E AST O REGONIAN
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
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Pendleton’s Sorey third in tie-down at NHSFR
His hot run in the
finals moved him from
eighth to third
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
ROCK sPRINGs, Wyo. —
Trent sorey hasn’t had much time
to enjoy his recent performance at
the National High school Finals
Rodeo.
He arrived home late sun-
day night and was out in the field
for wheat harvest early Monday
morning.
“It’s all part of it,” sorey said.
“It’s what I grew up doing —
rodeoing and farming.”
The recent Pendleton High
School grad finished third over-
all saturday in the tie-down rop-
ing event with a time of 27.76 sec-
onds on three runs. There were
135 competitors in the event.
“you can always do better,” he
said. “Third is third, not first. It
makes you want to do better. I’m
blessed to be able to do what I do,
and what I did.”
A four-time qualifier for
nationals, this was the first time
Sorey made the finals.
“I knew if I was anywhere in
the top 10, that I would have a
chance,” he said.
sorey, 19, was eighth going
into the short go (finals) Saturday.
The top 20 competitors in each
event advance to the finals.
sorey roped his calf in 8.45
seconds in the finals to finish fifth
in the round, but his time moved
him up the leaderboard to third.
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Isaac Corey, of Hermiston, goes up for a shot during Saturday’s Takin’ it to the Streets 3-on-3 basketball
tournament in Hermiston.
Pendleton.
“I love it,” Grogan said of
Takin’ it to the streets. “It’s less
structured. you’re free to do
what you want, and you get to
play basketball with your best
friends.”
Grogan’s team was born
out of a former rivalry. He met
Ramirez in a previous Takin’
it to the streets tournament
years ago, where they played on
opposing teams. This year was
their first on the same side.
“That’s how we got to know
each other,” Grogan said. “This
is a great group of guys.”
a premier player on the Tim-
berwolves’ roster, Grogan, a
Stanfield native, played his first
game in the tournament when
he was in third grade. He’s been
coming back ever since.
Fans, family, and friends
filled the bleachers to watch
Purosho compete.
9-10-11 LITTLE LEAGUE
Hermiston
Little League
ousted from
state tourney
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
See Rodeo, Page A9
HERMISTON TAKES TO THE STREETS
HeRMIsTON — For the
14th year in a row, Hermiston
proved that basketball brings
people together.
Over the course of satur-
day and sunday, more than 145
teams from around the region
flocked to downtown Hermis-
ton to participate in the annual
Takin’ it to the streets 3-on-3
tournament. Teams, comprised
of athletes anywhere from the
fifth grade and upward, braved
the sizzling summer heat to
showcase their passion for the
sport.
“Our community has always
been supportive of us,” orga-
nizer Juan Rodriguez said. “you
can see all of our local sponsors
on the backboards. We couldn’t
have done this without them.”
alongside the various teams
were groups of volunteers —
many of whom were members
of Hermiston High school’s
boys and girls varsity basket-
ball programs. Money raised
from the weekend-long contest
helped support their upcoming
seasons.
“They’re also doing it
because they want to promote
basketball,” Rodriguez added.
although players from Wash-
ington, Idaho, and central Ore-
gon took to Main Street to flaunt
their basketball skills, several
local teams made appearances
to represent their hometowns.
among those teams was
Purosho, led by Blue Moun-
tain Community College’s own
dylan Grogan, who, with the
help of teammates deon davis,
Jerry Ramirez and Quinton
Raynor, opened saturday morn-
ing with a 20-14 victory against
drive Home safe on the center
court’s red les schwab mat.
Grogan, 20, noted the dif-
ference between summer bas-
ketball and the hours he’s put in
on the Timberwolves’ court in
A8
After his team’s first win,
Purosho still had two more
games left to play on satur-
day alone. The team withstood
the heat and ended up winning
championships in the Men’s Rec
and Men’s Open divisions.
Purosho wasn’t the only team
who have made Takin’ it to the
streets an annual tradition —
Tyler Winklebleck, Tyson Nay-
See Basketball, Page A9
KlaMaTH Falls — Herm-
iston little league’s run at the
9-10-11-year-old state tournament
was a bit shorter than it would have
liked.
Bend North rallied from early
deficits of 5-0 and 9-8 to hand
Hermiston a 15-9 loss Monday
night in a loser-out game.
“all the teams are good,” coach
Justin simmons said. “It’s whoever
shows up and the ball falls your
way.”
After a scoreless first inning,
Hermiston put five runs on the
scoreboard in the bottom of the sec-
ond inning.
Bend came back with four runs
of its own in the third, then took
an 8-5 lead in the top of the fourth
inning.
Hermiston, the district 3 cham-
pion, took the lead back in the bot-
tom of the fourth with a four-run
outburst.
It was all Bend from there,
which scored seven runs over the
final two innings.
Hermiston outhit Bend 12-10,
but committed seven errors on the
night.
Camden Venoy went 4-for-5 with
a triple and four RBIs for Hermis-
ton, while lane simmons and Bar-
rett stanek each hit a double.
Hermiston opened the state
tournament with a 20-2, four-in-
ning victory saturday over south-
east Portland.
Brody Woodard and Wyatt
larson each pitched two innings
for Hermiston, combining on a
five-hitter with four strikeouts and
just two walks.
“We came out ready to play,”
simmons said. “They decided they
would go for it.”
Hermiston led 8-1 after the first
inning, 11-2 after two, and 15-2
after three.
Offensively, Hermiston had
14 hits — all singles — and took
advantage of 11 walks.
stanek had three hits and three
RBIs for Hermiston, while Venoy,
evan Hays, and Hunter link each
had two hits. Cougar Philippi also
drove in three runs.
lake Oswego was a differ-
ent obstacle on sunday. The Port-
land-area team handed Hermiston
a 15-1 loss.
“lake Oswego is a really good
team,” simmons said. “They are
the best team we have seen all
season.”
Hermiston trailed just 2-1 after
three innings, but a couple of errors
See Baseball, Page A9
Thunder in the Blues
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
A motocross racer takes a burst of speed on a straight stretch Saturday during the the Thunder in the Blues American
Motocross Association Short Track event at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena. Organizers billed the event as the first
motorcycle event at the Round-Up since 1940.
Two motocross riders race around the dirt track Saturday during
the the Thunder in the Blues American Motocross Association Short
Track event at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena. Organizers billed the
event as the first motorcycle event at the arena since 1940.