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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2020)
SIDELINED 2020 Senior Celia Farrow flies like a Golden Eagle M By BRETT KANE For the East Oregonian ISSION — It wasn’t until last season that Celia Farrow finally decided to pick up a basketball again. The 5-foot-6 guard for the Nixy- aawii girls basketball team took a break from the court from eighth grade until she was a junior. The time off, she said, was to focus on softball, her preferred sport. “I utilized the fall and winter seasons to prepare for the upcoming softball seasons,” said Farrow, 16. “I returned my junior year to keep myself busy and in shape for spring and summer softball.” And with her senior season and sec- ond year with the Golden Eagles basketball team just on the horizon, Farrow was ready to leave an even bigger impact on the team and her school than her first season. Then the postponement was announced, which meant that three-sport athletes, such as Farrow, will be in for a much busier year. This year, Farrow will begin her athletics season with basketball in December. After a seven-week regular season, she will then play her fall season with the Nixyaawii volley- ball team, which will start in February 2021. She’ll finish her high school career off with softball, which begins practices in April. “I was a little upset when I found out about fall sports being postponed,” Farrow said. “Like any athlete, I wanted to play, and not being able to do so was frustrating. But I’m currently staying pos- itive in the hopes that we’ll be able to return to the court soon.” But the promise of a senior season still isn’t set in stone, and as longtime Nixyaawii head girls basketball and volleyball coach Jeremy Maddern knows, anything could still change at any time, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Obviously, even if we do get to play, we don’t know if there’s going to be any state championships or anything like that,” he said. “We just want to play hard and play our game. It’s something we’ve always talked about with our players over the years — you never really know when your last game is going to be. It’s weird; I’ve been saying that for years, but it’s never been truer than now.” Farrow share the same sentiment, and she’s been training for her senior sea- sons all summer long. Now that her fall schedule is cleared, she plans on using that free time to extend her training, knowing that, through all the shifting schedules and ongoing uncer- tainties, all she wants to give this season is her best. “I really want to grow our chemistry as a team on and off the court,” she said. “It may be hard with social distancing restrictions and COVID, but it’ll make our on-court success easier and more rewarding. In volleyball, my goal is to prog- ress even more than we did last year. I truly believe we have the potential to become a great team. With work and team effort, I think we have a good shot at competing at districts.” Farrow’s athletic journey began with AAU basketball when she was in elementary school before she shifted her focus to strictly softball in eighth grade. She took up volley- ball in her early years as well, joining the Pendleton Youth Volleyball program before playing for the Bucks as a freshman, and joining the Golden Eagles her junior year. After graduation, Farrow plans to attend the Oregon Institute of Technology in Kalamath Falls, where she hopes to obtain her Emergency Medical Technician certifica- tion and become a paramedic. But for now, Farrow’s attention is on her upcoming senior season. “Finishing last volleyball season, I was super proud of the team and our program’s overall growth,” she said. “Our team’s hard work throughout the season definitely showed in the end. I was only able to play volleyball and basketball (last year) due to COVID-19 and the shutdowns.” Nixyaawii’s Tyasin Burns is burning up the court By BRETT KANE For the East Oregonian M ISSION — Tyasin Burns is a natural athlete. He has a 1A state title under his belt with the Nixyaawii boys’ basket- ball team. He has been to state twice with the Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii football team. This season, he’ll be joining the Pendleton Bucks as the Golden Eagles shift their co-op to Pendleton — it just won’t be until the spring. “It’s a lot different,” said Burns, 17, of the upcoming co-op. “The whole game’s different.” Burns briefly spent his early summer break practicing with his new team, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put the season on hold until February 15, 2021, when prac- tices are set to start again, according to the Oregon School Activities Association. “It is what it is,” Burns said. “I’d rather have a safe season. I’d rather wait the extra few months than rush it.” Burns is fast, but knows when to be patient. And after a little patience from the rest of the Pendleton football team, the Bucks will be getting quite the runner this spring. On Oct. 18 of last year, Burns ran for 441 yards alone against Dufur, a record that currently sits at No. 14 on the OSAA’s all-time state list for yards in a single game of 8-man football. His speed is what he’s known for, no matter the sport he’s playing. “He’s fast, and he’s strong,” said Shane Rivera, Burns’ head basketball coach for the last three seasons. “Tyasin is an all-around athlete. He always was, and became an even greater all-around basketball player. He’s a facili- tator. He sees the court really well. He gets everyone involved.” With Burns on the roster, the Golden Eagles took home a state title in 2018 after taking down Trinity Lutheran 59-42 at the 24 • S E P T. 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 • E O M E D I A G R O U P Baker City-hosted championship. They went for a repeat last year, but fell just short, tak- ing home a third-place trophy after an intense 55-54 win over Crosshill Christian. “He’s never lacked confidence, but his confidence definitely showed last sea- son,” Rivera said. “Without Tya- sin, we’re still a good team, but in certain situations, he’s key. He’s not the tallest kid, but with his strength and athleti- cism, he can get to the rim as good as anybody.” Burns’ athleticism comes from his family history and a life- time of practice. He started playing football in third grade, after some moti- vation from his Uncle Milo. “He’s been pushing me my whole life,” Burns said. “He pushes me to be the best I can be.” Burns first joined the Pilot Rock var- sity squad as a freshman, where he served as a running back and linebacker for three seasons. “It was great,” Burns said of his time on the Rockets football team. “It was so differ- ent going from eighth grade football to Pilot Rock’s 8-man football. But it was fun. It was a great experience. We had a lot of great play- ers on the team. We won the league — that was a good way to go out.” Burns’ older sister Mary Stewart is also a former Golden Eagle basketball star, and his younger brother Dylan Abrahamson is an incoming sophomore on the boys’ varsity ros- ter. His grandfather Gary Abrahamson was also a high school football star. During his senior year with the Chemawa Indian School in Salem, he ran for 516 yards and threw for another 148. Although Burns will have a relaxed fall season this year — perhaps more relaxed than he’s used to — his schedule will fill up con- siderably in the winter, as football practice is set to begin on Feb. 15, while the state bas- ketball playoffs don’t wrap up until March 6 at the latest.
