⑥✇⑦⑧✇③⑦⑨⑩❶ ❷⑨④❸✉ ❹❺❶ ❹❻❼❽ t✉✇ ①②③✇④⑤✇④ Stevens signs with Idaho ❇ ✁✂✄☎✆✝ ❇✂✄✝ ❚❤✞ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛ Cove senior Tim Stevens has always loved running — possibly even further back than he can remem- ber. “My dad said when I was learning to walk I took two steps and then I was run- ☞✌☞✍ ✎✏✑✒☞✓ ✔✕✖ ✗✑✘✖✖ table,” he said. While Stevens jokingly ✙✎✌✓ ✕✖ ✗✎☞☞✑✔ ✗✑☞✚✏✛ ✔✕✖ validity of that statement, his lifelong love for the sport has translated into an impressive high school career that has seen him win six individual state championships in track and cross country. And his career is set to last much longer, as on Jan. 28 he has signed a letter of intent to run for NCAA Division I Univer- sity of Idaho. “It was a combination of things,” Stevens, who was also considering Wyo- ming, Portland and Gon- zaga, said of the choice to join the Vandals. “They were very supportive. I was impressed with every- thing I saw academically and athletically. Really it just came down to how I felt after thinking and praying about it, and I had the best feeling about Uni- versity of Idaho.” He intends to study me- chanical engineering at U of I, saying he was im- pressed by the labs and shops in the school’s en- gineering department on his visit. He also said me- chanical engineering has a broad scope, which will give him more options in what to study. Stevens will be joining both the track and cross country teams as arguably the best distance runner to graduate from Cove, which he’ll do this spring. (Alex ✜✏✎✘✒☞✓✖✏✢ ✎ ✙✔✎✔✖ ✗✕✎✛ - pion runner who signed with University of Oregon a year ago, was at Cove for two years before transfer- ring to Union.) Stevens has claimed in- dividual state champion- ships in cross country for Union/Cove’s coopera- LHS baseball drops three in Pride Classic ❯❯ ✁ úÿô ✥✂ õ ❯ ú ✁ û s❯ õýû ÿ s ÿõ ✄ öü ☎ ÿ úû õô ✆ ö ✂ ô ♦ ÿ ② ò óôõöô÷øöùú ûöüýþÿ ýúÿ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛ ✡➼➽➾➾ ❾❿➀➁➂➃ ➄❿➀➃➅➆➇➈➉➊➋➉➊ ➌➍➉➎➏➐➑➐ ➒➓➔→ ➣→↔↕➓➙➛↕➜ ➝➞→➔→↔➣➟ ➠➡➓ ↕➣ ➢ ➣↕➤➥➞↕➜→ ➣➞➢➞→ ➦➡➢➜➧↕➓↔➟ ➣↕➨↔→➩ ➢ ➫→➞➞→➙ ➓➭ ↕↔➞→↔➞ ↕↔ ➫➢➞→ ➯➢↔➲➢➙➳ ➞➓ ➙➲↔ ➢➞ ➵↕➔↕➣↕➓↔ ➸ ➺↔↕➔→➙➣↕➞➳ ➓➭ ➸➩➢➡➓➻ tive as a sophomore and a senior and was second as a junior. His time last fall of 15:33 matched a state record set by Graf- funder a year earlier (Graf- funder’s record was in Class 3A/2A/1A, Stevens’ in 2A/1A). The time was also the second best in the ✙✔✎✔✖ ✏✖✍✎✏✓✣✖✙✙ ✑✤ ✗✣✎✙✙✌✚ - cation, topped only by 5A runner Evan Holland, of Ashland. Stevens has been just as good for the Leopards’ track team. He has won the 1A state champion- ship in the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs each of the last two years, and his time of 4:00.40 in the 1,500 at last year’s state championship was a 1A state meet record. The 3,000 state meet re- cord could be in danger this spring, too, as he was ✥✌✔✕✌☞ ✚✦✖ ✙✖✗✑☞✓✙ ✑✤ ✔✕✖ mark a year ago. He may have been run- ning circles around cof- fee tables at a young age, but he didn’t transition to running track until mov- ing to Cove in the seventh grade. Prior to that, he spent a lot of time playing soccer. But Stevens’ current teammate, Jack Silveira, helped turn him on to the sport during those middle school days. “He