SPORTS
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
East Oregonian
A9
Seahawks: Blair brings big hitter reputation
Continued from Page A8
up wrong, my technique
sometimes. I’m just working
on it and getting better,” Blair
said.
NOTES: Carroll said T/
TE George Fant has a sec-
ond-degree ankle sprain and
will be aiming to try and get
back for the season opener.
Fant was injured when he
was rolled up from behind on
Thursday and was in a walk-
ing boot at practice Sunday.
Fant has regularly been used
as an extra tight end. ... QB
Geno Smith underwent sur-
gery to remove a cyst from
his knee and was a spectator
at practice on Sunday. Carroll
said Smith is hopeful he’ll be
ready to play next Sunday
against Minnesota, but said
it could be a stretch to expect
that. Smith’s uncertainty was
why Seattle signed J.T. Bar-
rett to add another arm for
training camp.
AP Photo/Stephen Brashear
Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marquise Blair, right, hits Denver Broncos wide receiver
Nick Williams, left, drawing a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness during the second half
of an NFL preseason game Aug. 8, in Seattle.
Rodeo: Stevi Hillman of Texas wins final barrel race
EO Media Group Photo/Ronald Bond
Mackinley Gregus is Eastern Oregon’s top returning scor-
er after scoring 11 goals in 2018 as a freshman.
Soccer: Close-knit
winning culture
continues in 2019
Continued from Page A8
another step we can take
to improve our program.”
Mixing in with that
group are a dozen new-
comers, and Plocher
believes several of them
— even some of the fresh-
men — have an opportu-
nity to see ample playing
time this fall.
“We feel we have
added four or five who
could start. That just
helps us with our depth,”
Plocher said. “Anytime
you can add competi-
tion to any position it just
helps individuals get bet-
ter and then the team gets
better as a while. Iron
sharpens iron, so to be
able to have competition
day in and day out at all
positions hopefully will
make our team able to
play at the highest level.”
Josee Bassett, the
reigning
conference
defensive player of the
year, said the new Moun-
taineers have brought a
heightened level of inten-
sity to the team.
“It makes me want to
work harder,” she said.
“I feel like our incom-
ing group, transfers and
freshmen, have worked
so hard, and I don’t think
there’s a big gap between
the starters, and the trans-
fers and freshmen.”
The senior said one of
the vital components of
team success — chemis-
try — is being built more
quickly than she’s ever
experienced with any
team she has been a part
of at EOU.
“This is the fastest
we’ve connected as a
group,” she said. “Usu-
ally it takes a couple
weeks to get in the groove
of everything and get to
know each other and our
style of play, but I think
this is the fastest we’ve
clicked.”
Cottrell said that on
a team retreat they did
activities “to open each
other up, and get peo-
ple talking and connect-
ing. If you bond together,
then it’s easier to play
with each other because
you know the person, you
know how to play with
them on the field.”
Kara Gooderham, one
of the freshmen, said the
returners have already
taken the new players in.
“I feel like I know all
of them just as much as I
know my old team,” the
former La Grande stand-
out said. “We have great
team chemistry.”
In response to Bas-
sett commenting that the
freshmen are challenging
the returners, Gooderham
said, “I take it as a com-
pliment, because if we’re
making them better, that
makes the whole team
better, we’ll be better as a
whole.”
EOU did lose a key
component to the offense
with the graduation of
Taylor Boyer, last year’s
CCC offensive player
of the year, who scored
16 goals and added five
assists.
But among the return-
ers on the offensive side
are sophomore Mackinley
Gregus, who had 11 goals
and three assists. Return-
ers Morgan Farrington
and Kaitlyn McLeod each
added three goals a year
ago, and Plocher said
there is the potential for
Eastern to be more well-
rounded on offense this
fall.
“It’s going to be more
of a collective unit, but
having some of our fresh-
men getting valuable
experience last year and
coming into a sophomore
year where hopefully
things slow down (and)
they’re able to process
things quicker,” he said.
“Along with our trans-
fers and incoming kids,
(we’ll be) able to play a
lot of different forma-
tions depending on what
we need to get the desired
result.”
Eastern also gets back
senior Nan Kiebert, who
played in only six games
last fall, and among the
transfers are two Division
I additions — Alexis Jor-
dan and Anna Hager.
EOU, which finished
ranked 14th last season,
will get a set of early
tests against four teams
who also finished in the
top 25 last fall — No. 11
Hastings, No. 9 Midland,
No. 10 Embry-Riddle and
No. 25 Hope Interna-
tional. Those last two
matches are at home on
Aug. 30 and Sept. 10.
EOU’s
matchup
against No. 15 North-
west, which defeated the
Mountaineers in the CCC
title game, is Oct. 25 in
La Grande.
