SPORTS
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016
1B
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Prep Football
Local athletes ready for Shrine Game
Five locals
to represent
the East
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
When recent Irrigon grad-
uate Fredy Vera found out he
was selected to participate in
the prestigious Oregon East-
West Shrine All-Star football
game in early February, he
was already counting down
the days until he could strap
Sam Barbee Photo
In this Sept. 12, 2015 fi le photo, Enterprise’s Trent Walker (3) squares to meet Irrigon’s Freddy Vera (21) in the hole
during the Knights’ 53-0 win. Vera is one of fi ve area athletes headed to the East-West Shrine Game next week.
up one more time.
“To be able to strap on the
pads and helmet one last time
there isn’t a better feeling,”
Vera said of the selection.
”My friends, coaches, and
family get to see me play one
last time. Not a lot of people
get to experience this and
I’m glad I get to. This is what
I’ve always wanted to do is
play in this game and fi nally
I get to on Aug. 6th.”
The Shrine Game, now
in its 64th year of operation,
is just one week away and
several other local athletes
are also chomping at the bit
to play with some teammates
See SHRINE GAME/2B
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
In this Nov. 17, 2015 fi le photo, Heppner’s C.J. Kindle
runs the ball in the Mustangs’ win over Reedsport.
NFL
PGA Championship
Walker shoots 65 for Round 1 lead Seahawks
Johnson, McIlroy
among top players to
struggle on Thursday
PGA Championship
Leaderboard
1) Jimmy Walker (-5)
T2) Emiliano Grillo (-4)
T2) Ross Fisher (-4)
T2) Martin Kaymer (-4)
Also
T9) Rickie Fowler (-2)
T9) Jason Day (-2)
T36) Jordan Spieth (E)
T55) Phil Mickelson (+1)
T55) Bubba Watson (+1)
T120) Rory McIlroy (+4)
T143) Dustin Johnson (+7)
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — A
stale year for Jimmy Walker
came to life Thursday in the PGA
Championship when he saw
putts drop and wound up leading
a major for the fi rst time in his
career.
A great year might get even
better for Henrik Stenson.
Walker took advantage of
smoother greens in the morning
Thursday at Baltusrol by rolling
in six birdies for a 5-under 65,
giving him a one-shot lead after
the opening round of the fi nal
major that delivered its share of
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Jimmy Walker watches his chip shot to the third green during
the fi rst round of the PGA Championship tournament at Bal-
tusrol Golf Club in Springfi eld, N.J., Thursday, July 28, 2016.
surprises.
U.S. Open champion Dustin
Johnson, with a chance to go to
No. 1 in the world, was in the
trees, in the water and couldn’t
get out of a bunker. He managed
only one birdie in a round of 77
that wasn’t enough to beat 15 of
the club pros at Baltusrol.
He wasn’t alone in his misery.
Rory McIlroy took 35 putts and
didn’t make a single birdie in
his round of 74 that left him so
See PGA/2B
Soccer
Arsenal tops MLS all-stars
Late goal vaults one of
England’s best into All-
Star Game victory
By JANIE MCCAULEY
Associated Press
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
MLS All-Stars’ Kendall Waston, bottom, of the Vancou-
ver Whitecaps, makes a slide tackle under Arsenal’s
Theo Walcott during the second half of the MLS All-
Star soccer game Thursday, July 28, 2016, in San Jose,
Calif. Arsenal won 2-1.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Chuba
Akpom scored the deciding goal in
the 87th minute from about 4 yards
out on a cross from the left side by
Nacho Monreal, and Arsenal topped
the MLS All-Stars 2-1 in the Major
League Soccer All-Star Game on
Thursday.
Once Arsenal’s young substitutes
Arsenal
MLS All-Stars
2
1
got going after entering midway
through the second half, the scoring
chances came.
Moments
before
halftime,
Montreal’s Didier Drogba scored on
his third try following two defl ec-
tions in one quick sequence for MLS
to notch it at 1.
Drogba’s fi rst attempt ricocheted
off goalkeeper Petr Cech then the
See SOCCER/2B
GM elated
with team
progress
Schneider grateful for
opportunity to keep
building a winner
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — Every so
often, John Schneider will see what’s
happening with other franchises around
the NFL and his personal appreciation
for what’s taken place during his tenure
as general manager in Seattle is rein-
forced.
Schneider knows
what’s happened
here over the past
six seasons is
unique. It’s why he
agreed to a contract
extension last week
that will keep him
employed by the
Seahawks through
Schneider
the 2021 season.
“It always fl uctuates and changes
with different ownership groups, but this
is clearly a top-3, top-5 team in terms of
ownership in the league and obviously
we’re biased so we would say it’s (No.)
1,” Schneider said Thursday. “Like I
said, having a strong owner and a strong
president is extremely important.”
Schneider spoke with reporters as
the Seahawks were preparing to begin
training camp Saturday. The team
See SCHNEIDER/2B
Sports shorts
Lee ties tournament record at
Women’s British Open
WOBURN, England (AP) — Mirim Lee
equaled the lowest-ever round at the Women’s
British Open by shooting a
62 Thursday to take the
FACES 10-under
lead on the opening day.
The South Korean had 10
birdies as she secured a three-
stroke advantage over Ariya
Jutanugarn of Thailand, who
carded a bogey-free round of 65 at
Woburn Golf Club.
Lee
Lee matched Minea Blomqvist’s
10-under 62 in the third round of
the 2004 British Open at Sunningdale.
Lee says “it was probably one of my best
ever rounds, although I still had some errant
shots. I played every hole in a similar fashion,
hitting fairways and greens. My best ever score
was an 11 under par in LPGA qualifying.”
“I defi nitely think I’m a
different person. If you
haven’t changed over
a period of time, that’s
a bad thing. I think
me standing here is a
testament to that ... I
have a great support
staff here, more so than
I’ve ever felt before.“
— Josh Gordon
The embattled Cleveland Browns
wide receiver spoke to the media
for the fi rst time on Thursday since
being reinstated from his one-
year suspension from the NFL for
substance abuse.
NCAA recommends just one
live-contact practice per week
(AP) — The NCAA football oversight
committee recommended Division I football
programs hold only one “live-
contact” practice per week.
The current guidelines, which
are not enforceable rules, allow
two live practices per week.
The new guidelines announced
Wednesday will take effect this
season.
Live practices are defi ned as those that
involve tackling to the ground and full-speed
blocking, and can occur in full or half pads.
Live contact does not include thudding, when
players are not taken to the ground.
The Ivy League announced earlier this
season that it would eliminate live tackling
in practice, and even at the FBS level teams
rarely have live tackling in practice.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1986 — The United
States Football League
wins and loses in its
lawsuit against the National
Football League. The jury
fi nds that the NFL violated
antitrust laws, as the USFL
claimed, but awards the
USFL only $1 in damages.
2008 — Disgraced
ex-NBA
offi cial
Tim
Donaghy admits that he’d
brought shame on his
profession as a federal judge
sentenced him to 15 months
behind bars for a gambling
scandal.
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