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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2017)
SPORTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON ROUND-UP Prep Roundup League play opens with heartbreak Bulldogs come up short at home East Oregonian HERMISTON — While the Pendleton Round-Up took place nearly 30 miles away, Hermiston hosted its own annual event: the start of league volleyball. The Dalles made the trip over to Hermiston School Volleyball High to face the Bulldogs, who were already riding a three- The Dalles game losing streak. Hermiston went toe-to-toe with the Dalles Hermiston in the fi rst set but ended up dropping it 25-22. After losing the second set 25-16, Hermiston was in danger of losing on its home court in three straight sets. The Bulldogs weren’t going to let that happen, though, and they rallied back for a third set victory (25-23). They just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to fi nish and lost the match after the Dalles won the fourth and fi nal set of the night, 25-17. “Overall tonight we played well and more importantly, we competed together,” head coach Amy Dyke said. “I am very proud of how well we distributed the ball, how hard we fought on defense, and how focused we were on playing out every single point.” This is only the Bulldogs second match at home, and the crowd did provide an extra boost for some of the players. Emma Combes had a standout performance with fi ve aces, nine kills, and 14 digs. Masia Hancock racked up 43 digs. Both Breena Wadekamper and Kendall Dowdy had 11 assists, while Scout Reagan and Ireland McDonough let the team with 7 kills each. “Emma really stepped up See PREPS/2B 3 1 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Joe Frost of Randlett, Utah, gets bucked by Fire Dog as bullfi ghter Dusty Tuckness of Meeteetse, Wyoming, takes a tumble as Tim O’Conner of Springville, California, looks on during bull riding Thursday at the Pendleton Round-Up. Frost fi nished the ride with a score of 84.5 points. Rough go for stock on Day 2 Ropers, riders stumped by stock on Thursday By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian There will be a new bull riding champion this year at the Pendleton Round-Up. Two-time defending champion Sage Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) competed in Thursday’s performance, trying to start his road to a third straight Round-Up title. However, Kimzey drew an average bull in VooDoo Too from Sankey Rodeo which failed to produce any speed with big spins, bucks or twists that help riders earn good scores. The ride produced a mediocre 72.5 point score for Kimzey, placing him outside of the top 12 cutoff line to make the short round. Kimzey tried pleading with the PRCA pro judges for a re-ride option, but he was unsuccessful. Afterwards, the look of disappointment on Kimzey’s face was clear. He said he had been looking forward to this Round-Up as soon as he hopped off the horse from his victory lap in 2016. “It’s never fun to lose, but not making the short go here at Pendleton, it just hurts that much more because this place is so special,” Kimzey said. “It’s a bitter taste, but it is what it is. I thought I should have got a re-ride and the judges didn’t see it that way, so I understand. It’s just one of those kind of deals.” But instead of hanging his head too much, Kimzey did fi nd a positive out of his Round-Up week ending early. “Headed home for a couple of days now,” he said. “It’ll be the fi rst time I’ve seen home since the middle of June, so I’m pretty excited about that.” While Kimzey faltered in bull riding Thursday, it was Randlett, Utah, cowboy Joe Frost that rode into the spotlight. Frost, currently sixth in the world standings, rode Four Star See ROUND-UP/3B Coltin J. Hill of Black- foot, Idaho, tumbles under his steer during bulldog- ging Thurs- day at the Pend- leton Round- Up. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Barrel rac- er Jolene Douglas- Hoburg, of Ken- newick, Wash- ington, puts in a 29.18-point run Thurs- day at the Pendleton Round-Up. Riders face unique challenges on longer barrel racing track By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian PENDLETON — Cowgirls have been making history at the Pendleton Round-Up before breakaway roping was added to the event schedule in 2016. Barrel racers have had to guide their horses around the world’s longest barrel racing track year in and year out. Because of the grass infi eld, the barrels are placed exceptionally far away. Two are placed on each of the two straightaways and one sits in the middle of a curve on the dirt track that surrounds the football fi eld length greenish brown sod. For many it can be a deterrent, for others a chance to show of the speed of their horse, and for some a fi rst time experience that is unlike any other. There are a select few who get a chance to experience all of that in their hometown. “It’s probably one of the coolest places,” Hermiston’s own Mary Shae Hays said after her 29.62 ride. “It’s the biggest adrenaline rush for me. It makes you just want to go and run again.” But Hays nows that see no longer has control of whether or not she will be back to compete for the championship on Saturday, and she admits that sometimes you just have to wait another year if things don’t go your way. Before the Round-Up offi cially started on Wednesday, six cowgirls posted sub-29 second times in slack on Monday and Tuesday. Since then cowgirls have been yet to come close to that time and with only six See BARREL RACING/3B Staff photo by Kathy Aney Sports shorts Deshaun Watson leads Texans over Bengals 13-9 in debut CINCINNATI (AP) — Deshaun Watson ran 49 yards for a touchdown and led the Houston Texans’ depleted offense to a late clinching fi eld goal in a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. Watson showed up in a black tuxedo — it was his 22nd birthday, no less — and showed the fl ash that helped him lead Clemson to a national title last season. He avoided the rush and ran 49 yards for a 10-3 lead late in the fi rst half, dashing past befuddled defenders. The Texans (1-1) got the most out of their depleted offense, and then let their defense do the rest. The Bengals (0-2) have failed to score a touchdown in their two games to open a season for the fi rst time in their 50 seasons. “I said every time I was asked since last Olympics that nobody is going to tell me I can’t play because my country was going to be allowed to ask me. Now the IIHF and NHL say my country is not allowed to ask anybody in the NHL to play and there is nothing to talk about anymore.” — Alex Ovechkin The Russian Washington Capitals ice hockey player said in a statement he issuesd regarding the the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ruling for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Parker helps Sparks beat Mercury 86-72 in Game 2 LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Candace Parker had 24 points and 13 rebounds — showing no effects of an ankle injury — to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 86-72 on Thursday night in Game 2 of the WNBA semifi nal series. Parker injured her ankle in the warmups before the Sparks’ Parker Game 1 victory, but she still played in that game and returned to her usual form in Game 2 the Pyramid. The defending champion Sparks have won nine games in a row and can sweep the best-of- fi ve series Sunday in Arizona. Nneka Ogwumike added 18 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Diana Taurasi led Phoenix with 19 points, and Brittney Griner had 16 points. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1973 — Three-year-old Secretariat wins the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap in the then-world record time of 1:45 2-5 for 11/8 miles. 1978 — Muhammad Ali becomes the fi rst three-time heavyweight champion with a unanimous 15-round deci- sion over Leon Spinks at the Superdome in New Orleans. 1991 — The United States women’s gymnastics team makes history with its fi rst team medal — a silver — at the World Championships in Indianapolis. 2013 — Aaron Rodgers throws for a career-high 480 yards in Green Bay’s 38-20 win over the Washington Redskins. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com