Woodburn Independent'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.

North Marion girls soccer wins 4A state title

Kira Bonser breathed a sigh of relief.

The second overtime period of North Marion’s state title match against top-ranked Marist Catholic in the OSAA 4A girls soccer state championships on Nov. 11, 2023, at Liberty High School in Hillsboro had just ended.

Just 30 seconds earlier, the Huskies’ championship hopes were kept alive when Bonser blocked a wide-open shot from Marist Catholic’s and University of Oregon commit Cloe Chase. With the score tied 1-1, a penalty shootout ensued.

And Bonser’s heroics heightened.

After North Marion’s Hannah Jones and Chloe Comerford missed their shootout attempts, Bonser blocked Emma Hart’s attempt to keep the penalty shootout at 2-1. Senior Yesenia Delgado and sophomore Paige Comerford capitalized on their attempts for the Huskies and tied the shootout at 3-3.

As Marist Catholic’s Mattie Andrus lined up her shot, Bonser kept her arms outstretched, bouncing side-to-side on her toes. She dove right to block Andrus’ shot, while her teammates erupted in elation at the 45-yard line.

Once Caile Lader and Bethany Dunn connected on their attempts, all that stood between the Huskies and the state championship was Marist Catholic’s Kate Firth.

North Marion girls soccer captures first state title in program history

She was no match for Bonser. The senior goalkeeper clinched the program’s first-ever state title as the Huskies knocked off the Spartans 5-4 in penalty shootouts.

“I came into the game and I knew we were going to win,” Bonser said. "My first thought was if I’m determined to win, we will win.”

St. Paul volleyball finishes second at state tournament

In a match that included 27 ties and 16 lead changes, the No. 6-ranked St. Paul Buckaroos fell to No. 1 Crane in four sets in the Class 1A state championship finals on Nov. 4, 2023, at Ridgeview High School in Redmond.

St. Paul struggled mightily in the third set, never leading and never coming within four points the rest of the set after Crane jumped out to a 7-3 lead.

"The third set definitely wasn't our strongest," senior setter Gracie Koch said. "I think what went wrong was we weren't reading their hitters as well as we could have, which gave Crane momentum and dropped ours."

St. Paul volleyball finishes second at state tournament; football advances to quarterfinals

Junior standout Audra Rose led the Bucks with 18 kills and four blocks and was named player of the match for St. Paul. Senior Meredith Coleman chipped in 15 kills, as Rose and Coleman accounted for 33 of St. Paul's 36 kills. Koch finished with 30 assists, while libero Isla Haven recorded 13 digs.

A new beginning

The drought is over.

No. 7 Gervais held No. 10 Toledo to its second-fewest point scored all season, disrupting the Boomer offense and forcing three fumbles in the first half to pull ahead with a decisive 24-12 victory in the first round of the OSAA 2A state playoffs on Nov. 3, 2023.

It was the program's first playoff win since 1951, when they were still a part of the Class B classification and bested Creswell 21-0 in the semifinals.

With the historic triumph, Gervais advanced to the second round for a date with No. 2 Oakland. Gervais fell 32-18 to finish the season 9-2 overall.

Gervais football wins first playoff game in nearly 72 years

“I knew that it was just a matter of time before something like this happened for these guys and they deserve it,” Gervais head coach JJ Navarette said. “They buy into what we are, which is a family. I say that all the time and I think I've said it over and over, but that's the reality.”

Cole Hammack’s continued emergence

When it comes to facilitating and dishing, few are more creative and daring than Hammack. He makes traditional ‘bad passes’ — like a cross-court heave while in mid-air — look routine. As soon as the ball touches Hammack’s hands, the Huskies are threats to score — a sliver of room, a step from their defender is enough for Hammack to squeeze the ball through.

And that’s just offense. With as much production as Hammack provides offensively, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he decided to relax a bit on defense.

Except he doesn’t.

While Hammack’s offensive abilities wow and dazzle spectators, he’s more than a capable defender. You won’t beat him off the dribble with ease and he has active hands and is exceptional at telegraphing passes.

He is truly an all-around player and genuine star for North Marion and it’s clear why Hammack is considered one of the top hoopers in 4A, if not the best.

The junior doesn’t think it’s up for debate.

Cole Hammack wants to be the best, and he's proving it with North Marion boys basketball

“I just think no one can control the game like I can,” Hammack said. “Not that it’s just me on the team but leading the team how I do — I just don’t think anybody is as good as me. Nobody has as good as skills as me — shooting, driving, everything.”

Cruz Control

The quarterfinals bout between No. 4 Woodburn and No. 5 West Albany in the OSAA 5A boys basketball state tournament was in its final seconds on March 6 at Linfield University.

Woodburn trailed 52-51. West Albany was inbounding along the sideline, attempting to get the ball in play and avoid a cataclysmic collapse after leading by three points just moments prior.

They failed, as Woodburn’s Dylon Renteria stole the wild inbound pass and quickly found teammate Cruz Veliz.

With the ball in the junior’s hands and the seconds ticking away, it seemed almost inevitable that Veliz — who had been brilliant all game, posting a game-high 24 points — had one more ounce of heroics inside of him to send Woodburn to the state semifinals.

This was a moment he’d been dreaming of his whole life. It was simply another scenario he had long ago envisioned when playing on the hoop attached to his door. For years in his driveway, Veliz had hit NBA game-winners, silencing imaginary crowds and hearing the roar of fans echo in his ears.

