Sports
A7
Saturday, November 13, 2021
EOU soccer
claims
seven all-
conference
selections
DAVIS
CARBAUGH
CARBAUGH’S CORNER
LHS girls
team
built for
title run
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
A
cross-country power-
house could be in the
works in La Grande.
The La Grande girls cross-
country team came away with
an admirable fi nish at the
OSAA Class 4A State Cham-
pionships on Saturday, Nov.
6, taking fourth overall with
111 points. The Tigers were
just 26 points back of fi rst-
place Siuslaw in a gridlocked
top four.
Leading the way for La
Grande, as she did all season,
was sophomore Emily Tubbs
in the pole position at 19 min-
utes, 4.6 seconds. Tubbs beat
the second-place runner by 14
seconds to take home an indi-
vidual state title. The indi-
vidual championship con-
cludes a season where Tubbs
won every race she competed
in.
La Grande’s top four has
been consistent all season,
earning strong fi nishes from
freshman Cecilia Villagomez
(20:25.3) in ninth, sophomore
Kiah Carlson (20:38) in 14th
and sophomore Faith Cal-
houn (20:56.3) in 22nd. Junior
Anne Sweet rounded out the
Tigers’ eff orts at 77th.
All fi ve of La Grande’s
runners will be back next
season, while its young core
will look to build on the suc-
cesses of this season.
If the Tigers can garner
some more depth, the team
could enter next season as the
odds-on favorite to take the
4A title. After a stellar soph-
omore campaign, Tubbs will
certainly be the runner to
watch in pursuit of another
individual title.
Depth was the achilles heel
for La Grande this season, as
seen in the Baker Invite on
Oct. 1. Carlson was injured
during the race and unable to
fi nish, which put the Tigers
below the threshold to qualify
for a team score. Moving
forward into next season,
head coach Alma Crow is
just a runner or two away
from having a deeper group
capable of competing with the
best teams in the state.
The Tigers have plenty to
be proud of from this season,
with four underclassmen all
placing in the top 25 at the
state meet. With a little more
added depth to its core group,
La Grande could be the team
to beat at the 4A level the
next two years.
———
Davis Carbaugh covers
news and sports for The
Observer. He can be contacted
at dcarbaugh@lagrandeob-
server.com.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
Cambree Scott (12) and Breanna Shaff er (14) attempt to block a spike from Grace Buchanan (20). The Eastern Oregon
University volleyball team had fi ve all-conference selections, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Thursday,
Nov. 11, 2021.
Postseason glory
Five Mountaineers
earn all-conference
honors in volleyball
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
Eastern Oregon University vol-
leyball team made its mark on
the Cascade Collegiate Con-
ference once again this year,
earning fi ve all-conference nom-
inations on Thursday, Nov. 11.
Eastern’s all-conference
selections were highlighted
by three players earning fi rst-
team honors, one player being
named to the second team and
one player earning honorable
mention.
Junior middle hitter Cam-
bree Scott, senior outside hitter
Breanna Shaff er and sophomore
outside hitter Sade Williams
all made it to the fi rst team for
their strong showings all season.
Senior middle hitter Jet Taylor
was named to the second team
and freshman libero Hailey
Arritola earned honorable
mention.
The fi ve all-conference
players helped the Mountain-
eers fi nish the season as the No.
2 seed in the CCC with a con-
ference record of 19-3. Eastern
went 24-6 overall on the year.
The Mountaineers fi nished just
one game back of fi rst place
Corban and concluded the reg-
ular season ranked No. 12 in the
NAIA Coaches’ Poll.
Scott, the conference player
of the year in the spring, was
phenomenal at the net once
again this season. Through the
conclusion of the regular season,
Scott led the team with 360
points, 282 kills and 134 total
blocks. Her block total led the
conference, and her .293 hitting
percentage was good for fi fth.
This is Scott’s third-straight
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
Mountaineer Breanna Shaff er (14) defends against a serve from Evergreen Uni-
versity at Eastern Oregon University on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.
fi rst-team nomination.
Williams was right next to
Scott at the net this year, adding
yet another strong piece to East-
ern’s lineup. Williams was
second on the team with 303
points, third in kills with 248
and fourth in digs per set with
2.79. This is the fi rst time that
Williams has earned all-confer-
ence honors.
Shaff er was another weapon
for the Mountaineers, creating
a dominant front line next to
Scott and Williams. The senior
is second on Eastern with 264
kills, third with 301.5 points and
third with 296 digs.
Taylor made the all-confer-
ence team for the third time in
her career, bringing home sec-
ond-team honors this year.
The senior fi nished the regular
season fourth on the team in
points with 223, fourth in kills
with 169 and second in blocks
with 102.
Taylor is currently second all-
time in program history with
385 blocks, only trailing Scott’s
mark of 503. The duo has helped
the Mountaineers play stout on
defense this year, holding oppo-
nents to a league-best .104 hit-
ting percentage in the regular
season. Eastern also leads the
conference as a team with 2.45
blocks per set.
