SPORTS
WEEKEND, SEPTEMBER 2-3, 2017
HERMISTON
Bulldogs
drop
rematch
1B
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PENDLETON
Tigers run past Buckaroos
Late comeback
attempt not enough
for Hermiston
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
The fi nal 10 minutes of
the Hermiston football team’s
season opener were anything
but dull. Two touchdowns, an
interception,
Football and Union’s
(WA) turnover
on
downs
fi nally
gave
Hermiston
the Bulldogs
(0-1)
some
momentum.
Despite these
efforts, it was
too little too
Union (WA) late
under
the
Friday
night lights in
Camas, Wash.
The Titans (1-0) were fi rst on
the board early in the opening
quarter, taking a lead they
would never relinquish and for
the second consecutive year the
Bulldogs were unable to make
up the defi cit. Union fi nished on
top 35-21, and sent Hermiston
See BULLDOGS/3B
21
35
Prep Roundup
Umatilla
tops Union
in opener
East Oregonian
UNION — The Umatilla
Vikings will travel home with
smiles on their faces after
opening the season with a 28-15
victory over Union on Friday.
Under the bright lights, the
Vikings’ (1-0) defense shined,
and held off a last ditch effort
from the Bobcats (0-1).
It was the type of disciplined
football any coach could hope
for, just ask Dan Durfey.
“The defense played really
well tonight,” he said. “They
really didn’t let [Union] get
any big yardage stuff. They
kept everything contained well,
tackled well, and played really
well.”
While the defense did its part
to help secure the win, senior
quarterback Kaden Webb and
the offense lit up the score-
board. Webb fi nished the night
completing 9-of-12 passes for
149 yards and four touchdowns.
He also racked up 13 yards on
fi ve carries.
Webb was aided by junior
running back Trent Durfey, who
tallied eight carries for 37 yards
and was on the receiving end of
fi ve completions for 101 yards.
All in all, he ended with a team-
high of two touchdowns.
The win was by no means a
walk in the park. Dan Durfey
acknowledged the teams strug-
See PREPS/3B
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Beau Skinner (10) and Emmitt May bring down La Grande’s Andrew Peasley in the Bucks’ 36-29 loss to the Tigers on Friday
in Pendleton.
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
In an interview after practice
on Tuesday afternoon, Pendleton
head coach Erik Davis described
the teams’ defensive game plan for
La Grande with one simple phrase:
to contain quarterback Andrew
Peasley.
The 6-foot-3 senior for La
Grande is a dual-threat in the back-
fi eld, with a big arm that can hit
almost any throw and enough speed
to escape a pass rush. However
even with a game plan centered
on the quarterback, the Buckaroos
could not execute it. Peasley ran for
119 yards and three touchdowns
and passed for another 216 yards
and another touchdown as his
Tigers beat the Buckaroos 36-29 in
both teams’ season openers.
“He’s probably the best athlete
we’ll see the rest of the year,”
Pendleton senior Shaw Jerome said
emphatically after the game.
Peasley dashed and darted
Football
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Aiden Patterson gets brought down by La Grande’s
GT Blackman in the Bucks’ 36-29 loss to the Tigers on Friday in
Pendleton.
through Pendleton’s defense for
most of the game. A few times Pend-
leton would build some momentum
on defense and back La Grande
into third-and-long situations, but
then Peasley would bail the team
out with a long scramble or would
use his feet to get a receiver open
enough for a fi rst down seemingly
every time.
La Grande
Pendleton
36
29
“He was the best athlete on the
fi eld by quite a bit,” Davis added,
“and we couldn’t handle him and
that’s what it came down to. We
felt pretty good going in with our
plan, but we didn’t execute it. And
(Peasley) had some good athletes
to throw to as well and they proved
tonight to be better than ours, and
when that happens you usually
don’t come out victorious.”
Peasley fl ashed his wheels just a
few minutes into the game, zipping
around the left side of the fi eld
and through the Buckaroo defense
for a 31-yard touchdown run for
an early 7-0 Tigers lead. After a
three-and-out on its fi rst drive,
Pendleton answered the score on its
See BUCKAROOS/3B
HERMISTON
Bulldogs boys soccer drop fi rst game of season
Hermiston’s fi rst loss
comes at the hands of
the La Grande Tigers
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
The Hermiston boys soccer
team returned home to a scorching
Kennison Field Friday afternoon
after a brief one-game road stint
looking to add to its hot start.
