Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, November 25, 2016
College Football
Marks brings emotion to WSU’s Air Raid offense
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press
PULLMAN, Wash. —
After Washington State’s
Gabe Marks caught the
touchdown pass that made
him the leading receiver in
the history of the Pacific-12
Conference, the referees
yelled at him to return the
football.
“No, it’s my ball,” he
told the refs, in a move that
surprised no one who knows
the fiery receiver.
If quarterback Luke Falk
is the field general of the Air
Raid offense, Marks is the
emotional and intellectual
voice of the No. 23 Cougars.
It was little surprise that
the 295th reception of Marks’
stellar career, breaking the
Pac-12 mark of 294 set by
Nelson Spruce of Colorado,
was a touchdown in Wash-
ington State’s 56-21 rout of
California on Nov. 12.
The touchdown “works
out better as a story,” Marks
said after the game.
“I wasn’t feeling all
blushy and stuff, all romantic
or anything,” Marks said
when asked how he felt about
the Pac-12 receptions record.
“It was cool. I appreciated
the cheers from the fans and
everything and the acknowl-
edgement for it.”
The senior caught six more
passes in Washington State’s
loss to No. 9 Colorado last
Saturday, bringing his career
total to 301. He is just the
13th receiver in FBS history,
and the only one from the
Pac-12, with more than 300
catches. His 3,314 yards are
ninth-most in league history.
Marks is sure to be a prime
target when the Cougars host
rival No. 6 Washington today
in the annual Apple Cup,
with the winner claiming the
Pac-12 North title and a shot
at the Rose Bowl.
While some athletes
downplay the pursuit of
records, Marks said chasing
the Pac-12 receptions stan-
dard gave him an extra spark.
“I used that energy to
make plays,” Marks said. “It
doesn’t make me nervous or
anything.”
Offensive lineman Cole
Madison noted Marks brings
extra energy to the team and
will call out players who aren’t
putting out the required effort.
In this Nov.
12, 2016,
file photo,
Washington
State wide
receiver
Gabe Marks
(9) makes
a catch for
a touch-
down while
defended by
California
cornerback
Ashtyn
Davis (27)
during the
second half
of an NCAA
college foot-
ball game
in Pullman,
Wash.
AP Photo/Young
Kwak, File
“Gabe Marks is a real foot-
ball player,” Madison said.
The 6-foot, 190-pound
Marks grew up in Venice,
California, where he was a
star player despite his modest
size. He was 9 years old
when his father was killed
in a drive-by shooting in Los
Angeles in 2004.
When Leach was hired
to rebuild the woeful Wash-
ington State program after the
2011 season, one of the first
scholarships he offered was
to Marks.
“Mike Leach is really cool,”
Marks said. “I committed
before I even took a visit.”
“It’s been a long time
coming and it is a great team
award,” Leach said of the
receiving record, noting the
quarterbacks, blockers and
other receivers involved in
plays where Marks caught
passes. “He is a great represen-
tative. He’s very competitive,
hangs in there, battles away.”
Marks played immedi-
ately, catching 49 passes for
560 yards as a freshman.
He caught 74 passes for 807
yards as a sophomore.
But entering his junior
year, he was behind Isiah
Myers on the depth chart.
He also suffered from health
problems, and the decision
was made to redshirt.
He chafed at times, but
the decision was for the best,
Marks said.
Marks had a breakout
season last year, watching 104
passes for 1,192 yards and 15
touchdowns as Washington
posted a 9-4 record. He was
an All-Pac-12 selection.
Asked to identify the key
components of the Cougars,
Marks riffed on an improved
running game, positive chem-
istry and the defense’s ability
to generate turnovers. He also
noted the play of quarterback
Luke Falk, who Marks tabbed
earlier as “the Messiah.”
“Everything is going
according to plan,” Marks
said. “What’s not to like?”
Marks and Leach have
been known to jaw at each
other on the sidelines, but
they have a mutual respect.
“We talk about a lot of
things,” Marks said.
“He’s a brilliant guy,” Leach
said. “He thinks independently.
He would actually be a pretty
good coach someday.”
Marks had a few games
left in his college career, and
he wants to make the most of
them.
“It’s about just winning
games now,” Marks said.
“I’ve kind of done everything
that I can do in my reach.”
He was asked how it felt
to be tied for first place in the
Pac-12 North.
“It’s better than sitting in last
place in mid-November with
nothing to play for,” Marks
said. “That would suck.”
of the Week
SENIORS: Football team 30-13 last four years Athlete
Twenty questions with
Continued from 1B
been a key part for the deep
playoff run.
“Everybody wants to be
the quarterback or running
back, but it’s the other guys
that make the car go,” Salas
said. “Without the line those
guys can’t go, and without a
defense those guys don’t get
the ball much.”
