Sports
EOU season
hangs in
the balance
Mountaineers set for
make-or-break game
against Rocky Mountain
A7
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Th e Observer
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Tigers take it one game at a time
La Grande seeks fourth
win of season in
matchup at Nyssa
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
The Observer
LA GRANDE — It’s home-
coming week at Eastern Oregon
University, but the football team
is all business heading into a crit-
ical matchup with Rocky Moun-
tain College.
Coming off two straight losses,
the Mountaineers host a Rocky
Mountain team that is at the top
of the Frontier Conference with
a 4-1 record. Eastern’s season is
up in the air after a 3-0 start to
the year, making this matchup a
must-win for the Mountaineers.
“We’ve dropped two games
in a row, but at the same time it
doesn’t stop the direction we want
to go,” head coach Tim Camp
said.
The Mountaineers come into
the contest off two straight rivalry
losses, losing 24-7 against the
College of Idaho on Sept. 25 and
24-3 at Southern Oregon on Oct.
2. Eastern’s off ense has stalled
after a strong start to the season,
scoring just 20 points in the
team’s last three contests.
The Battlin’ Bears come into
the game ranked No. 23 in the
NAIA, practically switching spots
with the Mountaineers. Eastern
has climbed to as high as No. 11
in the polls this season, but fi nds
itself on the outside looking in
this week.
“Rocky Mountain is a good
football team. They have good
skill players and good players in
the box,” Camp said. “We just
have to execute. It’s really been us
beating us lately.”
A much-improved Eastern
defense is allowing 21.4 points
per game this year, but the
off ense’s recent stagnancy has
been the team’s Achilles’ heel.
The Mountaineers are averaging
16.2 points per game this season,
which ranks 81st in the NAIA.
Rocky Mountain’s average of
35.7 points per game is tops in the
Frontier Conference and 27th in
the NAIA. The Mountaineers will
either need to match the off ensive
production of the Battlin’ Bears
or hope that the defense can limit
the opposing team’s points.
In Eastern’s most recent loss to
Southern Oregon, the Mountain-
eers gained just 51 total rushing
yards in what was quarterback
Kai Quinn’s second straight game
with 35 or more passing attempts.
Quinn led the team with 23 net
rushing yards and threw for 233
yards and two interceptions.
“The run game has been hit or
miss, but more miss lately,” Camp
said. “There’s plays out there to
be made, we just have to make
them.”
In two straight rivalry games,
a higher-ranked Eastern team
found itself outplayed in diffi -
cult losses. Now in the role of
the underdog, the Mountaineers
will look to play a more balanced
game on homecoming. Kickoff is
slated for 1 p.m. at Community
Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 9.
NYSSA — The La Grande
football team is getting closer
and closer to its goal of winning
its league.
After going down 12-0 early
in a 35-20 win over Burns last
week, the Tigers are not going to
overlook a 1-3 Nyssa team in this
week’s matchup.
La Grande comes into this
game 3-1 on the season, ranked
No. 4 in the OSAA 4A standings.
While the team may have lofty
expectations once the playoff s
start, all the focus at La Grande
is on taking things day-by-day.
“We can’t take them for
granted or overlook them
because they’re 1-3,” La Grande
head coach Rich McIlmoil said of
Nyssa. “We know they’re going
to come out and play hard.”
It was a bounce-back win
for the Tigers last week, gar-
nering some momentum after
a diffi cult 44-14 loss to top-
ranked Estacada the week prior.
La Grande got back in the win
column against Burns, but it
was far from smooth sailing
at Community Stadium. The
Tigers trailed early on, but rat-
tled off a 35-8 run to close out
the game.
“I think we learned a valuable
lesson that we can’t take anyone
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
La Grande’s Cole Jorgensen (51) sacks Burns quarterback Dalhton Proffi tt (19) during the Tigers’ 35-20 win over the Hilanders
at Community Stadium in La Grande on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.
for granted,” McIlmoil said. “A
big thing we’ve talked about is
just taking things one game at a
time.”
The return of running back
and linebacker Brody Mac-
Millan has been a major boost
for La Grande, which was notice-
able in the win over Burns. With
the Tigers holding a narrow
21-20 lead in the fourth quarter,
MacMillan broke free for two
rushing touchdowns on consec-
utive drives to put the game out
of reach. McIlmoil is confi dent
in the team’s rushing attack and
what it can do for the off ensive
production.
“I really like to run the foot-
ball because if you can control
the clock and run the ball, that
opens up the pass game later,”
he said. “It’s a high-percentage
thing for me.”
In last year’s matchup, La
Grande bested Nyssa 42-8 in the
team’s season opener. The Tigers
will be aiming for a similar out-
come as the team starts to eye the
conclusion of the regular season.
