SPORTS
Saturday, January 21, 2017
East Oregonian
NFL
Page 3B
Pro Football
Watson among 103 underclassmen entering draft New Spring
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
League
invites Rice,
Manziel
Pac-12 Early Entries
NEW YORK — For the
second straight year, more than
100 players are giving up college
eligibility to enter the NFL draft.
The league on Friday released a
list of 95 underclassmen who have
been granted early entry to draft,
along with the names of eight
other players, including Clemson
quarterback Deshaun Watson, who
are draft-eligible by completing
their college degrees.
Last year 96 underclassmen
declared for the draft and 11 others
became eligible by finishing
their degrees. Of those 96 under-
classmen, 66 were drafted (69
percent). In 2015, 71 percent of 74
underclassmen were drafted.
The record for underclassmen
declaring for the draft is 98 in
2014.
Gil Brandt, former vice pres-
ident of personnel for the Dallas
Cowboys who is an analyst for
the NFL Network, said more
young players, with guidance from
agents, are rushing to the league
to position themselves better for a
second contract.
Draft picks receive four-year
contracts and the value of those
contracts is basically determined
by where a player is drafted since
the 2011 collective bargaining
agreement.
The
agreement
curtailed rookie salaries.
“What’s taken place is that
agents, they want to get guys as
soon as they can because if you
can get an underclassmen, when
his contract comes up he’s one
• California — Chad Hansen,
jr., WR
• Stanford — Christian
McCaffrey, jr., RB; Soloman
Thomas, jr., DL
• USC — Adoree’ Jackson, jr.,
CB; Damien Mama, jr., G; JuJu
Smith-Schuster, jr., WR
• Utah — Garrett Bolles, jr.,
OT; Marcus Williams, jr., S
• Washington — Budda Bak-
er, jr., S; Sidney Jones, jr., CB;
Elijah Qualls, jr., DT; John Ross,
jr., WR.
year younger,” Brandt said.
“The story is, in that 95, there’s
probably 25 or 30 that really
should have come out. The others
they probably would have been
doing a lot better by staying a year
in school.”
This year’s draft will be held
April 27-29 in Philadelphia. The
Cleveland Browns have the first
pick. Texas A&M junior defensive
end Myles Garrett could be the
first player picked overall.
Ohio State has six players
among this year’s 103 early
entrants, including All-Americans
Curtis Samuel and Malik Hooker.
Watson was one of four players
from the national champion
Tigers to enter the draft early
after graduating, joining receivers
Mike Williams, Artavis Scott and
running back Wayne Gallman.
Among the other notable under-
classmen entering the draft are star
running backs Leonard Fournette
of LSU, Dalvin Cook of Florida
By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press
AP Photo/John Bazemore, File
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2017, file photo, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson
celebrates a last second touchdown pass in the College Football
Playoff championship game against Alabama, in Tampa, Fla.
State and Christian McCaffrey
of Stanford. Junior quarterbacks
DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame
and Trubisky of North Carolina
are expected to challenge Watson
to be the first quarterback drafted.
Miami’s Brad Kaaya, Texas
Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and
Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans are
the other quarterbacks entering the
draft early.
Brandt
said
quarterbacks
who are short on college playing
experience have often had difficult
times transitioning to the NFL. He
cited Cowboys quarterback Dak
Prescott, who was at Mississippi
State for four years and became
as a starter as a sophomore, as a
player who benefited from a long
college career.
Watson and Kaaya started since
they were freshman, and Mahomes
also saw extensive playing time
as a freshman before two seasons
as a starter. Kizer started for his
final two seasons at Notre Dame.
Trubisky’s only season as a starter
at North Carolina was last year.
Evans was a junior college transfer
who played only one season at
Virginia Tech.
“History tells us that the quar-
terbacks what have 30 (college)
starts do much better than the guys
who have 12 or 13 starts,” Brandt
said.
———
Follow Ralph D. Russo on
Twitter @RalphRussoAP.
BLAZERS: Close out road trip at Boston on Saturday afternoon
Portland’s
C.J. McCol-
lum goes up
for a dunk
during the
first half
of Friday’s
game
against the
Philadelphia
76ers in Phil-
adelphia.
