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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2016)
SPORTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS College Football Oregon calls on Taggart Ducks fl y south to pick next football coach By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press AP Photo/Chris O’Meara In this Nov. 20, 2015, fi le photo, South Florida head coach Willie Taggart looks on during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, in Tampa, Fla. Willie Taggart has become known for rebuilding programs at Western Kentucky and South Florida. His next endeavor will be much more high profi le, trying to turn around the struggling Oregon Ducks. Oregon announced Wednesday that it had hired Taggart to take over following a disappointing 4-8 season and the dismissal of coach Mark Helfrich. Taggart has been coach at USF for the past four seasons, guiding the team from a 2-10 record his fi rst year to a 10-2 mark this year and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl. Before he arrived in Tampa he spent three seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, inheriting a winless program that he turned around with back-to- back winning seasons. “Willie places an emphasis on ensuring a positive student-athlete HERMISTON Rodeo Bulldog senior named all-state Freddy Rodriguez caps prolifi c career with fi rst team honors Former T-Wolves win 7th round Landingham, Eldridge continue strong finals By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian For the past four years, Freddy Rodriguez was an integral part of the Hermiston boys varsity soccer team. He quickly rose through the ranks from freshman role player to being elected a team captain as a junior, and being an electric offen- sive player every step of the way. As a senior this year, Rodriguez led his Bulldogs to the quarterfi nal round of the state playoffs and earned all-league honors for the fourth- straight year. But this week, Rodriguez added one more accolade to his prolifi c Hermiston career — all-state player. Rodriguez was selected to the fi rst team all-state roster for Class 5A as voted by the coaches, the lone Hermiston player to be recognized on the teams. He scored 24 of the team’s 66 total goals (36 percent) and also led the team with 12 assists as a senior, helping the Bulldogs to a 12-4-1 overall record. “It’s absolutely deserved,” Herm- iston head coach Rich Harshberger said of Rodriguez’s honor. “He was a four year letterwinner, a four year all-league guy and this is just the cherry on top for his senior year. “He was absolutely an integral part of this team beyond physical skill on the fi eld, but also by being a leader and working hard and leading by example, showing the younger guys what it takes to play at this level.” Though no teammates joined him, Rodriguez was joined on experience and on winning, and his previous stops have proven his success at both,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “We have a very bright future under his leadership.” A news conference to formally introduce Taggart was set for Thursday. Taggart, 40, is the fi rst coach Oregon has hired from outside the program since See OREGON/2B East Oregonian EO fi le photo/Kathy Aney This Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 fi le photo shows Hermiston’s Freddy Rodriguez (9 going against San- dy’s Henry Ruiz (14) during a state playoff game at Kennison Field. Rodriguez was named to the 5A All-State fi rst team. the all-state team by three players from Hermiston’s Columbia River Conference rival Hood River Valley as seniors Jorge Campos and Noe Magana made fi rst team and junior Angel Sonato made second team. State champion Woodburn — who knocked Hermiston out of the state tournament with a 2-1 win in the quarterfi nals for the second straight year — led the way with fi ve all-state selections as well as Coach of the Year honors for Stan Baker. Player of the Year honors for each classifi cation will be released later this week. ———— 5A Boys All-State Soccer First team Jorge Campos, sr., Hood River Valley Andy Ellingson, sr., Woodburn Cade Ficek, jr., Marist Noe Magana, sr., Hood River Valley Raul Ochoa, sr., Springfi eld Reggie Reyes, sr., Woodburn Freddy Rodriguez, sr., Hermiston Anthony Santillan, sr., Woodburn Bryan Tapia Silva, jr., Hillsboro Mack Van Der Velde, sr., Summit Eddie Cabrera, sr., Woodburn Second team Cole Abbott, sr., Summit Sean Hamel, sr., La Salle Edgar Hernandez-Flores, sr., Wilsonville Conner Karsseboom, sr., Woodburn Rafael Lopez, sr., Corvallis Calvin Lucas, sr., Wilsonville Marco Reyes, jr., South Albany Edwin Rivas, jr., Hillsboro Angel Sonato, jr., Hood River Valley Casey Weaver, sr., Summit Cole Whritenour, sr., La Salle Quintin Castner, fr., La Salle Coach of the Year Stan Baker, Woodburn College Volleyball Eastern Oregon nets three All-Americans East Oregonian LA GRANDE — Three key