SPORTS
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017
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1B
EO File Photos
MAIN: Hermiston head coach David Faaeteete hugs AJ Fernandez after the Bulldogs’ 38-35 win against Churchill
in the 5A state championship game on Nov. 25. RIGHT TOP: Nixyaawii’s Kaitlynn Melton cuts down the net after
Nixyaawii’s 1A state championship victory over Country Christian on Mar. 4. RIGHT BOTTOM: Riverside Pirate
players celebrate after defeating Catlin Gabel to capture the 3A/2A/1A boys soccer state championship on Nov. 11.
AN ENTERTAINING YEAR
Counting down the Top 10 local sports stories of 2017
East Oregonian
State championship victo-
ries, new facilities opening
and heart-breaking losses
fi lled the sports slate of the
high schools in Umatilla and
Morrow Counties in 2017.
Here is our Top 10 stories of
the year:
1. Hermiston wins fi nal
5A football title
The Hermiston Bulldogs’
fi nal season competing in
football in the OSAA was
a memorable one. In fact,
several players at the end of
the season described their
triumph as a storybook
ending or even something
from the movies, which in a
way, it did.
Ever since it was
announced in late spring
that Hermiston High would
depart the OSAA after the
2017-18 school year to join
the Washington Interscho-
lastic Activities Association,
the Hermiston football team
knew it wanted to complete
its ‘OSAA Farewell Tour’ on
top. And after 13 weeks of
play, the Bulldogs followed
through. Following a slow
start to the season, Hermiston
went on to win 10 consecu-
tive games and capped it off
with a 37-34 victory over
Churchill to bring home the
school’s second-ever football
state championship in front
of a large contingent of
Bulldog fans on Nov. 25 at
Prep Roundup
Vikings roll to
another victory
East Oregonian
SALEM — The Umatilla Vikings
advanced to the championship game of the
Salem Academy Tournament on Friday as
they defeated the host Salam Academy 59-54.
The Vikings (11-1) had four players in
double fi gures for the game, led by Trent
Durfey with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Behind him, Sebastian Garcia had 14 points,
Kaden Webb had 10 points and seven assists
and Seth Cranston had 10 points and fi ve
rebounds.
Umatilla plays Portland Adventist
Academy on Saturday for the tournament
championship at 8 p.m.
————
UHS
16 13 15 15 — 59
SA
16 10 11 17 — 54
UMATILLA — T. Durfey 15, S. Garcia 14, K. Webb 10, S. Cranston
10, U. Garcia 6, G. Armenta 2.
SALEM ACADEMY — L. Miller 20, C. Hardy 9, B. Boss 6, H. Wake-
fi eld 5, G. Cuanas 4, B. Dobson 2, J. Miller 2.
3-pointers — UHS 3, SA 5. Free throws — UHS 12-15, SA 9-11.
Fouls — UHS 13, SA 16.
See PREP ROUNDUP/3B
Staff photo E.J. Harris
Rodeo announcer Randy Corley watches Brady Nich-
oles of Hoysville, Utah, ride saddle bronc on Aug. 9 in
the new Farm-City Pro Rodeo Arena in Hermiston.
Hillsboro Stadium.
Head coach David Faae-
teete improved his squad
from a 9-11 combined record
and two straight playoff
one-and-dones in his fi rst
two seasons into the best
team in Class 5A and picked
up an Oregon Coach of the
Year award from the USA
Today for it. The Bulldogs
had fi ve all-state selections,
with quarterback Andrew
James,
running
back/
linebacker Jonathan Hinkle,
wide receiver/defensive back
Dayshawn Neal, offensive
lineman Beau Blake and
defensive back Joey Guti-
errez being chosen by the
state’s coaches, with Neal as
the state’s offensive player
of the year and James as the
East Oregonian player of the
year.
2. Hermiston announces
jump from OSAA to WIAA
The rapid growth in Herm-
iston’s enrollment ensured
a move up to the largest
classifi cation in the OSAA
beginning in 2018, and with
that brought placement into
a league with Portland and
Bend-area schools.
