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EOU issues mask requirement for sporting events
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Eastern
Oregon University athletics is
facing another hurdle related to
COVID-19.
The athletics department
announced its spectator policy
Thursday, Aug. 26, requiring
masks for fans in attendance at all
indoor and outdoor competitions.
The decision is eff ective immedi-
ately and comes right at the start
of the 2021 athletics season.
T he Cascade Collegiate
Conference Council of Presi-
dents met Aug. 26 to discuss
mask policies for outdoor sport-
ing events, which Eastern put
into effect on its campus. The
decision comes in the wake
of Gov. Kate Brown’s outdoor
mask mandate announced Aug.
25. Union County’s COVID-19
total during the month of August
has eclipsed 500, making it the
highest of any month since the
start of the pandemic.
Eastern’s fall sports are just
starting up, with soccer, foot-
ball and volleyball beginning
regular season competition this
month. With home football games
around the corner, the Mountain-
eers are slated to host fi ve games
at Community Stadium. The
stadium also hosts men’s and
women’s soccer and can hold up
to 3,000 fans.
According to Sports Informa-
tion Director William McLaugh-
lin, Eastern currently has no plans
for enforcing capacity limits at
sporting events. The university’s
spectator policy encourages fans
to maintain social distancing stan-
dards when attending a sporting
event.
The Cascade Collegiate
Conference states failure to
comply with attendance policy
will result in removal from the
venue and any further contests.
Eastern Oregon University/Contributed Photo
Fans pack the stands at Community Stadium at Eastern Oregon University, La
Grande, in this undated photo. On Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, Eastern announced
a mask requirement for fans attending sporting events.
A FRIENDLY DAY
OF FOOTBALL
Bucks, Bulldogs
put past rivalry
aside in jamboree
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — It’s been
nearly four years since Hermiston
and Pendleton played each other on
the football fi eld. The once-bitter
rivalry is a thing of the past.
On Friday, Aug. 27, the teams
were on the fi eld for a jamboree.
None of the current players were in
high school when they last played
Oct. 27, 2017, making the jamboree
a friendly get-together.
For both teams, it was a chance
to run some plays and get a sense
of where they are at before playing
their opening games Sept. 3.
“It was 100 percent worth-
while,” said Pendleton coach Erik
Davis, whose team was supposed
to be at a jamboree in Redmond.
“It was put together with me and
David (Faaeteete) this past week
with what we wanted to see. We
came out of it with some good
fi lm.”
Faaeteete said it was a good
event to gauge where his team is
at as a group.
“We weren’t very physical,” he
said. “It was a wake-up call. That’s
part of being young and learning to
play within the system. If we stay
with our number one group, we
would do better, but we have to see
how the younger players handle it.”
The day started with one-on-
one lineman drills, and some
7-on-7 play for the skill position
players.
The teams wrapped things up
with 18 off ensive and 18 defensive
plays per team. They were broken
up into sections of eight, six and
four plays.
“We wouldn’t have been able
to do those other drills if there had
been more than two teams,” Davis
said. “This early in the season, and
not being on a bus to Bend was
good. David was great to come
over here.”
During the scrimmage portion
of the event, the Bucks scored three
times, while the Bulldogs scored
twice. Quarterbacks were limited
ON THE SLATE
Tuesday, Aug. 31
Prep volleyball
Enterprise at Griswold, TBD
Irrigon at Griswold, TBD
Weston-McEwen at Griswold,
TBD
Pilot Rock at Nixyaawii, 6 p.m.
Stanfi eld vs. Riverside at Echo,
4:30 p.m.
Riverside at Echo, 6 p.m.
La Grande at Umatilla, 5:30 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Pendleton at Baker, 4 p.m.
Umatilla at McLoughlin, 4 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Umatilla at McLoughlin, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 1
No events scheduled
Thursday, Sept. 2
Football
Irrigon at Baker JV, 7 p.m.
Cove at Pilot Rock, 7 p.m.
Prep volleyball
South Wasco County, Irrigon at
Heppner, 4 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Imbler, 6 p.m.
Stanfi eld at Griswold, 4 p.m.
Umatilla at Griswold, TBD
Umatilla vs. Stanfi eld at Gris-
wold, 5:30 p.m.
