SPORTS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
1B
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HEPPNER
Nike overhauls Mustangs football uniforms
Uniforms sponsored
by Kilkenny family
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
For more than two
decades,
the
Heppner
Mustangs football team has
been one of the best and most
consistent in Oregon.
Now in 2017, the
Mustangs might also be the
best dressed football team in
the state.
This week, the Mustangs
received brand new top-of-
the-line uniforms from Nike
thanks to a donation by the
family of Robert Kilkenny,
a longtime Heppner resi-
dent and Mustang football
supporter who passed away
in 2016. Nike supplied
Contributed photos
Mock-ups of the Heppner Mustangs new Nike football uniforms courtesy of Nike. Along with the four new jer-
seys are four new colors of pants, four new helmets, as well as brand-new cleats and gloves.
Heppner with four different
uniform sets and the team
also received four new
helmet colors that give the
team numerous combina-
tions to choose from each
Friday night.
“We couldn’t be more
honored to have the brilliant
minds at Nike design these
uniforms for these amazing,
hard-working kids on our
football team in honor of our
father and our town,” said
Kilkenny’s daughter Kelly
Hale in a press release. “Dad
loved Heppner football — it
was about who we were as
individuals coming together
as one for our community.
It’s what we did growing up
and it represented how we
lived our lives.”
Heppner
coach
and
athletic director Greg Grant
said on Wednesday he was
first contacted in April about
the uniforms and asked if he
was interested and would
accept, which he was and he
did.
“We’re humbled by the
fact that (the family) would
do this for us,” he said. “We
have to realize that it won’t
make us run faster or jump
higher but it presents the kids
with gifts they’ll never forget
... My No. 1 goal was that
I never wanted the kids to
look around and wish they’d
See HEPPNER/2B
PENDLTON
PENDLETON
There’s no place like home
Bucks
ready to
take on
Tigers
Pendleton opens
season against La
Grande on Friday
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The new lights are on at the athletic field above Pendleton High School on Wednesday evening. New lights is just one upgrade made
over the summer to the sports complex at the school.
Pendleton unveils upgrades to high school athletic field
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The brand-new scoreboard at the PHS athletic field,
paid for by the Buckaroo Boosters.
For years, the Pendleton football team
has had trouble scheduling non-league
home games at the start of the season.
Their usual home football field, the
Pendleton Round-Up Grounds, is not
available until after the rodeo in early
September. So the alternative was to play
games at the PHS athletic field, which did
not have lights. That meant games had to
be played at 3 p.m. under the hot, summer
sun, which was a deal-breaker for most
potential opponents. However, it will not
be an issue any longer.
On Wednesday evening, the school
unveiled its upgraded athletic field that
sits north of the high school campus,
which included a brand-new track surface,
brand-new scoreboard, and perhaps most
importantly, lights. The upgrades were
shown to the public at the school’s Fall
Sports Preview, where all the players
from each fall team were introduced to
the Buckaroo fans.
The football team will get to play its
first night game at the field on Friday
night when it hosts La Grande at 7 p.m.
for the 2017 season opener. The Bucka-
roos then have three more home games in
September at the field before moving back
to the Round-Up in October. Senior quar-
terback Nick Bower said on Wednesday
that he and his teammates can’t wait to
See PENDLETON/2B
After three weeks of practice
and preparation and a summer of
tireless work, it’s finally game-
week for the
Prep Football P e n d l e t o n
Buckaroos
football team.
The Buck-
aroos will host
La Grande
the La Grande
Tigers
Tigers
on
(0-0)
Friday night at
7 p.m., which
will also be
their first game
under
the
Pendleton
new
lights
at
Buckaroos
the upgraded
(0-0)
Pendleton
• Friday, 7 p.m.
athletic field.
• at Pendleton
High School
That part is
exciting to the
Buckaroos but
for head coach Erik Davis he is
excited to showcase a team that
he really, really likes.
“You’re going to see a lot
more athletic Buckaroos team
than you have in the past,” Davis
said at practice on Tuesday. “As
a whole, we have more team
speed ... so hopefully what you
see is a little more polished
team, especially week 1.
“Just with this spring and
summer, I think we’ve built a
great platform to really come in
on all cylinders and not feel like
we have to babystep it.”
La Grande is an opponent
Pendleton is very familiar with,
as the teams have played in Week
See BUCKAROOS/2B
HERMISTON
Hermiston aiming for better result in rematch with Union
The Bulldogs face
Titans again in Week 1
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
In his third year as Hermiston’s
head coach, David Faaeteete is
working toward repeating the
history achieved by his predecessor,
Mark Hodges.
Before Hodges brought glory
back to what was a lackluster
program with its first ever state
championship in 2014, one thing
had to happen: the players had to
buy in. That’s what Faaeteete is
asking of his team this year, as the
Bulldogs are slated to start their
final season in the OSAA.
After weeks of training under the
blistering summer sun, Hermiston
will travel to Camas, Washington
on Friday — 15 miles east of
Vancouver — to open the 2017
season against Union. The game
will feature a large Bulldogs’ senior
class with plenty of talent and
others who, according to Faaeteete,
still need to buy in.
“We have had a good core group
of guys trust the process, at the same
time not everyone was showing up
consistently but,” he emphasized,
Prep Football
Hermiston
Union (WA)
Bulldogs
Titans
(0-0)
(0-0)
• Friday, 4:30 p.m.
• at Vancouver, Washington
• Radio: 1360 KOHU
“we have a great leadership group
lead by the seniors — 19, 20 guys
showing up and putting in the work.
Our core is there, we just need to
bring in some of the outside guys
that have been on the fringe and
suck them into our family unit.”
The leadership group made up
of the large senior class gives the
Bulldogs experience they have
lacked in the past. Issues like lack
of execution, the inability of close
out games, and undeveloped mental
toughness plagued the team during
its 5-5 2016 season and its losing
4-6 season a year prior.
After opening last season with
32-27 defeat at the hands of the
Titans on home turf, junior quar-
terback Andrew James and the 10
other boys that take the field Friday
have been working toward that not
happening again — and Faaeteete
and his staff of 11 are making sure
of it.
“We are preaching attention to
detail, preparedness, being ready,
execution — finishing blocks,
finish practice, finishing everyday,”
Faaeteete said.
Despite losing stars like defen-
sive linemen John-Henry Line and
Damian McLeoed, who combined
for 166 total tackles last year, and
linebacker Bradlee Giusti, Herm-
iston is returning its offensive line
and key playmakers in the backfield.
Add the year of starting experience
James gained last season and wide
receiver Dayshawn Neal’s explo-
siveness and reliability to the mix
and the offense hopes to get in front
See HERMISTON/2B