Boys soccer
The fall season has started off strong for boys soccer. As of press time, the team has one more game left of pre-season to solidify their team before PIL competition begins, starting the season with a respectable 3W-3D-1L record.
Coached by Nick Yoder, the team has scored 12 goals, allowed only seven, and are 11th in the OSAA team rankings.
The top scorers are Oscar Johnson with five, followed by Julian Daniel and Max Morrison with two each. The team is captained by Derek Puppo, Sacha Abraham, and Johnson, who are excited about the prospect of a PIL league run.
The team is full of young talent who are already making big impacts on the field. So far, they have won against Willamette, Sherwood, Centennial, tied with Silverton, Lake Oswego, and Barlow, and have lost to only South Salem.
Their biggest win this season has been a 5-1 win against Centennial with goals from Johnson, Morrison, Holland Lounsbury, and Ari Krain. The game ended with a free kick for Johnson that curled into the top corner as the clock expired.
-Zach Sanchez, Duncan Spain
Girls Soccer
The beginning of the season has been rough for the team due to lots of highly competitive non-league opponents as well as a big graduating senior class from the previous season. Starting 1-8 has been rough on morale on the team, but they were in a near-identical position starting last season. With PIL play beginning, the team still has time to turn the season around for the better and get into a playoff spot come November.
In their last non-league game, Cleveland played 23rd-ranked St Mary’s at home. Cleveland came short of the win and lost 3-2, but had a very strong showing after coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the first 20 minutes. Junior Ella Cohen scored the two Cleveland goals against St. Mary’s.
The team is led by seniors Sloane Jockin, Isabel Blindert, Ruby Mashburn, Emerson Britton, Lila Wilcox, Charlotte Nuss, Elsa Loveland, and Kiki Williams-Thomas. Their varsity experience is going to be key against PIL opponents like Grant and Lincoln, who are top-five ranked 6A teams.
-Elliot Weir
Football
The Cleveland football team is off to a rough start. The team is ranked 38 out of 41 in the OSAA football rankings as of press time. The Warriors’ current record is 0-3, with road losses to Parkrose (32-12) in week one and Century (47-14) in week three, and Aloha (62-6) at home.
The Warriors have been riddled with injuries, losing much of their offensive line. Cleveland was also without their starting quarterback for two games but will get him back for the game against Southridge on Sept. 26.
“I feel like I let my team down,” he said. “Week four I’ll be back. We’re winning that game. Southridge revenge game.”
Junior center and defensive tackle Henry Austin has high hopes for the rest of the season. “If we have everybody healthy, and we’re all together, I think there is really no ceiling,” Austin said.
The team is looking to recruit more players to the program. “We can barely field a team (due to injuries) for the game this Friday (against Southridge),” Ribner said. “If you don’t play a sport, come out to the football team.”
-Ben Tierney
Volleyball
The Warriors have had a phenomenal start to the season, with an overall 8-4 record thus far, and a 4-2 record against PIL opponents. Their season opener was on Sept. 2, at Corvallis, resulting in a 3-2 loss.
“The game against Corvallis was a tough game,” said senior Sierra Lamberth. “We came back from down two sets, but we still lost.”
On Sept. 4, they beat Newberg 3-0 on the road, followed by a 3-0 victory against Benson Tech at home on Sept. 8, and a 3-0 win against Roosevelt on Sept. 10. Cleveland’s three-game win streak was snapped on Sept. 13 against Crescent Valley, in a 2-0 defeat. On Sept. 16, the Warriors were topped by Lincoln 3-0 on the road. Cleveland wrapped up their road trip with away games against Jefferson and Wells on Sept. 18 and Sept. 23, coming out victorious in both contests.
In the league play opener at home on Sept. 25, Cleveland lost a nailbiter against McDaniel in a highly-anticipated matchup that saw them lose 3-2 in a high-intensity five-set contest. On Sept. 30, the Warriors take on the Franklin Lightning, Cleveland’s most staggering rival. Cleveland looks to continue their strong start to the season and make a run at the state playoffs come late October.
Emerson Odom
Cross Country
The cross country season has been underway since late August, with Cleveland’s team participating in statewide meets like The Night Meet and The Mook XC Invite. Coach Mark Wren said that the team consists of a strong group of talented athletes, including two state qualifying seniors in Kai Jensen (sixth in state) and Charlotte Gardner.
Wren also noted that the leadership group is strong, with 10 captains – five boys and five girls – who “pull the team together.” The team has no shortage of individual and team goals for the season. The main consensus goal is for as many members of the team to make it to the 6A state meet as possible. There are four team meets left in October before the PIL district meet and then the state meet on Nov. 8.
-Hewet Ciz
