SPORTS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
1B
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PENDLETON
Buckaroos ready for Ravens
Football
Pendleton working to
get back in win column
Ridgeview
Pendleton
Ravens
Buckaroos
(0-3, 0-1)
(1-2, 0-1)
• Friday, 7 p.m.
• at Pendleton High School
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Beau Skinner (10) tackles Summit’s’ Joe Cross in the fi rst
half of the Bucks’ 20-19 loss to the Storm on Sept. 15 in Pendleton.
The
Pendleton
Buckaroos
walked off the football fi eld on Sept.
15 disappointed and frustrated. Just
a few little mistakes kept the Bucks
from an upset and possible season-
changing win over the Summit
Storm and turned it into a 20-19
Storm victory.
However, the game was a valu-
able lesson to the Buckaroos (1-2,
0-1 Special District 1) and taught
the team a key quality about itself.
“We’re one of those teams where
we’re going to work our hardest
to outwork any other team in this
league and I think that game showed
it,” Pendleton receiver Cam Sand-
ford said at practice on Wednesday.
“We just had a few lapses that we
just need to clean up now and we’ll
be good.”
But the Bucks have put the Storm
behind them and are ready for their
next opponent — the Ridgeview
Ravens. Ridgeview comes to
Pendleton on Friday searching for
its fi rst win of the season as the
Ravens are in the midst of their
See BUCKAROOS/2B
HERMISTON
Prep Football
Pirates,
Dawgs aim to get back on track
Pioneers
set for
showdown
Riverside, Mac-Hi both aim
to keep building on success
East Oregonian
For the past decade, football success
has been hard to come by for the Mac-Hi
Pioneers and the Riverside Pirates.
Since 2006, Mac-Hi has an overall record
of 21-70 (.231 winning
Football percentage) and Riverside is
17-86 (.165), with both teams
being perennial basement
teams in their respective
Riverside leagues.
Pirates
However in 2017, things
(2-0)
appear to be looking up for
both programs and both will
have a lot on the line when
they meet on the gridiron on
Mac-Hi
Friday night in Milton-Free-
Pioners
(2-1)
water. The Pioneers come
• Fri., 7 p.m. into the game with a 2-1
• at Milton- record after last week’s
35-14 beatdown of Weston-
Freewater
McEwen and are looking to
reach the three-win plateau
for the fi rst time since 2010.
See PREP FOOTBALL/2B
MLB
Rangers win as
M’s slide continues
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Rougned Odor’s grand slam
capped a seven-run fourth inning and the Texas
Rangers held off the Seattle Mariners 8-6 on
Wednesday night to make up
ground in the playoff chase.
The Rangers moved
within 2½ games of Minne-
Texas
sota for the second AL wild
card after the Twins lost 11-3
to the New York Yankees.
Seattle dropped its fi fth
straight and remained four
games behind Minnesota.
Seattle
Seattle, which trailed
7-1 early, pulled to 8-5 on
Robinson Cano’s two-run
single in the seventh but then
left the bases loaded. The Mariners made it 8-6
in the eighth on consecutive doubles by Mike
Zunino and Ben Gamel.
Andrew Cashner (10-10) allowed three
runs and six hits in six innings for Texas. Alex
Claudio got six outs for his 10th save.
8
6
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Three Bulldog defenders bring down a Lewiston ball carrier during a game on Sept. 8 at Kennison Field in Hermiston.
Hermiston travels back to Bend to take on a tough Summit team
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
In Hermiston’s league opener
at Mountain View last week, the
Bulldogs faced a team that was
undefeated in its already short
season and were overpowered
en route to a 28-7 loss. Now,
Hermiston will make its way
back to Bend but this time
against a team that proves to be
an even greater threat.
The Summit Storm (2-1, 1-0
5A-SD1) have not lost a league
game since 2014, despite that
streak being threatened last
week in a nail-biter in Pendleton.
While the Storm squeaked by
with a 20-19 win, the Bulldogs
(1-2, 0-1) struggled some 200
miles away.
There’s a simple explanation
Football
Hermiston
Summit
Bulldogs
Storm
(1-2, 0-1)
(2-1, 1-0)
• Friday, 7 p.m.
