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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2022)
SPORTS A10 — THE OBSERVER LOCAL STANDINGS BASKETBALL Continued from Page A9 Eastern was a stout 11-1 at home during the season. Despite a strong fi nish to the season, the Mountain- eers saw their postseason run come to an end at the hands of Southern Oregon on Feb. 25. The Raiders topped the Mountaineers 65-58. The two first-team nominations marked the 29th all-conference selec- tion for the program under head coach Anji Weis- senfluh in 22 years of coaching. After the loss to Southern Oregon, the Mountaineers will await the possibility of an at-large bid to the NAIA national tournament. The 64-team field is set to be announced at 4 p.m. on March 3. WRESTLING Continued from Page A9 Sophomore Zach Mauras is set to make a run at the 133-pound division after placing sixth at the con- ference championship. All fi ve of the wrestlers above Mauras in the conference are ranked nationally. “That is a solid weight class and he can defi nitely get in there and surprise some people,” Azure said. Freshman Jaxon Morlan will continue a quality fi rst season at the collegiate ranks, competing at the 141-pound division. According to Azure, Morlan struggled with inju- ries throughout the year and was limited in how many matches he could compete in during the regular season. His second-place fi nish at the conference tournament is a promising sign of things to come for the freshman wrestler. Senior Keegan Mulhill, an anchor on and off the mat for Eastern, is set to make a fi nal run at the 174-pound weight class. Mulhill enters the tour- nament as one of the more THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL Cascade Collegiate Conference Team League Overall College of Idaho 20-2 28-4 Oregon Tech 18-4 21-10 LC State 14-8 22-10 Corban 14-8 19-12 Southern Oregon 13-9 18-14 Eastern Oregon 12-10 18-13 Warner Pacifi c 10-12 15-17 Multnomah 9-13 13-18 Bushnell 7-15 9-20 Northwest 7-15 10-17 Walla Walla 4-18 5-24 Evergreen 4-18 4-22 COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Cascade Collegiate Conference Team League Overall LC State 19-3 27-3 Southern Oregon 18-4 27-5 Eastern Oregon 18-4 22-10 Bushnell 15-7 19-13 Oregon Tech 12-10 19-11 Warner Pacifi c 11-11 13-15 Northwest 11-11 17-13 College of Idaho 10-12 16-15 accomplished wrestlers the program has seen and will look to end his career on top as an All-American. “Heading into the national tournament, we’re going to look toward him as a leader,” Azure said. “We’re looking for him to come away with some more hardware.” Eastern’s lone conference champion, Knudtson, enters the national championships as the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the country at 184 pounds. The sophomore went unde- feated in his division in the conference tournament to take top marks. Azure and Evergreen Multnomah Corban Walla Walla 7-15 6-16 4-18 1-21 9-17 6-23 5-24 2-27 COLLEGE BASEBALL Cascade Collegiate Conference Team League Overall LC State 0-0 19-1 Corban 0-0 9-5-1 Oregon Tech 0-0 11-7 College of Idaho 0-0 9-10 British Columbia 0-0 6-10 Eastern Oregon 0-0 5-12 Bushnell 0-0 2-14 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Cascade Collegiate Conference Team League Overall College of Idaho 3-0 14-2 Oregon Tech 3-0 15-3 Corban 3-0 8-6 Bushnell 3-0 5-5 Southern Oregon 2-1 13-4 British Columbia 1-2 1-5 Eastern Oregon 0-0 8-5 Northwest 0-3 2-7 Warner Pacifi c 0-3 1-7 Carroll 0-3 1-9 the Mountaineers are confi - dent that Knudtson will be a contender heading into the national championships. “He’s got a good shot at making a run,” Azure said. Sophomore Jay Smith was one of the biggest improve- ments of the season for Eastern, going winless in his freshman year. Smith compiled a 23-6 record this season and fi nished second place in the 197-pound division at the conference tournament. “He’s coming in and defi - nitely looking to make some noise at this national tourna- Providence 0-3 0-4 PREP BOYS BASKETBALL 4A Greater Oregon League Team League Overall La Grande 5-1 16-2 Baker 5-1 18-6 McLoughlin 2-4 4-14 Ontario 0-6 0-15 2A Blue