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Cascade finds out tonight how far it's come By Don Hunt For the past four years, Susan Gmur has quietly gone about her business of building the volleyball program at Cascade Christian High School. The Challengers have gotten a little better each year under Gmur, and they had a breakout season in 2000, when they finished eighth at the Class 2A state tournament. But all along, the Challengers have played second fiddle to Southern Cascade League rival St. Mary's. Tonight at 8, they get their chance to leap into the spotlight when they meet St. Mary's in an SCL showdown at Scenic Middle School in Central Point. St. Mary's is seeking its fourth straight league title under James Joy, and the Crusaders have finished second and third at the past two state tournaments. Joy's teams have never lost to Cascade Christian in match play, but he knows he's got his hands full tonight. Indeed, this looks like the Challengers' year. With five of six starters back from last season, they've gotten off to a 12-1 start and are ranked No. 1 in the 2A state poll. St. Mary's is ranked 10th. "You get a bull's-eye on your back when you're ranked No. 1, but our girls have earned it," Gmur says. "We're made up of juniors and seniors, and these girls have paid their dues." Gmur says her team set goals of winning the SCL and the state championship at the start of the season, and they're not shying away from their objectives. "Last season our two main goals were to get to state and come home with a trophy, and we did that," Gmur says. "Now we've set the bar a little higher." The Challengers haven't backed away from good competition, either. They beat some of the top 2A schools in winning a tournament at Sherman County on Sept. 15, and they knocked off four 3A schools at the Hidden Valley Tournament this past weekend before losing to Phoenix in the championship match. "Playing the 3A schools makes us better," Gmur says. "You're not going to improve much if you don't face good competition, and that helps prepare you for the state tournament." The Challengers are led by four seniors - setter Whitney Brookins, outside hitter Krystle Holtz, middle Kristin Salamone and right side Amy Roseberg. Junior middle Kayleen Conley and junior defensive specialist Janee Johnson are the other two starters. Two other juniors - outside hitter Vicki Sherman and defensive specialist Sheena McNeill - get big minutes off the bench. Between the 6-foot-1 Conley, the 6-foot Salamone and the 5-10 Roseberg and Sherman, the Challengers are as big as they are athletic. And yet Gmur knows that until her team beats St. Mary's, it likely won't win a league title and won't achieve yet another goal it set for itself this season. The Challengers came agonizingly close to beating their archrival last year, winning the opening game 15-5 and leading the second game 11-4 before St. Mary's staged a remarkable comeback. Cascade beat St. Mary's 15-5 in a single game at a jamboree this season, but Gmur doesn't put much stock in that. "Jamborees aren't much different than scrimmages because everyone is playing a lot of kids, " she says. "But it did show our girls that we can beat them, and so from a mental aspect, it helped." What makes Cascade Christian's climb to the top of the state poll all the more impressive is that the Challengers must practice in a gym that isn't much bigger than an average garage. The court is considerably shorter than normal and the ceiling is low. The team held most of its practices at Superior Gym & Fitness last season, but when that facility closed in the spring it had to return to its own gym. "It's hard to simulate game situations because the court is so short and the ball is always hitting the ceiling," Gmur says. "But it's all we've got and we're not going to make excuses." Gmur doesn't want her girls to focus on anything except the tasks at hand. That means St. Mary's tonight, the remainder of the SCL season in the coming weeks and the state tournament next month. "Just don't put us on the cover of Sports Illustrated," she says. "We don't need any jinxes." THE RACE TO THE state volleyball playoffs in the Southern Oregon Conference is a wild one, with seven of the eight teams in contention as the first half of league play winds up tonight. The big surprise is North Medford, which was penciled in for a second-place finish in a preseason coaches poll but finds itself mired in sixth place at 2-4 and with league-leading Roseburg on the schedule tonight. This is the worst start in coach Ron Beick's eight years with the Black Tornado, and yet his team remains in the playoff hunt. That's because only two games separate the middle six teams in what has been a dog-eat-dog conference. To illustrate the craziness that is SOC volleyball, consider that North Medford romped to an easy victory over South Medford, which beat Eagle Point and Grants Pass. The Eagles and Cavers, in turn, defeated the Tornado. DON'T LOOK NOW , but the South Medford High football team has made its way into the state rankings for the first time since 1994. The Panthers, who are ranked ninth in the Class 4A poll, rolled to a 36-13 victory over Eagle Point on Friday to boost its record to 4-0. South Medford meets winless Crater Friday at Spiegelberg Stadium before an Oct. 12 showdown against No. 2 Roseburg. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.