SPORTS
Saturday, July 21, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 3B
FOOTBALL: Heppner hosting Rookie Tackle jamboree on Sept. 8
Continued from 1B
● Rule changes: There
are no three-point stances for
either offensive or defensive
line positions. Instead, play-
ers at those positions will
start in upright, two-point
stances, which will decrease
the chances for blows to
the head coming out of the
three-point stances.
OSAA Assistant Execu-
tive Director Brad Garrett,
who sits on USA Football’s
Board of Directors, said in
an interview that he believes
Rookie Tackle could be a
good way to help participa-
tion in football at the high
school level increase again.
According
to
the
National Federation of High
School Athletics Associa-
tion surveys, participation
in 11-man football at the
high school level in Oregon
has decreased each of the
last four years, from 13,212
players in 2013 to 12,185 in
2016.
“For me it’s all about the
future of the game,” Garrett
said, who has been around
football as a player, coach
and executive for 40 years.
“If someone didn’t step in
an affect change, I’m not
sure of what the future held.
Our goal should be to retain
more players and minimize
the risk, and this (Rookie
Tackle) does that.”
While the OSAA can’t
instruct individual youth
leagues
to
implement
Rookie Tackle, Garrett said
that the OSAA would like
to see the structure in all
leagues like Heppner will
have this fall with flag foot-
ball, Rookie Tackle and then
to tackle football starting in
seventh grade.
“Coach Grant is a leader
that is taking charge, which
is what we like to see,” Gar-
rett said. “My pitch is to
reach out to the high school
coaches and open their eyes
to the subject. If the OSAA
will get anything done, we
know it will be through lead-
ership and we’ll find it with
the head football coaches to
make a difference.”
Heppner is hosting a
Rookie Tackle Jamboree on
September 8 with John Day
and Stanfield youth pro-
grams already committed to
playing, and he said Board-
man is also interested. Pend-
leton Youth Football pres-
ident Ron Smith said that
he and people involved
with PYF have looked into
Rookie Tackle, but it’s not
something that they have
discussed as a board as of
yet.
“It’s definitely worth a
look,” Smith said. “We’re
noticing a decline in our
numbers over the last few
years, some kids just mov-
ing away, some kids play-
ing other sports and others
because of the concussions
fear. ... It’s definitely on the
table, maybe in the next two
years.”
Smith added that the City
of Pendleton Parks and Rec-
reation started a pee wee flag
football program for grades
1-4 this summer, and that
PYF hopes to team up with
that program to increase
participation.
Grant admitted that it
won’t be an easy imple-
mentation, especially when
it comes to trying to prove
to parents that have either
played tackle football or
already had kids go through
tackle at the youth level that
Rookie Tackle isn’t some
sort of step backwards.
“Instead of 11 on 11, it’ll
just be 8 on 8 or something,
with kids playing different
positions,” Grant said. “It
should be fun.”
————
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com or 541-
966-039. Follow him on
Twitter @ByEricSinger.
MARINERS: King
Mariners extend contract of
Felix returns from DL
LEGION: Rosales
3-for-3, 3 RBI
Continued from 1B
Continued from 1B
manager Scott Servais
since blowing a save but getting the win for the
American League in the All-Star Game, pitched
a scoreless ninth for his league-leading 37th save.
ROSTER SHUFFLE
Seattle called up first baseman Daniel Vogel-
bach and outfielder John Andreoli from Triple-A
Tacoma and outrighted pitcher Mike Morin.
The name missing from Seattle’s roster moves
was catcher Mike Zunino, who was thought to
be ready to come off the disabled list following
the All-Star break after missing time with a bone
bruise in his left ankle. Manager Scott Servais
said Zunino is expected to play at least a cou-
ple of games this weekend at Tacoma before he’s
likely to be recalled.