Follow us on
Facebook!
Continued from Page A8
Right to win the night and
the FCPR title in the event in
his first trip to Hermiston.
“This is one of the biggest
rodeos going on right now,”
Frost said. “It is a privilege
to be here in Hermiston.
The ring setup is cool, and
there is a lot of energy in the
crowd,” I’ll be back.”
Frost sits 13th in the stand-
ings, and the $6,838 from the
FCPR will go a long way in
helping him earn his first trip
to the NFR.
“It couldn’t be any better,”
he said. “It’s been a really
good year. Now, you have
to hammer down and finish
with some wins. It’s been
a slow week, so Hermiston
will help me out a lot.”
Saddle bronc riding
Ryder Wright got good
luck kiss from his 2-year-
old daughter Bexley before
he competed Saturday night.
It’s a ritual they have when
his wife Cheyenne and his
daughter join him on the
road.
That kiss seemed to do
the trick as Wright posted an
82.5-point ride on Dirty Lit-
tle Secret for the mark on the
night, and a fourth-place fin-
ish overall.
Dawson Hay, who turned
in an 86 on Friday, walked
away with the title and
$5,640.
“There’s always a little
pressure when there’s a big
number on top,” Wright said.
Speaking of on top,
Wright, 21, leads the world
standing with $192,479 —
more than $33,000 more than
the second-place man.
Wright, who comes from a
long line of saddle bronc rid-
ers, broke the regular-season
earnings record for saddle
bronc riding with $184,880
as of July 30. The Utah cow-
boy surpassed Jacobs Craw-
ley’s 2017 total of $184,052.
“I definitely have an
advantage,” he said. “I have
had awesome bronc riders
as coaches my whole life. I
need anything, they are just
a phone call away.”
Steer wrestling
There were a lot of great
runs Saturday night, but the
hot run belonged to Tyler
Pearson, who turfed his steer
in 3.6 seconds.
The Mississippi cow-
boy had the top time in the
second go-round, and also
picked up the $100 bonus
for the top time of the night.
He said the cash was much
needed.
“I lost my wallet the other
day,” he said. “I needed some
cash bad.”
The go-round money
($1,899) is nice, as is the aver-
age money ($1,363). Pearson
was 16th in the standings at
the beginning of the week
— less than $2,000 out of
15th. He is looking for his
third consecutive trip — and
fourth overall — to the NFR.
“Every dollar counts,” he
said. “It’s nice to get a win.
That was a good steer.”
Jesse Brown of Baker
City, who had a time of 7.6
seconds on two runs, won the
event and pocketed $4,914,
which included money in
each go-round.
“I knew I had to be fast,”
he said. “That steer was fast;
it worked out great.”
Brown, who turned 27
earlier in the week, is ranked
39th in the world stand-
ings, and leads the Columbia
River Circuit.
“It’s been all right,”
Brown said of his season.
“I’m just chipping away.”
Rodeo fans will see
Brown next month at the
Pendleton Round-Up.
“Pendleton is one of
my favorites,” he said. “I
wouldn’t miss it for nothing.”
Team roping
Lane Ivy and Cesar de
la Cruz may have had the
hot ride of the night, roping
their steer in 4 seconds flat,
but it was Charly Crawford
and Logan Medlin who won
the title with their 5.8-second
finish on Friday night.
Of the 14 competitors
in Farm-City’s final team
roping event, four teams
received penalties and seven
received no time, leaving
it wide open for Crawford
of Prineville and Medlin
of Tatum, New Mexico, to
claim the title.
Pendleton’s own Clay-
ton Morrison, teamed with
Prineville’s Sean Santucci,
provided some Eastern Ore-
gon representation for the
event, but were one of the
unlucky groups who failed to
rope their steers.
Tie-down roping
Two cowboys tied for the
tie-down roping’s top spot,
but only one rode off with
the title.
Richard Newton of Por-
tales, New Mexico, and
Reese Riemer of Stinnett,
Texas, each clocked in at 8.1
seconds, but it was Riemer’s
17.8 average that earned him
the 2019 title.
For Riemer, the vic-
tory was seven years in the
making. He’s been a Farm-
City regular since 2012, but
this year was his first as a
champion.
“The money keeps me
coming back,” he joked. “It’s
a great rodeo with a great
committee. It’s just one of
those rodeos that everyone
has on their lists to ride in
every year.”
With $50,326.71 in PRCA
earnings, Riemer is No. 21
in the tie-down world stand-
ings. His goal, he said, is to
crack the top 15.
“I just gotta keep doing
what I did tonight,” he said.
