Sports
7A
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Th e Observer
Pac-12
aims to
strengthen
wrestling
ENTERPRISE TRACK AND FIELD
Mid-Valley Media
tured Ransom handing the baton off
to me. Being able to do that at state
was something very special to me. I’ll
never forget it.”
The brothers each started competing
in track in seventh grade and are part
of a track-running family. Their father,
Justin, older sister, Hero, and younger
sister, Mercy, all are runners. And
their mom, Kara, while not a trackster,
played basketball and softball.
“We’ve defi nitely got some athletic
blood in our family history,” Jericho
said.
The older brother, who is a three-
sport athlete, tried track after realizing
the speed he had on the football fi eld.
He quickly learned sprints would be
his forte, and having that knowledge
SAN FRANCISCO — The
Pac-12 Conference announced
Thursday, June 3, a series of mea-
sures to strengthen and grow the
sport of wrestling in the confer-
ence, including an initiative to add
members to its wrestling ranks
beyond the current membership of
six programs for the fi rst time in
more than a decade.
With the recent reinstate-
ment of the Stanford program, the
Pac-12 is committed to building
upon the foundation of success
earned this past season, which
included an individual NCAA
champion, a fourth-place team
fi nish at the NCAA champion-
ships and eight All-American
honors.
The decision to seek additional
wrestling members represents a
signifi cant commitment to both
bolster competitive opportunities
and success for Pac-12 wrestling
student-athletes, and strengthen
collegiate wrestling on the West
Coast.
To support the growth of
Pac-12 wrestling, the confer-
ence recently adjusted some of its
wrestling policies, including the
following:
• The conference eliminated a
restriction that capped the number
of wrestling affi liates to the min-
imum number needed to keep
NCAA AQ status.
• The conference approved a
policy change that will allow affi l-
iate members to host the confer-
ence championships in future
years.
• The conference approved the
hiring of an offi cials assigner for
conference matches and the con-
ference championships, starting
with the 2021-22 academic year.
• The conference will estab-
lish a wrestling schedule rotation
so as to evenly balance home and
away matches during the confer-
ence season.
It is the hope of the conference
and its wrestling members that
this eff ort will not only lead to
more wrestling affi liates but will
also help create additional interest
See, Brothers/Page 8A
See, Wrestling/Page 8A
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain
Enterprise’s Jericho Peters, left, takes off after receiving the baton from his brother, Ransom Peters, during the 4x100 relay at the 2A state track
meet in Union on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Running together in the state track meet was one of the highlights of the season for Jericho, a senior, and
Ransom, a freshman.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Enterprise brothers enjoy lone track season together
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
E
NTERPRISE — They had an
opportunity to run together
during the 2A state track meet
in Union. The younger brother
even handed the baton to the elder
during the 4x100-meter relay that day.
One would think that would be the
icing on the cake in a track season —
especially in a pandemic-riddled year.
Yet that wasn’t the highlight of the
2021 track season for Enterprise’s
Peters brothers — senior Jericho and
freshman Ransom.
Rather, the top moment for both
was when each set a personal best in
the same heat in a race in Milton-Free-
water in May — the 100-meter dash.
Jericho ran a time of 11.24 sec-
onds — one that topped his dad’s fam-
ily-best time of 11.3 in the event —
and Ransom turned in a time of 11.72.
Jericho won the race that day, with
Ransom placing fourth.
“Having that competition to drive
us both was a lot of fun, and defi nitely
the highlight for me,” Jericho said.
“I was so happy,” Ransom added. “I
never imagined I could run an 11 my
freshman year.”
That’s not to say the race at state
May 22 in Union wasn’t memorable.
The duo ran the fi rst two legs to
help Enterprise place fourth in the race
that day. It was part of an eff ort that
led to the Outlaws taking third overall
in the state meet.
“For me it was really great,” Jer-
icho said. “I have always enjoyed being
able to compete with Ransom. We did
it in football this year. I’ve always pic-
SPORTS BRIEFING
Former OSU receiver back
on College Football Hall of
Fame ballot for 2022
CORVALLIS — Former
Oregon State wide receiver Mike
Hass earned a spot on the 2022
College Football Hall of Fame
ballot, it was announced last week.
