7A
Friday, November 1, 2019
The Observer
Nats win first title
Ronald Bond/The Observer
Powder Valley’s Brooke Allen, left, was named Old Oregon League player of the year.
David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
Washington Nationals catcher Yan Gomes celebrates with the trophy after Game 7
of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday in Houston.
Allen named OOL POY
By Ronald Bond
By Ben Walker
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — Stephen Strasburg parad-
ed the MVP trophy for delirious fans packed
behind the dugout. Max Scherzer tearfully
hugged his teammates. Gerardo Parra did
the Baby Shark chop, Sean Doolittle fl apped
snow angels next to the mound.
Almost out of contention in May, champs
in October.
Howie Kendrick, Anthony Rendon and
the Washington Nationals completed their
amazing comeback journey — fi ttingly with
one last late rally on the road.
In Game 7 of the World Series, no less.
Kendrick and Rendon homered in the
seventh inning as the Nationals overcame a
two-run defi cit, rocking the Houston Astros
6-2 Wednesday night to win the fi rst title in
franchise history.
With all eyes on Scherzer and his remark-
able recovery after a painkilling injection,
these Nationals truly embraced their shot
in the only Series when the road team won
every game.
Even more against the odds: Juan Soto
and Washington came from behind to win
fi ve elimination games this postseason, an
unprecedented feat.
“What a story,” said Ryan Zimmerman,
the only player who’s been a part of every
Nationals team.
“The way this game went is the way our
whole season went.”
Strasburg, new lefty Patrick Corbin and
the Nats brought the fi rst World Series
championship to the nation’s capital since ol’
Walter Johnson delivered the crown for the
Senators in 1924.
This franchise started out as the Mon-
treal Expos in 1969 when the major leagues
expanded beyond the border, putting a team
with tricolor caps at jaunty Jarry Park. They
moved to D.C. in 2005, ending Washing-
ton’s three-decade-plus wait for big league
baseball after the Senators skipped town to
become the Texas Rangers.
But the incredible path these wild-card
Nationals with the curly W logo took, well, no
one could have imagined.
Because in one topsy-turvy week, they put
aside the pain of past playoff failures and
upended heavily favored Houston. Quite an
ending to a season that began back in Febru-
ary with the Nationals and Astros working
out side-by-side at the spring training com-
plex they share in Florida.
“Resilient, relentless bunch of guys,”
manager Dave Martinez said. “They fought
all year long.”
Having lost star slugger Bryce Harper in
free agency and beset by bullpen woes, Wash-
ington plummeted to 19-31 in late May. It got
so bad there was talk the Nationals might
fi re Martinez and trade away Scherzer.
Instead, they stuck with the mantra that
sprung up on T-shirts — Stay In The Fight.
“That was our motto,” Scherzer said.
And months later they fi nished it, indeed.
Shut out on one hit by Zack Greinke going
into the seventh, they still found a way to
win.
“Guess what? We stayed in the fi ght. We
won the fi ght!” Martinez shouted during the
trophy celebration on the fi eld.
“We were down and out. We were 19-31.
We didn’t quit then, we weren’t going to quit
now,” he said.
Strasburg earned the World Series MVP
See Nationals / Page 8A
EOU women surge to 12th
Observer staff
The Eastern Oregon women’s cross coun-
try team picked up its highest ranking in
seven years, surging to No. 12 in the nation
in the NAIA coaches’ poll, which came out
Thursday.
The Mountaineers, who jumped from No.
23 to the cusp of the top 10, have their high-
est ranking since 2012 when they reached
as high as 11th in the nation, according to
the NAIA website.
EOU, which picked up 364 points in
the poll, is one of four Cascade Collegiate
Conference teams in the top 20, trailing
No. 3 College of Idaho and No. 9 Southern
Oregon, but ahead of No. 18 Oregon Tech.
The EOU men’s team remained in the top
25, but dropped four spots to No. 23 Thursday.
The same four teams from the CCC are
in the rankings on the men’s side, with No.
2 College of Idaho, No. 5 Southern Oregon
and No. 17 Oregon Tech also in the poll with
EOU, which picked up 183 points.
The EOU women’s soccer team, which
has been in the rankings all season and has
spent time in the top 10, fell out of the top
25 on Wednesday after suffering a loss to
CCC leader Northwest.
The Observer
The Powder Valley Bad-
gers volleyball team lost six
seniors from the 2018 state
runner-up squad, but it was
still able to run the table in
the Old Oregon League and
enter the state playoffs with
a 31-1 record — that only
loss coming to 4A La Grande.
Brooke Allen played a
major role in the Badgers’
success, and the junior setter
was named league player of
the year for her efforts — one
of three Badgers who made
the all-OOL team.
“Brooke is a super dedicat-
ed young lady on and off the
court,” head coach Marji Lind
said. “She remains positive
the whole time, she brings
energy the whole time, and
she’s a really well-rounded
player. From the serving to
the setting to the digging to
the swinging, she has a high
work ethic and commitment
to the whole entire system.
She was deserving.”
Allen said she was excited
about receiving the award,
especially considering she
didn’t think there was any
hardware coming her way
when the awards were an-
nounced following the Old
Oregon League tournament
last weekend.
