On Saturday, May 6 five former CGHS athletes, a team, a coach and community contributor will be inducted in the Cottage Grove High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The CGHS Cafetorium will be the site of the ceremony which is open to the general public. The festivities will begin with a 5:30 social hour in the main entrance lobby near the main office of the high school. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at about 7:15. Dinner will be served at 6:30 and costs $20 per adult and $10 for children 12 and under. The meal choices are pot Roast and potatoes or vegetarian lasagna. Both meals include a salad, green beans, roll, dessert and beverage.

The five athletes who will be inducted are Celena Schirmer (Class of 1976), Ray Shoptaw (Class of 1970), Travis Hall (Class of 1991), Jeff Bascue (Class of 1992), and Zach Hall (Class of 1993). Donn Pollard will be inducted as a coach, the 2010 girls’ basketball squad is the team which will be recognized and Mike Grover will be honored as the community contributor.

Celena Shirmer excelled as a sprinter in track in 1975 and 1976 before she transferred to Crescent Valley in 1977. Schirmer still holds the school record in the 100 meters (12.14) and is second all-time in the 200 meters (25.34). Schirmer held the 200 record for 39 years until Ahsha Mootz broke it in 2014 in a time of 25.03.

 Tragically, Schirmer passed away in 2005 in Anchorage, Alaska, and to this date, all attempts to reach any family members have been in vain. If anyone has any information on how to contact one of her relatives or friends, please call the CGHS office at 541-942-2291 and ask for Lindsay Laycock.

Ray Shoptaw was a three-sport athlete for the Lions (football, basketball, and track and field) who excelled in the pole vault. After 49 years Shoptaw still holds the school record with a vault of 14’-8.5”.

Travis Hall was a three-sport who was an outstanding fullback and linebacker in football and state runner-up in wrestling. Hall was the leader on the Lions’ football team that made a run in the state 3A playoffs in 1990.

Jeff Bascue was one of the top scorers in basketball in CGHS history. He led the Sky-Em League in 1992 with 20.6 points per game. He also played an integral role on the 1991 Lions’ 3A State Championship team.

Zach Hall was another three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and track. Hall gained over 1000 yards rushing and was first team all-Sky-Em in 1993.

Donn Pollard was the Lions’ head basketball coach for 25 years. He just retired from coaching at the end of this past season. Pollard’s top achievement was leading the Lions to the 3A state championship in 1991.

The 2010 Girls Basketball Team is the only girls’ sports program at CGHS to win a State Championship. The Lions won the Sky-Em title with an 11-1 record and went on to beat Marist for the state championship.  The girls compiled a 26-2 record en route to their outstanding season.