FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS: Bulldogs prepare for fall sports season

Published 12:00 pm Friday, August 25, 2023

Less than two weeks after practices started on Aug. 14, Baker High School athletes are preparing for their first competitions of the fall season.

Although there are no changes in head coaching ranks, Bulldog athletics has a new leader in athletic director Al McCauley.

He replaces Buell Gonzales Jr., who is the new principal at South Baker Intermediate.

While he’s new to the athletic director’s seat at BHS, McCauley has been around local sports for decades as a Baker grad and longtime employee of the Baker School District.

“I played football and wrestling and baseball here at BHS, graduated from Baker High, and then I played football at Whitworth, then in Western Oregon University,” he said.

McCauley has been the athletic director at Baker Middle School, where he remains as dean of students.

“I think the biggest goal this year is the communication piece, with families, players and coaches, to make sure everyone is well informed with what’s going on with the athletic department,” McCauley said.

“Al is great. He’ll do what’s best for kids,” said Gonzales, who has worked beside McCauley for years. “He’s a hard worker that will put the time and energy into providing kids with the best opportunity for individual and team success. And he’s a Baker Bulldog, through and through.”

Boys/Girls Cross-Country

2022: Boys 5th, Girls 10th at state

Head Coach: Suzy Cole

“Looking forward to another great season,” said Cole, who has been coaching cross-country for 23 years. “Look forward to people coming to support and recognize the effort these kids put in. The beauty of cross-country is there’s so many different ways to be successful.”

She’s confident in assistant Patrick Kelsey, a former BHS standout who’s in his second year at his alma mater.

The Bulldogs have high expectations following last year’s performance at the Class 4A state meet, where the boys placed fifth and the girls 10th.

“On the boys side we graduated quite a group out of the boys side, so it’s a little bit of a rebuilding year, but we have real strong depth,” Cole said.

Daniel Brown, who was the district champion last year, returns as a junior.

“He trained super hard and has his sights set on being very competitive at the state level, we’ll see how the season unfolds for him,” Cole said. “He hasn’t stopped training since his freshman year.”

The roster of about 15 boys also includes returning runners Hunter Bingham, Nate Jensen, Caleb Hills, Karsten Cikanek and Tanner Lucas.

“Then we have some young kids coming up,” Cole said. “They’re great kids and working hard.”

On the girls side, Baker also returns its top runner from last year in junior Sofie Kaaen, along with Emma Timm.

Other returning runners are Tyler Gressley, Katie Spaugh, Gwen Rasmussen, Sage Cuzick and Paige Marlia.

“We have a really good group of girls, about 15 girls as well,” Cole said. “We’re super excited to see the variety of kids that we have, program wise it’s going to be a great year for us, expect to see a lot of growth.”

The Bulldogs as always will face tough competition close by. La Grande is the returning state girls champion.

“And they didn’t graduate anyone last year, so they’re going to be tougher this year,” Cole said. “It’s a benefit we get along with La Grande, it helps to have that rivalry.”

“The last two years I’ve had an amazing group of seniors, not only athletically but for their impact on the program and leadership for the other kids,” Cole said. “I feel that leadership is being carried on. Our older kids keep taking that role, it helps us have a strong, consistent program, we feel really good about that. And says a lot about our kids, they’re the ones recruiting other kids.”

Baker’s first meet was Aug. 24. The Bulldogs will compete in the annual Catherine Creek Scamper Sept. 8 at Catherine Creek State Park.

Boys Soccer

2022 season: 3-7-4

Head Coach: Victor Benites

Benites welcomes back several returning players as well as a large group of newcomers.

Baker Middle School’s 2022 soccer program is already seeing benefits, with last year’s eighth-graders moving up to BHS.

“I got 12 freshmen, and no one has quit yet, we’ve done a good job keeping them together,” Benites said.

Benites will be assisted again this fall by John Quintela.

Baker’s schedule is largely a repeat of their 2022 opponents, though its order has changed up significantly. Benites is keeping his eye out for the Ontario Tigers, the defending state champions after going 14-1 last year and 6-0 in league matches.

Baker opens the season Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. PDT at Fruitland, Idaho.

“I think we’ve got the talent to win that game,” Benites said.

He invites students who are interested in soccer to attend practices weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the soccer fields on the north end of the Baker Sports Complex.

Girls Soccer

2022 Season: 5-9-1

Head Coach: Robbie Langrell

After advancing to a Class 4A play-in match in 2022, a season-ending 1-0 loss at The Dalles, Coach Robbie Langrell has to replace 11 seniors.

But she has high expectations for the group that turned out for practice earlier this month.

“So far we are up to 16 players and some of the most athletic girls I have worked with,” Langrell said. “I am extremely excited for the season.”

The Bulldogs are young, with several freshman who gained experience last year on Baker Middle School’s new eighth grade team.

“Right now there are only two or three girls that can drive themselves out to practice,” which is comical, and also means our team is young this year,” Langrell said. “We might not have the most wins but we will have the best foundation for future years.”

The extra time to develop players will be well spent, said Langrell, who is aided by returning assistant coach Adam Robb.

“Just in one week the amount of improvement I have seen has been really encouraging,” Langrell said. “The girls are also pulling together as a team, and doing breakfast and runs together, which shows me they have heart.”

Baker opened the season by taking part in a jamboree on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Ontario. The first official match will be Tuesday, Aug. 29 against Fruitland at the Baker Sports Complex.

Volleyball

2022 Season: 18-7, 6-0 league, state semifinals, 5th place at Class 4A tournament

Head Coach: Ali Abrego

The Bulldogs’ roster has changed quite a bit from last year, when Baker placed fifth at the state tournament and swept its Greater Oregon League matches.

Fifth-year head coach Ali Abrego lost five seniors, including league player of the year Jozie Ramos, but returning to the state tournament remains the goal for Abrego and assistants Sonny Gulick and Jayme Ramos.

“We built a pretty good program, the three of us, and it was pretty exciting with our state finish and our sportsmanship awards,” Abrego said, referring the Baker winning the sportsmanship award at the state tournament.

“We’re a lot younger this year, we graduated a pretty solid group of seniors, our varsity,” Abrego said.

“I got all of my sophomores back, but I don’t have any seniors this year,” Abrego said. “We had a huge number of tryouts and we kept on 32 pretty solid kids, primarily juniors and freshmen, this group of kids is really awesome. Good character, inside and outside the gym, coachable. Though we took a hit with the seniors this group is super competitive.”

The benefit of the younger class is that it’ll give her two years to train consistency and cooperation.

Baker will face a challenging set of nonconference opponents, starting with consecutive three-way matches, playing host to Fruitland and Vale on Tuesday, Aug. 29, starting at 2 p.m., then traveling to Burns to take on the Hilanders and Sisters on Thursday, Aug. 31.

“It’s a pretty heavy preseason, so it’s hard to focus on any of our league opponents yet, we’re taking it one game at a time,” Abrego said. “With our upper class leadership we’re wading into new waters and finding new rhythm. I’m grateful to be here and looking forward to another good year.”

“The last two years I’ve had an amazing group of seniors, not only athletically but for their impact on the program and leadership for the other kids. I feel that leadership is being carried on.”

— Suzy Cole, Baker cross-country coach

“With our upperclass leadership we’re wading into new waters and finding new rhythm. I’m grateful to be here and looking forward to another good year.”

— Ali Abrego, Baker volleyball coach