Cruz control: Junior point guard Cruz Veliz leading Woodburn boys basketball into state semifinals

Just a boy and his basketball. Nothing else mattered.

Sariah Zepeda repeats

When Sariah Zepeda pinned Estacada's Kirsten DeLazerda in 3 minutes, 24 seconds, in the state championship final at 135 pounds on the second day of the OSAA wrestling state championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Feb. 23, the Gervais senior exuded little emotion.

The moment felt like a little bit of been-there-done-that as Zepeda reigned atop the state for the second consecutive year at 4A/3A/2A/1A. She hugged her coaches once stepping off the mat and quickly exited from the main floor of the arena.

Around half an hour later during the podium presentations, however, with her coaches and family looking on, it seemed as though Zepeda's feat had started to register. Once her peers stepped off the podium, Zepeda and her coaches, along with her two little sisters, gathered around the podium for a photo. All smiles.

“I’m kind of like a late-reaction person,” Zepeda said. “It didn’t really hit me until after.”

Gervais' Sariah Zepeda wins second consecutive state wrestling title

Zepeda went unbeaten throughout the two days of competition en route to her second state title. She outlasted La Grande's Paige Allen in the semifinals via a 6-5 decision before her title bout. According to information provided by TrackWrestling, Zepeda caps her high school career at 29-0 at 135 with 20 of those victories via pin.

Bulldogs finish third at state basketball tournament

The Bulldogs were able to stay in the McMinnville area during the four-day tournament. According to Brody Hawley, there was a lot of FIFA and Madden played, as well as perhaps throwing some individuals into the pool at the house they stayed at. It was reminiscent of the days in the summer where the team spent hours at the Veliz's house, roasting marshmallows, playing football and throwing the baseball around.

"This group together has been one of our closest in terms of being together, not just on the court but off the court and truly liking each other as people and are truly friends. All summer it was like that," Woodburn head coach Raul Veliz Jr. said. "This wasn't any different. It just wasn't my house so I could actually relax a little bit more."

It's no surprise that the level of camaraderie amongst the Bulldogs enabled them to achieve the best record (23-5) and best state tournament finish in Raul Veliz Jr.'s tenure.

"We've been blessed with great players. I will say that time and time again," Raul Veliz Jr. said. "We've also been fortunate to have teams that are made up of team-first guys that really truly care about the team above themselves."

Woodburn boys basketball finishes third at 5A state tournament

Cruz Veliz, however, is willing to give his dad all the flowers.

"He puts in countless hours of watching film and studying and getting new plays and being the best leader every single day. Always having a positive attitude," Cruz said. "It means a lot to do it for him and we all wanted to do it for him."

Kennedy baseball makes history

After Kennedy baseball lost 12 seniors from last season's famed 31-0 championship campaign, this year's batch of Trojans continued that excellence and inked themselves as part of Oregon high school baseball history.

The Trojans began their season unbeaten and continued their winning streak that dated back to the 2022 season. Seven games into the 2024 campaign, the Trojans had last loss on May 11, 2022. The 45 consecutive victories between three seasons and two state titles is an all-time state record.

Kennedy surpassed Knappa's previous record of 42 wins on March 27, blanking Riverside 25-7.

“(Last year's team) had some college level baseball players and a lot of depth on the team,” Kennedy head coach Kevin Moffatt said. “A little surprised these guys have been able to keep it rolling – not because they can’t do it, but because they’re all kind of new to the varsity team except for Brody Kleinschmit.”

Reloaded Kennedy baseball led by senior Brody Kleinschmit

“It’s exciting to span it over three teams and with a whole new group of guys this year," Moffatt added. "It’s a pretty cool deal not just for these guys on this team but the guys that played on the previous two as well.”

Pohlschneider wins 400m state title

St. Paul senior Ralph Pohlschneider rattled off a personal best of 50.03 seconds at the OSAA track and field championships on May 17 at Hayward Field in Eugene to win the 1A 400 meters state title.

“I knew coming in that I had to work hard for it, and that I had good competition and guys that wanted to catch up to me,” Pohlschneider said. “I tried to go fast out the start and I just kept with that.”

Pohlschneider entered the discipline as the overwhelming favorite, holding the top time in 1A for a majority of the season. He was aware of his status and its implications.

“It did add some pressure," Pohlschneider said. "I'm always talking to my friends and family and they're like, ‘You can talk all of this but you got to beat everybody you got to perform well.’”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Pohlschneider's feat is the conditions in which he did it. While the senior clearly exudes talent, it's likely his plate was fuller than most of his peers, as he splits time with St. Paul baseball.

St. Paul's Ralph Pohlschneider clinches 1A 400 meter state title

“It's tough when we have games on Tuesdays and Fridays, and so it's hard to balance those things out and wanting to do the best in both,” Pohlschneider said. “It's a little bit more work than a normal person would (have) but I'm up for that challenge.”

Cutsforth wins 1500m state title

Back in April, North Marion freshman Callie Cutsforth expressed her desire to finish on the podium for the 1500 and 800 meters at the OSAA track and field state championships.

Well, she certainly exceeded her expectations.

The freshman phenom displayed a masterclass of racing in the 1500 on May 18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, as she knocked off the defending state champion La Grande’s Brooke Perry and the Oregon West Conference champion Adele Beckstead from Philomath to clinch the 4A state title, clocking in at a personal best of 4 minutes, 49.67 seconds, re-breaking her school record.

Callie Cutsforth wins 4A 1500 meter state title

“I’m so excited,” Cutsforth said. “I went in and I was really nervous. I didn’t think I could do it.”