Arritola, a true freshman,
has been a welcome addition
to a strong Eastern group this
season. She played a key role in
the Mountaineers climbing to
the top of the conference with
17.43 digs per set. Arritola’s 495
digs and 4.67 digs per set were
tops in the CCC.
Eastern’s postseason cam-
paign got underway in Salem
on Nov. 12 with a semifi nal
matchup against Oregon Tech.
The Mountaineers topped the
Owls on the road in four sets on
Sept. 24, but lost in four sets at
home on Oct. 30.
Oregon Tech comes into
the game ranked No. 25 in the
NAIA Coaches’ Poll.
The winner of the East-
ern-Oregon Tech matchup will
face either Corban or Bushnell
in the Cascade Collegiate Con-
ference Championship on Nov.
13 at 3 p.m.
LA GRANDE — It was a
solid showing from Eastern
Oregon University soccer pro-
grams during the Cascade Col-
legiate Conference all-confer-
ence selection process.
The Mountaineers women’s
team earned two fi rst-team
nominations, one second-team
honor and one honorable men-
tion. For the men’s squad,
one player was named to the
second team and two Moun-
taineers earned honorable
mention.
Leading the way for East-
ern’s women’s team was senior
forward Morgan Farrington
and senior midfi elder Sarah
Mitchell. Farrington leads the
Mountaineers with 16 points
and seven goals, while Mitchell
has been an anchor on defense.
Both starters earned fi rst-team
honors and have helped the
team head into the postseason
with a 11-5-0 record.
Farrington has now earned
all-conference honors for the
third time in her career, while
Mitchell has earned all-confer-
ence for four straight seasons.
Junior midfi elder Erika
Skindlov earned second-team
honors for her versatile
playing style. She helped
Eastern tally nine shutouts
on the year and also added
one goal and one assist this
season. Senior defender
Yahaira Chavarria-Mon-
dragon received an honor-
able mention nomination,
appearing in all 15 games for
the Mountaineers this season.
Chavarria-Mondragon has
been an anchor in defense for
Eastern throughout her career
in La Grande.
On the men’s side, three
all-conference awards are an
admirable close to the season.
Senior goalkeeper Dalton
Mauzay highlighted the selec-
tions for Eastern, earning sec-
ond-team honors. Mauzay tal-
lied 53 saves on the season for
a save percentage of .841. The
senior’s nomination is the fi rst
all-conference selection of his
career.
Senior defender Erick Diaz
and sophomore midfi elder
Carlos Murillo both earned
honorable mention all-con-
ference for Eastern. Diaz
appeared in all 15 contests this
season and helped Eastern’s
defense total four shutouts on
the year.
Murillo earned the all-con-
ference nod after leading the
Mountaineers with three goals,
two assists and eight points.
The sophomore played in all
15 games this season and tal-
lied 21 total shots.
The Eastern men’s team fi n-
ished the year 6-10-0, placing
ninth in the conference stand-
ings at the conclusion of the
regular season.
SPORTS SHORT
Gladstone accuses Tigers of racism during playoff game
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The La Grande
High School football team is under fi re
for alleged racism during a state playoff
matchup.
An article from The Oregonian
was published on Thursday, Nov. 11,
describing allegations that members of
the La Grande football team hurled racial
slurs at Gladstone High School players
throughout the fi rst-round matchup at
Eastern Oregon University on Nov. 5, a
game La Grande won 34-12.
The ending of the game was atyp-
ical in a number of ways. Gladstone was
penalized after an argument between the
team’s head coach Cam Sommer and offi -
cials on the fi eld with about a minute left
in regulation. The game was paused for
roughly fi ve minutes as coaches and par-
ents on the Gladstone side of the fi eld
argued with offi cials. Upon time expiring,
the Gladstone sideline walked off without
shaking hands or confronting the La
Grande sideline.
This came as a result of what Glad-
stone players in The Oregonian article
claim was a constant use of racial
slurs by La Grande players during the
competition.
Ricky White, a Gladstone senior, told
The Oregonian that the racial slurs were a
problem from the start of the game.
“Every Black person on our team
heard (the slur) all game besides the one
who was injured in the fi rst quarter,”
White told The Oregonian.
The La Grande School District
released a statement on Nov. 12, which
stated that the investigation is ongoing at
this point. The school district is working
with the Gladstone School District and
the Oregon School Activities Association
to get to the bottom of the issue and fi nd
facts on what transpired during the game.
“It is extremely concerning that our
athletes have been accused of using racist
language during the playoff game and our
school district will continue to look into
this situation,” La Grande Superinten-
dent George Mendoza said in the press
release. “The impact of racially charged
language creates a great deal of strain in
relationships and impacts a person’s sense
of safety and belonging. Our goal and
intention is to ensure every student-ath-
lete feels safe, valued, understood and
protected.”
The statement noted that both school
districts and OSAA will continue
working together on the matter. The enti-
ties involved are looking at game video
and questioning players, offi cials and the
chain crew to get more information.
Andrew Cutler/The Observer, File
La Grande quarterback Logan Williams runs past
defenders along the sideline during a fi rst-round
state playoff matchup against Gladstone on Fri-
day, Nov. 5, 2021.