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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2016)
SPORTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON NFL Passing attack in good hands Pendleton wide receivers quickly building chemistry with new quarterback Boykin’s interception sinks Seahawks in preseason By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian Pendleton football coach Erik Davis was just starting to see his passing attack come together when an injury during the third game of the 2015 season sent the Buckaroos scrambling. First-year starter Shaw Jerome was beginning to show his big-play potential on the outside and was on his way to becoming quarterback Kai Quinn’s favorite target when the sophomore receiver was lost for the season with a broken collarbone that required emergency surgery. Pendleton held on to win that game, but would experience victory just one more time the rest of the way. “He got hurt in the La Grande game three games in, and he was kind of that go-to kid,” Davis said of Jerome. “And so you lose that and you’re scrambling a little bit.” “I was getting more comfortable with the offense right when it happened,” Jerome said. “I was just starting to get comfortable with Kai and the other receivers, and it is what it is I guess.” At the time, Davis said he was confi dent the team could pick up the pieces. But even with a strong-armed two-year starter at quarterback, the Buckaroos’ passing game struggled and the team averaged just 25 points a game while posting a 3-6 record. With a healthy Jerome back in the fold, and all-conference senior Nick Lani (26 catches, 538 yards, 2 touchdowns) also returning, Davis is excited to see where the passing attack can take the Bucks in his fi fth season on the sidelines. The Buckaroos have six wide receivers Davis feels confi dent with, and some younger players starting to emerge that could work their way onto the fi eld as well. “There’s a bunch of sophomores that are really pushing for time,” he said. “I’m just excited about the depth at that position for sure.” Along with Lani and Jerome, junior Tanner Stephan and senior Sebaztian Corona return with varsity experience. So does senior tight end Late pick propels Vikings By TIM BOOTH Associated Press Staff photo by Matt Entrup Pendleton wide receiver Shaw Jerome, right, works against Dillon McCorkle in a drill during football practice on Thursday at Pendleton High School. Jerome, a junior, was emerging as one of the team’s top receivers before he had his sophomore season cut short due to injury. Pendleton quarter- back Nick Bower throws a pass during football practice on Thurs- day at Pendle- ton High School. Bower, a junior, will take over under center for his fi rst varsity season in 2016. Staff photo by Matt Entrup Matt Fowler, who Davis said is athletic enough to set up outside and create mismatches with his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame. Sophomore slot receiver Cam Sandford represents the fresh blood, and Davis said he’s “quicker than a hiccup.” “He just brings a quickness to the game that we haven’t seen on this varsity for quite awhile so we’re real excited about him,” Davis said. All those targets won’t do the Bucks any good if they can’t get them the ball, but that’s not some- thing the Bucks are worried about. Quinn is graduated, but junior Nick Bower appears ready to lead the offense and on Thursday during practice showed off a few of the reasons his head coach and teammates have expressed so much confi dence in last year’s backup and junior varsity starter. One play in particular stood out, as Bower dropped back during an 11-on-11 drill and spiraled a 40-yard bomb into the hands of a receiver streaking up the seam for a would-be touchdown. “He’s going to have a good arm. He’s going to be able to put the ball in the air, and he’s good at reading the fi eld,” said Lani of a few of Bower’s strengths as a passer. After taking a beating behind a porous JV offensive line, Bower (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) also packed on an extra 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason to prepare for what he hopes can be his breakout season. “Varsity is a lot faster of a game and bigger guys, so just training and trying to get bigger for that,” he said of his offseason goal. “He never missed a weight room, never missed a workout, and honestly it shows in his physical attributes. He’s grown so much since last year,” Davis said. “I think he brings tremendous leadership by example.” Davis also is enamored with Bower’s ability to understand the concepts behind the X’s and O’s, a trait that separates the good from the great at the highest levels, and said he’ll be given some freedom to manage the game from the fi eld. See PHS PASSING/2B SEATTLE — Marcus Sherels intercepted Trevone Boykin’s pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown with 1:23 left and the Minne- sota Vikings beat the Seattle Seahawks 18-11 on Thursday night. Minnesota W i t h Boykin trying to lead Seattle to another late come- Seattle