Continued from 1B
It was Covington’s second
game-winning basket this month
after his buzzer-beater sunk the
Timberwolves on Jan. 4.
Damian Lillard scored 30
points for the Blazers, who have
lost four straight. C.J. McCollum
had 16 points and Plumlee
finished with 14.
Trailing by 13 at the half, the
Sixers charged back to take their
first lead of the game at 66-65
with 3:23 left in the third quarter
on Covington’s three-point play.
Covington later hit a 3-pointer to
pull Philly within one at 91-90 with
38.2 seconds remaining in the game
after the Blazers led for almost all
of the fourth quarter while Embiid
sat on the bench.
Embiid’s
injury
occurred
midway through the third quarter
when he came down awkwardly
after a thunderous dunk, bringing
a hush to the nervous crowd. The
star center, who missed his first two
NBA seasons because of injuries,
came back in to start the fourth
quarter to massive cheers and
“Trust the Process” chants from
AP Photo/Matt
Slocum
a near-sellout crowd at the Wells
Fargo Center.
But Embiid only played a few
more minutes before the Sixers
decided to sit their franchise center
for the remainder of the game for
precautionary reasons. His streak
of 10 straight games with 20 points
or more was snapped.
Embiid, the Rookie of the
Year front-runner who has helped
revived basketball in Philadelphia
after three miserable seasons,
struggled early against Plumlee,
missing his first three shots and
scoring only three points in the first
quarter.
Lillard, meanwhile, was on fire
early for Portland. He scored nine
points in the first 4 ½ minutes and
finished with 16 points in the first
quarter to help Portland take a
33-22 lead after one. The Blazers
maintained their double-digit
advantage for most of the second
quarter before taking a 56-43 lead
into halftime.
TIP-INS
Blazers: Portland dropped to
7-18 on the road this season, which
includes a 5-11 mark vs. the Eastern
Conference. . Former Sixer Evan
Turner, who played in Philly from
2010 to 2014, scored four points on
2-for-10 shooting and was booed
every time he touched the ball.
76ers: The Sixers signed
Chasson Randle to a second
10-day contract before the game.
Since initially being signed on
Jan. 9, Randle has appeared in
two games for Philly and had 10
points in 16 minutes in Monday’s
win over Milwaukee. “He really
adds to what we’re trying to build,”
coach Brett Brown said. “He’s
a high-character guy.” . After
learning Embiid wasn’t named an
Eastern Conference starter in the
All-Star Game, Brown said he’ll
get to work trying to help convince
fellow coaches to name him a
reserve. “I think Joel is gonna slide
in there,” the Sixers coach said. “I
think the people that are now going
to close the deal understand how
unique and special he is.”
UP NEXT
Blazers: Close a four-game
road trip at Boston on Saturday.
76ers: Visit Atlanta on Saturday
night to try to beat the Hawks for
the first time in six matchups.
SCOREBOARD
Local Slate
BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Today
Pilot Rock at Heppner, 4 p.m.
Burns at Irrigon, 4:30 p.m.
Nyssa at Umatilla, 4:30 p.m.
Vale at Riverside, 4:30 p.m.
Ione at Horizon Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Arlington at Dufur, 5:30 p.m.
Sherman at Condon/Wheeler, 5:30 p.m.
Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 5:30 p.m.
Echo at Helix, 5:30 p.m.
Stanfield at Weston-McEwen, 7 p.m.
Monday’s Games
Baker at Pendleton, 7 p.m.
Hermiston at La Grande, 7 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Weston-McEwen, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday’s Games
Helix at Powder Valley, 4:30 p.m.
Sherman at Stanfield, 5:30 p.m.
La Grande at Pendleton, 7 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Touchet (WA), 7 p.m.
Arlington at Condon/Wheeler (at Wheel-
er), 7 p.m.
GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Today
Nyssa at Umatilla, 3 p.m.
Burns at Irrigon, 3 p.m.
Vale at Riverside, 3 p.m.
Ione at Horizon Christian, 4 p.m.
Arlington at Dufur, 4 p.m.
Sherman at Condon/Wheeler (Condon),
4 p.m.
Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 4 p.m.
Echo at Helix, 4 p.m.
Stanfield at Weston-McEwen, 5:30 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Heppner, 5:30 p.m.
