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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2017)
SPORTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS HERMISTON Bulldogs aim to stay hot in state semifi nals Hermiston hopes to keep farewell tour going one more week Herm- iston’s Dayshawn Neal makes the catch in the end- zone as Eli Nafziger, of South Albany, tries to defend during Friday’s playoff game at Kennison Field. By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian HERMISTON — The Hermiston Bulldogs are hoping to prolong their goodbye as long as possible. The football team extended its “OSAA Farewell Tour” another week with a 40-22 win Friday over South Albany, and will travel Saturday to Hillsboro to take on No. 2 Wilsonville. The semifi nal matchup will take place at a neutral site, Hillsboro Stadium, but it won’t Hermiston’s fi rst appearance to the stadium 200 miles away. The last time the Bulldogs played Staff photo by Kathy Aney 5A Semifi nal #3 Hermiston #2 Wilsonville Bulldogs Wildcats (9-2) (10-1) • Saturday, 5:30 p.m. • at Hillsboro Stadium • Radio: AM 1360 KOHU under those lights was for the 5A state championship in 2014. It was Hermiston’s fi rst title, and now with a new crew the Bulldogs are hoping it won’t be their last. This time around junior quar- terback Andrew James is leading the team with head coach David Faaeteete at the helm, and if you ask either they both will tell you that this week and Saturday’s game is like any other. “Practice is the same, there is a little more focus but that’s it,” James said. “We are just treating it like another game. Of course, its bigger but again it’s just another game.” The No. 3 Bulldogs enter the contest with a 9-2 record and an eight game winning streak. “It feels great but at the same time we still have to get through what we’re supposed to do, and make sure the kids are ready to go Saturday,” head coach David Faae- teete said. Since their lone league loss on Sept. 15 against No. 1 Mountain View, the Bulldogs have been on a tear, outscoring opponents 348-158 — an average score of 43-19. In all but two of those wins the Bulldogs defeated their opponents by 20 or more points by peaking in the second quarter and scoring almost half of all their points in the second half. “We’re just built up confi dence,” See BULLDOGS/2B MLB Pro Basketball Scherzer, Kluber take home Cy Young Awards Trail Blazers hold off Magic Portland overcomes slow start to earn second straight win By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press By JAKE SEINER Associated Press Max Scherzer heard his name and thrust his arms in the air, shouting and smiling big before turning to kiss his wife. Corey Kluber, on the other hand, gulped once and blinked. Two aces, two different styles — and now another Cy Young Award for each. Scherzer T h e animated Scherzer of the Washington Nationals coasted to his third Cy Young, Kluber winning We d n e s d a y for the second straight year in the National League. He breezed past Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, drawing 27 of the 30 fi rst-place votes in balloting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Kluber’s win was even more of a runaway. The Cleveland Indians ace took 28 fi rst-place votes, easily outpacing Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox for his second AL Cy Young. Scherzer yelled “yes!” when his award was announced on MLB Network, a reaction in keeping with his expressive reputation. He showed that intensity often this year, whether he was cursing under his breath like a madman during his delivery or demanding — also with expletives — that manager Dusty Baker leave him in the See CY YOUNG/2B PORTLAND — Damian Lillard had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the Orlando Magic their NBA third straight loss, 99-94 on We d n e s d a y night. Orlando CJ McCo- llum had 24 points, Shabazz Napier added Portland a season-high 19 and Port- land fi nished 4-2 on its six-game homestand. Napier was 5 for 5 from 3-point range. Evan Fournier led the Magic with 22 points. Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Magic trailed by 11 points during the third quarter, but Fournier’s 3-pointer put the Magic up 81-80 with 6:52 left in the game. Portland reclaimed the lead on consecutive baskets from Jusuf Nurkic and Maurice Harkless. McCollum’s 3-pointer extended the Blazers’ lead to 87-83 with 4:30 to go. After Napier’s 3-pointer, McCo- llum added another, and the Blazers led 95-86 with 1:43 left. Orlando couldn’t catch up. The Magic were playing the last of a four-game road trip. Orlando went into the game with two straight losses, including 110-100 at Golden State on Monday. The Blazers were coming off a confi dence-boosting 99-82 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday that snapped a two-game 94 99 AP Photo/Steve Dykes Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton, center, shoots the ball over Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, left, and guard Damian Lillard, right, during the fi rst half of Wednesday’s game in Portland. See BLAZERS/2B Sports shorts Cowboys’ Elliott drops appeal, will serve out suspension FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has dropped his appeal with fi ve games remaining on his six-game suspension over alleged domestic violence. Elliott’s agents said Wednesday the decision by last year’s NFL rushing leader “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.” They said Elliott’s decision came from “a practical assessment of the current legal landscape.” Elliott Elliott had a hearing set in a federal appeals court on Dec. 1, four games into the suspension. He served the fi rst game in Dallas’ 27-7 loss to Atlanta last weekend. By accepting the six games, the 22-year-old Elliott is eligible to return for the fi nal two games: Dec. 24 at home against Seattle and Dec. 31 at Philadelphia. “I take full responsibility for the mistake I have made — shoplifting. I know that this goes beyond me letting my school down. I let the entire country down.“ — Cody Riley The UCLA men’s basketball play- eer spoke at a press conference Wednesday after he, and team- mates LiAngelo Ball and Jalen Hill were suspended indefi nitely after getting arrested for shoplifting while on a team trip to China last week. The trio returned to the United States on Tuesday. Mariners add to offense, trade for DH/1B Healy from A’s SEATTLE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have traded power-hitting Ryon Healy to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan and minor league shortstop Alexander Campos. The 25-year-old Healy batted .271 with 25 home runs, 29 doubles and 78 RBIs this season. He split his time at designated hitter, fi rst base and third base. Healy made his big league debut in 2016 with the A’s. Healy “Ryon brings a power bat to our lineup at fi rst base, while providing the fl exibility to play third base,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. Pagan made his major league debut this year and went 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 34 games for Seattle. The 26-year-old struck out 56 and walked eight in 50 1/3 innings. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1957 — Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics sets an NBA Record with 49 rebounds in a 111-89 victory over the Phila- delphia Warriors. 1996 — Corey Dillon set an NCAA rushing record for a quarter, gaining 222 yards on 16 carries in the fi rst quarter as No. 15 Washington overwhelmed San Jose State 53-10. 2008 — Jimmie Johnson locks up his third consecutive NASCAR championship with a solid 15th-place run in the fi nal race of the season, beating Carl Edwards by 69 points. Johnson joins Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in history to win three straight titles. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