“It’s one check at a time, and
one rodeo at a time. I’ve seen
guys in my position try too
hard and end up making mis-
takes. I just have to take it
easy from here on out.”
Barrel racing
Stevi Hillman came all
the way from Weatherford,
Texas, to win Farm-City’s
final barrel race.
On the back of her
12-year-old horse Cuatro
Fame, she finished at 17.13
for the night’s best ride. Brit-
tney Barnett of Joilet, Mon-
tana, earned the title with her
17.01-second finish on night
one.
“A 17.01 ride is fast,” Hill-
man said. “To win third is
great. There’s some phe-
nomenal horses and jockeys
here.”
Of the ten racers on Satur-
day night, four received pen-
alties. Vale’s Danyelle Wil-
liams closed the night with
a 17.42 finish for Saturday’s
second-best ride.
“He took off a little sooner
than I wanted,” Hillman said
of Cuatro Fame. “He’s a big,
strong horse. He feeds off the
crowd’s energy. He won’t do
what you tell him to do. The
crowd was amazing tonight.”
Hillman has qualified for
the National Finals Rodeo
for the past three years, and
is looking to do it a fourth.
“We’re looking good
here,” she said. “Now we’ll
just have to see if we have
good consistency.”
SCOREBOARD
BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East
W
L
Pct
GB
New York
79
41
.658
—
Tampa Bay
69
50
.580
9½
Boston
62
59
.512
17½
Toronto
50
72
.410
30
Baltimore
39
80
.328
39½
Central
W
L
Pct
GB
Cleveland
72
47
.605
—
Minnesota
71
47
.602
½
Chicago
52
64
.448
18½
Kansas City
43
76
.361
29
Detroit
35
80
.304
35
West
W
L
Pct
GB
Houston
77
41
.653
—
Oakland
67
51
.568
10
Texas
59
59
.500
18
Los Angeles
58
61
.487
19½
Seattle
48
71
.403
29½
———
Sunday’s Games
Baltimore 8, Houston 7
L.A. Angels 5, Boston 4, 10 innings
N.Y. Yankees 1, Toronto 0
Kansas City 10, Detroit 2
Cleveland 7, Minnesota 3, 10 innings
Oakland 2, Chicago White Sox 0
Texas 1, Milwaukee 0
Tampa Bay 1, Seattle 0
Monday’s Games
Houston at Chicago White Sox, ppd.
N.Y. Yankees 8, Baltimore 5, 1st game
N.Y. Yankees 11, Baltimore 8, 2nd game
Toronto 19, Texas 4
Cleveland 6, Boston 5
Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, late
Tampa Bay at San Diego, late
Tuesday’s Games
Houston (Greinke 11-4) at Chicago White
Sox (Cease 2-4), 1:40 p.m., 1st game
Baltimore (Means 8-7) at N.Y. Yankees
(German 15-2), 4:05 p.m.
Texas (Lynn 14-7) at Toronto (Pannone
2-5), 4:07 p.m.
Boston (Sale 6-11) at Cleveland
(Clevinger 7-2), 4:10 p.m.
Seattle (Kikuchi 4-8) at Detroit (Boyd
6-8), 4:10 p.m.
Houston (Cole 14-5) at Chicago White
Sox (Nova 7-9), 5:10 p.m., 2nd game
Minnesota (Perez 8-5) at Milwaukee
(Anderson 5-2), 5:10 p.m.
St. Louis (Flaherty 5-6) at Kansas City
(Sparkman 3-7), 5:15 p.m.
Oakland (Anderson 10-7) at San Fran-
cisco (Bumgarner 7-7), 6:45 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Williams 4-5) at L.A. Angels
(Canning 4-6), 7:07 p.m.
Tampa Bay (McKay 2-2) at San Diego
(Lauer 6-8), 7:10 p.m.
Wednesday’s Games
Texas at Toronto, 9:37 a.m.
Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees, 10:05 a.m.
Boston at Cleveland, 10:10 a.m.
Houston at Chicago White Sox,
11:10 a.m.
Minnesota at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m.
Tampa Bay at San Diego, 12:40 p.m.
Oakland at San Francisco, 12:45 p.m.
Seattle at Detroit, 4:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, 5:07 p.m.
