SPORTS
A6 — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021
Mountaineers bringing in reinforcements
Eastern Oregon
football recruits
look to make their
mark in 2021
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Foot-
ball is right around the
corner for Eastern Oregon
University.
Following an altered
2020 spring season in
which the Mountaineers
went 3-1 and won a share
of the Frontier Conference
title, Eastern has a new
group of recruits joining the
team. Ten true freshmen
signed national letters of
intent to join the roster for
this coming fall season
and look to build upon
the team’s recent success.
With fall camps starting in
August, the recruits will
offi cially begin their colle-
giate careers at Eastern next
month.
“We were specifi c in
recruiting addressing team
needs and making sure we
bring in Eastern Oregon
kind of guys,” head coach
Tim Camp said in a press
release.
The overall list of 2021
recruits is currently based
on the NAIA National
Signing Day results and
is subject to change as
walk-ons join the program.
Stacking the off ensive,
defensive lines
Out of the 10 recruits,
seven have experience
playing on the off ensive or
defensive lines during their
high school careers. Nearly
every recruit in this year’s
class played both sides of
the ball in high school,
giving the Eastern staff ver-
satility within the roster.
The Mountaineers
secured two defensive
The Oregonian, File
Quarterback Tristan Lee drops back in the pocket during a game for
Mazama High School in the 2020 season. Following a prep career in
three sports, Lee is signed to play football for Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity next season.
linemen from Banks High
School who will look to
battle in the trenches for
years to come. Ramsey
Hering and Tyler Exline are
both three-year letter win-
ners who guided Banks to
an OSAA 4A state cham-
pionship in 2018 and a run-
ner-up fi nish at state in
2019, when the Braves lost
to La Grande.
Hering, a 6-foot-2 defen-
sive lineman weighing in at
265 pounds, brings excep-
tional size to EOU. Based
off of last season’s mea-
surements, Hering would
already clock in as one of
Eastern’s biggest defensive
linemen.
“He immediately adds
size and strength to our
defensive line and has
shown huge growth from
his junior season,” Camp
said.
Hering’s high school
teammate Exline brings
a smaller, more dynamic
approach on the defensive
line. The 6-foot-2, 225-
pound player is quick for a
lineman and can play mul-
tiple positions, making
him a candidate to fi ll in
at defensive end or outside
linebacker.
Trey Darden is another
big body that could con-
tribute to the defensive line
following a versatile career
in high school. At 6-foot-5
and 235 pounds, Darden
played tight end, defen-
sive line and linebacker at
Dufur High School. The
athletic player could either
create size mismatches and
be a valuable blocker as a
tight end or slot in as added
defensive-line depth for the
Mountaineers.
Eti Ena Jr. is a 5-foot-
10, 220-pound lineman
from Cheney, Washington,
who can add depth at either
the defensive or off ensive
line. Son of former Eastern
Washington linebacker and
current defensive coordi-
nator Eti Ena Sr., Ena Jr.
will likely contribute at the
defensive end position for
the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers added
6-foot, 215-pound defensive
lineman Max Prazer out
of Eastmont High School
in Orondo, Washington.
Hudl/Contributed Photo
Off ensive lineman Hayden Bass prepares for a 2020 regular season
game at Sheldon High School. Bass is signed to play for Eastern Ore-
gon University this fall.
Prazer helped lead East-
mont to league champion-
ships in 2018 and 2019. The
recruit played defensive
line, defensive tackle and
middle linebacker in high
school, providing Eastern
with another versatile
player on the defensive side
of the ball.
Working on protecting
the passer
In addition to three
defensive lineman who also
played on the off ensive line
in high school, Eastern is
bringing in two prospects
specifi cally to fortify the
O-line.
Hayden Bass is a
forceful presence on the
line, measuring in at
6-foot-5 and 285 pounds.
Playing for Sheldon High
School in Eugene, Bass
helped the Irish win two
conference championships
and fi nish as 6A state run-
ner-up in 2018.
