Sports
A7
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Th e Observer
Pac-12
tackles
expansion
question
By RYAN THORBURN
Eugene Register-Guard
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Coach Garrett Vaughn, left, and La Grande Legend Brodrick Hood (18) share an embrace after the team’s back-to-back shutouts against Hodgens and Baker City at the
La Grande American Legion Tournament held at Pioneer Park’s Optimist Field on Friday, July 23, 2021.
‘Excited to go’
La Grande Legends head to American Legion state tournament
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
LEGENDS LINEUP
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande Legacy Ford Legends are
going all-in for a state title.
La Grande is headed to North
Marion High School to com-
pete in the American Legion
state championship following a
strong showing during the reg-
ular season.
The Legends fi nished the
season 19-4 and are slated to
compete in the eight-team, dou-
ble-elimination tournament
beginning Wednesday, Aug. 4.
“Everybody’s excited to go
and everyone’s feeling good.
We’re healthy,” head coach
Parker McKinley said. “Any time
we step on the fi eld, we feel like
we can compete with anybody.”
La Grande’s dominant
pitching has been a large factor
in the team’s success this year.
The Legends are limiting oppo-
nents to just over three runs per
game. Devin Bell, Logan Wil-
liams and Riley Miller each
compiled 3-0 records on the
season, while Nick Bornstedt
went 2-0. Williams, Jace Schow
and Sam Tsiatsos have also
stepped up into big roles on the
mound this season.
“I think we have the pitching
depth to be able to compete well
throughout the week, and we’re
playing really well defensively,”
McKinley said. “When our
#16
#3
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#28
#8
#26
#2
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#13
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Riley Miller (28) throws a pitch against Baker City during the La Grande American
Legion Tournament held at Optimist Field on Friday, July 23, 2021.
off ense can get fi ring on all cyl-
inders, we’re pretty tough.”
The Legends recently
wrapped up their regular season
at the La Grande American
Legion wood bat tournament,
fi nishing 4-0 throughout the
round-robin competition. Schow
tossed a fi ve-inning shutout in a
10-0 win against Hodgen Dis-
tributing on July 23, while Tsi-
atsos earned a win over Baker
the following day, where he
struck out nine batters.
“Pitching and defense, that’s
what gets you to this point and
allows you to win those games,”
McKinley said. “Pitching, at any
Jarett Armstrong
Devin Bell
Nick Bornstedt
Riley Miller
Payton Cooper
Cole Jorgensen
Logan Williams
Cesar Rodriguez
Owen Rinker
Sam Tsiatsos
Brodrick Hood
Noah McIlmoil
Jace Schow
Sergio Staab
Aiden Stanton
level, is what has to be on point.”
La Grande is riding the late-
season momentum into its fi rst-
round matchup against the
Mountainside Lobos on Aug. 4.
The tournament concludes on
Aug. 8, with the championship
and third-place matchups.
“We’ve worked on getting
mentally tougher, stronger and
progressing as a team to connect
and build chemistry,” Tsiatsos
said.
The Legends won state titles
in 2001 and 2011. If the trend
of winning a state title every
10 years continues, La Grande
could be in for another champi-
onship in 2021.
“We feel like we can match
up well against anybody that we
come across, so, hopefully, we’ll
represent the community well
and compete,” McKinley said.
EUGENE — Three weeks
after taking over as the new
Pac-12 commissioner, George
Kliavkoff posted the following
thought on social media:
“Just when I thought my fi rst
month on the job could not get
more interesting …”
Texas is messing with the
world of college football again.
The Longhorns and rival Okla-
homa are in the process of
leaving their home on the
Big 12 range for greener pas-
tures in a 16-team Southeastern
Conference.
During the Pac-12 media
day last week in Los Angeles,
Kliavkoff and Oregon athletic
director Rob Mullens addressed
how another round of major
realignment might impact the
conference 11 years after an
ambitious new Pac-10 commis-
sioner took a swing at creating a
super conference.
“We don’t think there’s any
risk at staying at 12 teams,”
Kliavkoff said.
Mullens added: “We have
a strong 12, obviously. In this
league, we’re all about inno-
vation, about being ahead and
evolving. This will be no dif-
ferent than that.”
Larry Scott aggressively
attempted to execute his bold
vision of a Pac-16 in 2010 by
inviting Colorado, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas
A&M and Texas Tech to join
existing members Arizona, Ari-
zona State, California, Oregon,
Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA,
USC, Washington and Wash-
ington State.
A football lineup that included
the Sooners, Longhorns, Aggies,
Ducks, Trojans, Cardinal and
Huskies brands and markets
would have rivaled the Big Ten
and SEC in strength and televi-
sion contract value.
Colorado accepted its invita-
tion. But Texas spoiled Scott’s
plan by negotiating a deal to
create the Longhorn Network and
remain in the Big 12. Nebraska
bolted for the Big Ten.
In 2011, Scott settled for
giving Utah the call-up from the
Mountain West and forming the
Pac-12. In 2012, Texas A&M
and Missouri left the Big 12
for the SEC. The Big 12 added
TCU from the Mountain West
and West Virginia from the
imploding Big East.
“We have determined that
it is in the best interests of
our member institutions, stu-
dent-athletes and fans to remain
a 12-team conference,” Scott said
in a statement 10 years ago.
SPORTS SHORT
Former Oregon State star may sign with Seattle
By GEOFFREY C. ARNOLD
The Oregonian
SEATTLE — The Seattle Sea-
hawks are expected to sign quarter-
back Sean Mannion, according to
multiple reports.
The free agent and former
Oregon State star is expected to sign
with the Seahawks after working out
for the team during the past week.
Mannion had also worked out for the
New York Giants.
Mannion, 29, decided to join the
Seahawks and reunite with off ensive
coordinator Shane Waldron. Wal-
dron was an assistant with the Los
Angeles Rams during two of Man-
nion’s four seasons with the Rams.
Waldron served as the Rams’ pass-
ing-game coordinator in 2018, Man-
nion’s fi nal year with the team.
Mannion will compete for a
backup position behind starter Rus-
sell Wilson. The Seahawks re-signed
backup Geno Smith in April to a
one-year deal worth up to $1.21 mil-
lion. The Seahawks also have quar-
terbacks Danny Etling and Alex
McGough in training camp. The
Seahawks have usually carried two
quarterbacks on the active roster,
along with a third on the practice
squad, during the regular season.
Mannion will be more familiar
with Waldron’s system than any
of the current quarterbacks on the
roster.
Mannion was let go by the Min-
nesota Vikings after spending the
past two seasons as the backup to
starter Kirk Cousins.
Jim Mone/The Associated Press, File
Free agent quarterback and former Oregon State star Sean Man-
nion is expected to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, according to
multiple reports.