Monday’s Games
The Dalles at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Baker at Pendleton, 5:15 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Weston-McEwen, 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s Games
Helix at Powder Valley, 3 p.m.
Arlington at Condon/Wheeler, 5:30 p.m.
Sherman at Stanfield, 7 p.m.
Sunnyside (WA) at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Pendleton at La Grande, 7 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Touchet (WA), 6 p.m.
PREP WRESTLING
Today
Hermiston at Reser’s Tournament of
Champions (at HIllsboro), TBD
Mac-Hi at Parma (ID), TBD
Riverside at Gervais, 10 a.m.
Pendleton at Wilsonville Tournament,
10:30 a.m.
PREP SWIMMING
Today
Pendleton, Hermiston at Hood River,
10 a.m.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Today
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, 4 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Corban, 7:30 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Today
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, 2 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Corban, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE WRESTLING
Sunday
Eastern Oregon (women) at Clackamas
CC Open, TBA
Prep Scores
BOYS BASKETBALL
Friday
Aloha 49, Sunset 39
Ashland 64, North Eugene 55
Barlow 62, Oregon City 60
Bend 69, Redmond 49
Benson 56, Franklin 55
Cascade 51, Stayton 43
Centennial 48, Gresham 43
Central 51, Dallas 38
Clackamas 89, Central Catholic 75
Corvallis 77, Woodburn 65
Cottage Grove 68, Sweet Home 50
Crescent Valley 65, South Albany 52
Crook County 59, Corbett 45
David Douglas 84, Reynolds 69
Douglas 50, South Umpqua 47
Elmira 46, Junction City 36
Estacada 58, Madras 43
Gladstone 63, Molalla 34
Henley 77, Hidden Valley 43
Jefferson PDX 82, Wilson 56
Jesuit 62, Glencoe 36
Klamath 53, North Valley 50
Lake Oswego 53, Tualatin 42
Lakeridge 66, Newberg 50
Madison 68, Roosevelt 64
Marist 58, Crater 49
Mazama 60, Phoenix 35
McMinnville 81, North Salem 42
North Bend 38, Marshfield 35
North Medford 55, Willamette 33
Parkrose 58, Hillsboro 49
Pendleton 69, Hood River 40
Philomath 69, Newport 56
Putnam 65, Milwaukie 39
Sandy 64, St. Helens 49
Sheldon 62, Grants Pass 54
Silverton 60, Lebanon 48
Sisters 33, Sutherlin 32, OT
South Eugene 70, Roseburg 64
South Salem 75, West Albany 60
Southridge 55, Century 41
Sprague 98, McKay 93
Springfield 45, Churchill 41, 2OT
Summit 53, Mountain View 39
Thurston 62, Eagle Point 55
Tigard 56, Canby 37
Valley Catholic 52, Banks 42
West Linn 85, Sherwood 38
West Salem 65, Forest Grove 49
Westview 72, Liberty 52
Wilsonville 63, La Salle 50
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Friday
Banks 45, Valley Catholic 39
Bend 48, Redmond 23
Benson 79, Franklin 45
Cascade 51, Stayton 33
Centennial 61, Gresham 59
Central 42, Dallas 40
Clackamas 75, Central Catholic 53
Corbett 48, Crook County 21
Corvallis 72, Woodburn 11
Cottage Grove 51, Sweet Home 16
David Douglas 50, Reynolds 44
Douglas 47, South Umpqua 18
Forest Grove 51, West Salem 43
Hidden Valley 58, Henley 44
Hillsboro 59, Parkrose 32
Jesuit 58, Glencoe 25
Junction City 55, Elmira 48
La Salle 67, Wilsonville 42
Madison 39, Roosevelt 27
Madras 59, Estacada 40
Marist 32, Crater 23
Marshfield 53, North Bend 39
Mazama 55, Phoenix 26
Molalla 39, Gladstone 34
Newberg 67, Lakeridge 38
North Eugene 50, Ashland 24
North Medford 48, Willamette 24
North Valley 51, Klamath 41
Oregon City 70, Barlow 33
Pendleton 51, Hood River 48
Philomath 63, Newport 42
Putnam 51, Milwaukie 29
Sandy 60, St. Helens 30
Sheldon 53, Grants Pass 41
Silverton 60, Lebanon 48
South Albany 63, Crescent Valley 47
South Eugene 45, Roseburg 42
South Salem 75, West Albany 41
Southridge 66, Century 33
Sprague 52, McKay 37
Summit 57, Mountain View 28
Sunset 73, Aloha 30
Sutherlin 44, Sisters 16
Thurston 63, Eagle Point 25
Tigard 54, Canby 51
West Linn 40, Sherwood 33
Wilson 36, Jefferson PDX 30
Football
NFL
Conference Championships
Sunday
NFC: Green Bay at Atlanta, 12:05 p.m.
