SPORTS Thursday, October 7, 2021 Mustangs: Continued from Page A8 Also Oct. 7, Dufur is at Pilot Rock. The Rangers (3-2), coming off a 42-16 loss to Crane, go up against the Rockets (2-2), who have lost two in a row after losing a handful of players to injuries and suspensions. SOUTH WASCO COUNTY AT ECHO — On Friday, Oct. 8, the 3-2 Cougars entertain the Huskies (2-3), who are coming off a 45-0 win over Dayville/Monument. Echo, which suffered a 56-25 loss to Mitchell/Spray last week after winning three in a row, is the second-highest scoring team in Special District 4, averaging 36.6 points per game. Also Oct. 8, Sherman is at Ione/ Arlington, McLoughlin is at Ontario, and Weston-McEwen is at Irrigon. Dawgs: Continued from Page A8 “They are a much improved team,” Faaeteete said. “Those kids are improving, and they have more speed than they have had in the past. The coaching staff has the team moving in the right direction. They have more speed than we do. We have to contain that speed. They are more physical than they have been in the past. They are a young team like we are, which is comparable.” The Suns have gotten good production from running back Jimmy Rush (416 yards) and receiver Lucien Cone (382 yards), while Brian Beardsley (27.5 tackles) and Bricen Ostergaard (26.5 tackles) lead the defense. Southridge also has a potent kick- ing game with senior Lance Spaniel, who averages 44.5 yards per punt, with 71% downed inside the 20-yard line. No one has returned a punt this season against the Suns. “Their cover team is really good,” Faaeteete said. “No team has really been able to return on them. They use their speed to get down the fi eld.” East Oregonian Mountaineers set for make-or-break home game against Rocky Mountain By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — It’s home- coming week at Eastern Oregon University, but the football team is all business heading into a criti- cal matchup with Rocky Mountain College. Coming off two straight losses, the Mountaineers host a Rocky Mountain team that is at the top of the Frontier Conference with a 4-1 record. Eastern’s season is up in the air after a 3-0 start to the year, making this matchup a must-win for the Mountaineers. “We’ve dropped two games in a row, but at the same time it doesn’t stop the direction we want to go,” head coach Tim Camp said. The Mountaineers come into the contest off two straight rivalry losses, losing 24-7 against the College of Idaho on Sept. 25 and 24-3 at Southern Oregon on Oct. 2. Eastern’s off ense has stalled after a strong start to the season, scor- ing just 20 points in the team’s last three contests. The Battlin’ Bears come into the game ranked No. 23 in the NAIA, practically switching spots with the Mountaineers. Eastern has climbed to as high as No. 11 Bucks: Continued from Page A8 The Bucks, who lead the North- west Oregon Conference East with a 4-0 record, are 5-1 overall. They are coming off a 70-6 conference win over The Dalles. Pendleton will once again be without tailback Payton Lambert, who still is nursing an ankle injury. In his place, junior Brock Mackey scored four touchdowns last week. “We will go down there and see what we can do against a 6A Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File Eastern Oregon University quar- terback Kai Quinn hands off to Jor- dan Eggers during a game Sept. 25, 2021, against the College of Idaho. EOU lost 24-7. A 24-3 loss to Southern Oregon a week later has the Mountaineers at 3-2 headed into a home game Saturday, Oct. 9 against Rocky Mountain. in the polls this season, but fi nds itself on the outside looking in this week. “Rocky Mountain is a good football team. They have good skill players and good players in the box,” Camp said. “We just have to execute. It’s really been us beating us lately.” A much-improved Eastern defense is allowing 21.4 points per game this year, but the off ense’s recent stagnancy has been the PIL team,” Davis said. “We are starting to click off ensively and defensively. I tried to not be too outrageous with our play calling. We have a pretty good game plan without a lot of bells and whistles. It allows our kids to go full speed if you don’t quite know what you are doing. Defi nitely some diff erent looks, but we’ll keep to the same concept.” McDaniel High School was Madison High School The Northeast Portland school, once named after the fourth pres- team’s Achilles’ heel. The Moun- taineers are averaging 16.2 points per game this season, which ranks 81st in the NAIA. Rocky Mountain’s average of 35.7 points per game is tops in the Frontier Conference and 27th in the NAIA. The Mountaineers will either need to match the off ensive production of the Battlin’ Bears or hope that the defense can limit the opposing team’s points. In Eastern’s most recent loss to Southern Oregon, the Moun- taineers gained just 51 total rushing yards in what was quar- terback Kai Quinn’s second straight game with 35 or more passing attempts. Quinn led the team with 23 net rushing yards and threw for 233 yards and two interceptions. “The run game has been hit or miss, but more miss lately,” Camp said. “There’s plays out there to be made, we just have to make them.” In two straight rivalry games, a higher-ranked Eastern team found itself outplayed in diffi cult losses. Now playing the role of the under- dog, the Mountaineers will look to play a more balanced game on homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Community Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 9. ident of the United States James Madison, is now Leodis V. McDaniel High. The Portland Public Schools Board of Directors unanimously approved Resolution No. 6251 to change the school name on Feb. 23, 2021. McDaniel oversaw the North- east Portland high school’s deseg- regation during his tenure as its principal in the 1970s and ’80s. He died in 1987. A $10,000 schol- arship in his name has long been awarded each year to an outgoing senior. A9 ON THE SLATE Thursday, Oct. 7 Prep football Pendleton at McDaniel, 7 p.m. Riverside at Heppner, 7 p.m. Dufur at Pilot Rock, 7 p.m. Prep volleyball Heppner at Grant Union, 5 p.m. Redmond at Pendleton, 6:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Pilot Rock, 6 p.m. Stanfi eld at Union, 5 p.m. Nixyaawii at Riverside, 6 p.m. Umatilla at Irrigon, 5 p.m. Cove at Griswold, 5 p.m. Bickleton at Ione/Arlington, 5 p.m. Prep girls soccer Kennewick at Hermiston, 7 p.m. Ridgeview at Pendleton, 4:30 p.m. Riverside at Stanfi eld/Echo, 4 p.m. Irrigon at Umatilla, 3 p.m. Prep boys soccer Pendleton at Ridgeview, 4:30 p.m. Irrigon at Umatilla, 5 p.m. Prep slowpitch softball Hermiston at Walla Walla (2), 4 p.m. Prep cross-country Pendleton, Griswold, Nixyaawii, Pilot Rock, Riverside, Stanfi eld/Echo, Umatilla at Mustang Invite, Heppner, 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 Prep football Southridge at Hermiston, 7 p.m. McLoughlin at Ontario, 6 p.m. Sherman at Ione/Arlington, 7 p.m. Dufur at Pilot Rock, 7 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Irrigon, 7 p.m. South Wasco County at Echo, 7 p.m. Prep volleyball Echo at Condon, 5 p.m. Prep girls soccer Pendleton at Hood River Valley, 4:30 p.m. College volleyball Blue Mountain at Spokane, 6 p.m. Eastern Oregon at Corban, 7 p.m. Prep cross-country McLoughlin at Tiger Invite, La Grande, 11 a.m. College men’s soccer Eastern Oregon at Rocky Moun- tain College, noon College women’s soccer Eastern Oregon at Rocky Moun- tain College, 2:30 p.m.