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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2021)
SPORTS 6A — THE OBSERVER SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2021 Mountaineers fall in national quarterfi nals The Observer SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Eastern Oregon University volleyball’s season came to a close Thursday afternoon, April 29, in the National Association of Intercolle- giate Athletics Women’s Volleyball Championship quarterfi nals in Sioux City, Iowa. The No. 8 Mountain- eers fell in three straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-21) to the No. 1 University of Jamestown Jimmies. EOU fi nishes the season with a 19-2 record. Eastern punched its ticket to bracket play on Wednesday, taking down Central Methodist Univer- sity in straight sets (25-18, 25-12, 25-12) before facing off with Jamestown. The Jimmies (30-1) hit .29 and held the Moun- taineers’ hitting to .19 en route to Thursday’s sweep, according to a report from EOU Athletics. Eastern fi nished with 46 kills, however, just one behind Jamestown, which also had a 5-3 edge in blocks and put up three service aces, while the Mountaineers had none. Both teams posted dou- ble-fi gure kills in each set, but the Jimmies were able to hit over .300 in two of Alan Reed/Eastern Oregon University Athletics Eastern Oregon University’s Madison Pilon (4) and Cambree Scott (12) battle at the net against a University of Jamestown defender Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Sioux City, Iowa, during the quarterfi nals of the NAIA volleyball championship. No. 8 EOU lost in three straight sets to the No. 1 Jimmies. Pilon, a senior, dished out a match-high 37 assists and was one dig shy of a double-double at nine. She fi nished her volleyball play at EOU with 80 straight matches with double-digit assists. the three sets, compared to just one by the Mountain- eers. In the opening frame, the two squads combined for 31 kills. EOU hit .343 in the opener, while James- town hit .375 to start 1-0. EOU led 12-9 in the fi rst set, but the Jimmies battled back and tied the match at 15-all and 16-all. James- town created enough sep- aration down the stretch to secure the 25-22 win. The Mountaineers in the second set took a 5-2 lead and managed to go up 10-4. But Jamestown’s off ense went on a 6-1 run to grab its fi rst lead of the frame at 15-13. EOU trailed 17-14 before a Sade Williams kill and two Jamestown errors knotted the score at 17-17. The Jimmies went on a 4-0 run against the Mountain- eers to jump ahead 21-17 before walking away with the 25-20 win. The third set was similar in its start to the fi rst, as the two squads traded points in the early onset. EOU tied the game 5-5, but that would be the closest the team would come to a lead. It was a 20-15 con- test late in the set before Eastern made one fi nal push at a comeback. The Mountaineers scored four straight points to get within one at 20-19, with Mad- ison Morgan accounting for three of the four points. The late push was not enough, and Jamestown won 25-21. Head coach Kaki McLean Morehead in the report noted the team’s dis- appointment with Thurs- day’s outcome. “I know how good this team is and for us to not play at that high of a level was tough,” according to McLean Morehead. “That being said, I am proud of what the team did here this week and all season. That’s all any coach wants is their team to compete at a high level day in and day out. We did that, and I am excited for what is to come next season.” Harley Creech signs with weightlifting competitor La Grande High School/Contributed Photo La Grande High School senior Harley Creech of Cove signs with Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, in this recent photo. She is is joining the Bears’ weightlifting team, which in its fi rst year of competition won the 2021 USA Weightlifting National Univer- sity Championships in March in Salt Lake City. Creech placed sixth in December 2020 at the National Youth Championships after taking up the sport less than a year earlier. Local sports schedule SATURDAY, MAY 1 PREP BASEBALL La Grande at Baker/Powder Valley, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. Grant Union/Prairie City at Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa/Elgin, 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. PREP SOFTBALL Vale at La Grande, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. Echo/Stanfi