E AST O REGONIAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2021
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A9
Ione/Arlington to battle St. Paul in fi rst round of 1A playoff s
It’s the Cardinals’ fi rst
trip to state since 2009
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
IONE — The Ione/Arlington
Cardinals are headed to the 1A
state football playoff s for the fi rst
time since 2009, when the team was
solely from Ione.
The Cardinals will take on St.
Paul, which is a regular visitor
to the playoff scene, making 36
appearances with six state titles.
The Buckaroos played in, and lost,
the title games in 2018 and 2019.
Ione/Arlington coach Dennis
Stefani said his team has noth-
ing to lose when the teams meet
Friday, Nov. 5, at the St. Paul Rodeo
Grounds.
“I told them we are going there
to win a football,” Stefani said.
“That is our objective. If we play
hard and get beat by a better team,
we can get on the bus with our
heads held high. I think they know
there have been times when they
haven’t shown up. They are excited
to be in the playoff s.”
The Cardinals are the No. 3 team
from Special District 2-West. They
fi nished the regular season with a
4-2 league record and are 5-4 over-
all.
St. Paul won the Special
District 1 title with a 4-0 record
and are 8-1 overall. The Buck-
aroos scored a whopping 509
points this season.
“I would say they are the third-
best team in the state,” Stefani
said. “In my opinion, they are not
as athletic as Powder Valley or
Adrian.”
With that said, the Buckaroos
still bring the talent to the fi eld.
“We watched a bunch of film
on them,” Stefani said. “They
play a 3-3 defense and they are
very disciplined. They have a
good middle linebacker, and they
stay in containment the whole
time. Their offense and so many
of their sets are similar to ours,
which helps our practice. What
gets tough is when you haven’t
seen something all year, but they
are similar to us. They have a
quarterback (George Pohlschnei-
der) who is pretty quick and effi-
cient. He doesn’t fire it, but he
has good placement. They have
one receiver (Warren Rose) who
is pretty good.”
The Cardinals have leaned heav-
ily on senior Taylor Rollins this
season. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound
bruising running back and line-
backer has left a wake of destruc-
tion this season.
“Taylor has been the glue of our
team,” Stefani said. “He does what
he needs to do to help us win.”
Cedrick Dayandante is the
lightning to Rollins’ thunder out
of the backfi eld, while quarterback
Carson Eynetich has found success
with receiver Azriel Borghese and
6-9 tight end Bryce Rollins.
“When they are playing well, they
look good,” Stefani said. “When they
don’t, no one is dialed in.”
ON THE SLATE
Thursday, Nov. 4
Prep volleyball
District 8 playoff s: Hermiston
at Mt. Spokane, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 5
BUCKS READY FOR DRAGONS
Pendleton hosts Dallas in fi rst
round of 5A state playoff s
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pendleton football coach
Erik Davis had a hard decision to make at the start
of the season.
With quarterback Jackson Davis unable to play
because of a knee injury, Davis called upon the
team’s best receiver — Collin Primus — to take
over under center.
The move has been a good one as the Bucks
won the Special District 1 title with a 7-0 record
and are 9-1 overall heading into the fi rst round of
the 5A state playoff s Friday, Nov. 5, against the
Dallas Dragons.
“Being a quarterback is the hardest position,”
Davis said. “The ball goes through your hands
every play. You have to manage the game. Catch
the ball, make the right reads. He has done a great
job in that aspect. We built an off ense he can run
and feel comfortable with.”
Primus was a little hesitant at the beginning to
move from receiver to quarterback, but since has
embraced the role.
“I knew my better position was receiver, but I
wanted to do what was best for the team,” Primus
said. “I was excited and nervous. I like the mental
aspect of it. The wide receiver position is where
my heart’s at, but I am willing to do what it takes
to take my team into the playoff s.”
The Bucks have been run heavy at times this
season, which benefi tted Primus at the start of the
season until he got his feet wet.
“It was a tough transition,” he said. “I just
had to take extra time, extra practice. The more I
watched fi lm, I got a better understanding of what
was going on. I know what plays would work well
for what defenses they run, and how to pick out the
defense’s weak spots on the fi eld.”