(FOX)
AFC: Pittsburgh at New England, 3:40
p.m. (CBS)
Basketball
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W
L Pct GB
Toronto
28 15 .651 —
Boston
26 16 .619 1½
New York
19 25 .432 9½
Philadelphia
15 26 .366 12
Brooklyn
9 33 .214 18½
Southeast Division
W
L Pct GB
Atlanta
25 18 .581 —
Washington
23 19 .548 1½
Charlotte
22 21 .512
3
Orlando
18 27 .400
8
Miami
13 30 .302 12
Central Division
W
L Pct GB
Cleveland
30 11 .732 —
Indiana
22 20 .524 8½
Chicago
21 23 .477 10½
Milwaukee
20 22 .476 10½
Detroit
20 24 .455 11½
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W
L Pct GB
San Antonio
33
9 .786 —
Houston
33 13 .717
2
Memphis
26 19 .578 8½
New Orleans
17 27 .386 17
Dallas
14 29 .326 19½
Northwest Division
W
L Pct GB
Utah
28 16 .636 —
Oklahoma City
25 19 .568
3
Denver
17 24 .415 9½
Portland
18 27 .400 10½
Minnesota
15 28 .349 12½
Pacific Division
W
L Pct GB
Golden State
37
6 .860 —
L.A. Clippers
29 15 .659 8½
Sacramento
16 26 .381 20½
L.A. Lakers
16 31 .340 23
Phoenix
13 29 .310 23½
———
Friday’s Games
Charlotte 113, Toronto 78
Orlando 112, Milwaukee 96
Philadelphia 93, Portland 92
Atlanta 102, Chicago 93
Brooklyn 143, New Orleans 114
Golden State 125, Houston 108
Memphis 107, Sacramento 91
Utah 112, Dallas 107, OT
L.A. Lakers 108, Indiana 96
Saturday’s Games
Portland at Boston, 2 p.m.
Washington at Detroit, 3 p.m.
Brooklyn at Charlotte, 4 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 4 p.m.
Milwaukee at Miami, 4:30 p.m.
Phoenix at New York, 4:30 p.m.
Houston at Memphis, 5 p.m.
San Antonio at Cleveland, 5:30 p.m.
Indiana at Utah, 6 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Denver, 6 p.m.
Sacramento at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Golden State at Orlando, 9 a.m.
L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 12:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Toronto, 3 p.m.
Denver at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
NCAA
Men’s Top 25
Saturday’s Games
No. 1 Villanova vs. Providence, 9 a.m.
No. 2 Kansas vs. Texas, 11 a.m.
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 14 Arizona, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Gonzaga vs. Portland, 5 p.m.
No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 24 South
Carolina, 3 p.m.
No. 6 Baylor at TCU, 5 p.m.
No. 7 Creighton vs. Marquette, 11:30 a.m.
No. 7 West Virginia vs. Kansas State, 3 p.m.
No. 9 North Carolina at Boston College,
9 a.m.
No. 10 Florida State vs. No. 12 Louis-
ville, 11 a.m.
No. 11 Oregon vs. Stanford, 3 p.m.
No. 13 Butler at DePaul, 11 a.m.
No. 15 Notre Dame vs. Syracuse, 9 a.m.
No. 16 Virginia vs. Georgia Tech, 11 a.m.
No. 17 Wisconsin at Minnesota, 1:30 p.m.
No. 18 Duke vs. Miami, 5:15 p.m.
No. 19 Florida vs. Vanderbilt, 9 a.m.
No. 20 Cincinnati at Tulane, 1 p.m.
