From Zach Lillebo, Athletic Director at Taft 7-12 gave this Fall Wrap-Up:
We had nearly 200 athletes participating in athletic programs this fall (130 High School & 80 Middle School). We had Boys and Girls Soccer, Football, Cross Country, Volleyball, and Cheer which was recognized by the OSAA as the team of the month.
The dedication of our coaching staff has been extremely important in shaping our athletes mentally, physically, and emotionally during the fall season. I truly believe our fall sports season would be considered a success. Sports provide our student-athletes much more than Wins & Losses as it teaches character, life skills, teamwork as well as grit, and overcoming adversity. Our student-athletes and my coaches have proven there is nothing that will stand in their way as they work together towards success. Our Tiger Town following is beginning to take shape as our community, student body and families are ecstatic to come out and support our student-athletes.
I am pleased as we encounter the end of the Fall season, but am excited to see our number of participants and fan base increase through each contest. This is just the beginning for Tiger Territory as we continue to work together, support one another, and create a fun and exciting environment for all stakeholders. High School athletics is much more than league standings, it’s about creating opportunities to establish lifelong memories while implementing a solid foundation as students move into adulthood to pursue their dreams.
Go Tigers!
Winter Sports offered at Taft 7-12
- Girls Basketball
- Boys Basketball
- Boys Swimming
- Girls Swimming
- Wrestling
Boys Soccer: Josh Ulicni
This season has been great! Going from season to season losing so many seniors is always a downer. That also means that even more kids get to step up and take the reins. The scoreboard may not always reflect the hard work and dedication these boys have put in. The way they have changed to be playing a better class of soccer is outstanding!
This year will be my first year of coaching an entire grade from freshman to seniors. This is why I coach. Watching them grow up not only on the field but in life. I may not always miss the bus rides, but I know they will. I always like seeing comradeship. (even when we lose). I can only hope I am somewhat of a positive influence. I am honored to know these young men and continue to follow them into their adult life.
Football: Jake Tolan
This has been another difficult season in the wake of covid and online learning where older athletes were reluctant to commit to playing and had our 2nd consecutive season with only 1 senior. It is difficult to compete at the varsity level with little to no senior experience or leadership. However, I feel that this team has made tremendous progress this year. Many underclassmen have been forced to play this year and make contributions that otherwise in a normal season would not have happened. I think this can be attributed to our coaching staff and how they have focused on the fundamentals of football during practice while remaining very positive with the players. Players have seemed to buy into our character-building expectations and program-building activities and they still seem to be having fun. My goal when the season started was to keep everyone healthy and safe and make sure that the freshmen have a positive experience so that they will want to continue playing next season. For the most part, I feel we have accomplished both of these goals. My focus for this program when this season is over is to maintain a close watch on the players, both behaviorally and academically as they navigate through the rest of the school year and other athletic programs. I also feel that as a whole, the entire Taft athletic community needs to make a strong commitment to getting stronger in the weight room during the off-season and summer. In conclusion, I feel the way we have navigated this season has been a success. Players have been given the opportunity to compete in their scheduled games and allowed to grow as athletes. I’m excited for the potential of this team for the next season and seasons to come. I think we have made the correct steps this year to turn this program into a competitive football team.
Cheer: Desi Clausing
Beginning a season building a foundation up from the last 2 years has looked different for many of us. Leading us through the harder times in finding space priority to fill us with a healthy mindset, working as a team, and build us physically to be stronger individuals. As we look at the fall season as a whole, that is exactly what we’ve conquered. Those who have conquered each and every one of these qualities, are the ones you see today. Being recognized for the team of the month through OSAA is a huge success as a team and proves that hard work and dedication don’t go unnoticed. It’s an honor to coach Taft High Cheer and I look forward to its continued success and growth into the next season.
Great job Tigers!
Cross Country: Eva Ahumada
This cross country season we were blessed with our largest team numbers yet. We had lots of new athletes join us, including 13 freshmen. This season we look to hopefully send multiple athletes to the state including the possibility of our girl’s team, which will be the first time in roughly twenty years. Next week we go into our district meet which will be the final meet for most of our athletes. This team has been a blessing to work with and lots of fun, not a practice that goes by where my stomach does not hurt from laughing.
Volleyball – Kelsey Hart
The Taft varsity volleyball team had a good season. We didn’t have the results that we were wanting, but the team overcame some obstacles and finished the season strong. With over half of our varsity players being seniors, the end of the season was very emotional for the team. But the girls really harnessed that and used it to push through and give our seniors a big win on senior night. We are hoping to make the playoffs this year, and if we continue to play like we have the last two games, I think we have a really good shot. Our program has grown substantially over the last few years, and looking into the future it’s only going to keep getting bigger. I am excited to see where the future takes our program. Go Tigers!
Girls Soccer: Josh Vredenburg& Kate Quinn
For girls soccer this year, we had a rough start but learned quickly that we could depend on our new players, many of whom were stepping onto the soccer field for the first time. We had talented returning seniors who added considerably to the finesse of our play during games. We had 7 seven freshmen who at the beginning of the season were asked to carry the team as our team was faced with illness, injuries, etc. I could not be any more proud of the improvements, determination, and growth in confidence this group of young ladies made as the season progressed. While our record certainly isn’t what we expected or hoped for, our team has worked together and gotten closer throughout the season and was especially supportive of each other and impressive in their play during our final home game against Salem Academy. One of the greatest memories of this season was getting our first win at Gervias and watching the girls’ reaction as it set in that we got the win as the final whistle blew.