The addition of two position players is likely
to be a short-term move with Seattle bringing
Felix Hernandez off the DL to start Saturday.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Mariners: Left-handed starter James Paxton
will throw a bullpen session on Saturday and
is on track to return to the rotation against San
Francisco early next week. Paxton went on the
disabled list on July 13 with lower back stiff-
ness. He said he threw a little during the All-Star
break, but the bullpen will tell if he’s ready to go
next week.
UP NEXT:
White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (3-5) takes the
hill Saturday in the second game of the three-
game set at Safeco Field. Covey is 0-4 with an
11.70 ERA and six home runs allowed over his
last five starts.
Mariners: Hernandez (8-7) returns from a DL
stint with lower back stiffness. He has allowed
three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts.
299
TACOMA $
NEW 2018
SR5 DBL CAB V6 4X4
Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers.
What’s notable about the Ser-
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners vais extension is the rare continuity it
will have some continuity in the mana- will create in Seattle. Assuming noth-
ing unexpected forces a change, Ser-
gerial chair for a change.
Seattle signed Scott Servais to a vais will be just the third manager in
the club’s history to begin
multiyear contract extension
a fourth season in charge of
Friday as the club opened
the Mariners. Darrell John-
the second half of the sea-
son, the team’s first-ever
son in position to potentially
manager in 1977, was let go
end the longest current play-
off drought in the four major
midway through his fourth
pro sports.
season in 1980. Lou Piniella
The extension was a
was Seattle’s manager from
reward after Servais led Seat-
1993-2002.
tle to a 58-39 record prior to
Since Piniella left after
the All-Star break and a hold Servais
the 2002 season, Seattle had
on the second wild-card spot
eight different managers or
in the American League. Seattle hasn’t interim managers over the following 13
been to the postseason since 2001.
seasons. Only one — Eric Wedge —
“I’m still learning and I look for- completed three full seasons in charge
ward to learning,” Servais said. “It’s of the club.
about our players and how we prepare
“If I had to pick one single-most
and how do we beat the opponent. You important thing in any organization,
constantly are trying to get better at this. that’s it. It’s that synergy, that con-
I’d like to say I have it all figured out; nection, the communication between
far from it. And I don’t see myself ever the general manager and manager,”
Dipoto said. “Any other relationships
being that way.”
Servais is 222-199 since arriving in the organization can be solved or
in Seattle in 2016, the first managerial you might be able to build a bridge
job of his career. Seattle went 87-75 in between them, but if the manager and
Servais’ first season, before dipping to general manager don’t see things on
78-84 last year as Seattle was mired in a similar plane or have the ability to
injury issues. Servais, 51, previously debate and arrive at a conclusion that
worked in the front offices of the Los works for everybody, you’ll never win.”
Associated Press
Baker squeezes by Hermiston
with late score
LA GRANDE — For the second straight
day, Hermiston’s Legion baseball team lost
in a close manner, falling 6-5 to Baker on
Friday.
Hermiston () scored once in the first on
Alexis Rosales’s RBI double to left that
scored Ethin Randolph for a 1-0 lead at the
time. After Baker took a 3-1 lead in the sec-
ond, Hermiston rallied to the lead in the third.
Rustin Edmiston got the scoring started
with a RBI single to left that scored Kelson
Robertson, and then Ethin Randolph hit a
RBI triple to tie it and Rosales hit his second
double of the game to score Randolph for a
4-3 Hermiston lead.
Baker jumped back into the lead in the
fourth, but Hermiston got even in fifth when
Edmiston scored on a fielder’s choice. A sac-
rifice fly in the bottom of the sixth scored the
winning run for Baker to make it a 6-5 game.
Rosales was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate
with three RBI to lead Hermiston, while
Randolph was 2-for-3 and scored twice.
Tyson Stocker also had two hits, and Edmis-
ton was 1-for-1 with two runs.
Edmiston also pitched all six innings,
striking out eight and allowing seven hits
and six runs.
Hermiston plays La Grande on Saturday
at 11 a.m.
————
HRM
BAK
103 010
120 201
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