Those placements would
have meant upwards trips
that totaled 400 miles round-
trip for each of Hermiston’s
school-sponsored
teams,
resulting in numerous hours
of missed class time for the
student-athletes. The school
decided to look for alterna-
tive options and found one
north of the state border, and
petitioned to join the WIAA
See TOP 10/4B
IRRIGON
Knights stay unbeaten with thrilling victory
Boys Basketball
Irrigon uses big second
half to take down Rockets
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
IRRIGON — In Irrigon, Friday
was the Knights fi rst appearance in
their own invitational despite the
fact play began on Thursday.
Due to inclement weather, both
the boys and girls games were
canceled and the teams would have
to wait until Friday to take the court
again.
It was certainly worth the wait
as the host school swept Pilot Rock
in a doubleheader on Day 2 of the
invitational. The girls handed Pilot
Rock its fi rst loss at the invite, while
the boys ran away with a 81-71 after
Pilot Rock was unable to execute an
upset.
After the girls bested the Rockets
47-41, the boys took the court at
Pilot Rock
Irrigon
71
81
Irrigon Elementary.
The change in venue occurred
earlier in the day when the high
school gym roof began to leak. All
games were moved to the elemen-
tary school gym across the street.
The packed house witnessed
quite possibly the Knight’s most
electrifying game of the season, as
they outlasted the Rockets to remain
perfect on the season.
“It’s an emotional game,” head
coach Davie Salas said. “I’m sure
Pilot Rock always wants to beat the
Irrigon kids and vice versa.”
The opening quarter was a good
indication of how close the game
would be, as the teams ended the
See KNIGHTS/3B
Irrigon’s
Johnny
Phillips
shoots
the ball
guarded
by Pilot
Rock’s
Levi
Thieme
in the
Knights’
81-71
win
against
the
Rockets
on Fri-
day in
Irrigon.
Staff photo
by E.J. Harris
Sports shorts
US rallies to 4-3 shootout win
over Canada in outdoor game
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Brady
Tkachuk and Kieffer Bellows found enough
traction in the snow to score shootout goals and
cap the United States’ 4-3 victory over Canada
on Friday in international hockey’s
fi rst outdoor game.
Tkachuk and Ron Perunovich
scored 34 seconds apart in the
third period to rally the United
States from a 3-1 defi cit in the
world junior championship game
Tkachuk
played in a steady snowfall at the
NFL Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field.
Casey Mittlestadt set up all three goals for the
United States (1-1-1), which rebounded from a
3-2 loss to Slovakia less than 24 hours earlier.
Bellows also scored in regulation, and
goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 19 shots through
overtime and all four he faced in the shootout.
“I always look at those
as indicators of who’s
determined and who’s
getting things done
with their activity, and
we obviously didn’t get
much done in those two
areas.”
— Dana Altman
Oregon head coach said of
Utah’s 16-4 edge in points off
turnovers and its 11-3 margin
in second-chance points as the
difference in the game.
The Utes went on to defeat the
Ducks 66-56 to open Pac-12
play.
Thompson scores 24 as
Oregon State beats Colorado
CORVALLIS (AP) — Stephen Thompson
Jr. scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half
and Oregon State cruised to a 76-57 win over
Colorado on Friday night in the Pac-12 opener
for both teams.
Tres Tinkle had 23 points, six
assists and three steals and Ethan
Thompson added 14 points,
seven rebounds, fi ve assists and four steals for
the Beavers (9-4).
Tyler Bey scored 14 points and McKinley
Wright IV added seven points, six rebounds
and six assists for the Buffaloes (8-5), who
have lost four of their last fi ve.
Oregon State shot 51.9 percent, compared to
34.5 percent for Colorado.
The Beavers forced four turnovers early, and
jumped out to an 8-0 lead after a Tinkle slam.
The Beavers’ fi rst four fi eld goals were dunks.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1990 — Orlando point
guard Scott Skiles dishes out
an NBA-record 30 assists in
a 155-116 victory against the
Denver Nuggets. Skiles breaks
the record of 29 assists set by
the Nets.
—
Top-ranked
2010
Connecticut’s record 90-game
winning streak in women’s
basketball ends when No. 9
Stanford outplays the Huskies
from the start in a 71-59 victory
at Maples Pavilion where
the Cardinal have their own
streak going. Stanford hasn’t
lost in 52 games at home. The
Cardinal took an early 13-point
lead, never trailed and didn’t let
the mighty Huskies back in it.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com