Last week’s game
against Kennedy was a
prime example of how
deep the Tigers go. Guys
such as Angel and Shelby
contributed five tackles-for-
loss to help keep Kennedy’s
dangerous rush offense at
bay, and it was the all-senior
offensive line that plowed
holes as wide as the state
of Montana for guys like
Monkus and Grogan to run
through.
“I always tell my guys
that ‘I don’t need a superman
out there, I just need 11 guys
to do their jobs and these
guys do that,” Salas said.
“Nobody cares who scores
as long as its our team that
does it.”
As their senior years at
Stanfield near the halfway
point, it’s hard not to think
about the legacy this group
will leave behind. On the
gridiron, most notably,
Stanfield has compiled a
30-13 overall record to this
point with a 5-2 postseason
record as well as the first
league title since the 1950s.
“These kids will go
down in the history books
of Stanfield not only for
being great athletes but great
people too,” Salas said.
“Every day they come to
learn and come to practice to
get better, and that mindset
really sets them apart. They
just never stop working.”
But on Saturday
afternoon at 4 p.m. on the
Kennison Field turf in
Hermiston, the group could
bring home the highest
accolade yet by winning a
state football title for the first
time since 1957.
“It’d be a great feeling,”
said senior lineman Noe
Sanchez. “Knowing it’s been
59 years since the last title
and knowing that there’s
been many great teams here
in Stanfield but knowing
that this senior class and this
team is the one that won the
state championship and that
we left it all out there and
won that ring, that’d be the
greatest feeling of all.”
———
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com or (541)
966-0839. Follow him on
Twitter @ByEricSinger.
HOME: 1A match-up sealed placement of game
Continued from 1B
Kennison Field in Hermiston
and frankly couldn’t believe it.
“I thought it would be in
Hillsboro for sure,” Stanfield
coach Davie Salas said this
week. “It’s nice we get a
little bit of love out here and
hopefully we’ll have support
from all the eastern Oregon
people.”
On the surface, the deci-
sion seemed like a puzzling
one, especially for people in
Regis’ corner. The No. 1 seed
Rams — who will play as
the home team on Saturday
— will have to make the
four-plus hour bus ride to the
game, while the No. 2 seed
Tigers will be the ones with
the home-game atmosphere
most likely.
OSAA Assistant Exec-
utive Director Brad Garrett
told the East Oregonian by
email that determining the
location for the game “is not
an exact science,” and there
are many factors that go into
determining the location.
“Staff must consider
parking, ticketing, seating
capacity, press box config-
uration, internet capability,
team lodging options, travel
options, and potential weather
conditions when making
site decisions,” Garrett said.
“(And) OSAA policy dictates
that all semifinal and cham-
pionship football games be
played on a neutral field with
an artificial surface.”
However the key reason
for Hermiston getting the draw
was because of the 1A champi-
onship match-up featuring two
central and eastern Oregon
schools with Dufur and Crane.
It was a similar situation that
allowed Hermiston to draw
the 1A, 2A, and 3A champion-
ships in 2015.
“Our goal is to play at
minimum a double header
at each site selected – this
reduces cost and maximizes
the reimbursement back
to participating schools,”
Garrett said. “We would
fully expect that placing the
game in Hermiston should
have a positive impact on
gate receipts because we are
reducing the travel burden for
three of the four teams and
minimizing the burden on as
many people as possible is
always the goal.”
The Tigers are hoping that
the location draws in not only
more Stanfield residents and
fans, but people from nearby
towns and possibly share in
their celebration of a state
championship.
“Knowing that we’re
going to have our whole
community there at the
game, have all of Hermiston
cheering for us, it’s a huge
advantage for us,” Stanfield
senior Noe Sanchez said.
“Now we just have to go out
there and win the game.”
————
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com or (541)
966-0839. Follow him on
Twitter @ByEricSinger.
WAGNER: Diet, boxing part of offseason changes
Continued from 1B
week in the Seahawks’ win
over Philadelphia.
He’s on pace to shatter
the franchise’s single-season
mark for tackles and has
already become the first
player in Seattle history with
five straight seasons with at
least 100 tackles.
On a defense filled with
stars such as Richard Sherman,
Cliff Avril and Michael
Bennett, Wagner is finding a
way to stand out above others.
“He just keeps balling.
He just keeps playing really
good football,” Seattle coach
Pete Carroll said. “His game
plan preparation is there, he’s
taking advantage of all of
that. He’s really on the mark
on his fits and stuff in the
running game.
“He’s a fantastic athlete. I
think this is a result of scheme
awareness, growth, good guys
playing around him and prob-
ably the heightened level of
his preparation just because he
is just more experienced now.”
Wagner
didn’t
feel
slighted two years ago when
he was selected as a first-
team All-Pro despite missing
five games with a painful toe
injury. But last season his
game appeared to slip.
He had 114 tackles in
15 games — a number he’s
almost surpassed already this
season — and had just one
half-sack. Wagner wasn’t
making the impact on the
field he expected.
So this offseason was all
about revamping his process.
