Woodburn Independent Online

North Marion's Josh Turner is a triple threat

Senior has been a member of three state playoff teams this school year

• By: Garrett Rudolph  
• Published: 3/5/2010 2:34:53 PM

Photo By: Garrett RudolphWith the North Marion basketball team qualifying for the state playoffs, Josh Turner became the first male athlete in school history to play for three state playoff teams in a single school year. In addition to basketball, Turner pulled double duty during the fall, as a defender on the soccer team and the kicker on the football team.

AURORA — There’s a poster of Gill Coliseum hanging in the North Marion High School gymnasium.
 
It serves as a reminder that the Huskies are just one win away from the Class 4A state basketball tournament.
 
“We’ve had that goal since the beginning of the season — even since last year,” said North Marion senior Josh Turner. “It would be nice if we could actually make it this year. It would be a good accomplishment for us.”
 
For the Huskies, it would mark the first time they’ve made the state tournament since 2001, when all state playoff games were held at Gill. For Turner, though, just making it to the state playoffs gives him a unique distinction in the Huskies’ history books. When North Marion defeated Molalla on Feb. 9 to clinch one of the league’s top two seeds to state, Turner became the first male athlete in school history to be a member of three state playoff teams in a single school year.
 
During the fall, Turner pulled double duty as both a defender on the soccer team and the kicker on the football team. The soccer team placed third in the Capital Conference to earn a playoff berth for the second straight year and second time in school history, eventually losing 1-0 to Phoenix in the second round of the playoffs.
 
Meanwhile, the football team won seven of its first eight games and narrowly missed out on a league title, before being ousted from the playoffs by Banks.
 
Whether on the hardwood, the gridiron or the soccer pitch, Turner was an important asset to each team. He was recently honored as a first-team all-league selection in basketball, averaging 9.3 points per game during conference play, while leading the Huskies in steals (25) and blocks (12), and was an honorable mention in both soccer and football.
While Turner had played soccer and basketball for most of his life, football was something entirely new.
 
“They kind of needed a kicker, so I just decided to go try out,” he said. “I thought, ‘Why not just try it?’”
 
Throughout the fall season, Turner would bounce back and forth between soccer and football practices and games. On Mondays and Wednesdays, he’d practice soccer, with games on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
 
During soccer practice, when the football team did its special teams work, Turner would run across the campus to take part in kickoff drills and place kicking. He’d spend 10 to 15 minutes with the football team, before rejoining the end of soccer practice.
One of his vivid memories of the year was kicking his first PAT in the season-opener against Woodburn.
 
“I was really nervous,” he said. “I was just afraid I was going to miss it. … Coach called me out there and I just had to calm down a little bit. I almost forgot my mouthpiece on the side.
 
“(Teammate) Kelly (Christensen) came over to me, and said, ‘You’re going to be all right. Just kick it and follow through and you’ll be fine.’”
 
Turner did just that. He made his first attempt and went on to convert 24 of 32 PATs for the season. Despite his frazzled nerves, Turner enjoyed playing football and said he wishes he’d given it a try sooner.
 
“I just love playing sports,” he said.
 
He also has plans of competing in track and field this year, too — a sport he hasn’t done since he was in the eighth grade.
 
As one might expect of a player who competed on the soccer, football and basketball teams, Turner’s versatility has been a key element in the Huskies’ basketball success.
 
“Josh’s ability to run up and down the court and play a little bit around the perimeter gives us a real matchup advantage,” said basketball coach Tony Merrill.
 
At 6-foot-4, Turner is often the tallest player on the court, but his quickness and agility allows him to out-maneuver bigger posts, or shoot over smaller wings.
 
With North Marion winning its first outright league title in school history, Turner said the Huskies have been a different team this year, both on the court and off.
 
“We have a better team chemistry than we had in the past years,” he said. “We’re all friends outside of basketball and we all get along.”
 
Now, he and his teammates hope to keep the season going as long as possible, in focusing their attention on Saturday’s second-round matchup with Astoria.
 
“We’re all excited,” he said. “It’s been a long break so we’re just waiting for the game.”

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