7A
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Monday, September 9, 2019
The Observer
Last-second touchdown lifts Mountaineers to first win
Observer staff
The Eastern Oregon University
football team found a way to win in
Ashland again.
This time, it took some last-
second heroics.
Kai Quinn shook off three fi rst-
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
half interceptions to throw for 270
yards and two touchdowns, includ-
ing the game-winning 4-yard score
to Saige Wilkerson with 10 seconds
remaining, and the Mountaineers
upset No. 20 Southern Oregon on
the road, 24-21, Saturday in Fron-
tier Conference play.
“The team showed a toughness
and family aspect that is special,
(and) we need to build on this,”
head coach Tim Camp said. “(We
need to) keep working on ways
to improve what and how we do
things.”
It was the second-straight time,
and fi fth time in the last seven
years, that EOU knocked off its
in-state rival on the road. The win
PREP FOOTBALL
also continued a trend in the small-
school Civil War, as the road team
j
is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.
Eastern led much of the after-
noon but fell behind 21-17 when
SOU’s Wyatt Hutchinson scored on
See Eastern / Page 9A
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
EOU volleyball
takes first loss
during road split
Observer staff
Ronald Bond/The Observer
La Grande’s Nathan Reed, center, breaks away for a 59-yard touchdown on the third play of the game Friday at
Community Stadium. The Tigers rolled over Pendleton, 36-14, in their season opener.
Tiger takedown
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
La Grande quarterback
Parker Robinson remem-
bered the feeling of last year’s
game against the Pendleton
Buckaroos.
“It felt like we let La
Grande down when we lost
last year,” the Tigers’ senior
said. “This year our main
focus was revenge.”
The Tigers got that revenge,
beating Pendleton for the
second time in three years.
“It’s our time. (The hard
work) showed today,” he said.
“We busted our butts the last
Ronald Bond/The Observer
three weeks.”
La Grande’s Blaine Shaw, right, recovers a Pendleton fumble at the goal line during
Robinson threw for 248
the fi rst quarter Friday night.
yards and three touchdowns
— two to Blaine Shaw — and
Nathan Reed added 131 yards ties on the offensive side it’s
Sweek, who had 161 yards
Alleged gun threat
rushing and a score in La
gonna be a long day for us,
passing, got the Buckaroos
reported following
Grande’s 36-14 victory Friday and we gave them that op-
on the board on offense in the
Friday contest
night at Community Stadium portunity.”
third on a 40-yard scoring
Toward the conclusion
in the season opening game
La Grande needed only
pass to Mathias Patrick. The
of Friday’s game, law
for both teams.
three rushing plays to score
score brought Pendleton
enforcement received a
“We executed. We tried to
on the fi rst drive of the game,
within 15, but that was as
report of a male subject
keep things a little tighter, but with Reed scoring from 59
close as the Bucks got, as
allegedly wearing a
like I said before, we’ve been
yards out for a quick 7-0 lead
Robinson and Shaw hooked
bulletproof vest and
working hard, we’ve got a
a minute into the game.
up for a 17-yard touchdown
carrying a handgun
lot of leadership,” La Grande
Pendleton’s fi rst points
early in the fourth for the fi nal
tucked in his jacket at
head coach Rich McIlmoil
came from the defensive
margin.
Community Stadium,
said. “The kids are coming
end, getting a safety and
McIlmoil credited the play
according to a press
together (and) we’re starting
then briefl y taking an 8-7
of his line on both sides of the
release from the Union
to click early this year.”
lead when Kason Broncheau
ball. The Tigers, who won the
County Sheriff’s Offi ce.
The contest saw La Grande scooped up a fumble and ran
battle in the trenches much of
The subject was quickly
rack up yards, both on the
it in from 13 yards midway
the night, racked up 182 yards
identifi ed after the call,
ground and through the air.
through the fi rst quarter.
on the ground to just 33 for
which came in about
The Tigers totaled 430 yards
It was all La Grande from
Pendleton.
9:30 p.m., and located at
of offense and took advantage that point.
“The defensive line and
his Union County home.
of extra opportunities given
On the next offensive play,
offensive line played great
Authorities concluded
by Pendleton, which turned it Robinson, who had fumbled
tonight,” McIlmoil said. “We’ve
the alleged bulletproof
over four times.
the ball on Broncheau’s score,
got some dudes that can
vest was a sweatshirt
“One thing we’ve been
launched an 85-yard touch-
straight up play.”
resembling a vest, and
talking about is trying to force
down pass to Josh Zollman.
Zollman fi nished as La
the alleged fi rearm was
more turnovers,” McIlmoil said. In the second quarter, he con-
Grande’s top receiver with the
a pocket tool in a black
It was those giveaways,
nected with Shaw for 43 yards big 85-yard TD catch. Shaw
case. An investigation
in fact, that Pendleton head
on a jump ball that Shaw
had 80 yards receiving and
concluded no legitimate
coach Erik Davis said hurt his caught in front of the defender also recovered a fumble and
threat was posed to
team.
inside the 5-yard-line before
grabbed an interception. Reed
citizens.
“We had opportunities. We’ll walking in.
added 43 yards receiving.