No. 21 Purdue vs. Penn State, 9 a.m.
No. 23 Saint Mary’s vs. Pepperdine, 8 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
No. 22 Xavier vs. Georgetown, 11 a.m.
Women’s Top 25
Friday’s Games
No. 10 Stanford 73, Arizona 46
No. 11 Oregon State 70, Utah 44
No. 18 Arizona State 54, California 45
Saturday’s Games
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 24 West Virginia,
11 a.m.
No. 12 Texas at Texas Tech, 4 p.m.
No. 19 DePaul vs. Marquette, 5 p.m.
No. 22 Kansas State at Iowa State, 3 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
No. 1 UConn vs. Tulane, 10 a.m.
No. 3 Maryland vs. Rutgers, Noon
No. 5 South Carolina at North Carolina,
9 a.m.
No. 7 Florida State at No. 17 Virginia
Tech, 9 a.m.
No. 8 Washington at Washington State,
1 p.m.
No. 9 Louisville at No. 23 South Florida,
11 a.m.
No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 18 Arizona
State, 3 p.m.
No. 11 Oregon State vs. Colorado, 3 p.m.
No. 13 UCLA vs. Southern Cal, 5 p.m.
No. 14 Miami at Syracuse, 11:30 a.m.
No. 15 Duke at Boston College, 11 a.m.
No. 16 Ohio State vs. Illinois, 2 p.m.
No. 20 Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State,
Noon
No. 21 N.C. State vs. Clemson, 11 a.m.
No. 25 Texas A&M vs. LSU, 2 p.m.
Hockey
NHL
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GP W L OT
Montreal
47 28 13 6
Ottawa
43 24 15 4
Boston
49 23 20 6
Toronto
43 21 14 8
Florida
48 20 19 9
Detroit
46 20 19 7
Tampa Bay 47 21 21 5
Buffalo
45 18 18 9
Metropolitan Division
GP W L OT
Washington 45 30 9 6
Columbus 44 30 10 4
Pittsburgh 45 29 11 5
Pts GF
62 142
52 113
52 122
50 134
49 112
47 120
47 127
45 107
GA
118
111
124
128
133
135
137
126
Pts GF
66 145
64 145
63 164
GA
97
98
133
N.Y. Rangers 46 29 16 1
Philadelphia 46 22 18 6
Carolina
45 21 17 7
New Jersey 47 19 19 9
N.Y. Islanders 43 18 17 8
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
GP W L OT
Minnesota 44 29 10 5
Chicago
48 29 14 5
St. Louis
46 23 18 5
Nashville
46 22 17 7
Dallas
47 19 20 8
Winnipeg 48 21 23 4
Colorado
43 13 29 1
Pacific Division
GP W L OT
Anaheim
48 26 13 9
San Jose
46 28 16 2
Edmonton 48 25 15 8
Calgary
48 24 21 3
Los Angeles 45 22 19 4
Vancouver 46 21 19 6
Arizona
45 13 26 6
59 163
50 132
49 123
47 106
44 123
125
148
128
135
128
Pts GF
63 145
63 133
51 131
51 126
46 126
46 135
27 87
GA
99
120
142
120
147
148
145
Pts GF
61 127
58 122
58 137
51 127
48 113
48 112
32 97
GA
118
105
128
131
113
130
147
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point
for overtime loss.
———
Friday’s Games
Chicago 1, Boston 0
Buffalo 3, Detroit 2, OT
Pittsburgh 7, Carolina 1
Montreal 3, New Jersey 1
Nashville 3, Edmonton 2, SO
Vancouver 2, Florida 1
Saturday’s Games
St. Louis at Winnipeg, 3 p.m.
Carolina at Columbus, 5 p.m.
New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Washington at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Arizona, 8 p.m.
Anaheim at Minnesota, 9 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 10 p.m.
Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
N.Y. Rangers at Detroit, 12:30 p.m.
Boston at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.
Columbus at Ottawa, 5 p.m.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m.
Vancouver at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open
Friday
At Melbourne Park
Melbourne, Australia
Singles
Third Round
Men
Andy Murray (1), Britain, def. Sam Quer-
rey (31), United States, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
Stan Wawrinka (4), Switzerland, def. Vik-
tor Troicki (29), Serbia, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
Kei Nishikori (5), Japan, def. Lukas
Lacko, Slovakia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Tomas Berdych (10), Czech Republic,
lost to Roger Federer (17), Switzerland,
6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12), France, def.
