Sports
Lee
excited
for
Shrine
Game
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
BAKER CITY — The
state’s elite prep football
stars are heading to Eastern
Oregon for the annual East-
West Shrine Game. Fans
of Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity football may recognize
a familiar face, as one of
its former recruits will take
part in the game.
Tristan Lee, once part
of Eastern’s 2021 signing
class, will compete in the
East-West All-Star Football
Game in Baker City along
with 43 of the state’s top
players. Lee is now com-
mitted to play football for
NCAA Division II Western
Oregon University. The
East-West Shrine All-Star
Football game is making its
comeback on Saturday, Aug.
7, after being canceled in
2020 due to COVID-19.
“I’m super excited for it,”
Lee said. “It’s going to be
fun to meet players from all
around the state and com-
pete in a good game for an
even better cause.”
The Mazama standout
received an off er from
Eastern Oregon head coach
Tim Camp and the Moun-
taineers on Jan. 26 and offi -
cially signed with Eastern
on Feb. 3. However, Lee
decommitted just months
later.
“I decommitted in
April and just thought that
Western was a better overall
fi t after thinking it over,” he
said.
Lee played quarter-
back and defensive back
for the Klamath Falls high
school. He is a three-year
letter winner at Mazama
and earned Skyline Con-
ference off ensive player of
the year in 2019. Lee has
earned fi rst-team all-con-
ference honors at both the
quarterback and defensive
back positions, making him
a versatile talent for the
Wolves next fall.
In the 2021 spring
season, Lee led the Vikings
to a 6-0 season and a non-
OSAA sanctioned Class 4A
state championship title.
The senior quarterback
threw for 643 yards with a
63.2% completion rate in
his senior year. He launched
eight passing touchdowns
with zero interceptions
and added four rushing
touchdowns.
The East-West All-Star
Football Game will kick off
for the 69th time this year.
The annual event typically
involves week-long festivi-
ties including a visit to the
Shriners Hospital for Chil-
dren in Portland. The events
are modifi ed this year due
to the pandemic.
A7
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Th e Observer
Masking up for indoor sports
OSAA says indoor
athletes must mask
up during fall
competition
By RONALD BOND
and DAVIS CARBAUGH
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — Masks
are going to be required
back in the classroom this
fall.
And, for now, during
indoor athletic events at the
high school level.
Just hours after
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
announced Thursday, July
29, that students and staff
would be required to wear
masks indoors in K-12
schools this fall — a move
made following national
mask guidelines and made
with Oregon seeing a spike
in cases — Oregon School
Activities Association
Executive Director Peter
Weber said indoor athletes
would be held to the same
standard.
Weber admitted, how-
ever, that the OSAA is
needing more details.
“We’re trying to get
clarifi cation on that, but
that is our understanding
— any activities, anything
inside involving a K-12
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald, File
La Grande’s Hayden Robinson and Izzy Kump go for a block in a volleyball match against Baker on Mon-
day, March 8, 2021. On Thursday, July 29, 2021, the Oregon School Activities Association announced a
mask mandate for indoor sports during the upcoming fall season.
school,” he said. “We’re
waiting to see what the
language says.”
In the past, more spe-
cifi c guidance has come
out from either the Oregon
Department of Educa-
tion or the Oregon Health
Authority following an
announcement.
“They (ODE) are
working on the language
with OHA,” Weber said.
Weber said that as he
currently understands
the direction, the mask
requirements — as it is for
the classrooms — are in
place regardless of an indi-
vidual’s vaccination status.
Fans in the stands would
likely also be required to
wear masks.
The only sport currently
impacted by the ruling
is high school volleyball.
Cross-country, football
and soccer are the only
other fall sports in Oregon.
The modifi ed winter sports
season in 2021 involved a
number of modifi cations
that could likely still be in
play during the fall. Ath-
letes were required to wear
masks during indoor sports
and fans were allowed in
attendance on a limited
basis.
“I think by now our
kids know what to expect,”
said Powder Valley Ath-
letic Director Brad
Dunten. “We want to do
what we can to give them
the best sports experience
possible during their time
in high school.”
Dunten noted that
OSAA mandates changed
on a frequent basis last
school year, which has
led to his coaches and
players being able to adapt
quickly.
“We’re going to go
along with whatever
OSAA tells us to do,” La
Grande Athletic Director
Darren Goodman said.
“It’s what we have to do,
so it’s not like we’re going
to be against it.”
Wallowa AD Marvin
Gibbs was shocked at the
news.
“Didn’t know that yet.
That’s a new one. That is a
bummer,” he said. “I don’t
know how else to put it,
but that is a bummer.”
The announcement
comes in the wake of a
spike in COVID-19 cases
across the state. Oregon
Health Authority reported
over 1,000 new confi rmed
and presumptive cases
of COVID-19 on July 29.
Union County’s COVID-19
numbers have jumped up
to 13 cases per day in the
last week and 21 new cases
were reported on July 29.
Nearby counties are
also seeing a spike —
particularly Umatilla
County, which on July 29
had 110 news cases, more
than any county except
for Jackson (111).
Beavers have depth at QB, but who will start season?
BY STEVE GRESS
Corvallis Gazette-Times
CORVALLIS —
Oregon State head foot-
ball coach Jonathan Smith
believes that competition
helps bring out the best in
players.
