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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Seahawks’
secondary
possibly
down 2 vs.
Falcons
Coach Porter
parts ways with
Portland Timbers
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — Bobby
Wagner knows he won’t have
Richard Sherman chirping in his
ear from the Seattle Seahawks sec-
ondary the rest of the season.
Wagner may not have Kam
Chancellor to rely on as protection
for at least this week either.
“I’ve never played a game with-
out Richard, he’s definitely going
to be missed, but to have both of
those guys missing in action is not
something that we have ever had to
deal with,” Wagner said Thursday.
“I think it’s something that we’re
prepared for if we can hold it down
until at least one of them gets back.
The other one might take a while.”
Seattle’s standout secondary
could possibly be without another
of its founding members Monday
night when the Seahawks host the
Atlanta Falcons. Sherman is done
for the season following an Achil-
les tendon injury for which he
underwent surgery this week. Seat-
tle is being coy about the status of
Chancellor, who suffered a stinger
late in the victory over Arizona
on Nov. 9. While Chancellor has
not been ruled out of the Atlanta
game, he was still undergoing tests
Thursday.
“He’s still getting some work
done, tests done,” coach Pete Car-
roll said. “Don’t have anything
updated yet.”
The one bright spot for Seattle is
optimism that safety Earl Thomas
will return this week after missing
the past two games with a ham-
string injury. Thomas’ return would
be key for the continuity of the sec-
ondary. Much of what Seattle does
in its coverages is predicated on
Thomas being at free safety and his
ability to cover so much ground.
If Chancellor can’t go, the drop
off may not be as severe as in the
past. Bradley McDougald, who
started the past two games at free
safety with Thomas out, would
slide over to strong safety if Chan-
cellor is unavailable. The Seahawks
have raved about McDougald’s
versatility since he was signed in
the offseason as a free agent.
“He has been a fantastic addi-
tion and ... a little bit of an unsung
hero at this time for this season, that
he has been able to be so versatile
and be so successful at what he is
doing,” Carroll said.
CCC hosts
sports fest,
charity drive
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Community Col-
lege students will host a multi-
day intramural sports festival and
charity drive in the new gym of
Patriot Hall later this month.
Nov. 28 will be dodgeball,
followed by basketball Nov. 29,
indoor soccer Nov. 30 and cap-
ture the flag Dec. 1. All activities
run from 6 to 8 p.m. and are open
to people age 16 and up. Paren-
tal guardians must sign a liabil-
ity form for participants younger
than 18.
Suggested donation for entry is
$2 or a donated item. The classes
will work with Clatsop Commu-
nity Action Regional Food Bank,
Astoria Warming Center and
Head Start to collect donations of
canned food, coats, jeans, under-
wear, socks, blankets or new toys
for children ages 3 to 5. Partici-
pants will be entered to win prizes
in a raffle.
The festival is a combined
effort of the college’s four lead-
ership classes, providing students
with the opportunity to learn lead-
ership skills and participate in a
service-learning project. Patriot
Hall is located on the college’s
main campus at 1651 Lexington
Ave.
Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group
Ilwaco senior running back Brandon McMullen.
Ilwaco’s McMullen
named Offensive MVP
The Daily Astorian
The Lower Columbia region
has a third player of the year for
the 2017 high school football
season.
Ilwaco senior running back
Brandon McMullen was named
as the Southwest Washington 2B
League Offensive Player of the
Year, as voted on by the league’s
coaches.
McMullen was also a first
team linebacker, joining team-
mates Alex Kaino (wide receiver/
defensive back), Marcus Connor
(offensive line) and Royce Murry
(offensive and defensive line) on
the first team.
McMullen was also one of two
Ilwaco players to earn academic
all-league honors, along with Jeb
Sheldon.
McMullen joins Seaside’s
Alex Teubner and Knappa’s Kaleb
Miller as other area players of the
year.
