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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2017)
SPORTS WEEKEND, AUGUST 12-13, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Big names put on big show FARM-CITY PRO RODEO Foss, Cooper, Wright shine in third performance By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian HERMISTON — Some of the biggest names and best cowboys in rodeo descended on Eastern Oregon on Friday night to make a star-studded third performance at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo. From world champion ropers such as Tuf Cooper and Trevor Brazile, to bronc riders such as Jake Wright and CoBurn Brad- shaw, bulldogger Dakota Eldridge, and bareback riders like Richmond Champion and Austin Foss, Friday’s performance was perhaps the most competitive of the week so far. The bareback competition Friday was by far the best of the week, as all fi ve competitors turned in qualifi ed rides with four regis- tering 80-point scores or better. And the man that came out on top was Oregon cowboy Austin Foss, who rode Calgary Stampede’s Special Delivery for 89 points which shot him to the top of the overall leaderboard with a three- and-a-half point cushion. When Foss heard his score announced to the crowd by arena announcer Randy Corley, Foss let out a loud cheer and gave a hard fi st pump in celebration. “It feels really good, especially being this close to home and on our own circuit,” said Foss, a Terrebone native. “It feels great to come home and hopefully get a win now.” It was another warm night when the bareback riders started, with temperatures still in the low 90s, but after being in the humid weather in Oklahoma earlier in the week Foss said he felt comfortable and had a bit of a home advantage on Friday. “I know in my mind that my body is meant for this area,” said Foss, who lives in Terrebone and attended Blue Mountain Commu- See RODEO/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Tuf Cooper of Weatherford, Texas, ropes a calf on his way to a 8.6-second time on Friday in tie down roping at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Staff photo by E.J. Harris Orin Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba, rides Tippie Kibitz for 86 points in bareback riding Friday at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston. Levi Rudd of Chelsea, Okla., fi nishes with a 4.2-second time in steer wrestling on Friday at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston. COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Taggart era opens for Ducks Beavers hope to extend Oregon ready to last season’s late success rebound in big way Run game should be a big strength By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press EUGENE — The Willie Taggart era at Oregon opened with a tagline: Do Something. How the charismatic new coach’s enthusiasm translates into something on the fi eld will be revealed on Sept. 2, when the Ducks host Southern Utah. Taggart takes over a team that went 4-8 overall last season under Mark Helfrich, who was fi red three days after the season-ending (not to mention demoralizing) 34-24 loss to rival Oregon State in the Civil War. It was the fi rst losing season for the Ducks since 2004. By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard via AP, File In this April 5 fi le photo, Oregon’s fi rst year head coach Willie Taggart watches his running back Royce Freeman, left, quarterback Justin Herbert as they run through a drill during the fi rst day of spring practice for the Ducks in Eugene. Taggart is a rebuilder. He comes to Eugene after four years at South Florida, where he guided the Bulls from a 2-10 record his fi rst year to a 10-2 mark last year and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl. Before that he spent three See DUCKS/2B CORVALLIS — Boosted by last year’s fi nish, and particularly the Civil War victory over the rival Oregon Ducks, the Oregon State Beavers are feeling momentum and hoping they can build off that this season. Oregon State snapped a fi ve-game winning streak and beat Arizona 42-17 in the second-to-last game, prompting coach Gary Andersen to proclaim, “Winning’s fun, man.” A week later, the AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez, File In this Nov. 2016, fi le photo, Oregon State running back Ryan Nall, top, dives over Oregon’s Danny Mat- tingly for a touchdown during a game in Corvallis Beavers defeated the Ducks 34-24, ending an eight-year losing streak in the series and stringing together consecutive conference wins for the fi rst time since 2013. The Beavers fi nished See BEAVERS/2B Sports shorts Bills trade former fi rst round pick ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills shook up their roster with two sepa- rate blockbuster trades Friday, dealing starting receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams and acquiring receiver Jordan Matthews from Philadelphia in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby. Buffalo also continued stock- piling 2018 draft picks by getting a second-round selection from Los Angeles and a third-rounder from the Eagles. The Bills dealt a sixth-round pick to the Rams as Watkins part of the Watkins trade. Watkins had been the Bills starter since Buffalo traded up fi ve spots in the 2014 draft to select him with the No. 4 pick. He has 153 catches for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons, but topped 1,000 yards just once, in 2015, as he’s been hampered by an assortment of injuries. “It makes me refl ect on my career, refl ect way back when I fi rst started playing and look into the past ... In those terms, it means a lot because it’s people involved that helped me through all those years.“ — Edgar Martinez The Seattle Mariners legendary designated hitter and current hitting coach on having his jersey retired by the team in a ceremo- ny on Saturday prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels. Mariners put Paxton on DL, out at least three weeks SEATTLE (AP) — In the middle of the wild-card race in the American League, the Seattle Mariners will likely be without left-handed ace James Paxton for at least three weeks because of a pectoral strain. Paxton was put on the 10-day disabled list on Friday, a day after he was pulled in the seventh inning of his start against the Los Angeles Angels. Paxton was optimistic it was a minor Paxton injury, but an MRI on Friday morning confi rmed a stint on the disabled list and another blow for the Mariners’ postseason chances. Paxton was the AL pitcher of the month in July and had won seven straight starts heading into Thursday’s outing. Paxton is 12-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 20 starts. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1994 — Major league baseball players strike in the sport’s eighth work stoppage since 1972. 2012 — Rory McIlroy breaks the PGA Champi- onship record for margin of victory that Jack Nick- laus set in 1980. McIlroy sinks one last birdie from 25 feet on the 18th hole to give him a 6-under 66 for an eight-shot victory. McIlroy closes out a remarkable week by playing bogey-free over the fi nal 23 holes of a demanding Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