Mountain Conference Team League Overall Heppner 11-1 21-3 Stanfi eld 10-2 17-11 Union 8-4 15-10 Weston-McEwen 5-7 11-12 Pilot Rock 3-9 6-18 Grant Union 3-9 6-19 Enterprise 2-10 4-18 1A Old Oregon League Team League Overall Nixyaawii 9-2 23-6 Powder Valley 9-0 23-2 Cove 8-4 12-11 Joseph 8-3 11-11 Imbler 7-5 10-15 Pine Eagle 4-8 8-14 Wallowa 3-7 5-16 Griswold 1-10 2-21 Elgin 0-10 0-15 ment,” Azure said. “He’ll be a bit of a sneaker, an underdog not very well known. He’s been fl ying under the radar all year.” Eastern’s fi nal wrestler heading to Kansas is heavy- weight Noel Orozco. The senior has been a domi- nant wrestler all season for the Mountaineers, but ulti- mately came up short and fi nished as the runner-up at the conference tournament. Orozco was defeated by Uni- versity of Providence’s Kc Buday, a wrestler that Orozco defeated twice during the regular season. Azure noted that facing the same compe- PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL 4A Greater Oregon League Team League Overall Baker 6-0 19-5 La Grande 4-2 13-9 McLoughlin 2-4 8-11 Ontario 0-6 0-17 2A Blue Mountain Conference Team League Overall Union 11-1 22-3 Enterprise 9-3 15-11 Stanfi eld 10-2 22-5 Grant Union 5-7 8-15 Heppner 4-8 10-13 Weston-McEwen 2-10 9-15 Pilot Rock 1-11 5-19 1A Old Oregon League Team League Overall Nixyaawii 11-0 24-4 Powder Valley 9-3 14-12 Wallowa 8-3 16-9 Imbler 8-4 10-14 Joseph 7-4 12-11 Elgin 5-7 9-15 Cove 2-10 3-17 Griswold 1-10 6-17 Pine Eagle 1-11 2-18 tition multiple times in the same season can be a diffi cult challenge. “Beating somebody you see three times in a year is really tough to do, they say that third time is always the toughest,” he said. “I don’t see that happening again. I think he’s going to come in ready to battle hard.” Eastern’s six wrestlers heading to the national cham- pionships tied a record for most athletes sent to the fi nal site since the program’s rein- statement in 2016. Azure and the Mountaineers are hoping to achieve success at the team stage, while shooting for each wrestler to place in their weight class. “At the start of the year, your goal is always to be national champs,” Azure said. “If these guys all com- pete well and get six guys on the podium, I think we can realistically come home with a trophy.” The wrestling action is set to begin on March 4 at the Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The competition will extend through March 5, when a champion will be named at the conclusion of the season. ON THE SLATE Thursday, March 3 COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Eastern Oregon at NAIA Indoor Championships, Brookings, South Dakota, TBA PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL Union vs. Faith Bible, Pendleton Convention Center, 6:30 p.m. Sale ends March May 8, 9, 2020 Sale Ends 2022 Friday, March 4 COLLEGE MEN’S WRESTLING Eastern Oregon at NAIA National Championships, Wichita, Kansas, TBA COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Eastern Oregon at NAIA Indoor Championships, Brookings, South Dakota, TBA COLLEGE SOFTBALL Eastern Oregon at Bushnell, 1 p.m. Eastern Oregon at Bushnell, 3 p.m. PREP BOYS BASKETBALL La Grande at Baker, 6:30 p.m. PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL La Grande at Cascade, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5 COLLEGE MEN’S WRESTLING Eastern Oregon at NAIA National Championships, Wichita, Kansas, TBA COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Eastern Oregon at NAIA Indoor Championships, Brookings, South Dakota, TBA COLLEGE BASEBALL College of Idaho at Eastern Oregon, 11 a.m. College of Idaho at Eastern Oregon, 2 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Eastern Oregon at Bushnell, 11 a.m. Eastern Oregon at Bushnell, 1 p.m. COLLEGE WOMEN’S LACROSSE Eastern Oregon at Corban, 1 p.m. Sunday, March 6 COLLEGE BASEBALL College of Idaho at Eastern Oregon, 11 a.m. College of Idaho at Eastern Oregon, 2 p.m. LA GRANDE BAKER CITY ENTERPRISE 111 Elm Street La Grande, OR 97850 2021 Washington Ave. Baker City, OR 97814 541-605-2109 541-239-3782 113-1/2 Front E. 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