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The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

Connor Whitbey

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics editor

While most of West Linn High School spent their summers sleeping in until noon, Connor Whitbey, junior, was awake at 5a.m. every morning for his job. Working for Alliant Systems full time was a time consuming but an enjoyable job. Whitbey knew it would be hard work when he got the job, but nothing could prepare him for unloading trucks almost everyday.

“It was a good experience for me and I’ll probably do it next summer,” Whitbey said.  Outside of working Whitbey spent the last three months training for cross country, spending time with friends and swimming.  The summer was a short reprieve from what looks to be a busy year.

As a freshman, Whitbey was first interested in Journalism because of his brother Kenney.  With a passion in athletic coverage, Whitbey has followed in his brother’s steps and is now the co-athletic editor for Amplifier. He also hopes to follow in his older brothers steps by attending Oregon State University after high school.  

“Journalism allows me to write about athletics which I find interesting,” he said. “ I’m super excited to be the editor for the athletic section this school year.”

With a course load of 3 Advanced Placement (AP) classes this year, Whitbey doesn’t plan on slacking off. He is working to see his dream of being a mechanical engineer become a reality. “I’ve always wanted to go into a career of engineering, but at the moment I’m really focused on being a mechanical engineer,” Whitbey said.

All content by Connor Whitbey

Boys Basketball team vies for fourth straight state title

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
December 14, 2015

After winning three straight OSAA State Championships, West Linn’s (1-0, 0-0 Three Rivers League) boys varsity basketball team prepares for another season, potentially tying the record of four state...

Running back Elijah Molden, junior, leads the Lions onto the field before the matchup began against second ranked Sherwood in the OSAA Semifinal game. West Linn defeated Sherwood 51-7 last Saturday at Providence Park.

West Linn dominates Sherwood in Semifinals

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
December 1, 2015

After what should have been the toughest game of the year, West Linn (12-1, 6-1 Three Rivers League) advances to the OSAA State Championship game for the first time in history. The Lions defeated Sherwood...

Wide receiver Connor Berggren, senior, was a large contributor in the Lions 34-13 win over Oregon City. West Linn will face Sherwood in the OSAA State Semifinals Saturday at Providence Park.

West Linn to play in OSAA State Semifinals for first time in 21 years

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
November 23, 2015

The West Linn varsity football team (11-1, 6-1 Three Rivers League) advance to semifinals after defeating Oregon City (9-3, 6-1 Mt. Hood Conference), 34-13, in the second Battle of the Bridge. West Linn...

Girls Soccer defeats Glencoe 1-0

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
November 13, 2015

   

Conor Egan, senior, runs up a steep hill during the OSAA State Championship race. West Linn placed seventh as a team and Egan placed 38th individually with a time of 16:39 minutes.

Roman Ollar places second overall at OSAA State Championship

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
November 5, 2015

West Linn cross country placed seventh in the OSAA State Championship race last saturday. Twin brothers Roman and Grayson Ollar, seniors, placed second and sixth respectively. Ahmed Muhumed, junior, from...

After scoring a touchdown, Qawi Ntsasa, sophomore, celebrates with his teammates. Ntsasa scored the first two touchdowns for West Linn and helped his team win 49-35.

Football team beats Tualatin 49-35, first homecoming win in four years

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
November 2, 2015

West Linn Lions (7-1, 5-1 Three Rivers League) beat Tualatin ( 6-2, 4-2 TRL) 49-35, in a close matchup. For the first time in four years, the Lions won during the homecoming game, propelling them to number...


Varsity cross country team crushes at Districts race at Clackamas Community College. They advanced to the State Championship at Lane Community College, held Saturday, Oct. 31. (From left: John Wetzsteon, freshman, Avery Cook, freshman, Graham Yatsuya, freshman, Peter Goetze, senior, Conor Egan, senior, and Roman Ollar, senior.)

Running to State

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
October 27, 2015

With a score of 48 points, West Linn took first place and progresses to the State Championship race, along with Lakeridge and Newberg with scores of 57 and 107 respectively in the five kilometer race....

Roman Ollar (left), senior, competes at the State Championship race last year barely ahead of Ahmed Muhumed, junior. Ollar placed second behind Reilly Bloomer, now graduated, from South Eugene who sprinted past at the end.

