SPORTS
WEEKEND, JANUARY 30-31, 2016
Sports shorts
Concussions in
NFL up 58 percent
(AP) — The NFL says
reported concussions rose
58 percent in regular-season
games to the
highest number
in any of the
past four years.
The league
issued its
concussion data for 2015 on
Friday, a little more than a
week before the Super Bowl,
but did not release any data
about total injuries.
According to the NFL,
there were 182 reported
concussions from 2015
regular-season games,
reversing a recent downward
trend. There were 115 in
2014, 148 in 2013, and 173
in 2012.
A year ago, the league
touted those decreases
DVDUHÀHFWLRQRISOD\HUV
changing the way they play
football.
NFL Senior Vice
President of Health and
Safety Jeff Miller said the
OHDJXHLVWU\LQJWR¿JXUHRXW
why concussion numbers
rose so much this season.
Broncos fan signed
to practice squad
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.
(AP) — Last Sunday, Nick
Kasa was like any other fan
of the Denver Broncos.
On Super Bowl Sunday,
he’ll be one of the Denver
Broncos.
FACES The tight
end, out of
football since
the spring, got
a phone call
while sitting
in the stands
last weekend,
Kasa
watching the
Broncos beat New England
in the AFC title game.
He dropped his phone
and cracked the screen —
that’s another story — but
ZKHQKH¿QDOO\UHVWRUHG
his service, he learned the
Broncos wanted to sign him
to the practice squad to help
them get ready for the Super
Bowl against Carolina.
“It’s been pretty crazy.
Kind of indescribable,”
said Kasa, who was signed
Monday. “These guys have
been working hard toward
this for a long time. For me
to come in at the end here, is
just kind of an out-of-the-or-
dinary event. I’m honored
to be here and ready to do
whatever I can to help.”
“Today I decided
our team will stay
in San Diego for
the 2016 season
and I hope for
the long term in a
new stadium.“
— Dean Spanos
San Diego Chargers
chairman telling fans
that the Chargers would
remain in San Diego for
the upcoming season
instead of moving to Los
Angeles with the Rams.
The Chargers still have
until Jan. 15, 2017 to
decide whether or not
to move the team to Los
Angeles, and will try
and work out a new
stadium with the city of
San Diego until then.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1994 — The Dallas
Cowboys, behind MVP
Emmitt Smith and safety
James Washington, beats
Buffalo 30-13 for their
second straight NFL title
while giving the Bills four
straight Super Bowl losses.
2010 — Andre Miller
scores a career-high 52
points, including 25 in the
fourth quarter and overtime,
and Juwan Howard hits a
jumper with 44.8 seconds
left to lift the Portland Trail
Blazers past the Dallas
Mavericks 114-112.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
1B
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS
HERMISTON
Hermiston breezes by Hood River
%LJ¿UVWKDOIKHOSV
Bulldogs to easy win
By SAM BARBEE
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Sam Barbee
Hermiston’s Sara Ramirez (33) rises for a layup in front of Hood
River’s Mykan Malone during Hermiston’s 78-43 win Friday night
at The Dawghouse.
At the varsity level, competition
is generally very even. Parity, as
it’s known, usually prevents teams
IURP WUHDWLQJ JDPHV DV JORUL¿HG
scrimmages where they can work
on new plays, lineups or whatever.
That wasn’t the case Friday
night, when Hermiston thoroughly
dominated the Hood River Valley
Eagles 78-43 at The Dawghouse.
Anticipating an easy win over a
team devoid of talent and numbers
— Hood River (3-12, 0-2) suited
just nine players — Bulldogs coach
Steve Hoffert wanted to use Friday’s
game as an opportunity to try new
rotations, new plays and the press.
He liked what he saw.
“I tried to look for and look on
Girls Hoops
Hood River
Hermiston
43
78
our reaction time to running a play,
running a press, getting into some-
thing after a made basket, getting
into this defense after a miss,” he
said. “We kept switching defense
based on misses, makes and free
throws. So I was looking for if
we got into the position we were
supposed to.”
The Bulldogs (14-3, 2-0 CRC)
dominated from the opening jump,
VFRULQJ ¿UVWTXDUWHU SRLQWV HQ
route to a 34-point halftime lead.
Opening in a full-court press, some-
thing Hermiston had yet to do this
season, the Bulldogs forced four
(DJOH WXUQRYHUV LQ WKH ¿UVW PLQXWH
and a half of game time.
See HERMISTON/2B
HEPPNER
Knights knock off Mustangs
Irrigon back in CBC contention
with win on Friday night
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
When Heppner and Irrigon met on Jan. 8,
WKH 0XVWDQJV KDQGHG WKH .QLJKWV WKHLU ¿UVW
home loss since February of 2012.
On Friday night, Irrigon returned the favor,
KDQGLQJWKH0XVWDQJVWKHLU¿UVWKRPHORVVLQ
just more than a year — Jan. 16, 2015 to be
exact — with a 49-41 victory in Heppner.