SWW 2B All-League
Offensive Player of the Year: Bran-
don McMullen, Ilwaco
Defensive Player of the Year: Ben
Byington, South Bend
Coaches of the Year: Shane Bying-
ton, South Bend; Luke Abbott, Raymond
First Team Offense
QB: Drew Rose, Jr., South Bend
RB: Tyson Nissell, Sr., Pe Ell/Willapa
Valley
RB; Ben Byington, Sr., South Bend
RB: Peter Hamilton, So., Pe Ell/Willa-
pa Valley
WR: Ryan Shepherd, Sr., Pe Ell/Willa-
pa Valley
WR: Raul Mora, Sr., South Bend
WR: Alex Kaino, Jr., Ilwaco
OL: Brad Prestegord, Sr., Pe Ell/Willa-
pa Valley
OL: Marcus Connor, Sr., Ilwaco
OL: Josiah Markwell, Sr., South Bend
OL: Taevon Hubbard, Sr., Raymond
OL: Royce Murry, Sr., Ilwaco
OL: Austin McDonald, So., Ocosta
K: Raul Mora, Sr., South Bend
All-Purpose: McCartney Maden, So.,
Raymond
First Team Defense
DL: Royce Murry, Sr., Ilwaco
DL: Joe Wardlow, Sr., Ocosta
DL: Michael Oropeza, Sr., South Bend
DL: Brad Prestegord, Sr., Pe Ell/Willa-
pa Valley
DL: Christian Anderson, Jr., Raymond
LB: Tyson Nissell, Sr., Pe Ell/Willapa
Valley
LB: Brandon McMullen, Sr., Ilwaco
LB: Taevon Hubbard, Sr., Raymond
LB: Josiah Markwell, Sr., South Bend
LB: Grant Reid, Sr., Ocosta
DB: Alex Kaino, Jr., Ilwaco
DB: Cub Bair, Sr., Pe Ell/Willapa Valley
DB: Ryan Shepherd, Sr., Pe Ell/Willa-
pa Valley
DB: Raul Mora, Sr., South Bend
P: Raul Mora, Sr., South Bend
P: Tyson Nissell, Sr., Pe Ell/Willapa
Valley Sr.
Other Ilwaco selections:
Second Team Offense
WR: Jeb Sheldon, Jr.
Second Team Defense
LB: Allen Chetwood, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Trenton Cox, Jr.
Earnhardt ready to say a final goodbye
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Dale Earn-
hardt Jr. bounded out of the media
center and was instantly swarmed
by fans snapping photos and shov-
ing Sharpies in his face. Earnhardt
was tailed until he walked through
the garage gate and up the steps to
another interview.
“Did you see him?” a man yelled
as more fans scampered toward
NASCAR’s most popular driver.
The chance to catch him is all but
over.
Earnhardt is at peace with his deci-
sion to retire as he straps into the No.
88 Chevrolet for the final time in his
NASCAR Cup career on Sunday. The
43-old Earnhardt has Homestead-Mi-
ami Speedway stamped as the final
spot in his farewell tour.
His one wish is to end on his terms.
“It would be a bit of a heartbreaker
if we have the kind of issue that
would take us out of an event and we
couldn’t finish,” he said.
Earnhardt, dressed in a red T-shirt
and red cap of his race sponsor, was
at ease as he reflected on the end of a
19-year career; he cracked jokes, asked
the media questions and reflected on
some of the misspent years early in
his career. The video tributes from
race teams, tracks and sponsors have
touched the usually laid-back driver.
Some of them have brought his preg-
nant wife, Amy, to tears.
“Amy’s the one that’s most emo-
tional with being pregnant and every-
thing,” he said. “They’ve really been
hitting her.”
Earnhardt hired a personal photog-
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Dale Earnhardt Jr. smiles as he waves to cheering fans during driver
introductions prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series auto race.
rapher to document the final weekend
and he’s had a camera crew filming
in preparation for a possible docu-
mentary. Earnhardt has a photo shoot
set for Friday with long-time friend
Matt Kenseth. Earnhardt and Kenseth
broke in together and leave the series
together.
