7A
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Observer
Simpson leading as a ‘coach’ on field
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
The quarterback, in a
sense, is a coach on the
football fi eld — able to see
how the other team is lined
up and then discern what
play best suits his offense
in trying to break through
against a defense.
Elgin High School is, per-
haps, the Eastern Oregon
football team with a player
that best fi ts that descrip-
tion, as the Huskies’ quar-
terback and team leader,
senior Tristan Simpson, is
always analyzing how to
get Elgin’s high-powered
offense, which averages 58
points per game, in the best
position.
“We talk about differ-
ent strategies, how we
play against this (player or
team). He’s basically one of
my assistant coaches,” head
coach Jeff Rysdam said.
Simpson is constantly in
contact with teammates and
coaches and studying game
fi lm, looking for what Elgin
can do to attack its next
opponent.
“We text quite a bit talk-
ing about football,” Rysdam
said. “(Wednesday) night
we were adding some new
things to the offense.”
Simpson has also been
known to stay up late —
very late — talking with
some of his teammates
or his coach about fi lm.
Rysdam said during the
preseason he would at times
get texts from Simpson as
late as 2 a.m.
“I just really like the
sport,” Simpson said. “A lot
of my free time, if I’m not
doing anything I’m watch-
ing fi lm. I enjoy it. It makes
it a lot better when you are
actually in the game play-
ing. It helps you read the
defense or offense a whole
lot better.”
The QB said there have
been weekends he’s been up
even later communicating
with teammates.
“On the weekends, one
night that was the latest
was 3 in the morning,” he
said. “We fi nd it interesting.
It’s something fun to do, and
it helps studying (the other
team).”
Eastern
now at
No. 3 in
nation
Observer staff
Ronald Bond/Observer fi le photo
Elgin quarterback Tristan Simpson, right, is shown in a game earlier this season against Powder Valley. Simpson
has accounted for more than 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Huskies this fall.
The scenario plays out
during games too, as the
head coach and QB are often
discussing what plays to
run — each from his own
viewpoint.
“I’ll say something, we’ll
look at it and come to a com-
promise and run it,” Rysdam
said, adding that if Simpson
comes to him with a differ-
ent idea for a play call, he’s
likely to consider it. “I gotta
believe what they are seeing.
The QB is seeing something
completely different.”
The ability to read the
fi eld is just part of what
has made Simpson one of
the best quarterbacks in
Eastern Oregon and among
the best players to come
through Elgin in Rysdam’s
time on the coaching staff,
both as an assistant and a
head coach.
“He’s one of the top
athletes we’ve had over the
eight years I’ve been here,”
Rysdam said. “Gage Little,
Gavin Christiansen, Jaydon
McKay — (he) ranks right
up there with those three.”
Simpson has been the
Huskies’ starting quar-
terback his entire career,
stepping in as a freshman
to fi ll the void, Rysdam said,
when the team was seeking
a player to take snaps in
2016.
“We needed someone to
play the position. Tristan
walked up and said he
wanted to try it (and) threw
a pass that was on the
money,” the coach said. “He’s
taken off and it’s been his
team ever since.”
Simpson has emerged
into a tough-to-stop dual-
threat quarterback, able to
beat teams either with his
ability to scramble or when
Rysdam calls a running play
or a run-pass option, or with
his accurate arm and ability
to hit receivers in stride or
deep down fi eld.
His running ability, which
further opened his poten-
tial, wasn’t known until his
sophomore year.
“The fi rst time I realized I
could run the ball (well) was
our fi rst game against Pilot
Rock,” he said. “Ever since
then I have been improving
on my running and pass-
ing. This year I’m more of a
passer than a runner.”
On paper, though, he’s
still pretty balanced. The
senior has accounted for
1,623 yards of offense — 950
passing and 673 rushing
— and 26 total touchdowns
in barely more than fi ve
games.
Those numbers include
a sixth game on Oct 4. that
gave the Huskies a major
scare. Simpson went down
with what was feared to be
a possible season-ending
injury to his right thumb
midway through the fi rst
quarter of the Huskies’ loss
to Adrian/Jordan Valley.
But in the time he had been
in, Simpson had already
totaled 129 yards and two
touchdowns.
“At fi rst I thought it was
(broken), just because of the
way it felt,” Simpson said.
“Normally you can tell right
off the bat just by (how) your
body’s reacting.”
Simpson, though, didn’t
leave the Elgin sideline to
get his hand x-rayed until
after the game in order to
encourage his teammates
and give them pieces of
advice — no longer as the
on-fi eld coach but as another
coach on the sideline.
It showed the leadership
side that Rysdam said has
emerged in Simpson’s senior
year.
“He was trying to come
out of his shell last year and
be a vocal leader. He wasn’t
ready to step up yet. When
we had the 8-man football
camp (this summer), that
is when he stepped up,”
Rysdam said, citing as an
example Simpson’s ability
to work with players to help
get them in position.
The postgame x-ray
revealed a bad sprain, and
it didn’t cause Simpson to
miss any extra time. Elgin
had a bye week following
the injury, and Simpson was
able to ease back to form in
a win over Pine Eagle last
weekend by totaling 300
yards and six touchdowns.
With just a few games
remaining in his prep career,
Simpson is hoping to lead
Elgin on a deep playoff
run. The Huskies reached
the postseason last fall for
the fi rst time in a decade,
and — depending on how
the season ends — could
even be in position this year
to host a playoff game and
contend for their fi rst playoff
victory since 1993.
“I feel like we are capable
of going far, he said. “Re-
ally proud of our team and
how far we (have) come. I’m
looking forward to the state
playoffs.”
The Eastern Oregon
University volleyball team
continued its historic climb up
the NAIA coaches’ poll.