He anticipates that will
be the case in the quar-
terback room, where the
Beavers have several can-
didates to take over the
starting job for this coming
season.
Training camp gets
started at the end of next
week, and the Beavers will
be looking to see which
quarterback emerges as the
leader of the off ense.
The Beavers return
two quarterbacks who
saw extended action last
season.
Tristan Gebbia started
the fi rst four games before
suff ering a season-ending
leg injury. He completed 80
of 129 passes for 824 yards
with three touchdowns
and three interceptions
and helped lead the Bea-
vers to an upset of Oregon
before he was hurt on the
game-winning drive.
Smith said Gebbia
should be ready to go when
camp starts.
“I think he’s got a great
skill set,” Smith said at
the Pac-12’s media day on
Tuesday. “Understands the
scheme, good leader. Has
won games for us.”
Chance Nolan took
over for Gebbia and com-
pleted 46 of 91 passes for
537 yards and six touch-
downs with two intercep-
tions. He also rushed 30
times for 147 yards and
one score, providing a dual
threat at the position for the
Beavers.
“We were really close
the last couple (games)
with him as the starting
quarterback,” Smith said.
“Counting on him making
huge strides in his game
from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Ben Gulbranson, who
also saw a limited action
last season, will not be
ready for fall camp due to a
shoulder injury, Smith said.
Knowing that Gul-
branson would be out, the
Beavers added former Col-
orado starter Sam Noyer,
a grad transfer, to the fold
back in June.
Noyer, from Bea-
verton, passed for 1,000
yards in the Buff aloes’ fi ve
games last season, com-
pleting 80 of 137 passes
with six touchdowns and
fi ve interceptions. He also
rushed for 191 yards on 45
attempts.
“(Noyer) has a little bit
diff erent skill set, makes
the game physical, moving
his feet, bigtime arm,”
Smith said. “Anxious to
work with him coming in
August.
“(We have) three really
good options there.”
Noyer isn’t the only Sam
in the quarterback room as
freshman Sam Vidlak from
Hidden Valley High has
Oregon State quarterback
Tristan Gebbia (3) looks for a
receiver on Nov. 21, 2020.
been on campus and partic-
ipated in spring practice.
“Had a great spring,”
Smith said. “He’s going to
have an opportunity this
August to go. We have four
healthy guys.”
If Gulbranson hadn’t
been injured, the Beavers
may not have been as inter-
ested in Noyer, Smith said.
But in need of another
healthy body at the posi-
tion, and Noyer’s famil-
iarity with some of the
current players, as well
as off ensive coordinator
Brian Lindgren, who was
at Colorado before joining
Smith’s staff when he took
over, made it an easier
decision.
“Everything I’ve heard
so far since he’s been here
has been great,” Smith
said. “You talk about a
guy who loves the game, is
unselfi sh. You can see his
leadership capabilities even
the short time he’s been
Photos by Amanda Loman/The Associated Press, File
Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson (17) hands off to running
back Calvin Tyler, Jr. (2) during a game on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.
Oregon State quarterback
Chance Nolan (10) scrambles
while looking for a receiver on
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.
with us.
“So I’m really excited
to see him out there on the
practice fi eld with us, using
the skill set that he has, not
just throwing or running
but also on this leadership
side.”
The familiarity with
Lindgren and the system
should help Noyer adapt
quicker to what the Bea-
vers want to do on off ense.
“Schematically, some
of the way we call plays,
probably brought back
what he remembers from
his fi rst couple years,”
Smith said.
There isn’t a lot of
time between now and the
season opener — Sept. 4
against Purdue in West
Lafayette, Indiana.
Regardless of who wins
the starting job, the Bea-
vers need to be able to rely
on the other three to step in
when needed.
“We feel like we’ve
got a quarterback room
that is full of some talent,
it’s going to be competi-
tive this month in training
camp,” Smith said. “The
cream rises to the top when
you have that type of com-
petition in August, but also
it adds to our depth as the
season goes.”
SPORTS SHORT
Blazers acquire rights to Texas forward Greg Brown
By ERIK GARCÍA GUNDERSEN
The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The Port-
land Trail Blazers acquired the
rights to Greg Brown, the No. 43
pick in the NBA draft, in a trade
with the New Orleans Pelicans on
Thursday, July 29.
Deputy Commissioner Mark
Tatum announced that the Blazers
sent a future second-round pick
and cash to New Orleans, which
selected the forward from Texas.
Brown started 24 of 26 games
for the Longhorns last season.
He averaged 10 points and nearly
seven rebounds per game in Big
12 play.
The Blazers entered the night
without any draft picks. The rights
to their 2021 fi rst-round pick were
sent to the Houston Rockets in last
fall’s trade for starting forward
Robert Covington.
After their fourth fi rst-round
playoff loss in fi ve seasons,
general manager Neil Olshey
hired former Clippers assistant
Chauncey Billups to succeed
Terry Stotts as head coach.
Stotts is the only coach star
guard Damian Lillard has played
for in the NBA.
Lillard led USA Basketball with
21 points in Wednesday’s 120-63
victory over Iran at the Olympics
in Tokyo.
Lillard has publicly stated he
believes the Blazers must improve
while denying reports that he is
asking for a trade.
Charles Rex Arbogast/The Associated Press, File
Texas’ Greg Brown III participates in the NBA Draft Combine Tues-
day, June 22, 2021, in Chicago.