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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2016)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 HERMISTON Sports shorts Idaho football dropped by Sun Belt Conference MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s football team will leave the Sun Belt Conference after the 2017 season. The conference announced Tuesday that it’s dropping the Vandals. Idaho President Chuck Staben says he is disappointed by the Sun %HOW¶VGHFLVLRQ2I¿FLDOVIRU Idaho say the school will decide whether to play an independent schedule or accept an invitation from the Big Sky Conference for the 2018 season. A founding member of the Sun Belt, Idaho was in the conference from 2001-04. The Vandals were a member of the WAC from 2005-12. Idaho was independent for the 2013 season before returning to the Sun Belt in 2014. 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Grappling with a dream “When you hear about Sam you don’t hear about academics, even though you should.” Hermiston’s Neal selected for Les Schwab Bowl Hermiston Bulldogs defensive lineman Tre Neal racked up several honors during his senior football season, and on Monday he earned one more. Neal was selected to play in the FACES 69th annual Les Schwab Tires Bowl presented by Express Employment Professionals that will Neal take place on Saturday, June 25th at Hillsboro Stadium. The game will feature the top 5A and 6A players from the state split up into North and South rosters. Neal will play with the South team that will be coached by Summit’s Joe Padilla. Neal anchored Hermiston’s defense in 2015 racking up 61 total tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks, which led WRKLVVHOHFWLRQWRERWK¿UVW WHDPDOO&5&DQG¿UVWWHDP all-state. Tickets for the game go on sale May 13th. “My doctors all have told me that had I passed out or gone down on the golf course that they really don’t think they would have had time to get the proper blood thinners in me — and put the stent in that they were able to do — in time. I got one hell of a mulligan. That’s all I can say.“ — Jason Bohn The 42-year-old PGA tour member on Sir- iusXM PGA Tour Ra- dio on Tuesday. Bohn suffered a major heart attack following Friday’s round at the Honda Classic and did not realize it until the para- medics put him on a stretcher and called for an ambulance. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead the Philadel- phia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com Staff photo by E.J. Harris Sam Colbray is as comfortable in an academic setting, like the library, as the four-time state champion is on the wrestling mat. Colbray, who will offi cially sign of letter of intent to wrestle on a college scholarship this week, has aspirations of continuing on to medical school and becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Hermiston’s Sam Colbray pins aspirations for medical career on continuing education through athletics By SAM BARBEE East Oregonian S am Colbray didn’t always want to wrestle. As a small child growing up in Hermiston, he wanted to explore the world. “He used to talk about that when he was 5 years old,” Colbray’s mother, Delta, said. Thirteen years later, the world explorer dream has passed, but his ambitions are still grand. After he concludes his stellar high school career — both athletically and academically — he will continue his education at Iowa State University on a wrestling schol- arship. Wrestling and Iowa State are stepping stones to attending medical school and becoming a doctor. Best known as a highly-ranked wrestler, he’s currently ranked second in the country at 195 pounds according to FloWrestling.org and a four-time Oregon state champion at the same weight, Colbray is an intellectual, a thinker and a leader. “When you hear about Sam, you don’t hear about academics, even though you should,” social sciences teacher John Christy said. “You hear only primarily about athletics. But he’s a top-notch student.” Colbray became interested in science at an early age. The consistency and uniformity appeals to him. He said every human body is the same, every person’s biology See COLBRAY/2B PENDLETON Prep Basketball Bulldogs, Bucks dominate All-CRC Falcons Hermiston’s Hoffert, ¿QLVKRII Pendleton’s Tedder named coaches of year Bucks By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian Monday’s practice for the Herm- LVWRQJLUOVEDVNHWEDOOWHDPZDV¿OOHG ZLWKKLJK¿YHVDQGVPLOHVDOODURXQG Bulldogs coach Steve Hoffert broke the news then that four players had been selected to the Columbia River Conference’s all-league team — headlined by seniors Jansen Edmiston and Sara Ramirez repeating as co-Players of the Year. Hoffert said that the duo are two players that are at the top of his list of players he has coached in his eight years at Hermiston. “It’s been very gratifying to coach those two,” he said. “They’re both fun and challenging to coach because they expect a lot out of themselves and their teammates. I’ve seen some girls get to a point where they are happy with where they are, but these WZRJLUOVDUHQHYHUVDWLV¿HGDQGWKDW¶V what seperates them.” Hermiston’s two other selections were junior forward Kynzee Padilla and sophomore Maddie Juul. Padilla was named to the second team for the second year in a row while Juul was QDPHGWRWKH¿UVWWHDPLQKHUVHFRQG year on the varsity squad. Hoffert said that the Bulldogs wouldn’t be the team they are without the solid inside game from Padilla and Juul. “Each are getting better and better and both raised the level of their game this year,” he said. “Their roles expanded and created this recogni- tion with increased responsibility and EHLQJFRQ¿GHQWLQWKHLUJDPH´ Hoffert was also named Coach of the Year again, though he says that See ALL-CRC/3B TOP: In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 fi le photo, Herm- iston’s Jansen Edmiston drives from the top of the key in the Bulldogs’ 79-49 win against The Dalles in Hermiston. BOTTOM: In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 fi le photo, Hermis- ton’s Sara Ramirez shoots the ball guarded by The Dalles’ Sierra Watson and Brooke McCall. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Liberty defense too tough for Pendleton East Oregonian HILLSBORO — The Pendleton girls basketball team knew Liberty was a tough defensive match-up, but may have underestimated them a little bit. Girls Hoops Pend- leton coach Michelle Pendleton G o m e z said that made all the difference in Tues- day’s Class Liberty 5A play-in r o u n d match-up, w h i c h Liberty won 67-50. “They were tough defen- sively and we knew coming in that they were going to be,” she said, adding that the Buckaroos did what they could to prepare for it. “But you can’t really duplicate that defensive intensity that they play with and I think we may have taken that a little bit for granted.” The Falcons (13-11) used their press to harass Pendleton (9-16) into 32 turnovers, and pulled away in an 18-4 second quarter. See BUCKS/3B 50 67