While the rest of the sport has
all eyes on Earnhardt, he is rooting
for his hunting buddy, Martin Truex
Jr., to win the Cup championship on
Sunday.
“I’m Team Martin this weekend,
for sure,” he said.
The Kannapolis, North Carolina,
native made his 600th career series
start earlier this year. He has 26 career
Cup victories and is a two-time Day-
tona 500 champion. But the son of the
late champion has never won a Cup
title.
Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick
Motorsports since 2008 after a split
with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team
founded by his father but run by his
stepmother. He was unhappy with
the direction of DEI since his father’s
2001 death in a last-lap accident at the
Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship
with his stepmother led him to bolt to
NASCAR’s most powerful team.
His mother, sister and a few close
friends were invited down on his
plane for Sunday’s race. He joked he
had hundreds of friends that probably
want to come but, hey, there’s only
nine seats on the plane.
He’ll have hundreds of thousands
more fans pulling for Junior one final
time in the 88.
“We want to enjoy this weekend,”
Earnhardt said, “but we want to end
well.”
PORTLAND — Coach Caleb
Porter has parted ways with the
Portland Timbers after five sea-
sons with the team, including an
MLS Cup championship.
The team made the move offi-
cial Friday morning.
The 42-year-old Porter com-
piled a 68-50-
52 record and
guided the team
to the league title
in 2015. He was
named the MLS
Coach of the Year
after his first sea-
Caleb
son with the team
Porter
in 2013.
In a lengthy
statement released by the Timbers,
Porter thanked the organization.
“My goal in taking the Tim-
bers job was to lead the club to
new heights and to win things that
had never been done by the orga-
nization,” Porter said. “Looking
back and reflecting on my time
with the Timbers, I am very proud
of the results we all achieved and I
know that joining the club in 2013
was one of the best decisions of
my life.”
Hebard helps
No. 10 Oregon
beat No. 19 Texas
A&M 83-68
COLLEGE STATION, Texas
— Late in No. 10 Oregon’s rout
of No. 19 Texas A&M, Ducks for-
ward Ruthy Hebard never slowed
enough to consider keeping her
perfect shooting night intact.
“I was just playing and having
fun,” Hebard said with a grin and
a shrug.
That was evident, considering
Hebard scored a season-high 24
points on 10-for-10 shooting in
the 83-68 victory Thursday night
in the semifinals of the preseason
WNIT.
“We’ve come to expect that
from her,” Oregon coach Kelly
Graves said about Hebard work-
ing hard in the low post. “She’s a
great finisher.”
Down six at the half, the Ducks
(3-0) scored the first seven points
of the third quarter to grab a 35-34
lead. After A&M (2-1) briefly led
once more, Oregon, which will
play at Louisville on Sunday in the
preseason WNIT final, began run-
ning away late in the period.
Astros’ Altuve
wins AL MVP,
Marlins’ Stanton
earns NL honor
NEW YORK — Jose Altuve
and the Houston Astros have
grown together, enduring an ardu-
ous rebuild and coming out the
other side among baseball’s best.
These days, nobody is stand-
ing taller.
Altuve won the American
League MVP award Thursday,
towering over New York Yankees
slugger Aaron Judge by a wide
margin and capping Houston’s
championship season with another
piece of hardware.
Giancarlo Stanton won the NL
MVP, edging Joey Votto of the
Cincinnati Reds in the closest vote
since 1979.
The 5-foot-6 Altuve drew 27 of
the 30 first-place votes in balloting
by members of the Baseball Writ-
ers’ Association of America.
“I was surprised that I won it,”
Altuve said. “I wasn’t expecting
this.”
It was a landslide long in
the making. Altuve has been in
Houston since general manager
Jeff Luhnow took a scorched
earth approach to developing
a winner. The Astros lost 100-
plus games in each of Altuve’s
first three seasons, beginning in
2011.
Houston won its first World
Series earlier this month, and it
needed its longest-tenured player
to get there.
— Associated Press