SPORTS
Saturday, September 23, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3B
PENDLETON
T-Wolves men’s soccer plays first-ever home game
First-year BMCC
program still
working out kinks
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
It was an historic home-
coming from Blue Mountain
Community College athletics
Friday night. Underneath a
familiar landscape of cattle
and crops began something
new and unfamiliar. For the
first time ever, BMCC hosted
a men’s soccer match.
Head coach Art Mota
along with assistant coaches
Maggie Coleman and Austin
Shick brought together 21
athletes from Eastern Oregon
and beyond to form a young,
developing team that will not
only continue the careers of
the men already on the roster
but also provide opportunity
for younger players to extend
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
BMCC’s Giovanni Madrigal (11) pass the ball to Kaden
Goforth between Wenatchee’s Dilan Calva (2) and Le-
nin Guzman in the Timberwolves’ 11-2 loss to the
Knights on Friday in Pendleton.
their careers beyond high
school — and do so in front
of their family and friends.
“That was the thing that
attracted them the most,”
Mota said of the Timber-
wolves being made up of
mostly local players. “When
I spoke to them during the
recruiting process it was
about making history and I
think they all found that very
appealing and very attractive.
They are wanting to make
history and set a standard for
those that come afterwards.
“We do have a lot of
players from the area, and
that is always going to be an
emphasis as long as I’m here
that we are going to try to
draw in as many players as we
can for the area and try to put
out a product that everyone
can be proud of.”
Of the 21 players, five
are from Hermiston, four
from Pendleton, two from
Boardman, and one from
Umatilla. There are six
players from Idaho, one from
Washington, and even one
from California.
The family-like atmo-
sphere growing up in a
small town provides was
something else that attracted
Brian Ramirez — a freshman
midfielder out of Pendleton
High School. That type of
camaraderie is one of the
things that is working well for
this team.
“We all get together very
well,” Ramirez said. “We are
all a big family, that’s one
thing I like about this group.”
Like in any family, there
are ups and downs and the
men’s first home game was
anything but up.
The Timberwolves fell to
the Wenatchee Valley College
Knights 11-2. Their only
goals came in the 37 minute
from
Hermiston
native
Giovanni Madrigal, and in the
85 minute again by Madrigal.
It was a tough outing for
the all-freshman squad, but
one that is almost necessary
in this stage of a program.
“We probably just need to
look ourselves in the mirror
and do some reflection and
see if we are willing to give a
little bit more of each other,”
Mota said. “We are lacking in
a lot of areas.”
With the youth comes a big
learning curve, Mota added.
The men have struggled with
things like speed of play,
the physicality at this level,
communication, and the work
rate, and the learning curve
hasn’t been easy.
“We’re learning and we’re
learning the hard way,” Mota
said. “We’re definitely taking
our knocks.”
Just like the team, the
season is still very young.
The Timberwolves now have
two games under their belts
and will reset and recharge
as early as Monday. For
now, Mota asks the fans for
patience as they work out the
wrinkles.
“I’m really appreciative
of the crowd that came out
to watch and I just hope they
understand that it is going
to take time,” he said. “It’s
going to take time to build
the program up and just be
patient.”
———
Contact Alexis at aman-
sanarez@eastoregonian.com
or 541-564-4542. Follow her
on Twitter @almansanarez
BUCKAROOS: Pendleton puts up 370 total yards — 228 passing, 142 rushing
Continued from 1B
wasted no time cashing in
with a five-yard touchdown
run by Shawn Yeager for a
20-0 lead with 1:26 left in the
first quarter.
“It feels unbelievable to
just come out and play like
that,” Pendleton wideout
Shaw Jerome said. “We
executed on a couple of their
mishaps on the punts which
helped us out and got the
momentum going our way
and then got our offense
rolling.”
Pendleton put up 370 total
yards of offense in the game
with 228 passing and 142
rushing. Its most impressive
drive of the game was the last
scoring drive of the second
quarter, where Pendleton
started on its own six and
drove 94 yards in 5 minutes,
50 seconds of game time and
scored on a one-yard plunge
by Yeager for a 28-7 lead.
Yeager was the team’s
leading rusher with 56 yards
on 12 carries. Bower threw
for 212 yards on 19 of 27
passing with a pair of touch-
downs and a pair of inter-
ceptions, and also ran for 25
yards on six carries. Jerome
was the team’s leading
receiver with 83 yards on
seven catches. Pendleton had
three turnovers, but did not
punt the ball until the 5:06
mark of the fourth quarter.
“This came from all 11
kids tonight,” Davis said of
the offense. “Nick had time
to throw the football because
our offensive line improved
dramatically this week and
hats off to those guys, they
did a fantastic job of keeping
Nick clean and allowing
holes for our tailbacks. We
talk a lot about taking what
they give you, you don’t
always have to look for the
home run ball and good
things will happen and I
think we did a pretty good
job of that tonight.”
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Beau Skinner (10) and Willie Camp scramble from a loose ball in the end
zone after sacking Ridgeview punter Nick Sperber in the Bucks’ 48-13 win against
the Ravens on Friday in Pendleton.
Pendleton’s
defense
was solid again with an
outstanding
performance
by the front seven, holding
Ridgeview to a net of six
rushing yards and just 37
passing yards. Six players
recorded a quarterback
sack in the game and four
others recorded at least one
tackle-for-loss. Kirk Liscom
continued his strong season
with numerous tackles and a
sack, Greg Lee had 1½ sacks,
two tackles-for-loss and a
forced fumble and Aiden
Patterson picked up a sack
and two tackles-for-loss as
well.
“We have some big guys
up front and they work hard
and make our defense sharp
this year,” Patterson said.
“Our front seven, Ridgeview
tried to run up the middle a
lot and we were ready for
them.”
Pendleton scored three
more times in the second half,
on touchdown passes from
Bower to Cam Sandford and
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Shawn Yeager rumbles into the end zone
past a pair of Ridgeview defenders in the Bucks’ 48-13
win against the Ravens on Friday in Pendleton.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Beau Skinner (10) and Catch Kelly sack Rid-
geview’s Payton Davis in the Bucks’ 48-13 win against
the Ravens on Friday in Pendleton.
Patterson and an eight-yard
zone-read option keeper by
backup quarterback Trent
Sorey in the fourth quarter.
Sorey led a drive with some
second-string players for
Pendleton, going 63 yards
in just over two minutes to
get the score. On that drive,
Sorey ran twice for 17 yards,
passed once for 12 yards
while Liscom ran for 30
yards on two carries to set up
the score.
“That was fun to see,”
Jerome said. “It’s nice to
see those younger guys and
know you have some guys
behind you to trust.”
Davis kept a smile on
his face for a while after the
game, knowing just how
important it was for his team
to not only win like they did
but to notch that all important
first league victory.
“It was crucial. Our last
home game here on the high
school field to get a pretty
pronounced win is always
a fantastic taste,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to just get
on the board in league and
even ourself up, because we
still control our own destiny
which is always good. If we
continue to do our jobs, our
goal stays intact. Our kids
just have to come back ready
to go on Monday and we’ll
see what Redmond has to
offer.”
————
RHS
0 7
0
6 — 13
PHS
20 8
6 14 — 48
PASSING — (PHS) N. Bower 19-27, 212,
2TD, 2INT; T. Sorey 1-1, 12; W. Camp 1-2, 4.
(RHS) P. Davis 4-7, 30; M. Hopper 1-2, 7.
RUSHING — (PHS) S. Yeager 12-56, 2TD;
N. Bower 6-25, TD; A. Patterson 2-10; K.
Liscom 2-30; T. Sorey 2-17; C. Sandford 1-0;
A. Rendon 1-4. (RHS) C. Benz 13-42; M.
Cupp 4-11; P. Davis 4-(-25), TD; N. Brown
3-18; P. Anderson 2-64, TD; T. Lee 2-(-13);
M. Hopper 2-(-13); G. Dietz 1-(-1); Team
2-(-77).
RECEIVING — (PHS) S. Jerome 7-83;
B. Davis 5-41; C. Sandford 3-54, TD; T.
Stephan 3-28; W. Camp 1-14; T. Whaley
1-12; A. Patterson 1-9, TD; M. Demianew
1-4. (RHS) C. Benz 2-18; B. Olson 2-17; C.
Brown 1-2.
————
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0839. Follow him
on Twitter @ByEricSinger.
PREP ROUNDUP: Mac-Hi thumps Riverside, Weston-McEwen gets first win
Continued from 1B
Heppner (1-3) finally got
its usually-reliable ground
game working as it rushed
for 204 yards on 35 carries
as a team. Coby Dougherty
was the team’s leader with
128 yards on 15 attempts
with two touchdowns. Quar-
terback Jayden Wilson also
threw for a touchdown to
Logan Burright.
“Our offensive line did
a nice job getting things
going,” Heppner coach
Greg Grant said. “We’re
improving, we had a good
week of practice and I’m
happy for the kids and for
their effort.”
Heppner’s
defense
stepped us as well, allowing
just 123 total yards to the
Boomers (0-4). Tyler led
the team with seven tackles
and two sacks, while Derek
Howard had four tackles,
three sacks.
Heppner will open up
league play next week at
Weston-McEwen.
IRRIGON
32,
LAKEVIEW 21 — Irrigon
grinded out a victory on
homecoming night, even
though the Knights weren’t
playing at their best. The
win over Lakeview pushes
Irrigon’s record to 2-1 as it
gets ready for league play
next week.
“We had a helluva night,”
head coach Steve Sheller
said. “We really did not play
our best. We played just good
enough to win.”
En route to it’s 32-21
victory, quarterback Zach
Hendrix threw 5-of-10 for
115 yards and three touch-
downs while Josue Aguilera
ran for 188 yards and a
touchdown on 32 carries.
However, it didn’t come
easy.
“I’m proud they fought,”
Sheller said.
Because without that
fight, it would not have been
a homecoming to remember.
Sheller went on to say there
were a lot of self inflicted
wounds, and even said one
of the players admitted he
didn’t want to watch the film
from Friday night.
“The boys knew they
didn’t play well,” he said,
“I don’t anticipate it will
continue.”
Irrigon will hit the road
next week for it’s next match
up against Riverside.
WESTON-MCEWEN
17, UNION 0 — The old
saying defense wins games
rang true for Weston-
McEwen in Union. The
TigerScots struggled against
a strong Bobcats defensive
unit, but with success on the
ground and an all-out effort
on defense they were finally
able to pick up their first win
of the season.
“Defensively our boys
really picked it up and started
hitting like a true playoff
caliber football team,” head
coach Travis Glover said.
“We’ve been trying to find
our identity the first couple
of weeks, and this is a great
stepping stone before starting
league.”
The first half started slow
for the TigerScots (1-2), but
they still managed to get to
the half up 6-0.
“We made some adjust-
ments and was able to start
moving the ball the second
half and really put it to
them,” Glover said.
Weston-McEwen domi-
nated on the ground for 222
rushing yards while holding
Union to only 56. Senior
running back Jacob Speed
led the TigerScots with 13
carries for 83 yards and a
touchdown. Quarterback and
fellow senior Brett Speed
added 76 yards on eight
carries, and finished the
night 4-for-12 for 56 yards,
one touchdown, and one
interception. Parker Munck
added a touchdown to the
board, as well.
The Bobcats (0-4) will
lick their wounds and have
a chance to rebound with
one final non-league game
next week, while the Tiger-
Scots will host the Heppner
Mustangs, who also picked
up their first win Friday.
UMATILLA 52, PORT-
LAND CHRISTIAN 26 —
Umatilla sophomore Pedro
Alvarez had another standout
performance this week when
the Vikings traveled to
Portland. The running back
put 313 on just 16 carries
and was responsible for three
touchdowns as Umatilla took
the 52-26 victory.
“He kind of woke up
tonight,” head coach Dan
Durfey said. “It was his
night.”
The Vikings (3-1) were
finally able to keep focus
throughout the entirety of
the game, somethings they
had previously struggled
with especially in the second
half. On Friday, against the
Royals (0-4) that wasn’t the
case. Although, Umatilla did
have a hiccup in the second
half, Durfey said they were
able to pick things up and
finish the game strong.
The effort was a true team
performance, even though
Alvarez did steal the show.
“For someone to get that
many yards the rest of the
team has to be working and
blocking,” Durfey added.
“It was a team effort to get
Pedro that many yards.”
Quarterback Kaden Webb
added 75 yards to Umatilla’s
total and three rushing touch-
downs. He finished 8-for 14
from the pocket with 114
yards and one touchdown.
Cylinders kept rolling on
all sides of the ball as Alvarez
also notched a special teams
touchdown after running
back an 80-yard kick return.
The defensive performance
is also worth noting, as the
Vikings were up against a
tough opponent.
“Our defense played really
well,” Durfey said. “They
played a tough running game
and got punched in the mouth
a couple of times. Both sides
of the ball tonight did well.”
Umatilla will begin
league play next week at
Burns. Kickoff is scheduled
for 7 p.m.
MCLOUGHLIN
35,
RIVERSIDE 6 — The
Riverside Pirates could
no longer keep up their
winning streak, dropping
their road match up against
McLoughlin on Friday night.
Despite the 35-6 loss, the
Pirates (2-1) did show head
coach Boor David some
positives.
“The good thing that we
can take away is that they
played tough,” he said, “they
never stopped. One of the
things we’re going to have to
work on is tackling. Offen-
sively, the quarterback needs
to have time to get the ball in
the air so our receivers have
time to do their jobs.”
Offensively is where their
struggles began. There were
two interceptions returned
for touchdowns. Add a
fumble and penalties that
kept backing Riverside up,
and it just wasn’t able to get
out of the hole.
The
Pioneers
(3-1)
entered the half up 28-0,
and continued to assert their
dominance until the final
whistle blew.
This marked the end of
league play for both teams.
McLoughlin
will
host
Ontario next week, while
Riverside returns home to
face Irrigon.