In The News: Tigers return to supremacy

Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic

Boys water polo team earns second consecutive title while girls win first championship since 2012

CORVALLIS — Entering Saturday’s state championship match unbeaten against teams from Oregon, the last thing the Newberg girls water polo expected was to fall behind Barlow 2-0 in the first two minutes.

The Tigers were fresh off a 14-3 thrashing of Reynolds in the semifinals, but were caught off guard by the Bruins’ aggressive pressure defense and surrendered two easy goals right off the bat.

Newberg slowly fought its way back into the game, taking the lead in the fourth quarter, but had to settle for overtime after Barlow scored on a rebound goal with 35 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

After such a low-scoring affair, the game’s finish was just as shocking as its beginning, as the Tigers exploded for three goals in the second overtime to pull out a thrilling 9-6 win and claim their first state title since 2012.

“To be honest, I didn’t think we were going to win that game,” senior Elizabeth Andrews said. “It took ultimate teamwork and driving and trying to get ejections to win that game. It was hard. It’s the hardest team that we’ve played this season and we pulled it off.”

The Tigers received little resistance from Reynolds in the semifinals with senior Victoria Johnson continuing her strong finish to the season with four goals. Katie Kisling also scored three goals and Alena Lidey scored two goals to go with her 10 steals.

Newberg found itself down 4-0 early in the second quarter of the championship game, but Kisling finally broke through for a goal with less than three minutes remaining before halftime. Andrews added a second just 32 seconds later, but Barlow answered in the final minute to make it 5-2 at the break.

The Tigers struggled to get the ball into good scoring positions in the first half, often settling for contested shots from the outside, most of which either hit the cage or were handled easily by the Bruins’ standout goalie Madison Button.

To counter Barlow’s physical tactics, Newberg instead took advantage of that aggression and on focusing on driving to the hole and out-swimming the Bruins in order to earn ejections.

“I don’t think we were used to that aggressiveness and we had to take it to them,” head coach Jim McMaster said.

Senior Tia Lattanzio took advantage of an ejection, scoring off an assist from Kisling 21 seconds into the third quarter and Andrews got her second of the game three minutes later to make it 5-4 Barlow heading into the fourth.

Lattanzio scored a second man-up goal less than two minutes into the fourth to tie the game 5-5 and Newberg took the lead on Andrews’ third goal, which also followed an ejection, with 4:20 to play.

It appeared the Tigers were going to hold on for a 6-5 win when goalie Grace Kavanagh made a point-blank save in the final minute, but as she attempted to swim the ball to safety, Barlow tipped it away from her back across the goal mouth, where Arianna Hill was waiting to tap it home with 35 seconds to play.

Both teams had good chances in the first three-minute overtime period, but neither hit pay dirt.

Just over a minute into the second extra session, Andrews found herself in some space about seven meters out just left of the cage. With Button drifting towards her, Andrews fired a shot off the right post and in to put Newberg ahead 7-6 with 1:40 to play.

“I just went for it and I didn’t think it went in because it barred,” Andrews said of her fourth and final goal of the game. “I didn’t think it went over the line, but it did. I just felt it.”

With the Bruins a bit deflated, Hannah Kavale took advantage, skipping a shot past Button to the short side 30 seconds later to pretty much seal the game.

If that wasn’t enough, Kisling added another goal with just over 30 seconds remaining to send the Newberg crowd into a frenzy.

“It feels so good, especially for all of us seniors,” Andrews said. “It’s so relieving and exciting.”

Johnson and Lidey were both named to the all-tournament first team, with Lattanzio earning second-team honors. Kavanagh, who made 17 saves in the title game, and Andrews received honorable mention.

“Me and Alena Lidey have been playing for 11 years, since we were in second grade, so it’s kind of surreal to be here,” Lattanzio said. “It hasn’t quite hit us that we did win state, that this is the end for the seniors. Some of us might continue to play, but this was it. It was the perfect way to end our season because we all worked so hard and grew so much together as a team.”

Second-half surge helps NHS storm past Barlow 14-5 

CORVALLIS — Having steamrolled Westview 14-5 in the semifinals Friday night, the Newberg boys entered the state championship game supremely confident Saturday night at the Osborn Aquatic Center.

Standing in between the Tigers and back-to-back state titles was Barlow, which had upset them at home in the second game of the year.

Newberg had long since earned revenge for that loss, but quickly established it was the superior team, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first three and a half minutes.

The Bruins put up a fight in the second quarter to make it a 5-2 contest at halftime, but the Tigers scored nine consecutive goals in the second half to pull away for a 14-5 win.

“We know who their players are, who their big guys are and eventually we shut them down,” senior Zach Schrage said. “We’re more of a defensive team. You win games with defense, not offense. I think that’s why our team is so great.”

Newberg raced to a 6-1 halftime lead Friday against Westview and led 10-1 in the second half before coasting to the win. Josh Passmore poured in four goals, with Schrage and junior captain Tyler Bell adding three apiece.

Bell, Passmore, Dane Findley and Raleigh Day scored one goal apiece in the opening quarter in Saturday’s championship game, with Findley adding a second goal to make it 5-0 early in the second.

Barlow responded with a three-goal flurry to pull within two, but Passmore scored with 14 seconds remaining before the break to make it 6-3.

“In the second quarter we kind of slacked off on our defense,” Bell said. “When we came back in the second half, we realized goals come second to defense and the way that we were going to win this game was to shut them down.”

Findley added his third goal of the night early in the third on a nice lob over the Barlow keeper, but it wasn’t until late in the third that the Tigers put the game out of reach.

Newberg got a goal from Dalton Paskett and two from Schrage in the final 2:25 of the third quarter to make it 10-3.

Paskett got his second just 20 seconds into the fourth quarter and the rout was on, with Passmore adding two more and Zach Jordan scoring his first goal to make it 14-3 with 4:35 to play.

“I thought the boys got complacent,” McMaster said. “Then we just took it to them. Again, I think we out-swam and out-played them.”

Goalie Wilson Johnson, one of three freshmen starters on the team, made 11 saves in the final and was named to that all-tournament first team.

Joining him were Passmore, who had eight total goals in his final two games, Schrage, the team’s lone senior, and Bell, who was named tournament MVP. Paskett was also named to the second team.

“He didn’t play goalie before this season, so for in the last two months for him to go from not being able to block a shot to shutting people down from two meters at state is incredible,” Bell said of Johnson. “It’s a really good feeling to know that he’s going to be here when I’m gone.”

The future does indeed appear bright after so many young players filled key roles on the team, which will lose only Schrage for next season.

“I’m so proud of the team,” Bell said. “The way all the freshmen stepped up was amazing.”