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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2016)
SPORTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS MILTON-FREEWATER PENDLETON Pioneers earn all- league honors Timberwolves buying in GOL releases soccer, volleyball, football squads East Oregonian BMCC men taking small- ball approach in 2016-17 In this Jan. 28, 2016, fi le photo, BMCC’s Isaiah Harris pulls down a rebound in a men’s basketball game against Walla Walla in Pendleton. Harris is one of four return- ing sopho- mores for the Timberwolves this season. By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian The Blue Mountain men’s basketball team closed the 2015-16 season strong by winning four its last fi ve games. It wasn’t enough to punch the program’s fi rst NWAC tournament berth since 2009, though, and according to the team’s returning sopho- mores they had only themselves to blame. After seeing some success in the early non-league portion of their schedule, the Timberwolves were fractured by a six-game losing streak to open NWAC East region play. Their late rally came up two wins short of a postseason berth. “It took us a while to buy in, and it kind of showed in the Men’s season,” said sophomore Jared Basketball Mathews, a 6-foot-7 forward who averaged 14.32 points and 8.8 rebounds in just under 26 minutes a game as a freshman. “We have a team this year, I think, we’re all just willing to learn. That’s something that we kind of lacked last year, but we’re all willing to learn.” The Timberwolves start the 2016-17 season on Sunday with a game at Mt. Hood Commu- nity College, which will also be the debut for head coach Gavin Burt. An assistant for Adam Ellis last season, Burt was hired as his replacement when Ellis took an assistant job at St. Martin’s (DII). Burt also is a former BMCC player (2010-12). Mathews said the transition has been a smooth process. “We kind of all just went right into it like we didn’t get a new coach, because he (Burt) was Staff photo by E.J. Harris The Mac-Hi Pioneers turned in successful seasons in both boys and girls varsity soccer in 2016. Both teams fi nished with above .500 records — the girls 9-6-1 and the boys 8-7-1 — which helped earn spots in the play-in round of the 4A state playoffs. Both teams ultimately came up short of making it into the 4A state bracket, but the key players that helped the teams throughout the seasons were recognized by the Greater Oregon League on Tuesday with a combined seven selections to the all-league teams. On the girls side, seniors Sydney Richwine, Melissa See PIONEERS/2B College Football Ducks’ Allen going pro in track Olympian sprinter forgoing remaining college eligibility By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press Olympic hurdler and Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen says he will forgo his remaining eligi- bility with the Ducks and pursue a professional track career. Allen, a two-time NCAA champion in the 110-meter hurdles who placed fi fth in the event at the Rio Olympics this summer, s a i d Wednesday he does not yet have an agent. He is recov- ering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his Allen left knee. Allen said his aim is to win the gold medal in the 2020 Games, and then perhaps return to playing football professionally. He feels that turning pro and training full time gives him the best chance to medal. “My ideal scenario is to run track for the next couple of years, and then in the 2020 Olympics See ALLEN/3B See TIMBERWOLVES/3B In this Jan. 16, 2016, fi le photo, BMCC’s Brook Haringa drives to the basket guarded by Big Bend’s Mackenzie Windley and Dean- na Man- ning (32) in a women’s basketball game in Pendleton. BMCC turns up pressure Defense expected to be a strength in 2016-17 By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian Blue Mountain women’s basketball coach Adam Driver used everything he knew in trying to draw up a defense that could mask his roster’s physical shortcom- ings in 2015-16. Despite his best efforts, the Timber- wolves struggled on that end allowing 71.4 points a game and losing four of their last six games to fi nish four games out of the playoff hunt. “Last year towards the end of the year we switched to a lot of zone, mainly because we couldn’t keep people in front of us,” Driver said. “We had some good moments with it, and some not very good moments.” With the Timberwolves Women’s set to open the 2016-17 Basketball campaign on Friday when they play Chemeketa at the Yakima Valley tournament, Driver said defense should be one of the team’s strengths thanks to a speedy freshman class that has the coach liking what he’s seeing in practices and scrimmages. “Our defensive pressure has been a lot better, the energy on the defensive end has been better than it was at any point last year,” he said. “And we’re a little quicker.” See BMCC/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris NFL Seahawks putting hopes of run game on Prosise, Rawls A New Engald de- fender chas- es Seattle Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise (22) during Sun- day’s game in Foxbor- ough, Mass. Seattle looking for boost in underachieivng ground game By TIM BOOTH Associated Press RENTON, Wash. — Thomas Rawls is back practicing with Seattle for the fi rst time since Week 2. C.J. Prosise showed last week that he could be a solution for the Seahawks’ underachieving run game. And Christine Michael has once again been discarded by the AP Photo/Charles Krupa Seahawks. There are defi nitive changes that Seattle has made in an attempt to spark the 30th-ranked running offense in the NFL, centered on the belief that the combo of Rawls and Prosise can be the answer. “We’re going with guys that we want to go with,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “We’re excited about where we’re moving and think it’s going to fi t together really well. You’ll fi nd out. You’ll have a chance to see what you think here in a couple weeks.” The makeover of Seattle’s run game took a drastic turn in the past few days. First was Prosise becoming the primary ball carrier in last Sunday’s 31-24 victory over New England , relegating Michael to a supporting role. Prosise had 17 carries for 66 yards, while Michael was on the fi eld for only 11 plays and touched the ball just six times. See SEAHAWKS/3B Sports shorts Mariota named Player of the Week NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-25 win over the Green Bay Packers. The award was announced Wednesday. Mariota completed his fi rst 10 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He fi nished with a 149.8 passer rating. This is Mariota’s third offensive player of the week award. Warren Moon Mariota (six) and Steve McNair (four) are the only Oilers/Titans quarterbacks with more. The second-year quarterback has 17 touchdowns and three interceptions over his past six games, along with two TDs rushing. Mariota is the fi rst in NFL history to score four total touchdowns in six of his fi rst 22 career starts. Scherzer, Porcello take home MLB’s Cy Young Awards “I always want to run the ball more, but I also want to throw it 55 times a game, too.“ — Mike McCarthy Green Bay Packers head coach addressing the team’s offensive struggles on Wednesday. Later in the day the Packers’ waiver claim to running back Christine Michael was approved. Michael was released by Seattle on Tuesday. NEW YORK (AP) — Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox has won the AL Cy Young Award by a narrow margin and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals has taken the NL prize. Porcello led the majors with 22 wins, and beat out Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Cleveland’s Corey Kluber in results announced Wednesday. Scherzer become the sixth pitcher to win the Cy Young in both leagues, earning the NL honor by a wide margin. He led the majors with 284 strikeouts and topped the league with 20 wins, and beat out Chicago Cubs teammates Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. Scherzer won the AL honor in 2013 while pitching in a Detroit rotation with Porcello and Verlander. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1968 — The “Heidi” television special starts on time and cuts off the NBC broadcast of the Oakland-New York Jets game in the fi nal minutes, leaving viewers in the dark and unaware that the Raiders score two touchdowns in the last minute for a 43-32 comeback victory. 1990 — David Klingler of Houston throws an NCAA-record 11 touch- down passes as the Cougars trounce Eastern Washington 84-21. Klingler completes 41 of 58 passes for 572 yards and ties the NCAA record for touchdown passes in a season with 47. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
