SPORTS
WEEKEND, APRIL 15-16, 2017
1B
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ALL-EO BOYS BASKETBALL
Smith cements legacy
Pendleton senior leaves as
one of Buckaroos’ best ever
Pendleton’s
Caden
Smith is
the All-EO
Player of
the Year for
the 2016-
17 boys
basketball
season.
“It was so surreal, our
last game ever being on Gill
Coliseum fl oor taking a trophy
home which hadn’t been done
s a junior, Caden
Smith elevated himself in a long time it felt really
good.”
into one of the top
For his leadership and
basketball players in the state
constant standout play this
of Oregon.
season, Smith has been
This season as a senior,
selected as the
Smith not
East Oregonian
only further
“It was such
all-area boys
solidifi ed his
basketball
spot among the
an honor to
player of the
best, he also
for the
helped elevate
play with all year
second consecu-
his Pendleton
year.
team into one
the guys that tive Smith
was
of the best
Pendleton’s
as well. The
were on my
go-to-guy on
6-foot-3 senior
tallied his
team, it went offense again,
as the Buckaroo
second straight
by super fast captain
Columbia River
averaged a
Conference
to say the least solid 19 points
Player of the
game, with
Year award,
but it was the per
six rebounds,
helped his
team to another best experience four assists
and two steals
conference
while hitting
title and later
I’ve
had
by
40 percent of
a fourth place
his shots from
fi nish in Class
far playing
3-point range.
5A at the state
His play earned
tournament —
basketball.”
him a spot on
the school’s
— Caden Smith,
the all-state
fi rst state trophy
team for the
Pendleton senior guard
since 1959.
“To know
and All-EO Player of the third straight
there’s been
Year for boys basketball. year, though this
year he fi nally
a lot of good
cracked his way
players and a
onto the fi rst team roster.
lot of good teams that have
“He’s dynamite,” Pendleton
come through Pendleton High
coach Kyle Tedder said of
School but couldn’t make
Smith in March. “He’s a kid
that next step of getting to the
everybody wants to be around
state tournament and winning
and as a kid you can trust and
a game there and we did it,”
he really gave everything he
Smith said. “It’s never left my
had to this season not only
mind ever since that last game
against Summit. It’s something just as a scorer and a player
but as a leader. He’s a guy you
I’ll remember for ever and
want in your foxhole no matter
cherish and just always
remember.
See SMITH/2B
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
A
Staff photo by
E.J. Harris
Smith’s
Stats
1,476
Career
points
40
Percent
3-point
shooting
19
Points
per game
6
Rebounds
per game
4
Assists
per game
3
All-state
selections
2
Steals
per game
Prep Roundup
MLB
Locals shine at River’s Edge meet Hernandez’s
Hayden
Scott, of
Weston-
McEwen,
races to
fi rst place
in the
1500-meter
run Friday
in Umatilla
at the Riv-
er’s Edge
track meet.
Staff photo by
Kathy Aney
Weston-McEwen’s
Hayden Scott, Irrigon’s
Ana Zacarias win two events
strong outing lifts
Seattle past Texas
East Oregonian
By JIM HOEHN
Associated Press
UMATILLA — La Grande and Enterprise
came over the mountains to claim the boys
and girls team titles on Friday at the River’s
Edge meet in Umatilla, but that didn’t mean
it wasn’t a day full of wins for local athletes.
Eight boys’ events and six girls’ were
topped by locals, and two won multiple
events.
Weston-McEwen’s Hayden Scott won
both the 800-and 1,500-meters for the
second-place TigerScots boys. He timed
in at 2:02.57 in the 800 to hold of Cove’s
Tim Stevens by three seconds, and 4:12.51
in the 1,500 to earn a four-second win over
Heppner’s Hunter Nichols.
He was the only boy to win multiple titles,
and Irrigon’s Ana Zacarias won the girls’ 100
and 200 in 13.88 and 28.20. She nipped Pilot
Rock’s Abby Rigby at the line in the 200, but
SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez pitched 7 1/3 strong
innings and Mitch Haniger settled for a tiebreaking RBI
single instead of an apparent home run to
lead the Seattle Mariners in a 2-1 victory
over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
With the score tied at 1, Seattle’s
Texas
Jarrod Dyson singled to open the
seventh, stole second and moved to third
on Guillermo Heredia’s bunt single.
Haniger followed with a drive that
appeared to clear the left-fi eld wall for
a three-run homer, before bouncing back
Seattle
into the fi eld of play.
After an umpire review of more than
two minutes, the call was overturned,
giving Haniger a single off Jose Leclerc
(0-1), scoring Dyson to put Seattle up 2-1.
Hernandez (1-1) allowed one run and six hits, striking
See PREPS/2B
See MARINERS/2B
1
2
Sports shorts
NFL offi ciating chief resigns
NEW YORK (AP) — Offi ciating director Dean
Blandino is leaving the NFL to spend more time
with his family and explore other opportunities.
Blandino has been the league’s vice president
of offi ciating since 2013 and has overseen
several changes in the way the
game has been offi ciated, with an
emphasis on player safety.
The 45-year-old Blandino has
young children and the demands
of his job have limited the time he
has spent with them and his wife.
Blandino joined the NFL in 1994
Blandino
as an intern and moved through
the ranks. He was an instant replay offi cial from
1999-2003 and worked two Super Bowls and two
conference championship games. He managed
the NFL’s instant replay program from 2003-
2009, and from 2007-2009 he was director of
offi ciating, supervising day-to-day operations and
the game offi cials’ schedule under Mike Pereira.
“We’ve not been able to
win with (Anthony) on the
court at this time. I think
the direction with our
team is that he’s a player
that would be better off
somewhere else and using
his talent somewhere where
he can win or chase that
championship.“
— Phil Jackson
New York Knicks president on for-
ward Carmelo Anthony in a press
conference on Friday, making it
clear that the rebuilding Knicks want
to move on from the 32-year-old,
10-time All-Star.
NCAA adopts early signing
period, 10th coach for football
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA
has voted to allow high school football
players to sign with colleges as early as
December, make early
offi cial visits and put a
two-year waiting period on
Bowl Subdivision teams
from hiring people close to
a recruit.
If approved by the Board of Governors
on April 26, the signing period change
would take effect Aug. 1.
The other signifi cant change to the
recruiting calendar would allow recruits to
make offi cial visits between April and June
of their junior year in high school.
The Division I Council also approved a
measure to eliminate two-a-day practices.
It would take effect immediately if
approved.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1918 — Babe Ruth
pitched a four-hitter for
Boston in the season opener
and drove in two runs in a
7-1 win over Philadelphia.
1991 — Magic Johnson
sets an NBA record for
career assists in a 112-106
victory over the Dallas
Mavericks. Johnson, who
needed nine assists to break
Oscar Robertson’s record of
9,887, gets 19.
1998 — The fi rst-ever
AL-NL doubleheader is held
in New York’s Shea Stadium.
The New York Yankees beat
the Anaheim Angels 6-3 and
the New York Mets edge the
Chicago Cubs 2-1.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com