The Mountaineers as-
cended to No. 3 in the nation
Wednesday, the second time
this season EOU (23-1 over-
all), which leads the Cascade
Collegiate Conference, has
reached its highest ranking in
program history.
Eastern is close to the
top two teams as well. The
Mountaineers garnered 548
points in the poll, just 16 be-
hind No. 2 Missouri Baptist.
Northwestern (Iowa), the only
undefeated team remaining
in NAIA volleyball, is fi rst
with 591 points and 20 fi rst-
place votes.
EOU is joined in the poll by
CCC teams Southern Oregon
(ninth), Corban (12th) and
College of Idaho (21st).
EOU’s women’s soccer
team held steady at No. 11
as it heads into a crucial
showdown with CCC-leading
Northwest (Washington)
tonight. Eastern (6-1-1 CCC),
which is currently third in
the CCC, is in need of a win
to stay with the Eagles (8-0
CCC), as a loss would almost
assuredly end its conference
title hopes, and a tie would
put a damper on them.
The Mountaineers continue
to be the lone CCC team in
the top 25.
The EOU women’s basket-
ball team debuted at No. 8 in
the NAIA Division II pre-
season coaches’ poll, up one
spot from where it fi nished
the 2018-19 season.
Eastern Oregon is coming
off a 29-4 season that saw it
reach the second round of the
NAIA national tournament.
Joining EOU in the top 25
from the CCC are No. 14 Cor-
ban and No. 21 Oregon Tech.
Tigers
put 7-0
Badgers rally late, hand Pilot Rock first loss mark on
the line
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
The Powder Valley Badgers football team ral-
lied from a 10-point fourth-quarter defi cit to pick
up their biggest win of the season, scoring the
fi nal 22 points to upset previously unbeaten Pilot
Rock/Nixyaawii, 48-36, Thursday in a nonleague
contest at Community Stadium in La Grande.
“It was really fun,” Badgers head coach Josh
Cobb said. “We knew we could play with most
people, and it fi nally came together tonight.”
The Badgers fell behind 36-26 in the third
quarter when Rockets’ quarterback Tanner
Corwin, who threw for 324 yards and four touch-
downs, hit on a 43-yard scoring strike to Logan
Weinke with 4:48 to play in the quarter.
But Powder Valley dominated the fi nal quarter.
Reece Dixon, who threw for 251 yards and four
scores, connected with Roper Bingham for 85-
yard touchdown to make a two-point game with
7:03 to play in the game.
The duo hooked up again three minutes later
— this time on a 51-yard pass — for Powder Val-
ley’s fi rst lead, 40-36, with four minutes to go.
“Once we decided that we were going to get our
heads up and play well (and) we got a few things
rolling, it just kept going for us,” Bingham said.
Cobb said the team having matchups against
high-ranked teams in previous weeks benefi tted
his team in the fourth.
“Three out of the last four weeks, we’ve played
teams ranked in the top 10, and we had to play
the entire fourth quarter. We know how to play all
the way through the game,” he said.
Dixon, who also rushed for 250 yards and three
Ronald Bond/The Observer
Reece Dixon accounted for 501 yards of
offense and seven total touchdowns in the
Badgers’ come-from-behind 48-36 win over
Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii Thursday night.
touchdowns, iced the game with 1:28 to play with
an 80-yard run for the fi nal margin.
“We knew we had more talent than they did.
We had confi dence that we knew we could beat
them and we played well,” Bingham said.
The fi nish capped not only a 10-point fourth-
quarter comeback, but a rally from 14 points
down after one quarter for the Badgers. An 83-
yard TD pass from Corwin to Tyasin Burns and a
9-yard Corwin to Weinke TD gave the Rockets a
14-0 lead after one.
The Badgers chipped away on the ground, with
touchdown runs of 5 and 81 yards by Dixon get-
ting Powder Valley going in the second quarter.
He later connected with Bingham for their fi rst
TD of the game — this one another big strike of
84 yards — to bring the Badgers within 22-20
late in the second quarter.
“Roper came on strong,” Cobb said. “He’s fast.
I didn’t think they could stay with him, and his
hands were incredible tonight. Of course, Reece
threw pretty good footballs tonight as well, but
Roper got open. With Roper running the deep
ball, it left the middle open for Reece.”
The Badgers trailed at halftime, 28-20, but
again got within two, at 28-26, in the third quar-
ter on a 17-yard TD catch by Kaden Krieger.
Bingham fi nished with the three touchdown
receptions and 220 yards through the air. Clay
Martin added 83 yards rushing, and Ethan Ste-
phens had 47 yards on the ground. Stephens also
intercepted Corwin twice.
Weinke fi nished with 10 catches for 220 yards
for the Rockets. Burns added 167 yards rushing
and a touchdown, and 121 yards receiving as the
teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of
offense.
The Badgers (5-3 overall) face Enterprise in the
opening game of the Special District 3 playoffs
Nov. 1 at Community Stadium.
Observer staff
The La Grande Tigers
head into Saturday’s regular
season fi nale as the No. 2
ranked team in the Class
4A coaches’ poll, and have
an opportunity to clinch an
undefeated regular season
and outright Greater Oregon
League title when it hosts
No. 9 Baker Saturday at
Community Stadium in a re-
match of their Oct. 4 contest.
La Grande won the fi rst
matchup in Baker, 34-21,
in what to date has been
the closest matchup for the
Tigers this season. Baker has
been the only team to score
more than two touchdowns
on La Grande this season,
and the only team to stay
within two touchdowns of
the Tigers. La Grande’s other
six victories have come by
an average score of 50.8-8.3.
Overall, the Tigers have the
No. 1 ranked offense in class
4A at 48.4 points per game,
and the No. 2 ranked defense
at 10.1 points allowed per
game.
See Football / Page 8A