With the Mid-Willamette Conference seasons winding down in every sport, Lebanon coaches and athletes are looking toward district championships, or the final home-stretch surge in the next few weeks before the state tournaments and meets begin.
Here’s how the Warriors are looking in various sports:
Cheer
The Warriors one of seven 5A teams that have qualified for the Cheerleading State Championships, one of three from the MWC, Feb. 15 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Girls Basketball
After winning the league title last year, the Warriors are 8-2 in MWC action, 12-5 overall, in second place behind Silverton (11-0, 17-2), whom they were to host Friday, Feb. 14.
Lebanon’s only two league losses at that point were 57-53 at Central and 51-30 at Silverton on Jan. 14 in a game that was tight until the Warriors’ shooting went cold in the fourth quarter.
“The girls are in great shape to finish strong,” Athletic Director Kraig Hoene said, noting that although they play three of the top teams in the league, two of those – Silverton and Central – are during a three-game stretch at home.
Senior point guard Mary Workman has been a key contributor, setting the school record for three-pointers with eight, then breaking it with nine.
Boys Basketball
Lebanon was 2-8, 5-13 going into a Friday, Feb. 14, game at league-leader Silverton, on the tails of a win at Dallas.
“(Coach) Casey VandeBos has got them playing hard,” Hoene said, noting that the loss of 6-6 senior post Kyle Haley to a season-ending knee injury has been a major blow to the young Warriors.
“The kids got a nice win at Dallas. They’re getting there. When we’re making our shots, we’re tough.”
Swimming
The MVC district meet was Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15, immediately after Lebanon Local went to press.
The Warriors have returning state qualifiers in Drew Charley on the boys side and Elizabeth Beck and Devony Beckett for the girls, and some younger talent making strides this season.
With West Albany back in the 5A, though, the competition in the already tough MVC has gone up a notch, Hoene said.
The state championships will be Feb. 21-22, once again at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. The 5A Division finals will be in the early-morning bracket, starting at 8:15 a.m. Saturday.
Wrestling
“We’re kind of banged up,” Hoene said after the Warriors defeated North Salem in their final dual of the season Thursday, Feb. 13, at home.
Lebanon will be at the district meet at the Salem Feb. 21-22, with the top four finishers at the district moving on to state, on Feb. 28-29.
Crescent Valley, with wrestlers ranked in the top six in literally every weight division except one, and most in the top three, is unquestionably the favorite not only in the league but in the state.
“We’re just wrestling to get as many kids as possible to state,” Hoene said. “The league is really tight again.”
Lebanon is ranked 10th in the state polls, with Crescent Valley first and Crook County second.
As of press time, Warriors who are near the top of their divisions in state rankings included: junior Andy Vandetta, third at 120 pounds, sophomore Austin Dalton third at 145; senior Tucker Drummond, third at 152; junior Jacob Jimenez, fifth at 195; and junior Rafael Ramos, sixth at 285.
Dance/Drill
The Explosion! Dance/Drill team is preparing for state on March 21, placing second in their most recent competition.
“They are performing pretty well,” Hoene said.