Lyle/Wishram at Ione/Arlington,
5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Ontario at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
McLoughlin at Riverside, 4 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Pendleton at Ontario, 3 p.m.
McLoughlin at Riverside, 6 p.m.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Pendleton’s Kyle Liscom (21) carries the ball during a scrimmage Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, against the Hermiston
Bulldogs at Pendleton High School. The Buckaroos and Bulldogs have not played each other on a football fi eld
in almost four years.
on their carries out of the back-
fi eld, which did not play well with
Hermiston’s off ense and quarter-
back Chase Elliott.
Defenses also were limited
when it came to pressuring the
quarterback. Hermiston’s Sam
Cadenas had to be reined in a
couple of times when he got
through Pendleton’s off ensive line
and into the backfi eld.
The Bucks scored fi rst on a pass
play from Collin Primus to Payton
Lambert. Their second score came
on a 3-yard pass from Primus to
Kyle Liscom, and Ben Jennings
scored the third on a 6-yard pass
from Jack Lieuallen.
Hermiston’s first touchdown
came on its second series as Elliott
broke free for a 20-yard touchdown
run. The next came on the Bull-
dogs’ third series of plays as Elliott
connected with Vinny Trevino on
a 10-yard pass play on the left side
of the end zone.
“I’m very happy with what I saw
on both sides of the fi eld,” Davis
said. “The two quarterbacks are new
to the position, and our tailbacks
were explosive. Our off ensive line
was untested. Without going to a
camp, live reps are hard to come by.
The refs said they were impressed
with how game-ready we were. It
was pretty clean for a jamboree.”
Both teams are already looking
forward to getting together next
year.
“We’d love to host next year,”
Faaeteete said. “Maybe have some
barbecue afterward.”
Friday, Sept. 3
Football
Pendleton at Southridge, 7 p.m.
Kamiakin at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Heppner at Toledo, 7 p.m.
McLoughlin at College Place,
7 p.m.
Ione/Arlington at Perrydale,
TBD
Cove at Pilot Rock, 7 p.m.
Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat at River-
side, 7 p.m.
Colton at Stanfi eld, 5 p.m.
Echo at Joseph, 7 p.m.
Culver at Weston-McEwen,
7 p.m.
Prep volleyball
Delphian at Weston-McEwen,
5 p.m.
Echo at Joseph, 5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Trout Lake at Stanfi eld/Echo,
4 p.m.
Cross-country
Pendleton, Hermiston at
Hanford jamboree, 5 p.m.
SPORTS SHORT
Ducks name Brown Jr. as starting quarterback
By JAMES CREPEA
The Oregonian
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian, File
Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown (13) reads
the defense during the spring game in Eugene
in May. Brown was offi cially named the Ducks’
starting QB on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.
EUGENE — Over 500
days since committing to end
his college career at Oregon,
Anthony Brown Jr. is offi cially
the Ducks’ starting quarterback.
The long-expected decision
was announced Friday, Aug. 27,
eight days before No. 11 Oregon
opens the season against Fresno
State on Sept. 4.
“The way he handles and
has control and command of the
off ense, his presence amongst
the players at the line of scrim-
mage, his ability to improvise,
sometimes negotiate throws in
tough situations, his ability to
run the ball as well,” Oregon
coach Mario Cristobal said
of the ways Brown separated
himself from the team’s trio of
freshmen quarterbacks. “He’s
been really accurate and his
explosive play ratio has been
really high.”
As Oregon’s only quarter-
back with any college game
experience, Brown worked
exclusively with the fi rst-team
off ense throughout the off sea-
son. He went 17 of 26 for 208
yards and a touchdown during
Oregon’s spring game and was
8 of 14 for over 70 yards passing
and had six carries for approx-
imately 20 yards during the
fi rst fall scrimmage earlier this
month.
As one of UO’s super seniors,
Brown took on a mentor role to
the team’s three freshmen quar-
terbacks, Jay Butterfield, Ty
Thompson and Robby Ashford,
and has worked extensively
with the team’s wide receivers
throughout the off season.
“He’s become more of a
leader,” receiver Mycah Pittman
said. “That man is a gunslinger.
When I tell you that guy has
one of the strongest arms — it
reminds me of Justin (Herbert)
a lot.”