members of Eastern Oregon University’s No. 6-ranked volleyball team added some accolades to their collection this week. Senior setter Rachelle Chamberlain, junior outside hitter Amanda Miller, and junior middle hitter Madisen Garlie were all named to the Tachikara-NAIA All-America teams on Tuesday morning. Chamberlain was the high honoree earning second team recognition, while Miller was third team and Garlie was Chamberlain Miller Garlie honorable mention. Chamberlain had the sixth-best assist- per-set ratio in the country at 11.18 this season, and added 74 kills, 282 digs, and 71 blocks along with it. It is the second-straight year Chamberlain was selected as a second team All-American, and also added Cascade Colle- giate Conference Player of the Year honors this season as well. Miller was an honorable mention selection in 2015 and improved immensely in 2016 to register a team-high 344 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Garlie was playing in her fi rst season at EOU after transferring from Oregon Tech before the season, and was the teams leading blocker with 124 to go along with 219 kills. LAS VEGAS — R.C. Landingham saw his streak of 80-point scores snapped on Tuesday at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but bounced back in a major way on Wednesday by posting the top score of the night to win his fi rst round at Thomas and Mack Arena. For the second night in a row Landingham drew a bucker from the Pickett Rodeo pen, and this time he topped Scarlet Fever for 84.5 points to edge Landingham world and aggregate leader Tim O’Connell for the round win and a check for $26,231. T h e former Blue Eldridge Mountain competitor had ridden Scarlet Night for 78.5 points on Tuesday after three-straight rounds in the 80s, and heads into tonight’s perfor- mance in seventh with 541.5 points on seven head. O’Connell scored 83.5 points for second in the round and has 590 on seven. Also bringing back a round win for BMCC alums on Wednesday was steer wrestler Dakota Eldridge after he turned in his fastest time of the week at 3.5 seconds. Eldridge remains in fi fth in the aggregate but was just a tenth of a second from overtaking fourth-place Nick Guy after Wednesday’s run and has 38.9 on seven. Matt Reeves jumped back into the aggregate lead with a 3.8 that was second on the night and gave him 28 fl at on seven See RODEO/2B Sports shorts OSU assistant is next San Jose State head coach SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — San Jose State has hired Oregon State assistant Brent Brennan as its new head football coach. Athletic director Gene Bleymaier announced Wednesday that Brennan will replace the fi red Ron Caragher as coach for the Spartans. The 43-year old Brennan was an assistant coach at San Jose State Brennan from 2005-10 under Dick Tomey and Mike MacIntyre. He spent the past six seasons as wide receivers coach at Oregon State, where he coached standouts like Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton. “We told (Bautista’s) agent that we are not interested because our fans don’t like him. Our fans don’t like Jose Bautista, with good reason.“ — Dan Duquette Baltimore Orioles GM speaking at the MLB Winter Meetings that the Orioles wouldn not pursue free agent Jose Bautista. The Orioles and Bautista have had numerous run-ins over the years, including a shouting match with OF Adam Jones, and being in the middle of a bean-ball war with RP Darren O’Day. Attorneys for Timbers’ Ridgewell object to fi eld sobriety test PORTLAND (AP) — Defense attorneys say a Portland Timbers defender who was arrested on intoxicated driving charges shouldn’t have been asked to perform a fi eld sobriety test. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Liam Ridgewell’s attorneys Christine Mascal and Sean Riddell say Lake Oswego police offi cers didn’t have reasonable suspicion to test Ridgewell for alcohol while investigating an October crash involving his teammate, Jake Gleeson. Mascal and Riddell fi led a motion in Lake Oswego Municipal Court to suppress the evidence against Ridgewell, saying offi cers knew he wasn’t involved in the crash or a witness to it. Ridgewell arrived at the scene after Gleeson called him for help. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1961 — Philadelphia’s Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points and grabs 43 rebounds in a 151-147 triple overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Elgin Baylor leads the Lakers with 63 points. 2011 — Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols agrees to a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels on the fi nal day of baseball’s winter meetings. 2012 — Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel becomes the fi rst freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, taking the top prize after a record-breaking debut. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