“Hayden is a big pow-
erful young man and has
the athleticism to play mul-
tiple positions on the line of
scrimmage,” Camp said.
The Mountaineers
added another piece to the
off ensive line in 6-foot-5
Tanner Nett. The 300-
pound lineman is com-
mitted to play football and
compete in track and fi eld
at Eastern next fall. Nett is
a two-time all-state selec-
tion at Borah High School
in Boise, Idaho, and he
also lettered in basketball
and track. Only four cur-
rent Mountaineers outweigh
Nett, as Camp and the
Eastern coaching staff look
to strengthen their run-and-
pass blocking.
satility and speed to either
side of the ball at EOU.
The Mountaineers
acquired another potential
contributor in the rushing
attack, signing Anthony
Peterson out of Lowry High
School in Winnemucca,
Nevada. The 5-foot-11 run-
ning back and linebacker
was a two-time all-league
selection at running back
the last two seasons. As a
two-time state champion in
wrestling, Peterson contrib-
utes an aggressive and pow-
erful running style to the
Mountaineers’ off ense.
Quarterback/defen-
sive back Tristan Lee
rounds out the current 2021
recruiting class, coming
out of Klamath County’s
Mazama High School. At
6-foot-3 and 195 pounds,
Lee has a strong arm as a
pocket passer and displayed
his athleticism in basketball
and track during his high
school career. The two-time
Skyline Conference off en-
sive player of the year has
a chance to compete for the
quarterback spot at Eastern
in years to come.
“Tristan has great
knowledge of the game
from the quarterback posi-
tion and athletically will
compete with anybody,”
Camp said.
Adding skill some
positions
Regular season
outlook
Eastern reached into
the state of Washington for
another recruit, securing
skill player Caden Beazley
from Manson High School.
Beazley rushed for 1,350
yards and had 1,685 all-pur-
pose yards in his junior year
and was named all-league
at linebacker and running
back. As a three-sport ath-
lete, Beazley brings ver-
Following a shortened
four-game season, the
Mountaineers are set to
kickoff a standard 10-game
season in 2021. Eastern
opens its season on the road
at Montana Tech on Sat-
urday, Aug. 28, and plays
its fi rst home game of the
year on Saturday, Sept. 4,
against Montana Western.
SPORTS SHORT
Brisbane picked to host 2032
Olympics without a rival bid
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
The Associated Press
TOKYO — Brisbane
was picked Wednesday,
July 21, to host the 2032
Olympics, the inevitable
winner of a one-city race
steered by the IOC to
avoid rival bids.
The Games will go
back to Australia 32 years
after the popular 2000
Sydney Olympics. Mel-
bourne hosted in 1956.
“We know what it
takes to deliver a suc-
cessful Games in Aus-
tralia,” Prime Minister
Scott Morrison told Inter-
national Olympic Com-
mittee members in an
11-minute live video link
from his offi ce.
When the award was
later confi rmed, with
Brisbane winning the
vote 72-5, Morrison raised
both arms in the air and
gave two thumbs up.
The victory led to a
fi reworks display in Bris-
bane that was broadcast
to IOC members in their
fi ve-star hotel in Tokyo.
Brisbane follows 2028
host Los Angeles in get-
ting 11 years to prepare
for hosting the Games.
Paris will host in 2024.
The 2032 deal looked
done months before the
formal decision at the
IOC meeting, which was
held ahead of Friday’s
opening ceremony of the
Tokyo Games.
The IOC gave Bris-
bane exclusive nego-
tiating rights in Feb-
ruary. That decision
left Olympic offi cials in
Qatar, Hungary and Ger-
many looking blindsided
with their own stalled
bidding plans.
Though the result was
expected, a high-level
Australian delegation
went to Tokyo amid the
COVID-19 pandemic to
present speeches, fi lms
and promises on stage.
The city of Bris-
bane sent Mayor Adrian
Schrinner, the state of
Queensland sent Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk
and Australia’s federal
government sent sports
minister Richard Colbeck
to woo Olympic voters.
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