• at Summit HS, Bend
for last week’s game, and it’s
something head coach David
Faaeteete is hoping gets cleaned
up quickly.
“We’re just not a very good
football team right now,” he
said. “We just have got to do a
better job at making sure we get
the most out of practice.”
But preparation is only half
of the game.
The Bulldogs have had a
diffi cult time executing this
season, and allowed themselves
to fall into early defi cits that
they just cannot come back
from. Summit is a good second
half team, and an even better
fourth quarter team — one that
Hermiston cannot afford to dig a
hole against.
The Bulldogs held up well
against the Storm last season,
holding their dangerous offense
to 27 points but struggles for
Hermiston’s offense kept the
Storm in front for a 27-14 victory.
But Summit has not really been
challenged in conference play
since the double overtime win
against Redmond in October
2016, which could explain their
fi rst half performance against
Pendleton last week.
A surprisingly good amount
of pressure was put on junior
quarterback Henry Bledsoe
— the son of former NFL
quarterback and now Summit
offensive coordinator Drew
Bledsoe — forcing him to make
uncharacteristic mistakes that
allowed the Buckaroos to take
an early lead that they would
later relinquish.
Defensively, the Bulldogs
have to ability to do the same.
Led by senior linebacker
Jonathan Hinkle, who has
notched a team-high 16 tackles,
Hermiston has already recorded
four interceptions for a total of
21 yards and recovered the same
amount of fumbles. There is no
shortage of skill or experience,
as seniors Joey Gutierrez and
AJ Fernandez join Hinkle as key
play-makers on defense.
See DAWGS/2B
Sports shorts
College football player dies from
injury suffered during game
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) — A
19-year-old Midwestern State football player has
died after suffering a neck injury while making a
tackle during a home game last weekend.
School President Suzanne Shipley
on Wednesday released a statement
mourning the death of cornerback
Robert Grays of Houston. Shipley
says Grays died Tuesday at a
hospital in his hometown. He was
critically injured during a game
Grays
Saturday in Wichita Falls.
Athletics department spokesman
Blake Barington says Grays suffered a neck
injury while making a tackle in the fourth quarter
of a 35-13 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Grays was taken by ambulance to a Wichita Falls
hospital, then transported to Houston.
Counselors were available at MSU, a Division
II school in the Lone Star Conference.
“As an organization,
this is a very, very
valued championship
to us. If I remember
correctly, 99 teams
started out in this
tournament, so for us
to hoist the trophy in
the knockout stage is
pretty impressive for this
group.”
— Peter Vermes
Major League Soccer’s Sporting
KC manager said after the club
earned its fourth US Open Cup
title. Kansas City defeated the
New York Red Bulls 2-1.
Timbers grant wish, sign
5-year-old goalkeeper for game
PORTLAND (AP) — The Portland Timbers
have signed 5-year-old goalkeeper Derrick Tellez
to a one-game contract.
Derrick, who is battling a
cancerous brain tumor, was signed
Wednesday to grant his wish via
Make-A-Wish Oregon.
“Derrick is an extremely
talented young goalkeeper, and
we’re excited to have him signed
for this weekend’s game against Orlando City,”
said Timbers coach Caleb Porter.
After taking part in training on Friday, Derrick
will join his new teammates when they take
the fi eld at Providence Park for a match against
Orlando City on Sunday. He’ll watch from the
bench during warmups and stand with the team
for the national anthem before rejoining his family
for the game. He’ll be included in the team’s
offi cial photo, scheduled to be taken Friday.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1986 — Ken O’Brien’s
43-yard touchdown pass to
Wesley Walker at 2:35 in
overtime ends one of the
highest scoring games in
NFL history as the New
York Jets defeat the Miami
Dolphins 51-45.
2002 — The New York
Yankees clinch their fi fth
straight AL East title with
a 3-2 win over the Detroit
Tigers.
2008 — The United
States take back the Ryder
Cup with a 16 1/2-11 1/2
victory over Europe. It’s the
largest margin of victory for
the Americans since 1981.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com