It entered the match against La
Grande 2-0 with shutout victories
to open the season, but fell 1-0 in a
defensive battle.
From the fi rst whistle, La Grande
maintained control of the ball. The
Tigers gave up few possessions
early on and when the ball was in
their own fi nal third,
After a free kick
Boys Soccer
the Bulldogs couldn’t
near midfi eld went
fi nd the net. They
deep into the box,
had enough chances,
Hermiston’s senior
taking over 10 shots La Grande Hermiston goalkeeper Antonio
on goal, but saves by
Campos
charged
La Grande’s junior
towards the ball.
goalkeeper Christian
Before Campos could
Waugaman or shots too wide and too come close to it, Corsini’s head
high plagued the team.
already made contact and the ball
“We just weren’t playing at our sailed into the back of the net in the
pace, we weren’t playing our game,” 16th minute.
head coach Rich Harshberger said.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs
“[The] fi rst couple of games we have the opportunity to bounce back
came out and played our game and and fi nd their rhythm before league
for some reason tonight we just play begins in late September.
couldn’t get it clicking. I’m not
“This is a big test,” Harshberger
going to use any kind of excuse, it’s said. “We’ve got a lot of season left
just a tough one.”
and so we can decide how the rest
The lone goal came off the head of that season is going to go based
of junior midfi elder Aaron Corsini. on this.”
1
0
According to Harshberger, to
bounce back from the loss the boys
have to take a look at their goals,
which are to repeat last season’s
success and make a strong run in the
post season. To do this, he added,
the Bulldogs can’t dwell on Friday
evening’s performance.
“We’re going to get out and if
we’re going to go down, we’re going
to go down playing our game and the
way we know how,” Harshberger
said.
Hermiston will travel to Hillsboro
to continue play against Century.
Kick off will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
———
Contact Alexis at aman-
sanarez@eastoregonian.com
or
541-564-4542. Follow her on
Twitter at @almansanarez.
Sports shorts
Browns release QB Brock Osweiler
CLEVELAND (AP) — Brock Osweiler is
being released by the Cleveland Browns, which
will have to pay his $16 million guaranteed
contract not to have him on their roster.
Osweiler will be offi cially cut on Saturday
when the team trims its roster to 53.
The 26-year-old Osweiler
was acquired by the Browns on
March 9 from Houston for a 2018
second-round draft pick. The team
did not have any long-term plans
for Osweiler, who went 8-6 as a
starter for the Texans last season.
Osweiler
However, because of his large
contract, the Browns were unable
to unload Osweiler and he competed for their
starting job this summer.
Osweiler was beaten out by rookie DeShone
Kizer, who will be the 27th starting quarterback
for Cleveland since 1999 when the team opens
against Pittsburgh on Sept. 10.
“It was my time to do what
was best for me in terms
of my intentions, and that’s
going after something
bigger than myself ... Me
leaving (Cleveland) wasn’t
about basktball; it was
more or less about creating
that foundation of me in
Cleveland, and then now
taking this next step ... and
being the best basketball
player I can be.“
— Kyrie Irving
The new Boston Celtic was in-
troduced to the media at a press
conference on Friday.
Eastern Oregon-SOU football
opener moved to Sherwood
LA GRANDE — The season opener
for the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers team
against the Southern Oregon Raiders has
been moved from SOU’s
Ashland campus to Sherwood
High School, southwest of
Portland.
The game was moved
because of unhealthy air quality
levels caused by raging wildfi res in the area,
originally postponing the game before the
schools found an alternate location.
Tickets already purchased are still valid
for Saturday’s game, and refunds are avail-
able for all tickets purchased online.
The game will feature the No. 7
Mountaineers, a NAIA national semifi nalist
last season, against the No. 25 Raiders, the
national champion in 2015. Kickoff is still
set for 6 p.m.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1971 — Chris Evert, 16,
wins the fi rst of her record 101
U.S. Open matches, defeating
Edda Buding 6-1, 6-0. Jimmy
Connors, playing on 19th
birthday, comes back from a
two-set defi cit to beat Alex
Olmedo for his fi rst victory.
2001 — Michael Schum-
acher becomes the winningest
driver in Formula One, winning
the Belgian Grand Prix for his
52nd career victory.
2007 — Allyson Felix
becomes the second woman
to win three gold medals at a
single world championships
meet, helping the United
States to victory in the 4x400-
meter relay.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com