St. Louis at Kansas City, 5:15 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
W
L
Pct
GB
Atlanta
70 50 .583
—
Washington
63 55 .534
6
New York
61 57
.517
8
Philadelphia
60 58 .508
9
Miami
44 73 .376 24½
Central
W
L
Pct
GB
Chicago
64 54 .542
—
St. Louis
61 55 .526
2
Milwaukee
62 57 .521
2½
Cincinnati
56 61 .479
7½
Pittsburgh
48 69
.410 15½
West
W
L
Pct
GB
Los Angeles
79 41 .658
—
Arizona
59 59 .500
19
San Francisco 59 60 .496 19½
San Diego
55 62 .470 22½
Colorado
53 65 .449
25
———
Sunday’s Games
Atlanta 5, Miami 4
Chicago Cubs 6, Cincinnati 3
Washington 7, N.Y. Mets 4
Texas 1, Milwaukee 0
St. Louis 11, Pittsburgh 9
Colorado 8, San Diego 3
L.A. Dodgers 9, Arizona 3
San Francisco 9, Philadelphia 6
Monday’s Games
Washington 7, Cincinnati 6
Arizona 8, Colorado 6
Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, late
Tampa Bay at San Diego, late
Tuesday’s Games
Chicago Cubs (Quintana 10-7) at Phila-
delphia (Vargas 6-6), 4:05 p.m.
Cincinnati (Wood 1-0) at Washington
(Ross 2-3), 4:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 11-2) at Miami
(Yamamoto 4-3), 4:10 p.m.
N.Y. Mets (Wheeler 9-6) at Atlanta (Fried
13-4), 4:20 p.m.
Minnesota (Perez 8-5) at Milwaukee
(Anderson 5-2), 5:10 p.m.
St. Louis (Flaherty 5-6) at Kansas City
(Sparkman 3-7), 5:15 p.m.
Arizona (Gallen 2-3) at Colorado (Gray
10-8), 5:40 p.m.
Oakland (Anderson 10-7) at San Fran-
cisco (Bumgarner 7-7), 6:45 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Williams 4-5) at L.A. Angels
(Canning 4-6), 7:07 p.m.
Tampa Bay (McKay 2-2) at San Diego
(Lauer 6-8), 7:10 p.m.
Wednesday’s Games
Minnesota at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m.
Arizona at Colorado, 12:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at San Diego, 12:40 p.m.
Oakland at San Francisco, 12:45 p.m.
Cincinnati at Washington, 1:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Miami, 4:10 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 4:20 p.m.
Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, 5:07 p.m.
St. Louis at Kansas City, 5:15 p.m.
BASKETBALL
2019-20 PORTLAND TRAIL
BLAZERS SCHEDULE
All Times Pacific
Oct. 23 Denver, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27 at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Oct. 28 at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Nov. 2 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Nov. 4 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7 at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8 Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
Nov. 10 Atlanta, 6 p.m.
Nov. 12 at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13 Toronto, 7 p.m.
Nov. 16 at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 at Houston, 5 p.m.
Nov. 19 at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Nov. 23 at Cleveland, 5 p.m.
Nov. 25 at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Nov. 27 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Nov. 29 Chicago, 7 p.m.
Dec. 3 at L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 4 Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 Oklahoma City, 6 p.m.
Dec. 10 New York, 7 p.m.
Dec. 12 at Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 at Phoenix, 6 p.m.
Dec. 18 Golden State, 7 p.m.
Dec. 20 Orlando, 7 p.m.
Dec. 21 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Dec. 23 New Orleans, 7 p.m.
Dec. 26 at Utah, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 28 L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Jan. 1 at New York, 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 3 at Washington, 4 p.m.
Jan. 5 at Miami, 3 p.m.
Jan. 7 at Toronto, 4 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Jan. 11 Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Jan. 15 at Houston, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 at Dallas, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 at Oklahoma City, 6 p.m.
Jan. 20 Golden State, 7 p.m.
Jan. 23 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 Indiana, 6 p.m.
Jan. 29 Houston, 7 p.m.
Jan. 31 at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 Utah, 7 p.m.
Feb. 4 at Denver, 7 p.m.
Feb. 6 San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Feb. 7 at Utah, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 Miami, 6 p.m.
Feb. 11 at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
Feb. 12 at Memphis, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 23 Detroit, 6 p.m.
Feb. 25 Boston, 7 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Indiana, 5 p.m.
Feb. 29 at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.
March 2 at Orlando, 4 p.m.
March 4 Washington, 7 p.m.
March 6 at Phoenix, 6 p.m.
March 7 Sacramento, 7 p.m.
March 10 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
March 12 Memphis, 7 p.m.
March 15 Houston, 12:30 p.m.
March 17 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
March 19 Dallas, 7 p.m.
March 22 at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
March 24 at Charlotte, 4 p.m.
March 25 at Detroit, 4 p.m.
March 27 at Boston, 4:30 p.m.
March 29 at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.
March 30 at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m.
April 2 Utah, 7:30 p.m.
April 5 Memphis, 6 p.m.
April 7 Cleveland, 7 p.m.
April 9 Denver, 7 p.m.
April 13 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
April 15 L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.