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A9
Ione/Arlington
takes on 1A
power Dufur
Cardinals have to limit
mistakes and not give up
big plays to the Rangers
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
IONE — The way Dennis Stefani
sees it, his Ione/Arlington football
team is going to have to do three
things well against Dufur: play disci-
plined defense, hang onto the ball and
use the clock wisely on their off ensive
drives.
“If we can move the ball, keep
it on the ground and keep it out
of their hands, that will be huge,”
Stefani said. “Our strengths are
running, but we are going to have
to set that up with different things
along the way to open up the game
a little.”
The Rangers, who lead the Special
District 2-West with a 4-0 record, will
have their hands full Friday, Oct. 15,
with the Cardinals and their power
back Taylor Rollins.
At 6-foot-2, 265 pounds, Rollins
runs hard and is even harder to bring
down. On defense, he will live in your
backfi eld if given the chance.
Pendleton’s Chas Corbett carries the ball for the Bucks on Sept. 30, 2021, during a 70-6 win over The Dalles Riverhawks in the Pendleton Round-Up
Arena. The Bucks on Friday, Oct. 15, face their biggest game of the season yet on their home turf when they play Redmond.
Pendleton will be tested by Redmond
Lambert returns to
Bucks’ lineup after
missing two games
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — There’s noth-
ing like a Friday night football
game at the Pendleton Round-Up
Grounds.
Pendleton returns to Special
District 1 play Friday, Oct. 15,
when Redmond comes to town.
“This is the biggest game on our
calendar to this point,” Pendleton
coach Erik Davis said. “This game
puts a stamp on where we can go
the rest of the season. I think the
kids understand how big this game
is. I think this group will thrive
in this environment. There is no
quit.”
The Bucks, who lead the league
with a 4-0 record (6-1 overall), are
one game up on Redmond, Hood
River Valley and Ridgeview,
making the matchup that much
more important.
“It’s a really big game for us this
week,” Davis said. “It has a lot of
implications for sure. They only
have one loss, which keeps them
in the title hunt. We have a goal of
winning a league title. It should be
a good football game.”
In last year’s makeshift season,
the Panthers shut out the Bucks
28-0. Davis said he doesn’t think
there will be a repeat of that.
“I know this has been circled
on the calendar of a few kids who
played last year,” Davis said. “I
think our kids realize what’s in front
of them. They run a high-tempo,
no-huddle off ense. We have talked
about the opportunity to go and win
a big conference game at home.”
See Bucks, Page A10
Dawgs to lock horns with Lions in MCC battle
Hermiston still looking
for fi rst win of the season
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Things have not
gone as smoothly as Hermiston football
coach David Faaeteete would like them
to this season, but his team rallies each
week and takes the fi eld.
The Bulldogs are back in action
Thursday, Oct. 14, against the Kenne-
wick Lions in Mid-Columbia Confer-
ence action at Lampson Stadium.
“We hope the moment is not too
big for our kids and we go out and give
Kennewick a fi ght,” Faaeteete said. “I
love playing the underdog role. Not
many teams in the MCC give us a chance
of winning. If we dot our i’s and cross
our t’s, anything can happen. We have to
take advantage of the moment. We just
have to get a good break and execute the
game plan.”
Hermiston (0-6 overall, 0-5 MCC)
lost the lead in the fourth quarter in a
27-14 loss to Southridge last week, while
Kennewick (5-1, 4-1) is coming off a
34-20 loss to Kamiakin.
See Dawgs, Page A10
See Football, Page A10
SPORTS BRIEFS
Riverside’s volleyball
season ends abruptly with
COVID-19 quarantine
BOARDMAN — The Riverside
volleyball team has forfeited the last
four games of its season because of a
positive COVID-19 case on the team.
“We had a girl who tested posi-
tive, so all of our girls are in quar-
antine,” Riverside Athletic Director
Clair Costello said. “For the seniors
it’s really bad. We still have soccer
and football that are going.”
The Pirates, who fi nish the season
2-8 in the Eastern Oregon League and
4-15 overall, will forfeit their EOL
game Friday, Oct. 15, against Vale,
and league games to Burns and Nyssa
on Oct. 16. All were home games.
The Pirates’ nonleague game
against River View, Washington, on
Oct. 12, also was canceled.
Rockets ready to return
to home gym Thursday
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Hermiston’s Marcus Winebarger intercepts a pass intended for Southridge’s Lucien Cone during a 27-14
loss Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, to the Southridge Suns in Hermiston. The Bulldogs on Oct. 14 head off to face
the Kennewick Lions at Lampson Stadium.
PILOT ROCK — The Pilot Rock
volleyball team is fi nally back in its
own gym.
The school received a seismic
grant from the state of Oregon for
$2,472,000 in spring 2019 to rein-
force the gym’s exterior walls.
That work is now done, minus a
little painting, and the Rockets will
host their fi rst match Thursday, Oct.
14, against Heppner.
The gym has been closed for
months, forcing the Rockets to prac-
tice at the middle school gym, which
also doubles as the cafeteria.
The Rockets, who are 0-7 in Blue
Mountain Conference play, and 1-13
overall, also will host Union on Oct.
19 to fi nish the regular season.
Spectators are welcome to both
matches. Masks must be worn.
—EO Media Group
SPORTS SHORT
Oregon Ducks off ensive coordinator uncertain for game against Cal
The Oregonian
EUGENE — Oregon off ensive
coordinator Joe Moorhead could be
back for Friday’s game against Cal.
Moorhead, 47, had surgery eight
days ago in the Bay Area before
Oregon’s loss at Stanford for an
unspecifi ed illness and later returned
to Eugene.
“He’s trying to (return this
week),” Oregon coach Mario Cris-
tobal said. “I know he’s healing
up. Certainly first and foremost
we want him to get healthy and to
be well. He is progressing. He’s
certainly involved with what we
have planned. Just like last week,
the game plan doesn’t change. We
have an off ense; we’re not going to
scrap it in the middle of the year.
But he is healing up day by day.
We’ll see where we’re at mid-week
but he certainly is involved in the
game planning part of it and we’ll
see where we are later in the week.”
Off ensive analyst Nate Costa has
temporarily taken on some of Moor-
head’s coaching responsibilities in
the quarterback meeting room and
at practice.
The Golden Bears have had a
rough season, beginning with back-
to-back close losses to Nevada and at
TCU. Then came the 42-30 win over
Sacramento State. But a 31-24 over-
time loss at Washington dropped Cal
to 1-3, and the subsequent 21-6 loss to
Washington State was both UC’s best
defensive performance on a per play
basis and its worst off ensive show-
ing yet.
The No. 9 Oregon Ducks (4-1, 1-1)
are coming off their fi rst conference
loss of the season, falling to Stanford in
overtime, 31-24. Running backs coach
Jim Mastro called the plays during the
loss. If Moorhead doesn’t return Oct.
15, Mastro will continue to call UO’s
off ense and a diff erent staff member
will oversee the running back rotation.
Oregon off ensive
coordinator Joe
Moorhead watches
as the Ducks face the
Arizona Wildcats in
a college football
game Sept. 25, 2021,
at Autzen Stadium,
Eugene. Moorhead
has been out after
surgery and could
return to the Duck’s
sideline for their
contest Friday, Oct. 15,
against the California
Golden Bears.
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian