SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
1B
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PENDLETON
NFL
Naughton
signs with
Gonzaga
Pendleton senior to
play Division I college
baseball in 2018
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
In this Nov. 9, fi le photo, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) lies injured on the turf where he injured his
Achilles tendon during the second half of a game in Glendale, Ariz. The Seahawks return to practice Tuesday without Sher-
man and facing questions about how the team handled the concussion protocol with quarterback Russell Wilson.
Seattle begins Sherman-less life
Seahawks return to
practice with a lot
of question marks
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — Back
from a long weekend of needed
rest, the Seattle Seahawks began
life without Richard Sherman on
Tuesday.
It was noticeably different
for those who have become
accustomed to hearing the
cornerback’s voice on a daily
basis.
“Just his energy, his passion,
his trash talking is defi nitely
going to be missed,” Seattle
linebacker Bobby Wagner said.
“But I’m positive he’s going to
fi nd a way to talk trash on the
sideline.”
For the fi rst time since before
he was drafted, the Seahawks
started a week of preparations
knowing Sherman would not
play after he tore the Achilles
tendon in his right foot during
last Thursday’s win over
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File
In this Nov. 9, 2017, fi le photo, Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Russell Wilson (3) speaks with head coach Pete Carroll, right,
and assistant head coach Tom Cable during a game against
the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz.
Arizona. For as much as his
mouth and some of his antics
have drawn attention, Sherman
has been an extremely reliable
cog in Seattle’s secondary
since his fi rst game during the
2011 season. His streak of 109
consecutive starts — playoffs
included — will end next
Monday when he’s a spectator
as his teammates host Atlanta.
Seattle’s adjustment to
not having Sherman started
Tuesday, but will really get
going Thursday when prepara-
tions for facing the Falcons get
started. The team signed Byron
Maxwell, who was released by
Miami last month after losing his
starting job but knows Seattle’s
system after starting his career
with the Seahawks. Maxwell
will provide depth behind
Jeremy Lane and Shaquill
Griffi n, the expected starters at
cornerback with Sherman out.
For Lane, it’s another chapter
in a strange few weeks that saw
him initially traded to Houston
as part of the Duane Brown deal.
Lane failed his physical with the
Texans and was returned to the
Seahawks. Lane said he was
gone from the Seahawks for
barely a day and that returning
to the team was not awkward.
“It was crazy. A very
emotional roller coaster. I had
to stay mentally strong for it, but
other than that it worked out,” he
said.
While Lane and Griffi n will
get the bulk of the work, picking
up Maxwell is a big benefi t at
this point of the season. Rather
than trying to teach someone
Seattle’s defensive system or
bring up an inexperienced player
from the practice squad, the
Seahawks landed a veteran who
knows their system and should
be able to help sooner than later.
See SEAHAWKS/2B
PENDLETON — Pendleton senior
Daniel Naughton has wanted to play Divi-
sion I college baseball for as long as he can
remember.
He took a huge step toward that goal
during the summer, as he earned a schol-
arship offer from Gonzaga University and
committed to the school in July. On Nov.
8, the Buckaroo pitcher and infi elder made
another big step when he offi cially signed
his National Letter of Intent with Gonzaga
during the NCAA’s early-signing period,
which came with excitement and relief.
“It was exhilarating,” Naughton said
on Tuesday during a signing party at Big
John’s Pizza in Pendleton. “Now that I’m
here, it’s a big step ahead. I can say I’m
offi cially there and can start preparing
myself and getting ready for college. It’s
exciting.”
Naughton is one of eight prep players
and two junior college transfers that make
up Gonzaga’s 2018 recruiting class, and
is one of fi ve right-handed pitchers in the
See NAUGHTON/2B
Photo contributed by Rob Naughton
Pendleton senior Daniel Naughton,
center, poses with parents Rob and
Beth prior to signing his National Let-
ter of Intent on Nov. 8 to play collegiate
baseball at Gonzaga University.
Prep Football
Umatilla’s Durfey headlines all-EOL teams
Viking voted EOL
Defensive Player
of the Year
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
In this 2016 fi le photo, Umatilla’s Trent Durfey (34)
evades Vale’s Seth Clark during a game in Umatilla.
Durfey was named the EOL’s Defensive Player of the
Year on Monday.
Umatilla’s Trent Durfey
burst onto the prep football
scene as a sophomore one
season ago, leading the
Vikings’ rushing attack on
offense and quarterbacking
the defense at linebacker.
This season, Durfey did
not have as much of an impact
on the offense but he stepped
up his game on the defensive
side for his Vikings team
that struggled through the
league schedule. The other
fi ve coaches in the Eastern
Oregon League obviously
saw the strides Durfey made
and were impressed by his
play, as he was voted as the
league’s Defensive Player of
the Year and a fi rst team pick
at linebacker as a part of the
all-EOL teams released on
Monday.
Joining Durfey at the
top of the selections were
Nyssa quarterback Boston
Thompson as Offensive
Player of the Year and Vale’s
Carson Brown at Lineman of
the Year.
Durfey was one of
only three Vikings to earn
all-league selections, with
senior Kaden Webb earning
a second team defensive
back pick and Tristan Cole
a honorable mention pick at
offensive line.
The Irrigon Knights did
not have a fi rst team pick, but
had four players on second
team and four on honorable
mention. On second team
was running back Josue
Aguilera, offensive lineman
Alex Walls, linebacker Keith
Fleming and defensive back
Daniel Vera. And on the
honorable mention list was
running back Lino Covar-
rubia, receiver Adrian Roa,
offensive lineman Tanner
Mills and defensive lineman
Anthony Rimierez.
Riverside
had
10
all-league selections, with
receiver Felix Aparicio and
lienbacker Riley Gorham
earning second team selec-
tions, while quarterback
Mason Hegar, running back/
defensive back Aramis
Corpus, receiver Hunter
Padberg, receiver Riley
Gorham, defensive back JR
Roque, linebacker Austin
See ALL-EOL/2B
Sports shorts
Twins’ Molitor, Diamondbacks’
Lovullo win Managers of the Year
(AP) — Paul Molitor has won the American
League Manager of the Year award after his
Minnesota Twins became the fi rst team to make
the playoffs following a 100-loss season.
Molitor won the honor Tuesday
in voting by members of the
Baseball Writers’ Association of
America.
Torey Lovullo of the Arizona
Diamondbacks won the NL award.
In his fi rst full season as a big
league skipper, Arizona reached the
Molitor
playoffs a year after going 69-93.
The Twins went 85-77 this season and earned
their fi rst playoff spot since 2010 before losing
to the Yankees in the AL wild-card game. Last
year, the Twins led the majors with 103 losses.
Cleveland’s Terry Francona was second and
Houston’s A.J. Hinch fi nished third. Voting was
completed before the start of the playoffs.
“It sure looks like Boston
is the team of the future
in the East, with the
assets that they still have
and their young talent
and their coaching, and
Kyrie (Irving) is amazing
... Whether their time is
now or the future, but
they sure look like they
want it to be right now.”
— Steve Kerr
Golden State Warriors head
coach stating his admiration for
the Boston Celtics prior to the two
teams’ match-up on Thursday.
Alabama claims No. 1 spot in
latest CFB Playoff rankings
(AP) — Alabama is the new No. 1 in the
College Football Playoff rankings, with Clemson
up to No. 2 and Miami and Oklahoma joining
the top four for the fi rst time.
Wisconsin was fi fth and
Auburn was up to sixth in the
rankings released Tuesday.
Clemson moved up from
fourth and unbeaten Miami
jumped from seventh to third, giving the Atlantic
Coast Conference two top four teams. Oklahoma
moved up one spot.
Unbeaten Wisconsin moved up from eighth
and is the highest-ranked Big Ten team. Auburn
is the highest-ranked team with two losses.
Georgia is seventh and Notre Dame is eighth.
Ohio State is back in the top 10 after an
impressive victory against Michigan State, and
Penn State is 10th. Southern California at 11th is
the highest ranked Pac-12 team.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1998 Green Bay’s Brett
Favre becomes the second-
fastest behind Dan Marino to
reach 200 career touchdown
passes and 25,000 yards. Favre
completes 21 of 33 passes for
267 yards and two touchdowns
in a 37-3 rout of the New York
Giants.
2011 Mike Krzyzewski
becomes Division I’s all-time
winningest men’s basketball
coach when No. 6 Duke
beats Michigan State 74-69
in the State Farm Champions
Classic in New York. The
Blue Devils give Coach K
his 903rd win, breaking the
tie with Bob Knight, Krzyze-
wski’s former college coach.
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