Elgin and Enterprise face off in crucial matchup
Huskies, Outlaws set
for 1A clash
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
ENTERPRISE — The Elgin
football team fi nds itself at a
crossroads this week.
The 2-2 Huskies will travel up
to Enterprise to face off with an
evenly-matched Enterprise team
on Friday, Oct. 8, with the out-
come tipping the scale between
having a winning or losing
record late in the season. The
Outlaws come into the matchup
2-3 on the year, but are fl ying
high after a 51-6 blowout win
over Ione/Arlington.
In what could prove to be a
tipping point for Elgin’s season,
head coach Kirt McClure and
his players realize the magnitude
of winning important league
games.
“It’s a huge game for us,”
McClure said. “We feel like we
need to get this one.”
The Huskies defeated Union
48-24 last week, despite limited
playing time from star running
back Joe Lathrop due to injury.
McClure expects to have a full,
healthy roster in the matchup
with Enterprise. In Lathrop’s
absence, junior running back
Bruce Morehead rushed for 212
yards and three touchdowns,
off ensive fi repower when it hosts
Elgin this week.
The matchup is pivotal for
both teams as the postseason
inches closer and closer. Kickoff
is set for 7 p.m. at Enterprise
High School.
POWDER VALLEY AT
UNION — The Powder Valley
football team is looking to
bounce back this week after
being humbled by a powerhouse
Adrian team 38-0. The Badgers
came into the matchup ranked
No. 1 in the 1A rankings, but the
No. 2 Antelopes showed why
they were the 2019 state cham-
pions. Powder Valley was shut
out for its fi rst loss of the season.
Powder Valley head coach
Josh Cobb emphasized that it
is up to the players to respond
to the diffi cult loss and get the
season back on track. After the
team’s off ense was completely
stifl ed by a stout Adrian defense,
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File the Badgers will look to lean on
Elgin’s Ty McLaughlin (24) gets pushed out of bounds by Crane’s Cody Siegner quarterback Reece Dixon in their
(32) during a punt return at Community Stadium on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
performance against a winless
Union team.
The Bobcats fell to 0-5 on the
and sophomore quarterback Ty
Gray. He ran for 165 yards and
McLaughlin ran for 271 yards
three touchdowns in the win over year after a 48-24 loss to Elgin
last week and are still looking
and three rushing touchdowns.
Ione/Arlington and will look
for the team’s fi rst win of the
“It all starts with the line,
to carry the load against Elgin
year. Kickoff between Powder
we’ve been saying that all week,” this week. The Outlaws’ 51-6
Valley and Union is scheduled
McClure said. “We’re going to
win over Ione/Arlington was
for 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at Union High
try to push it right at them.”
the highest scoring contest the
School.
Enterprise brings its own
team has posted since a 50-12
effi cient rushing attack into the
win over Imbler in 2019. Enter-
See, Prep/Page A8
game, behind senior Gideon
prise will hope to sustain similar
SPORTS SHORT
Dye may have to shoulder the load
The Oregonian
EUGENE — Travis Dye had
his most touches since 2018 during
Oregon’s loss at Stanford, and the
fourth-year junior may need to con-
tinue to shoulder the load of UO’s
running game if CJ Verdell is out
for signifi cant time.
Dye had 19 carries for a sea-
son-high 96 yards and had a career-
high four catches for 39 yards in
the 31-24 overtime loss on the
Farm.
“Like always, Travis shows
up on game day,” Oregon coach
Mario Cristobal said. “Full speed,
full throttle, tough, resilient, phys-
ical. Good in protection, real good
running the ball, good catching
the ball. Elusive breaking tackles,
tough guy, one of the best leaders
on the team.”
It was also the most rushing
yards by Dye since his 33 carries
for 199 yards, both still career-
highs, against Oregon State in
2018. It was also his most total
touches (23) since his 34 against
OSU as a freshman.
“Travis is a warrior,” quar-
terback Anthony Brown Jr. said.
“Played his (butt) off . He made
plays when we needed.”
With Verdell (78 carries for 406
yards and six touchdowns) suf-
fering an apparent left leg injury
during the third quarter and being
carted off to UO’s locker room,
Dye might have to take a bigger
share of the carries going forward.
When Verdell was limited for
three games and then missed the
fi nal two games of last season with
a thumb injury, Dye had 53 carries
for 311 yards.
Even if Dye can handle more
touches, who among Oregon’s
three freshmen running backs will
be the next in line for a potentially
big increase in their role is anyone’s
guess. Trey Benson, Seven McGee
and Byron Cardwell Jr. have com-
bined for 13 carries for 48 yards
this season and each has been the
third running back to take the fi eld
over the past three games.
Jed Jacobsohn/The Associated Press
Oregon’s Travis Dye (26) walks off the fi eld after losing to Stanford in
overtime on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Cardinal won 31-24.