Sports – Page 65 – The Western Howl

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By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Tim Tebow is a hero. After 11 years without playing baseball, he signed a contract with the New York Mets and went to their minor leagues. He hit a homerun off the first pitch of his first at bat. When a fan had a seizure he prayed over the man until paramedics arrived.

Tim Tebow is a joke. The Mets joined the publicity circus and gave him a contract despite the fact that he hadn’t played in 11 years. After joining the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, it took 15 at bats before he finally got a hit.

Tebow has been a divisive player since his college football days, and his recent foray into minor league baseball is no exception.

Baseball should be a better fit for a southpaw like Tebow. There are no left-handed quarterbacks in the NFL today. Being left-handed in football has no particular advantage, but in baseball the difference is significant. A lefty hitter gets a clean view of a righty’s pitch and a clean run at first base. When Pro Baseball Insider crunched the numbers, they found left handed hitters pull a batting average of .270, seven above the average for right handed hitters of .263.

Despite these advantages, Tebow’s not having a great time in Scottsdale. He’s hitting 2-for-20 on the season.

The man is no Bo Jackson. He might adjust and make good for the Mets. But seeing as he started this new career only in September, it’s too soon to tell. He needs to adjust fast though, before the Mets start seeing his spot in the organization the way the Patriots and Eagles came to see his spot on their practice squads: expendable.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Cross country championships

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The GNAC cross country championships were held in Bellingham, Washington on Oct. 22. The Western Oregon men’s team finished with enough points to place fourth and the women’s team placed ninth. The 8k men’s course saw David Ribich finish fifth place while Kennedy Rufener was the first Wolf to complete the 6k women’s course, coming in 17th place.

Depth helped the Wolves teams score their finishing positions, as Ribich was later followed across the finish line by tenth-place Dustin Nading. Justin Crosswhite came in 25th, while Tyler Jones and Josh Dempsey came in 34th and 36th, respectively.

The points scorers for the women’s team included 20th place Grace Knapp, 36th place Suzanne Van De Grift, and Virginia Link and Amanda Dirzhazy finished within a second of one another to rank 72nd and 74th.

Ribich crossed the line with a time of 25:23. Rufener completed her race with a time of 22:41. This is the third meet of the season that Rufener finished pole position among Western runners, and her third in a row. It is the fourth such meet for Ribich, who also won the John Frank and Ash Creek Invitationals.

The Wolves will go to Montana State Billings on Nov. 5 to compete for the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Know your enemy: Humboldt State

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

When the Wolves host the Lumberjacks on Saturday it will be the 44th installment of the historic rivalry. arne-ferguson-current-head-coach

The teams first met in the days of leather helmets. In 1929, the Oregon Normal School traveled to Arcata, California to face Humboldt State Normal College. At the start of the Great Depression teams would play against anyone they could find, wherever there was a field. The men from Monmouth took a train south and won the first encounter, 31-0.

The teams went back and forth in the decades to come. After World War II, the then-Oregon College of Education hired Bill McArthur to coach the football team. As Wolves football became the team that Bill made, they got a leg up on Humboldt State. Notably, at homecoming 1949, the Wolves whupped the Lumberjacks to cap a 9-0 perfect season.

Wolves hold the advantage in the matchup with a 24-19 record.

For further history, check out the football record book at wouwolves.com

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Lessons of a tough loss

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The football team traveled north to face the Central Washington Wildcats in Ellensburg where they were utterly hosed to the tune of 0-35.

Ultimately the Wolves would get 107 yards on the day. Philip Fenumiai was back under center, where he completed 9 out of 27 passes and took five sacks. First-year running back Torreahno Sweet ran for 37 yards to lead the rushing game.

The defense was lead by redshirt sophomore Bo Highburger on the line, hitting 11 tackles on the day.

“We just struggled to get anything going as a team,” Highburger said. “But we are confident with our matchup this week, we’re looking forward to taking a step in the right direction.”

Once again, football follows a win with a loss, making it five games in a row on a win-loss rollercoaster. This bodes well as the Wolves look to rebound once again in the Humboldt State game.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Powder to the people

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The powder-puff flag football game and powder-tuff volleyball tournament return for another year. Homecoming week gives us a week of activities to build the hype for the big game. These games are perhaps the most universal image of the homecoming buildup.

Wolves powder-puff is divided into teams of female students living off-campus and those living on-campus.

Powder-puff football is traced back to World War II. Military conscription made male college enrollment rates plummet. In the spirit of Rosie the Riveter, the homecoming football game continued without them. It became a tradition etched into high schools and universities across the nation.