So much for a home-court advantage, eh?
“I thought the kids did a good job of
understanding the time situations and played
D SUHWW\ JRRG ¿UVW KDOI´ VDLG ,UULJRQ FRDFK
Mitch Thompson. “I thought we lost focus a
little bit, our youth showed
a bit and their experience
and coaching showed in the Boys Hoops
second half, but I thought
we had good leadership and
I thought everyone did their
Irrigon
job and did it the best they
could.”
Friday’s game played
RXW PXFK OLNH WKH ¿UVW RQH
did; the pace was fast, the
play was physical and the
Heppner
outcome was up in the air
until the last minute of play.
But this time Irrigon
(13-5, 4-2 CBC) proved to
be the better team on the night, as the Knights’
RIIHQVLYH VSHHG ZDV GLI¿FXOW IRU +HSSQHU WR
keep under control and their defensive quick-
ness hampered the Mustangs from getting
HQRXJKTXDOLW\VKRWDWWHPSWVWR¿QGDUK\WKP
“At home, we thought we gave one away,
and it really motivated us as a team especially
defensively,” said Irrigon senior guard Fredy
Vera. “We prepared all week preparing for
WKLVRQHDWSUDFWLFHDQGZDWFKLQJ¿OPDQGZH
executed really well.”
The Knights led for almost all of the 32
minutes of game time, with Heppner’s last lead
FRPLQJ DW ODWH LQ WKH ¿UVW TXDUWHU )URP
there, Irrigon grew the lead to 10 points and
kept that cushion for most of the game.
But late in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs
(15-2, 5-1) were able to creep back into the
game with the help of missed free throws by the
Knights. Irrigon had made only 1 of 5 to start
the quarter, including three-straight missed
attempts at the front end of one-and-one’s.
+HSSQHUJRWWRZLWKLQ¿YHSRLQWVDW
with one minute left in the game when Logan
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Grieb banked home a layup. And after an Irrigon’s Xavier Rambo shoots the ball over Heppner’s Logan Grieb (5) and Weston Putnam in
See KNIGHTS/2B
the Knights’ 49-42 win against the Mustangs on Friday in Heppner.
49
42
PENDLETON
Buckaroos fall at home to Mountain View
with a 3-2 decision.
with a 12-0 majority deci-
But then the Buckaroos sion victory.
———
put
some
momentum
220 — Austin Keller (M) pins Jeff Priester,
The Pendleton Bucka- together and got on a run, 3:39
(6-0)
285 — Jacob Banks (P) def. Reed Se-
roos came close to a home winning matches at 132 horn-Hurst
by 5-2 dec. (6-3)
dual win on Friday night, pounds (Alex Rendon),
106 — Lane Evens (P) def. Carson John-
son by 3-2 dec. (6-6)
but could not hang on as 138 pounds (Brendon
113 — Evan Mclean (M) def. Chris Cham-
they fell to Mountain View Bedolla), 145 pounds (Scott bers by 18-2 TF, 3:30 (11-6)
120 — Conner Duhn (M) pins Blake Davis,
Chambers), and 152 pounds 3:25 (17-6)
37-27.
126 — Caleb Duhn (M) def. Koby Jones by
The Buckaroos started (Morgan Holcomb) to grab a 15-0
TF, 4:15 (22-6)
slow as Mountain View 23-22 lead.
132 — Alex Rendon (P) def. Tristan Baker
by 10-0 Maj. dec. (22-10)
But then J.D. Peters lost
raced out to a 22-6 lead in
138 — Brendon Bedolla (P) def. Noah
WKH¿UVWIRXUGXDOVDV-DFRE to Dylan Grell by a 12-7 Rivera by 12-7 dec. (22-13)
145 — Scott Chambers (P) def. Leslie
Banks at 285 pounds and decision at 160 pounds, and Combs
by 13-2 Maj. dec. (22-17)
152 — Morgan Holcomb (P) pins Jace
Lane Evens at 106 pounds then Alex Gear (170 pounds) Horner,
2:27 (22-23)
160 — Dylan Grell (M) def. JD Peters by
were the only Bucks to and Greg Lee (182 pounds)
12-7 dec. (25-23)
garner
points.
Banks each lost by pin to boost
170 — Izaak Mofi t (M) pins Alex Gear,
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
1:17 (31-23)
Mountain View out 37-23.
defeated
Reed
Sehorn-Hurst
Pendleton’s Scott Chambers starts a match with
182 — Luke Schultz (M) pins Greg Lee.
0DUFXV 7D\ORU ¿QLVKHG 195 — Marcus Taylor (P) def. Daniel Clark
Mountain View’s Leslie Combs during a dual meet Fri- with a 5-2 decision and
Evens beat Carson Johnson for Pendleton at 195 pounds by 12-0 Maj. dec. (37-27)
day at Warberg Court in the 145-pound weight class.
East Oregonian