Jack Sock (23), United States, 7-6 (4), 7-5,
6-7 (8), 6-3.
Roger Federer (17), Switzerland, def.
Tomas Berdych (10), Czech Republic, 6-2,
6-4, 6-4.
Jack Sock (23), United States, lost to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12), France, 7-6 (4),
7-5, 6-7 (8), 6-3.
Bernard Tomic (27), Australia, lost to Dan
Evans, Britain, 7-5, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3).
Viktor Troicki (29), Serbia, lost to Stan Waw-
rinka (4), Switzerland, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
Sam Querrey (31), United States, lost to
Andy Murray (1), Britain, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
An independent football
league debuting in April is
embracing high-profile NFL
players who were shunned,
extending invitations to Johnny
Manziel and Ray Rice and
lining up several former draft
picks with the promise of a shot
to display their talent.
Spring League CEO Brian
Woods told The Associated
Press he had conversations with
representatives for Rice and
Vince Young, and challenged
Manziel to prove himself on the
field in a few months.
“If Johnny Manziel is serious
about a future in the NFL, the
Spring League is willing to
provide him with a platform
to prove he’s still relevant,”
Woods said.
Manziel declared on Twitter
this week that he’s trying to be
“a good person” and suggested
he’s stopped partying.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy
winner has been a free agent for
most of the past year.
The
Browns
released
him in March following two
tumultuous seasons defined by
inconsistent play and numerous
problems off the field, including
a stint in rehab.
Since then, the 24-year-old
quarterback has been dumped
by two agents after both
demanded a second rehab
trip, and navigated a domestic
violence charge in Texas that
prosecutors agreed to drop
when he pledged to meet certain
conditions for a year.
Manziel told ESPN Friday
he’s achieved sobriety without
professional help and that his
next goal is to play football.
“A
preseason
game,
anything I don’t care what it
is,” Manziel said. “Only need
one team to believe in me and
I’ll do anything to make that a
possibility.”
The Spring League debuts
in April with four teams
composed of free agents.
They’ll start training April 5 at
The Greenbrier Resort in West
Virginia, and will play a total of
six games there in a three-week
span. The league isn’t affiliated
with the NFL, but NFL teams
plan to send scouts to games
and workouts.
“Our core strategy is to
address deficiencies in the
current pro football landscape
by providing a showcase to
experienced NFL players and
an instructional platform for
younger talent in need of live
game repetitions, which are
paramount for development,”
Woods said.
DAWGS:
Continued from 1B
Leiva came next at 170, and
punched his semfinals ticket
with a 7-3 win over Redmond’s
John Crivellone.
Line made Hermiston 4-0
in quarterfinals matches when
he edged Redmond’s Bunker
Parrish in a 3-2 nail-biter. His
previous win also came down
to the wire as he beat Crater’s
James Pendleton 5-3.
Hermiston took its only
quarterfinals loss at 220 when
Culver’s MacKyle Little
stunned Kenny Bevan with
a 3-2 win, but Bevan would
rebound in a big way to stay
alive in the consolation bracket
when he pinned Liberty’s
Rafael Hinojosa in 15 seconds.
Blake won both of his
matches 3-0, beating Sandy’s
Iosefa Polamalu then Crook
County’s Caleb Parrott.
Action resumes today with
the semifinals, followed by
consolation rounds five and six
before getting to the placing
rounds.
Semifinals match-ups for
the Bulldogs will be Hendon,
a fourth seed, vs. top seed
Michael Murphy of Sprague;
No. 2 Wyse vs. No. 3 Sean
Harman of West Linn; No.
5 Leiva vs. No. 1 Travis
Wittlake of Marshfield; No.
6 Line vs. No. 2 Cade Wood-
ward of Crook County; No. 2
Beau Blake vs. No. 3 Dallas
O’Bryan of Newberg.
Also still competing in the
consolation bracket will be
Bevan, Oscar Lopez (132),
Adrian Tuia (145) and Joey
Gutierrez (182).