentality. The days of just showing up to games and simply “having fun” are long over.

“In that upward growth, you can just see everyone else around you grow with the program,” Madi said. “And it’s really fun to see the success that comes out of all our hard work at practice and during games. It’s just fun to see us start getting there and it’s changing our mindset to, ‘We can do this, and we can go out there and do it,’ … and we’re upsetting teams, and we’re going out there and we’re crushing it.”

McKenzie Bigej finishes second at state XC

In the girls 5A state championships race on Nov. 4, 2023, at Lane Community College, Canby’s MacKenzie Bigej finished second overall in 18 minutes, 8.50 seconds, over a minute behind Crescent Valley’s Emily Wisniewski. Crater’s Lindsay Siebert finished 16 seconds behind Bigej for third.

The state meet was only Bigej’s fourth race all season. She split time with the girls soccer team, and soon after her race concluded, Bigej traveled the 90-plus miles from Eugene to Wilsonville to assist the Cougars in their quarterfinals matchup against top-ranked Wilsonville.

“I worked it out with my coaches before the season,” Bigej said. “Our plan was I would do soccer practice five days a week and then on Saturday I’d run with the team.”

If that doesn’t quite sound like an even split, it’s because it’s not. Bigej is just that good. While her competition was focused on logging dozens of miles weekly, Bigej likely totaled more miles trotting around the pitch than she did on the pavement or trails.

“At most 13 (miles),” Bigej said regarding her weekly mileage. “At least, probably six.”

Swimming excels at state meet

Canby’s Kali Mull and Quincy Taliaferro entered rarified air on Feb. 17 at the OSAA 5A swimming state championships at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center, as the two became just the second and third individuals in program history to reign atop the state.

Their performances bolstered Canby as the team totaled 48 points to finish second behind Bend.

“Our goal was to get a person in every event, which we did, and then see how many we could get back for the second day. And then see how well we could do,” Canby head coach Eric Laitinen said. “I didn’t really have a team expectation. I was hoping to get top five actually. And then when it started unfolding, it looked like it was going to be better than that.”

Meanwhile, on the boys side, Kai Laitinen compiled the most podium appearances, finishing fourth and fifth in the 100 breaststroke and 500 free. The boys finished fifth with 19 points.

“The boys got ninth last year; the girls got fifth,” Eric Laitinen said. “And so, I was very surprised the boys managed fifth and the girls got second. It was just amazing.”

Wrestling dominates NWOC championships

As the wrestling season nears its end, all that's left is the state meet after districts wrapped up on Feb. 17 across the state.

The Northwest Oregon Conference championships at Wilsonville High School was one of those many events, as the Cougars crowned nine champions and qualified 17 wrestlers overall for the state meet. Canby's performances totaled 478 team points, winning the team title by 170 points.

45-0

Canby junior Jackson Doman capped off his remarkable undefeated wrestling campaign by winning the state title at 215 pounds on Feb. 24 at the OSAA 5A wrestling state championships at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland to headline the Cougars’ performances.

Entering as the No. 1 seed, Doman showcased his prowess immediately, pinning South Albany’s Efran Ybarra in 1 minute, 15 seconds in the first round. He pinned Bend’s Logan Hartman and Eagle Point’s Brian Cortez in the quarterfinals and semifinals to advance to the title bout.

In the final against Dallas’ Cole Langford, Doman won via a 6-2 decision. It took him just over 30 seconds to take down Langford and an escape in the second period gave Doman a 3-2 lead entering the final period. An added escape and takedown from Doman in the third period ensured the junior’s comfortable victory.

“I love the feeling of winning,” Doman said. “I went out there and put in the work… I’m glad I did and it showed in the match.”

“I just love wrestling,” Doman added. “I’m excited to continue to wrestle next year. And get ready for football season coming up.”

With the state title, Doman finished the season at a spectacular 45-0.

Cohen Hall captures 100m state title

Canby senior Cohen Hall had visualized this moment for a month.

From the sound of the gun initiating his start, to accelerating through his drive phase, every second of the 100 meters was choreographed in his mind. He imagined himself winning. He pictured what winning would feel like.

Hall’s perception became reality at the OSAA track and field state championships on May 18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, as he won the 5A 100-meter state title, clocking in at 10.78 seconds.

The emotions were evident on Hall’s face upon crossing the finish line, approaching a group of coaches and friends to celebrate the victory.

“I am absolutely ecstatic for (Hall). It’s been a long time coming for him,” Canby assistant coach Brandon Updike said. “He knows that he had it in him —finishing second in both the (100) and (200) last year, that can kind of fester with kids. He just was determined all offseason to get back to this moment and earn the coveted title that he’s wanted so bad.”

And though Hall entered the final as the clear favorite, reigning atop the rankings all year, he refused to become overwhelmed by the stakes.

“There was a little pressure,” Hall said. “But I knew I was going to win.”