“I just felt like I had a
different approach I was tired
of being disrespected and
changed my eating, started
boxing, and then I think I
found a lot of peace in life,”
Wagner said.
“Just different things,
family situations and things
like that. Just a lot of things
that came into it. I can’t really
pinpoint one thing.”
Along with changing his
eating, Wagner increased
the amount of boxing, yoga
and swimming in his exer-
cise routine, activities he’s
trying to continue during the
regular season.
“I feel like I finally got a
routine with massages, and
yoga and swimming, and all
these different things that I
do. I think it has helped me
not get hurt,” Wagner said.
Wagner is quick to
acknowledge the play of
Seattle’s defensive tackles as
a big reason why he’s been
able to record so many stops.
Tony McDaniel, Jarran
Reed and Ahtyba Rubin have
all done their part in occu-
pying offensive linemen and
keeping them from getting to
the second level and blocking
the linebackers.
Of the 657 total combined
tackles recorded by Seattle’s
defense this season, Wagner
and fellow linebacker K.J.
Wright have been in on 195
of them — nearly 30 percent.
“He’s an athlete,” Seattle
defensive coordinator Kris
Richard said. “Whenever you
get an athlete in space you just
allow them be who they are.”
MARINERS: Segura was All-Star in 2013 with Brewers
Continued from 1B
season, tied with Minnesota
for worst in the majors. He
joins a rotation that includes
ace Zack Greinke, Shelby
Miller, Patrick Corbin and
Archie Bradley.
The
Diamondbacks
finished 69-93 last season,
fourth in the NL West.
A touted prospect, the
24-year-old Walker went
8-11 with a 4.22 ERA and
119 strikeouts in 25 starts for
Seattle last season. He would
be outstanding one game and
then struggle the next.
“Young,
controllable
pitching is hard to find, and
adding Taijuan to the rotation
gives us significant depth in
that area,” new Arizona general
manager Mike Hazen said.
Segura, an All-Star in 2013
with Milwaukee, is an imme-
diate upgrade at shortstop for
Seattle, which went 86-76
last season and finished three
games out of a playoff spot.
He hit .319 with 20 home
runs, 33 stolen bases and 63
RBIs for the Diamondbacks,
who acquired him from the
Brewers in a January trade.
Segura spent most of last
season at second base for
the Diamondbacks, but will
move back to shortstop with
the Mariners.
“This trade made more
sense for where our roster is,
and Jean Segura fit this club
about as well as any player we
were looking at,” Dipoto said.
Going into the offseason,
Seattle thought its starting
pitching depth was enviable.
Now the Mariners will need
to find supplemental arms
after dealing Walker.
“Most of our focus, if not
our primary focus, from now
until opening day is going to
be left toward the pitching
staff,” Dipoto said.
Stanfield’s Justin Keeney
East Oregonian
STANFIELD — Justin
Keeney has been a key
contributor for the Stanfield
Tigers on both sides of the
ball in 2016.
His versatility and reli-
ability was on full display
in the 2A semifinals on
Saturday, Nov. 19 when
Keeney ran for 14 yards and
one touchdown on offense
and also led the defense
with 6.5 total tackles and a
key interception in the third
quarter that clinched Stan-
field’s win. For his efforts,
Keeney has been selected as
this week’s East Oregonian
Athlete of the Week.
East Oregonian: When
did you start playing
football?
Justin Keeney: Back
in fifth grade, my mom
told me I should try it
and I thought it sounded
interesting and I’ve been
playing ever since.
What positions did you
start playing at?
I think running back and
linebacker.
Do you play any other
sports and what is your
favorite?
Baseball and I don’t
really have a favorite, I
like them both.
What’s more exciting as
a two-way player, scoring
a touchdown or catching
an interception?
Intercepting is a lot more
rare and it feels really
good to know that you
did your job and had the
guy covered.
Any sports superstitions?
I just try not to eat a lot.
If you could attend any
sporting event what
would you pick?
Probably the Super
Bowl.
Do you have a favorite
professional or college
team?
San Francisco 49ers
Favorite athlete?
None
If you could try any sport
that you have not yet
played, what would you
pick?
Tennis
Who would you pick for
a fantasy prom date?
My girlfriend
Favorite food?
Pepperoni pizza
Least favorite food?
Artichokes
Favorite Thanksgiving food?
Apple pie
Any hobbies outside of
sports?
Robotics
What would you like to
do for a career?
Probably something with
computers.
Favorite subject in school?
I like math and science.
If you were in charge
of running your school,
what is one thing you
would change?
Not much, I really like
the way things are now.
Favorite movie?
“Star Wars” saga
Favorite TV show?
“Stranger Things”
Favorite place in
Oregon?
Any place in the
mountains.
ATHLETE
OF THE WEEK
JUSTIN KEENEY
Stanfield
Junior Football
Keeney tallied a
team-high 6.5 total
tackles and one
interception and also
ran for a touchdown
to lead Stanfield over
Kennedy 32-13 in
the 2A semifinals
on Saturday.
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