“I thought I didn’t get any-
thing because it was the last
one (named),” she said. “My
coach looked at me and said
(jokingly), ‘Sorry, didn’t look
like you made the cut this
year’ (before being named).’
I was super happy when I
got it.”
Allen had to step into a
key role for the Badgers not
only as a setter, but as one of
the team leaders for a squad
that now boasts just two
seniors and is largely juniors
and freshmen.
“Last year we had six
seniors, and they were the
main captains,” she said.
“This year I was a captain, so
I always tried to be loud, lift
Ronald Bond/The Observer
Sabrina Albee was a fi rst-team all-OOL award recipient
for Joseph, which took second in the league.
the team up, and I’ve been
playing for a long time.”
Allen said a key for her
on the court is “being really
energetic and positive all
the time, (yet being) relaxed.
(I) don’t let things get in my
head (and) try to keep my
composure.”
Lind said Allen stepped up
as a leader from the begin-
ning of the season.
“We lost some great players
last year. All the girls met this
summer and said, ‘It’s now our
turn to fi ll those shoes,’ and
they did,” Lind said. “Brooke
was one of the fi rst who said, ‘I
will take on whatever role you
ask of me,’ and she has poured
herself into it.”
Along with Allen on the
fi rst team for the Badgers
were middle blocker Belle
Blair and libero Bailey Cole.
Outside hitter Keanna Bing-
ham and right-side hitter
Josi Krieger were named to
the second team to round out
the Badger award winners.
The Wallowa Cougars,
who won 21 regular season
matches and qualifi ed for
the state playoffs, had three
athletes named all-league,
including two on the fi rst
team. Senior setter Ashlyn
Young and senior middle
blocker Jamie Johnston were
selected to the fi rst team,
and junior outside hitter
Shanna Rae Tillery garnered
a second-team selection.
The Joseph Eagles, who
fi nished the season with
10 wins in their fi nal 12
matches to get to 16 wins
in the regular season and
earn a playoff berth, saw two
players recognized, as junior
outside hitter Sabrina Albee
was a fi rst-team all-league
performer and senior Ca-
mille Crenshaw was selected
to the second team.
The Imbler Panthers saw
four players gain notice,
including two fi rst-team
award winners in junior
setter Rylee Deal and junior
outside hitter Aspen Smith.
Junior libero Anika Mc-
Donald was a second-team
all-league choice, and junior
outside hitter Erin Coston
was honorable mention.
The Panthers, who won
11 games — including eight
in league play despite not
having a senior — also saw
head coach Jennifer Teeter
earn the league coach of the
year award.
See All-OOL / Page 8A
Swim club success at Spooktacular
Observer staff
The La Grande Swim Club held
its annual Spooktacular swim meet
Saturday and Sunday at Veterans’
Memorial Pool in La Grande.
As a team, the La Grande girls
took fi rst with 1,581 points, and the
boys were third with 588.5 points.
La Grande’s combined score of 588.5
points was good for second overall.
Listed are the individual race win-
ners for La Grande Swim Club:
Brianna Stadler, girls 15 and older
100-yard freestyle (57.02), girls 15
and older 200 butterfl y (2:18.71),
girls 15 and older 400 individual
Courtesy photo medley (4:48.23), girls 15 and older
Sisters Chloe (age 14), Rinnah (10), Willow (6), and Hannah Lynch 100 butterfl y (1:01.56), girls 15 and
(7) all took part in the Spooktacular swim meet for the La Grande older 200 IM (2:21.64), girls 15 and
Swim Club last weekend.
older 100 backstroke (1:02.54), girls
15 and older 200 freestyle (2:05.57),
girls and older backstroke (2:12.99).
Zane Ricker, boys 11-12 100
freestyle (54.55), boys 11-12 400 IM
(4:55.78), boys 11-12 50 freestyle
(25.75), boys 11-12 200 freestyle
(2:04.45), boys 11-12 500 freestyle
(5:28.74).
Rinnah Lynch, girls 9-10 50
breaststroke (39.59), girls 9-10 100
breaststroke (1:28.67), girls 9-10
200 freestyle (2:26.83), girls 9-10 50
backstroke (36.00).
Dominic Wheeler, boys 8 and un-
der 25 butterfl y (23.88), boys 8 and
under 50 butterfl y (57.00).
Amelia Koza, girls 8 and under 25
backstroke (20.82), girls 8 and under
50 breaststroke (52.07).
Sarah Koza, girls 13-14 200
breaststroke (2:39.19), girls 13-14
400 IM (5:01.91).
Kennedy Kruse, girls 15 and older
500 freestyle (5:53.22).
Romayne Ricker, girls 15 and
older 100 breaststroke (1:12.54).
Tim Koza, boys 15 and older 200
breaststroke (2:25.78).
Girls 10 and under 100 medley
relay (Callie Fox, Amelia Zamora,
Rinnah Lynch, Hannah Lynch,
1:22.58).
Girls 13 and over 200 medley
relay (Brianna Stadler, Romayne
Ricker, Sarah Koza, Kennedy Kruse,
1:58.39).
Girls 13 and over 200 freestyle
relay (Kennedy Kruse, Elizabeth
Zamora, Brianna Stadler, Sarah
Koza, 1:53.06).