West Linn Cross Country star, Roman Ollar, senior, places second at Sandelie Golf Course Classic race

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
October 20, 2015

At the Sandelie Golf Course Classic race Roman Ollar, senior, set his personal record (PR) of 15:01.0 minutes in the five kilometer (3.1 mile) race. He finished 4.20 seconds behind the winner, Ahmed Muhumed,...

Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, traverses the martian landscape after being marooned on Mars. “The Martian” earned $55 million dollars in its opening weekend with a budget of $108 million.

“The Martian” skyrockets Andy Weir’s novel to Hollywood

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
October 13, 2015

“The Martian”, directed by Ridley Scott, has a gripping plot that will grab science fiction lovers immediately. Starring the comical Matt Damon, as NASA botanist Mark Watney, the movie is not only...

West Linn Boys Soccer team celebrates their 5-1 victory over Tualatin. They are currently 1-0-1 in the Three River League and 4-2-3 overall.

West Linn Boys Soccer team demolishes Tualatin, 5-1

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
October 8, 2015

West Linn Lions Boys Soccer team (4-2-2, 1-0 Three Rivers League) beat the Tualatin Timberwolves (1-6-1, 0-1 TRL) in an overwhelming victory of 5-1. The game started off slow, but center midfielder...

Tristan Waits, junior, uses his new iPhone 6S. He enjoyed the faster performance and more sensitive touch pad.

iPhone 6S released Friday, Sept. 25 with many improvements

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics Editor
October 5, 2015

Apple released their latest iPhone, the 6S, to stores Sept. 25, with many small, and some major, improvements. The biggest of which features a new 12-megapixel camera capable of 4K recording, a 3D touch...

Wide out Qawi Ntsasa, sophomore, receives a catch near the endzone during the David Douglas game. West Linn won 49-14 with help from Connor Berggren, senior, who scored 3 touchdowns.

West Linn High School Lions football team prepares for upcoming league opener against Lake Oswego

Connor Whitbey, Co-Athletics editor
September 18, 2015

After beating Oregon City (1-1,0-0 Mt. Hood Conference) 40-28, the West Linn Lions Varsity football team (2-0,0-0 Three Rivers League) were eager to play David Douglas (0-2,0-0 Mt. Hood Conference) Friday,...

Sarah Von Ahn, Rachel Porche, and Chelsea Lin, juniors, work on assignments at tables on Porch 1A. The porches are being redesigned to feature bigger tables for collaborative work, charging ports and new seating with laptop carts replacing the outdated computers.

Porches set to receive upgrades; desktop computers being phased out

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
June 3, 2015

Students at West Linn High School may have noticed some porches are missing desktop computers. Computers from three out of the seven main porches have already been removed. The student porches at West...

Nepal library fundraiser reaches its goal of $2,000 in ten days

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
May 27, 2015

After a series of large earthquakes in Nepal and North India struck, Todd Jones, World History and AP Government teacher, and his students set up a fundraiser with Ten Friends, a non-profit organization,...

West Linn Girls Lacrosse Team beats Lake Oswego 12-10 in the fourth straight Lions-Lakers State Championship. After losing last year, the Lions were determined to beat the Lakers in this four year rematch of the State Final.

West Linn Girls Lacrosse Team wins State Championship

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
May 21, 2015

West Linn Girls Lacrosse Team beat Lake Oswego 12-10 in a close and emotional State Championship game held at Tualatin High School on May 20. The Lakers came out strong with the first goal and a roaring...

West Linn Girls Lacrosse Team beats Wilsonville in state semifinals, 15-9

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
May 19, 2015

The West Linn Girls Lacrosse Team advanced to the championship game after dominating Wilsonville 15-9. They play against Lake Oswego at Tualatin High School Wed. May 20 at 7 p.m. After an hour and a...

“Star Wars Battlefront 3” is set to release Nov. 17, about 10 years after “Battlefront 2.” A few weeks later, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” movie comes out in theaters.

Star Wars fans excited for upcoming video game and movie

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
May 11, 2015

The release of the new Star Wars movie trailer, “The Force Awakens,” and video game trailer, “Star Wars Battlefront 3,” has many fans excited. “Star Wars Battlefront 3” is set to release on...

Apple makes three main variants of its smartwatch: the Watch, Sport and Edition. They range in price from $349 for the Sport up to $17,000 for the most expensive Edition. (Photo Source: www.macrumors.com)

Apple releases its newest technology, the Apple Watch

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
May 6, 2015

After a couple weeks of pre-ordering, Apple released the Apple Watch to stores on April 24. It’s been available for a while now, but with the public finally using it, how does it hold up to the price...