back for a second straight w e e k , Sherels stepped in front of his pass intended for E.Z. Nwachukwu and went untouched for the deciding score. Seattle had pulled even at 11-11 when Troy- maine Pope scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 12:49 left after his 27-yard run got the Seahawks deep in Minnesota territory and Steven Hauschka’s 49-yard fi eld goal later in the fourth quarter. Boykin got Seattle to the Minnesota 5 in the closing seconds, before taking a sack and was unable to connect with Antwan Goodley in the end zone on the fi nal play. Adrian Peterson was a spectator for Minnesota, as expected. So too, unexpect- edly, was quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, given the night off by the choice of coach Mike Zimmer. Shaun Hill started and played nearly See SEAHAWKS/2B 18 11 MLB MLB approves sale of Mariners Pujols, Escobar pace Angels Los Angeles holds off rally to beat Seattle By ABBEY MASTRACCO Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Albert Pujols drove in two runs, Yunel Escobar had three hits and scored twice, and the Los Angeles Angels held off a late rally and beat the Seattle Mari- ners 6-4 on Thursday night. Mike Trout also scored twice as the Angels earned a split of the four-game series with just their second win in 14 games. Seattle Los Angeles 4 6 Fernando Salas gave up a two-run homer to Adam Lind in the ninth, but got Leonys Martin and Shawn O’Malley on grounders to end the game. Pujols reached 95 RBIs with a two-run double in the eighth. He’s second in the AL, fi ve behind Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion. One night after his second fi ve-hit game of the season, Escobar went 3 for 4 See MARINERS/2B Becomes fi rst team to change control since 2012 By RONALD BLUM Associated Press AP Photo/Reed Saxon Seattle Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, of japan, returns to the mound after walking Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, ad- vancing Yunel Escobar to second, background, during the fi rst inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. HOUSTON — Major League Baseball owners approved the sale of a controlling stake in the Seattle Mariners from Nintendo of America to a group of minority owners led by Western Wireless Corp. founder John Stanton and retired Microsoft execu- tive Chris Larson. The sale was announced in April and approved Thursday. Baseball Commis- See SALE/2B Sports shorts Billingsley leaving mark in Detroit DETROIT — Former Eastern Oregon Mountaineer football standout Jace Billingsley continued to make his case for a spot on the Detroit Lions roster as his team took on the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason on Thursday night. FACES game Billingsley, playing at wide receiver, was targeted a total of four times in the game and he fi nished with two catches for 33 yards. In two preseason games so far, Billingsley has totaled fi ve catches for 66 yards and one Billingsley touchdown. He is currently tied for second on the team in total catches. The 23-year-old Billingsley was a four-year player at EOU and holds program records in receptions (242), receiving yards (2,522) all-purpose yards (5,911) and total career touchdowns (42). Straily picks up 9th win of season as Reds down Marlins “When it came down to it, (if) I got the suspension, the bigger outcome wasn’t really worth it.“ — Jame Harrison Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker on his decision to meet with the NFL to discuss an alleged link to perfor- mance-enhancing drugs. It’s a com- plete reversal from his earlier stance, and comes fi ve days after the dead- line the NFL imposed while threaten- ing him and three other players with indefi nite suspensions. CINCINNATI — Dan Straily struck out seven batters and allowed just seven hits and two runs over six innings to earn his ninth win of the season as the Cincinnati Reds took down the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Thursday. Straily (9-6) also earned his team-leading 15th quality start of the season on Thursday and lowered his ERA to 3.72 — the lowest mark since mid-June. The Reds (51-69) have benefi tted quite well from Straily’s recent success, as the team has been victorious in eight of his last nine starts. “It is a special year for Straily,” Reds manager Bryan Price said to the Associated Press. “He is solidifying his career.” He is next scheduled to pitch on Tuesday when the Reds host the Texas Rangers for a 4:10 p.m. fi rst pitch. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1951 — Eddie Gaedel, a 65-pound, 3-foot-7 midget, makes his fi rst and only plate appearance as a pinch-hitter for Frank Saucier of the St. Louis Browns. Gaedel, wearing No. 1/8, walks on four pitches by Detroit Tigers pitcher Bob Cain and is taken out for pinch-runner Jim Delsing. The gimmick by Browns owner Bill Veeck was completely legal, but later outlawed. 1995 — Mike Tyson starts his comeback, knocking out Peter McNeeley in 89 seconds at Las Vegas. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com