eld at Enterprise/Wallowa/Joseph, 12 p.m., 2 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Lewis-Clark at EOU, 12 p.m., 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Bett ing millions on QBs who can turn clubs around By JIM LITKE Associated Press Last season wasn’t just the strangest in the 100 years of pro football, it was also the highest-scoring by almost any measure — average score, total points and passing touchdowns. And because the NFL is a copycat league, you didn’t have to be a general manager, scout or even Mel Kiper Jr. to make an edu- cated guess about how Day 1 of the draft would unfold. Commissioner Roger Goodell was on stage in Cleveland along with a dozen top prospects, and the selections made clear that tossing the pigskin around the NFL is in like never before. Quarterbacks occupied the top three slots and fi ve of the fi rst 15. Clemson’s Trevor Law- rence went to Jacksonville; BYU’s Zach Wilson to the New York Jets, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance to San Francisco. Receivers fi lled the next three slots, and totaled fi ve among the 32 picks. Most every selection after that — weighted toward cornerbacks, edge rushers and left tackles, who protect the QB’s blind side — was designed to make life harder or easier for those fi rst two groups to play pitch and catch. There’s increasingly scant rewards for rushing the football compared to throwing it these days. That’s why only two running backs and one guard made the cut in the fi rst round. The NFL and its draft have been heading in this direction for nearly two decades. Rule changes made it easier for high- fl ying off enses to operate, while cutting down on the brain-rattling hits that made the game hard to watch without wincing. Why build a team patiently when a great quarterback can turn a franchise around on a dime? We saw 43-year-old Tom Brady turn the trick in Tampa last season, and 24-year-old Josh Allen nearly do it in Buff alo. Small wonder the clubs’ brain trusts are more willing than ever to risks millions in search of the next one. Some were skeptical whether Wilson, who grew up in Utah, could do that. They quickly learned one thing Wilson doesn’t lack is confi dence. EOU at Oregon Tech, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Pacifi c at EOU, 1 p.m. MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Pacifi c at EOU, 3 p.m. SUNDAY, MAY 2 COLLEGE BASEBALL Lewis-Clark at EOU, 11 a.m. MONDAY, MAY 3 PREP BOYS TENNIS Nyssa at La Grande, 4 p.m. PREP GIRLS TENNIS Nyssa at La Grande, 4 p.m. PREP BOYS GOLF Baker/Powder Valley and La Grande at Ontario (times TBD) TUESDAY, MAY 4 PREP BASEBALL Weston-McEwen at Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa/Elgin, 2 p.m. Baker/Powder Valley at Ontario, 4 p.m. PREP SOFTBALL Ontario at Baker/Powder Valley, 3 p.m. AFFORDABLE HOUSING Viridian Management, Inc. is a full-service property management company that specializes in affordable housing. To learn more about the selection criteria for these properties, or apply online, visit www.viridianmgt.com. Property Name Clover Glen Property Type ELD62+/DISABLED Bdrms 1-2 Address 2212 Cove Ave, La Grande OR Phone Number 541-963-0906 Cove Ave Apartments FAMILY 1-3 1906 Cove Ave, La Grande OR 541-963-0906 Highland View FAMILY 1-3 801 N 15th, Elgin OR 541-398-1737 La Grande Plaza I FAMILY 2-3 703-5 12th St, La Grande OR 541-805-5036 La Grande Plaza II FAMILY 2-3 713 12th St, La Grande OR 541-805-5036 La Grande Retirement Apartments ELD62+/DISABLED Studio, 1 1612 7th St, La Grande OR 541-805-5036 Leisure Way Apartments FAMILY 1-2 203 N Storie, Wallowa OR 541-426-6474 Leisure Way Too ELD62+/DISABLED 1-2 207 N Storie, Wallowa OR 541-426-6474 Mountain Crest Apartments FAMILY 1-2 607 SW Second St., Enterprise OR 541-426-6474 Park Street ELD62+/DISABLED 1-2 603 Silver St, Enterprise OR 541-426-6474 Pinehurst Apartments FAMILY 1-2 1502 21st St, La Grande OR 541-963-9292 Thunderbird Apartments FAMILY 1-3 245 SW 5th, Pendleton OR 541-276-0416 UCSL-Emily Drive ELD62+/DISABLED 1-2 10700 Emily Dr, Island City OR 541-963-9292 UCSL-Mallard Heights ELD62+/DISABLED 1-2 870 N 15th #25, Elgin OR 541-398-1737 UCSL-Ramo Flat ELD62+/DISABLED 1-2 1091 S Main St, Union OR 541-963-0906 Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braile, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8330. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. T This institution is an equal opportunity provider. er . .