West Linn Varsity Tennis Team beats Lake Oswego 7-1

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
April 28, 2015

The West Linn Varsity Boys Tennis Team beat Lake Oswego 7-1 on April 27. This means out of the eight matches, the Lions won seven of those. Matt Perkins, sophomore, won 6-0, 6-0 in his singles match. “The...

Dan McNeil, sophomore, uses his new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. This new phone sports a dual edge display and a metal and glass casing, and sells for $700.

Samsung releases its latest smartphone, the sleek new Galaxy S6 Edge along with an unnecessary Galaxy S6

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
April 22, 2015

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2015 phone show early in March. With a radical new twist on the Galaxy S series, Samsung has taken a step away from their traditional...

The West Linn Boys Rugby Team beat Columbia County 35-0. They are scheduled to compete against North Clackamas on April 18 at Clackamas High School at 11:30 a.m.

West Linn Varsity Boys Rugby Team beats Columbia County 35-0

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
April 15, 2015

The West Linn Varsity Boys Rugby Team beat Columbia County 35-0, last Saturday. Playing at Scappoose Middle School, they didn’t allow Columbia County to score once. Many players contributed to the...

West Linn runners train for the upcoming home meet against Sherwood High School at 4:00 p.m on April 9. The Boys Varsity beat Tualatin last week 87-64.

West Linn Track Team works to hit its stride

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
April 9, 2015

The West Linn Track Team prepares for its first home meet against Sherwood High School on April 9 at 4:00 p.m. The team as a whole is looking good and underclassmen are contributing as important members...

The West Linn Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team beat Taft School, ranked 60th in the nation, 14-10, in Florida. On April 8, they will compete against J. Serra Catholic, Calif., at West Linn High School at 8 p.m.

West Linn Boys Lacrosse Team competes in Florida

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
April 8, 2015

The West Linn Varsity Lacrosse Team competed in Florida, winning one out of three games over spring break. They faced top ranked opponents. Two of the three were ranked in the top 20 of the nation last...

Dylan Martins, junior, explains his project to a visitor. His project was presented during the ISEF competition on Feb. 26.

West Linn students advance in the ISEF competition

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
March 30, 2015

This year’s International Science and Engineering Fair competition produced 67 State qualifiers from the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. They are progressing to the Northwest Science Expo in Portland,...

Eddie Ray Routh found guilty of the murder of Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
March 10, 2015

During a nine-day trial, former Marine Eddie Ray Routh was found guilty of murdering Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in US history. He was sentenced to life in prison, evading the death penalty. Routh...

Kane Snapp, junior, looks for a move against his opponent in the Newberg Match earlier this season.

West Linn falls short in this year’s Wrestling State Championship

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
March 4, 2015

Many wrestlers from West Linn qualified to participate in the State Championship Meet, held at the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Feb. 27-28, however, none came home as a champion. Within...

Jaydon Grant, junior, looks to pass the ball last Friday against Tigard. Grant helped the Lions to a 55-53 victory by scoring five points.

Varsity Boys Basketball beats Tigard in a close game, 55-53

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
February 24, 2015

The West Linn Boys Varsity Basketball team (19-4, 12-1 Three Rivers League) defeated Tigard (12-11, 5-8 TRL) 55-53. The Lions followed up the JV team, which won its game by 31 points. Before the game started,...

“American Sniper” makes 90.2 million dollars in its opening weekend

“American Sniper” makes 90.2 million dollars in its opening weekend

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
February 20, 2015

Earning 90.2 million dollars in its opening weekend, “American Sniper” beats all past January records. “American Sniper” is an Iraq War movie directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on the autobiography...

A Summer In The Rain

A Summer In The Rain

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
February 17, 2015

Andres Chaves, senior, spent his summer in the cold, rain and snow- a stark difference from the tropical beaches of Costa Rica. The 16 year-old found out about a program in which 25 students from Costa...

Tim Harman, senior, squares up to face his Newberg opponent in the 160 lb. weight class. By winning this key match, Harman sparked a row of wins which resulted in West Linn’s victory.

West Linn takes down Newberg in a thrilling victory

Connor Whitbey, Staff Reporter
February 11, 2015

The West Linn Varsity Wrestling Team won its meet against Newberg in a 31-30 victory. The Lions had a tough matchup, especially after witnessing the JV team lose. After a performance by Lali Diaz, sophomore,...

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Connor Whitbey