encouraged me to go out for track,” he said, adding soccer wasn’t in the picture at Cove due to the lack of a program. “(I) re- alized I like to run. People were telling me to go out for track.” It was around that time, too, that Stevens, who is a Christian, began to look at his running ability as a gift from God, and one he should put to use. “I don’t see any expla- nation other than it came from (God),” he said. “Ev- erything I have is a gift from God.” He didn’t want to waste it, either. “I heard other people talk about how they’ve been good at something, not used it and then lost it,” Stevens said. His ability to use that gift was tested during middle school and into his fresh- man year when he devel- oped Osgood-Schlatter ✓✌✙✖✎✙✖✢ ✥✕✌✗✕ ✌✙ ✓✖✚☞✖✓ on orthoinfo.aaos.org as See Stevens / Page 8A Dodd wins heptathlon at Forest Grove ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛ ✡➼➽➾➾ Paige Dodd claimed the top spot and Olivia Lane was third to lead a trio of athletes on the Eastern Ore- ✍✑☞ ✥✑✛✖☞í✙ ✔✏✎✗Û ✎☞✓ ✚✖✣✓ ✔✖✎✛ ✌☞ the heptathlon Monday and Tuesday at the Boxer Combined Event in For- est Grove. Dodd, who was an all-American in the pentathlon during the indoor sea- son, scored 4,503 points to win the sev- ✖☞Ý✓✌✙✗✌ë✣✌☞✖ ✖✦✖☞✔Þ î✕✖ ✚☞✌✙✕✖✓ ✎✕✖✎✓ of Corban’s Valerie Schmidt, who was second with 4,383 points, and Lane placed third with 4,247 points. ç✑✓✓ ✥✎✙ ✚✏✙✔ ✑✏ ✙✖✗✑☞✓ ✌☞ ✔✕✏✖✖ events, winning the high jump with a mark of 5-feet-3-1/4, and taking sec- ond in both the 100-meter hurdles (15.10 seconds) and the long jump (16-feet-11-1/8). Her highest-scoring event was the 100 hurdles, where she brought in 828 points. Dodd’s ✖✘✑✏✔ ✌☞ ✔✕✖ ✕✌✍✕ ï✒✛ë✢ ✥✕✌✗✕ ☞✖✔✔✖✓ her 747 points, gave her a lead she never relinquished. Dodd also achieved marks of 32- feet-1-3/4 in the shot put and 99-feet- 6-1/4 in the javelin, and times of 27.07 in the 200 and 2:35.97 in the 800. Lane hung between fourth and ninth throughout the event, but surged to third after winning the ðêê✢ ✔✕✖ ✚☞✎✣ ✖✦✖☞✔✢ ✥✌✔✕ ✎ ✔✌✛✖ of 2:22.25 and scoring 793 points. ñ✎☞✖í✙ ✑✔✕✖✏ ✔✑ë ✖✘✑✏✔ ✥✎✙ ✌☞ ✔✕✖ ✕✌✍✕ ï✒✛ë✢ ✥✕✖✏✖ ✙✕✖ ✚☞✌✙✕✖✓ ✌☞ ✎ tie for third with a height of 5-feet- 1-1/4. Lane added times of 16.27 in the 100 hurdles and 27.53 in the 200. She also had marks of 31-feet-4-1/4 in the shot put, 15-feet-9 in the long jump and 88-feet-5-1/4 in the javelin. See EOU / Page 8A The La Grande Tigers baseball team dropped ✌✔✙ ✚✏✙✔ ✔✕✏✖✖ ✍✎✛✖✙ ✑✤ ✔✕✖ Pride Classic Monday and Tuesday. All three games were played in either Phoenix, Arizona, or one of the city’s suburbs. ➚➪➶➹➪ ➘➪➴➷➪➴➬➹➪ ➮➱➪✃➬❐❒❮ ❰ÏÐ ✃➪ ➷➴➪➶ÑÒ Ó A late rally by La Grande fell short in its opener at the Pride Clas- sic as it fell to Santa Mar- garita. The Tigers never led, and were down 6-2 enter- ing the bottom of the sixth before staging a two-out rally. A walk and two hit batters loaded the bases, and Parker Robinson fol- lowed with a triple to drive in all three runners and make it a one-run game. Santa Margarita, though, put the game out of reach with four runs in the seventh inning. Wyatt Earp hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers drew no closer. La Grande managed just three hits — one each from Robinson, Earp and Brody Kincade — but took advantage of 10 walks and two errors by Santa Margarita to stay in the game. Isaac Zamora pitched four innings to take the ✣✑✙✙✢ ✎✣✣✑✥✌☞✍ ✚✦✖ ✏✒☞✙ Ô four earned — on six hits. He walked two batters and struck out four. ➱Õ➪➹❐➬Ò✃Ñ ➮➱Ö✃Ö❒❮ ❰ÏÐ ✃➪ ➷➴➪➶ÑÒ × Ø✕✎✔✚✖✣✓ ✙✗✑✏✖✓ ✙✌Ù straight runs — two in the fourth inning and four in ✔✕✖ ✚✤✔✕ Ô ✔✑ Ú✏✖✎Û ✎ ÜÝÜ tie and pull away for a win Tuesday morning. La Grande scored three times in the third on an error, a passed ball and an RBI single by Devin Bell to tie the score be- ✤✑✏✖ Ø✕✎✔✚✖✣✓ ✔✑✑Û ✑✘Þ Bell added a second RBI ✙✌☞✍✣✖ ✌☞ ✔✕✖ ✚✤✔✕ ✌☞☞✌☞✍ for the Tigers. La Grande hurt itself ✥✌✔✕ ✚✦✖ ✖✏✏✑✏✙ ✔✕✎✔ ✣✖✓ to seven unearned runs. Robinson pitched 3-1/3 ✌☞☞✌☞✍✙✢ ✎✣✣✑✥✌☞✍ ✚✦✖ runs, three earned, on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts. ➷➴ÒÒ➶ ➘Öß➶➹➪➬➶ ➮➱Ö✃Ö❒❮ àÐ ✃➪ ➷➴➪➶ÑÒ × á ✙✖✦✖☞Ý✏✒☞ ✚✤✔✕ ✌☞ - ning was La Grande’s un- doing in its second game Tuesday as Green Moun- ✔✎✌☞ ✏✎✣✣✌✖✓ ✔✑ Û☞✑✗Û ✑✘ La Grande. The Tigers had taken a 3-0 lead in the third in- ning when Justin Fred- ✧★✩✪✫ ✬✭✫ ✮ ✯✮✰ ✩✱✲✳✫✴✵ ✵✬✭✭✶ ✷✸✱✩ ✹★✸✷ ✰✮✹✺ ✻★✼✭ ✱✩ ✮✩✰ ✽✳✭✽✾ ★✸✫ ★✸✷ ✵✭✬✭✽✫✱★✩ ★✿ ✫★✶ ❀✸✮✬✱✫✹ ✼✮✫✫✷✭✵✵✭✵ ✵✸✷✭ ✫★ ✳✮❁✭ ✹★✸ ✽✮✫✽✳✱✩✲ ✼★✷✭❂❂❂ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❄ ❅❆ ❆❈ ❉❅❊❋● ❍■❏ ❑▲▼ ◆❖P◗◗❖ ❘❙ ❯P❙❱❲◗ ❳ ❨❩❬❭❪ ❫❴❵❛❩❬❬❜ ♥❝❞❡❢❣✐❥❡❦❧❞♥♠❡❧❞✐♦♥♣q♦❡❡❞✐❥❥rs❝q erick scored on an error and Zamora hit a two-run home run. But Green Mountain responded in a big way ✥✌✔✕ ✔✕✖ ✚✤✔✕Ý✌☞☞✌☞✍ ✑☞ - slaught highlighted by a three-run triple by Danny Wisor for a 6-3 lead. The lead eventually reached 9-3 before Casey Cornford hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth for La Grande to wrap up the scoring. Daniel Rogers pitched 1-1/3 innings in relief, al- lowing six runs on four hits. La Grande (2-5 overall) wraps up play at the Pride Classic today against George Washington (Calif.). Union/Cove softball splits two at John Day The Union/Cove Lady- cats softball team went âÝâ ✌☞ ✌✔✙ ✚✏✙✔ ✔✥✑ ✍✎✛✖✙ at the Grant Union Spring Break Invite Tuesday in John Day, defeating Sutherlin, 10-0, but los- ing to Clatskanie, 11-1. ß➶➬Ö➶ã➱ÖäÒ ❰ÏÐ ➚ß➹ÕÒ➴✃➬➶ Ï Callie Glenn tossed a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and was one of seven players to drive in runs as Union/Cove rolled over the Bulldogs. The Ladycats, already up 4-0, broke the game open with six runs in ✔✕✖ ✚✤✔✕Þ å✎æ✣✎✏ ç✎✍✍✖✔✔ hit an RBI single, Kylie Marriott followed with a two-run double and Ky- lie Bruce added an RBI double to make it 8-0. Kaylee Lantis then had an RBI groundout and Kaylin Nowak hit an RBI single to enforce the 10- run mercy rule. Marriott and Lantis both had two RBIs, and Glenn, Daggett and Bruce each scored twice. ➱✃➪➹➚è➪➶➬Ò ❰❰Ð ß➶➬Ö➶ã➱ÖäÒ ❰ The Ladycats managed just two hits against the Tigers, the top-ranked team in Class 3A. Clatskanie, which hit two home runs, jumped ✑✒✔ ✔✑ ✎ éÝê ✚✏✙✔Ý✌☞☞✌☞✍ lead. Union/Cove pulled within 5-1 in the third when Glenn scored on an error, but the Tigers responded with a run in ✔✕✖ ✤✑✒✏✔✕ ✎☞✓ ✚✦✖ ✌☞ ✔✕✖ ✚✤✔✕✢ ✗✎ëë✌☞✍ ✔✕✖ ✏✎✣✣æ with Shelby Blodgett’s two-run single. Glenn allowed 11 runs — eight earned — on nine ✕✌✔✙ ✌☞ ✚✦✖ ✌☞☞✌☞✍✙Þ Union/Cove (2-1 ✑✦✖✏✎✣✣ì ✚☞✌✙✕✖✙ ë✣✎æ ✌☞ John Day today against Rainier.