Photo by Sean Patterson

In a high school sports season of turnarounds, triumphs and heartache, I would have to say my most lasting memory of the fall came on the afternoon of Oct. 26, when I watched a Canby High School girls cross country team make history.

It was a cool and cloudy afternoon, and at times a gentle shower fell, but that fact couldn't put a damper on the Cougars, who were enjoying their day of days en route to winning a first-ever Pacific-9 Conference championship.

Jean-Marie Peterson set the tone by blowing away the field with a personal-record-shattering 5,000-meter run of 18 minutes, 28 seconds. But that was just the beginning.

Moments after she and teammates Zoe Anton, Jessica Johnston, Lexi Newman, Julie Garcia and Chanelle Willis crossed the finish line, it was learned this group of Canby girls had done something no other CHS team had done before.

They were district champs - and it wasn't even close.

Canby scored a meet-low 43 points to easily outclass runner-up Tigard (62) and qualify for the state championships the following weekend. It marked the end of a string of close-but-not-quite finishes. Canby had always had three or four quality runners, but the program perennially lacked that fourth or fifth runner who could put the team over the top.

This time, there would be no regrets or near misses. This time, the Cougars were going to state.

Canby head coach Tom Millbrooke admitted later that the Cougars didn't enjoy quite as good a day at state as they had at district. But they still ran well enough to place a respectable sixth.

And Peterson, only a sophomore, became the first Canby girl in recent history to earn a top-10 finish. She wound up ninth in 19:33, putting her on the state's second team.

TALK ABOUT TURNAROUND:

They didn't make the playoffs, but members of the Canby High School football team can be proud of what they accomplished in 2000.

For starters, the Cougars returned to their winning ways and came within one game of the postseason. That's a far cry from 1999, when the squad won its first game before losing its next eight.

A three-game win streak to open the season gave the team a shot of confidence. Then came a three-game Pac-9 losing streak that threatened to knock the Cougars out of the playoff picture.

But Canby wasn't about to throw in the towel just yet. A defeat of Forest Grove, followed by a memorable come-from-behind defeat of Silverton, put the Cougars in position to make the Class 4A playoffs with a defeat of Newberg.

That win didn't happen, but with a 5-4 season, the program was back on the road to respectability.

THE STREAK FINALLY ENDS:

It was a strange feeling for Canby High School boys soccer coach Scott Enyart at the end of October. For the first time in over a decade, he wasn't making plans to take part in the Class 4A playoffs.

It had been 12 years since the Cougars failed to at least make the league playoffs. Over that span, the program was consistently revered as a state power, earning top-10 ranking nominations year in and year out.

But the loss to the team's top two scorers left a hole up front. Canby wasn't getting blown out, but the Cougars weren't scoring enough goals. The result was a 2-3-3 Pac-9 record that left the squad out of the playoff picture.

Knowing Enyart and his standard of excellence, the Cougars are sure to be back in the playoff race next season.

TOUGH BREAKS:

Also missing out on the postseason this year were the Canby volleyball and girls soccer teams, both of which were still in the hunt until the final week of the regular season.

In the case of the volleyball team, the girls got off to a 4-1 start in league before enduring a four-match losing streak in the middle of the year that put them in a scramble for the Pac-9's final berth.

The Cougars fell short of that goal, settling for an 8-8 record and fifth place in the final standings.

Likewise, the Canby girls soccer team still had a chance to reach the playoffs with one week to go. But losses to Tualatin and McMinnville in the final two matches cost the Cougars a chance at fourth.

CLOSE BUT NOT QUITE:

Still another local football team, North Marion, came within a win or two of reaching the Class 3A playoffs.

The Huskies had high hopes going into the season, and after blowing away Taft in their season opener and giving top-ranked Scappoose a battle in Week 2, they looked poised to do some damage in the Capital Conference.

But North Marion endured a series of tough-luck losses in league, dropping four straight, before ending the year with three victories.

All in all, it was yet another enjoyable season to cover. As sports editor, I wish to again thank the coaches and athletes who made my job easier the last couple months.

Let the winter games begin.