— Source: Union
go back and watch fi lm and
La Grande later collected
For Pendleton, Sweek was
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
take a look what we can do to
its own defensive touchdown
13-for-25 passing and added
get better. I think everything
when Gabe Shukle nabbed
35 yards rushing. Cooper
is fi xable, and that’s always a
an interception from Tanner
Roberts was 5-for-16 for 74
as Sweek and Roberts com-
positive,” Davis said. “We had
Sweek and took it the other
yards, but had minus-9 yards
bined to pass for 235 yards.
two turnovers inside the red
way 43 yards. A Chris Wood-
rushing. Both threw an inter-
Walker Camp added 49 yards
zone and a pick six. Those kill worth fi eld goal late in the
ception.
receiving.
you. (If) you give a team like
second quarter put La Grande
Pendleton’s primary source
The Tigers (1-0 overall)
(the Tigers) extra opportuni-
well in front at the half, 29-8.
of offense was through the air travel to The Dalles Friday.
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity’s unbeaten run to start
the season came to an end.
The 10th-ranked Moun-
taineers staved off an upset
bid by Northwest Christian
for a 20-25, 25-15, 25-12,
20-25, 15-12 win over the
Beacons Friday, but dropped
a match for the fi rst time
in 2019, falling to No. 19
Corban Saturday, 20-25, 27-
25, 25-21, 25-23. Both road
games were Cascade Colle-
giate Conference matchups.
EOU used a 5-1 run to
take control of the decisive
set Friday against NCU. A
Jet Taylor kill started the
rally, and a Cambree Scott
and Taylor Tibbetts block
capped it for a 6-2 lead.
NCU did get back within
two on three occasions, but
the Beacons pulled no closer
as Breanna Shaffer ended
the match for the Mountain-
eers with the fi nal of her
team-best 14 kills.
Shaffer was one of three
Mountaineers with double-
digit kills. Megan Bunn had
13 kills and also had 26
digs, and Scott had 11 kills
and seven block assists.
Kiley McMurtrey also had
26 digs on the EOU back
line. Madison Pilon posted
a career-best 47 assists and
added 17 digs and fi ve block
assists, and Aspen Chris-
tiansen had 13 digs.
EOU dominated the sec-
ond and third sets. A 7-0 run
gave Eastern the lead for
good in the second at 11-5
on a Scott and Pilon kill,
and an 8-1 run later pushed
the lead to 22-9 on a Hailee
Ackerman kill and a NCU
attack error.
A 9-2 run in the third put
the Mounties up 15-7 on
a Taylor kill, and Eastern
fi nished the set on a 8-2
run, which was started by a
Shaffer kill and ended on a
NCU attack error.
Cami Lingenfelder had
14 kills and 25 digs for the
Beacons, while Makenna
Northern had 42 assists
and 27 digs.
The Mountaineers’ perfect
start to the season was
stopped by Corban Saturday
as the Warriors took the
fi nal three sets.
EOU took the lead for
good in the fi rst with a 4-0
run, then ended the set on
a 5-2 run, capped with a
Taylor kill.
The Mountaineers
seemed on their way to a 2-0
lead when a Tibbetts kill put
them up 23-20. But Corban
rallied with a 5-1 run to take
the lead, and Cierra Leopol-
dino evened the match three
points later with an ace.
The teamed jockeyed for
the lead in the third before
Corban scored nine of the
fi nal 13 points to take the
set and a 2-1 lead on a kill
by Sarena Bartley.
The Mountaineers
seemed poised to grab the
fourth set and force a decid-
ing fi nale. The teams traded
leads fi ve times early, and
EOU went up 22-20, then
23-21, on two Bunn kills.
Corban, though, scored
the fi nal four points to take
the match. Cassie Cun-
ningham, who turned in
a match-best 17 kills, had
three kills in the fi nal rally,
including the fi nal two to
end the match.
Eastern was held to its
lowest kill percentage of
the season (0.099) and had
24 attack errors, a season-
worst. Bunn had 13 kills to
lead the offense and added
19 digs. Both Tibbetts and
Shaffer had nine kills, and
Taylor added eight block
assists while Tibbetts, Bunn
and Scott had five each.
McMurtrey led the team
with 22 digs. Pilon dished out
38 assists and had 19 digs,
Christiansen had 16 digs, and
Sade Williams added 12 digs.
EOU (11-1 overall, 1-1
CCC) visits Walla Walla
Tuesday to wrap up a
season-opening 13 match
road trip, then hosts College
of Idaho in its home opener
Thursday.
Eastern men slip
past No. 11 Lions
Observer staff
The Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity men’s soccer team
fi nally didn’t have to go to
overtime in a match.
Carlos Solorio and Mike
Dias each scored in the
game’s fi rst seven minutes,
and the Mountaineers
upset No. 11 Vanguard
(California) on the road,
2-0, Friday in Costa Mesa,
California, to stop a three-
match winless streak.
Solorio gave EOU the
lead for good just 2:03 into
the match with a goal, and
Dias scored in the seventh
minute for what ended up
MEN’S COLLEGE
SOCCER
being the fi nal margin in a
game EOU dominated. The
Mountaineers had 17 shots
in the contest compared
to just nine shots taken by
the Lions. Vanguard put
only one shot on goal in the
fi rst half, which Max Rose
stopped as the Moun-
taineers tallied their fi rst
shutout of the season.
EOU (2-2-1 overall) is off
until Sept. 20, when it trav-
els to Northwest Christian
in Eugene to begin Cascade
Collegiate Conference play.