Hass was also on the 2020 ballot
but didn’t receive enough votes to
be inducted.
Hass, who played for the Bea-
vers from 2002-05, started his
career as a walk-on, mostly playing
special teams as a freshman. But he
broke out in his sophomore season,
snagging 44 receptions for more
than 1,000 yards and racking up
seven touchdowns.
His success only increased in
his fi nal two seasons at Oregon
State. As a junior, he nearly dou-
bled his reception total from the
prior season with 86 catches. He
hauled in seven more touchdowns
while accumulating 1,379 yards.
In Hass’ senior season, he
recorded 90 receptions for 1,532
yards and scored six touchdowns
on his way to winning the Bilet-
nikoff Award as college football’s
most outstanding receiver. Hass
was also named as a fi rst-team
All-American by ESPN and par-
ticipated in the East-West Shrine
Game, an event for top players
across the country.
Hass fi nished his time at Oregon
State ranking third in career
receiving yards with 3,924. He
also became the fi rst Oregon State
receiver to record three 1,000-yard
seasons in a row.
Hass was drafted by the New
Orleans Saints in the 6th round of
the 2006 NFL draft but appeared in
only two games.
But now, Hass has another
chance at being selected into
the College Football Hall of
Fame to recognize his heralded
career. The induction class will
be announced in “early 2022,”
according to a release.
EOU hosting
youth skills camp
LA GRANDE — The Eastern
Oregon University men’s basket-
ball program will be hosting its
fi rst summer camp of 2021.
The Mountaineers’ youth skills
camp is set for June 16-18 and is
open to students in fi rst through
eighth grade. The camp will run
from 9 a.m. until noon inside
Quinn Coliseum. The three-day
camp will feature players from
the Mountaineer men’s squad
and focus on fundamentals, skill
development and competitions.
On the last day of camp there
will be a full-court game that par-
ents may attend.
Cost to register for the camp is
$75 per player. All students who
participate in the camp must wear
a mask while inside the gym. In
order to attend the camp, students
must fi ll out the Eastern Oregon
University consent form. The form
can be fi lled out prior to arriving
at the camp or on the day of.
For more information or any
questions, contact Head Coach
Chris Kemp at ckemp@eou.edu or
480-861-5118.
— The Observer
SPORTS SHORT
Kidd removes himself from consideration for Trail Blazers job
By AARON FENTRESS
The Oregonian
PORTLAND — Los Angeles
Lakers assistant coach Jason
Kidd has removed his name from
consideration for the vacant head
coaching position with the Port-
land Trail Blazers, according to
a report from ESPN’s Adrian
Wojnarowski.
“Portland’s a fi rst-class orga-
nization and will have great can-
didates … but I’ve decided not
to be one of them,” Kidd said,
according to Wojnarowski.
A report from Yahoo Sports
on Friday, June 4, said Blazers
star Damian Lillard identifi ed
Kidd as someone he would want
to see replace Terry Stotts.
Stotts and the franchise mutu-
ally agreed to part ways after
nine seasons.
Kidd, a hall of fame point
guard and former 10-time All-
Star, has solid head coaching
experience with stints at
Brooklyn and Milwaukee (183-
190 combined record) but also a
sordid past.
Kidd pleaded guilty to
domestic violence in 2001 fol-
lowing an incident in which
he slapped his ex-wife during
an argument. His ex-wife,
during 2007 divorce proceed-
ings, alleged numerous counts
of abuse. Kidd, who fi led for
divorce, claimed he was abused
in the relationship.
Four other candidates have
emerged as potential replace-
ments for Stotts: Juwan Howard,
Chauncey Billups, Jeff Van
Gundy and Mike D’Antoni.
Kevin C. Cox/Associated Press, File
Los Angeles’ LeBron James (23) talks with Jason Kidd during Game 4 of the Lak-
ers’ fi rst-round playoff series against Portland on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Lake
Buena Vista, Florida.