The powder-tuff tournament gives male students a chance to play volleyball in the same vein. As we build for two home volleyball games and the Saturday football game, the friendly competition of intramurals keep building school spirit.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Rugby returns

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Lewis & Clark Pioneers were slated to come to Monmouth on Oct. 15 to face the Wolves women’s rugby team. Stormy conditions forced the game to be postponed.

“The wind and rain was just too strong for the other team to drive down safely,” said Maddi Fagnani, junior lock in her second year on the team. The game is to be rescheduled later in the year. “Most likely as part of a round robin tournament that is hosted every year, farther in the season.”

The inaugural year of the women’s rugby club, back in 2004, saw the Wolves become Pacific Northwest Regional Champions and Pacific Coast Regional Champions to qualify for nationals. The team finished third in the nation that year.

The winning tradition carries through to today. Last season ended with the Wolves ranked 10th in the nation and sealing back to back league championships.

This year looks to have equally high expectations.

“Holy cow are we excited about this season,” Fagnani said. “Last year we had maybe five returning players. We had 16 girls for the whole season, and a whole team of rookies. This year we have about ten baby vets and about 25 players.”

A baby vet, she explained, is someone playing their second year, moving up from rookie.

“Last year we had maybe one sub, this year we have almost a whole second team. That’s definitely nice,” Fagnani said.

Maddi is in her second year of playing for the club. She comes from a very athletic background, as do all the girls who come onto the rugby team to learn the sport. Even though most rookies are learning a new game, they have the skillset that allows them to successfully adapt and fine tune.

Maddi was varsity captain for soccer, volleyball, basketball and track at her high school in Alaska.

“It really is like a family. Especially for students from out of state like myself. People in connection with the team help us grow so much more than any of us could have imagined,” Fagnani said of the team.

“We have high respect for anyone who comes out to watch us play rugby. I’d like to encourage anyone and everyone to come out and be a part of this great sport.”

The rugby season is through fall and winter. Your next chance to see the team at home is on Nov. 19 when Seattle University comes to Monmouth.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Lacrosse plays fall ball

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves lacrosse had their first home match of the fall season on Oct. 15. They hosted the Portland Rippers. In the cold wind and rain they took the Rippers to the wire, losing 11-12 in second overtime.

The loss of the game is not as important as the experience learned from playing. Lacrosse season is in the spring, and the fall season gives new players a chance to integrate and learn the system.

“We’re a relatively small and young team so we’re teaching all of our freshmen the offense and defense that we run,” said junior goalie Lake Larsen. Lacrosse is a club sport and Larsen is the president of the club. “Currently it’s fall ball so all of the games we’ve been playing are scrimmages. Fall ball is the time for the new recruits to play with some of the veterans to learn how each other play and develop chemistry.”

The team comes together now to build on a successful 2016 season.
They play in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League, Division II. Despite the Western program’s relative size, last year they finished second in the division to qualify for the April playoffs. They beat Central Washington in the first round in another double overtime game. Though you may not have known this by listening to the broadcast as the commentators called the winning team Eastern Oregon University throughout the first half of the game.

“They obviously didn’t know much about the Wolves,” said Samantha Dunaway, junior biology student. “But the team played really well last year. I don’t think anyone expected a small team from Monmouth to make the playoffs.”

The Wolves advanced to the semifinals before falling to Gonzaga.

First year long-stick middle player Jeron Knox is looking forward to the year ahead.

“Yesterday’s game showed the strides we have made since first practice. We have a lot of talent and great guys and I am excited to be a part of this team,” Knox said on Sunday.

The game was not your typical college matchup, as it was not a college matchup at all. The Portland Rippers are a team composed of former collegiate players who have graduated. Taking a team of veteran players to second overtime is no small feat for a club team still developing team chemistry and working towards the 2017 season.

Lake Larsen made the switch from baseball to lacrosse as a middle school student in Bend, Oregon. He never looked back, even in the rainy cold afternoon. “I wanted to play something faster paced and with more hitting. My little brother had been to some lacrosse summer camps in the past so we decided to quit baseball and start lacrosse. Probably one of the best choices I’ve made.”

Fall games continue through November. The 2017 season is set to pick up in February.

Larsen encourages everyone to check out the sport “If you haven’t watched lacrosse before, it is a fast paced, high scoring, exciting sport to watch. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @woulax.”

Your only chance to catch a fall home game will be the alumni game on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. The team plays on the Intramural Club Sports Field.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

The resurrection of Tim Tebow

Cross country championships

Know your enemy: Humboldt State

Lessons of a tough loss

Powder to the people

Rugby returns

Lacrosse plays fall ball

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