And, he has leaned on his off ensive line for
support.
“We don’t have the biggest size on the line, but
they have a lot of heart and work their butts off
to help me out,” Primus said. “(Center) Andrew
Demianew does a great job. He runs our line very
well. He’s a good guy to have at center.”
Davis has enjoyed watching Primus succeed
in his new role.
“Going into the year, we had hopes to move
him out there (receiver) and use other kids at quar-
terback,” Davis said. “He got more comfortable,
and his demeanor is calming to other kids. As soon
as we felt he earned that sport, we ran with it. He
has turned into a pretty good high school quarter-
back. He is part of what got us here.”
The Bucks will need Primus to be at the top of
his game the night of Nov. 5 against the Dragons.
Pendleton is coming off a bye week, which
Davis said was much needed.
“We needed it to heal,” Davis said. “It couldn’t
have come at a better time. Kyle (Liscom) has had
a little bit of a back issue that has been bothering
him. It was good to let him heal a little bit. He is
the rock on the defense we need. Any extra time
and treatment he can get will increase his produc-
tivity.”
Dallas is the No. 4 team from Special District
3, fi nishing the regular season with a 5-4 overall
record.
“We’ve started the process, but haven’t
completely broken them down,” Davis said.
“They are a good team. They create some matchup
issues. They run a modifi ed Wing-T and they are
run heavy. They get off the ball really well. They
have to come here, which helps a little bit. Right
now, everyone is pretty good. We are going to have
to play a very good football game.”
The Bucks saw a version of the Wing-T against
Putnam, but it’s not something they see a lot of.
“With a run-heavy team, the clock seems to
disappear pretty quickly,” Davis said. “We’ve got
to score when we have the ball and force a couple
of turnovers to get our defense off the fi eld.”
Off ensively, the Bucks have Liscom, Payton
Lambert and Brock Mackey coming out of the
backfi eld, Ben Jennings and Luke Bensching
have been reliable receivers, and tight end Aiden
Gunter has been a useful weapon.
“Defensively, they bring a lot of pressure,”
Davis said. “We have to be solid in our blocking
schemes. Game by game, you see what’s working.
If the run game is working, that is an easy game to
call. If you are thrown into a must-throw situation,
your playbook shrinks. We adjust as a coaching
staff to allow them to do what they can do. We will
make sure our kids are prepared.”
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Pendleton quarterback Collin Primus (4) looks for a receiver Oct. 15, 2021, at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena as Redmond defender Braden Cruz (33)
rushes toward him. The Bucks play Dallas on Friday, Nov. 5, in the fi rst round of the 5A state football playoff s.
Prep football
5A state playoff s: Dallas at
Pendleton, 7 p.m.
1A state playoff s: Ione/
Arlington at St. Paul, 7 p.m.
MCC-GSL crossover game:
Ridgeline at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
College volleyball
Blue Mountain at Wenatchee
Valley, 6 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at North-
west, 7 p.m.
College cross-country
Eastern Oregon at Cascade
Collegiate Conference Champi-
onships, TBA
College men’s basketball
Eastern Oregon at Whitman,
7 p.m.
College women’s basket-
ball
Whitman at Eastern Oregon,
5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6
Prep football
2A state playoff s: Weston
McEwen at Toledo, 1 p.m.
2A state playoff s: Regis at
Heppner, 4 p.m.
Cross-country
3A/2A/1A State Champi-
onships, Lane Community
College, TBD
Pendleton at 5A State Cham-
pionships, Lane Community
College, TBD
Hermiston at 3A State Cham-
pionships, Pasco, 1 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
5A quarterfi nals: Pendleton
at La Salle, TBD
3A/2A/1A quarterfi nals:
Riverside at Oregon Episcopal,
TBD
College football
Eastern Oregon at College of
Idaho, noon
College volleyball
Eastern Oregon at Evergreen
State, 5 p.m.
College men’s wrestling
Southern Oregon at Eastern
Oregon, 6 p.m.
College women’s wres-
tling
Southern Oregon at Eastern
Oregon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 10
College volleyball
Spokane at Blue Mountain,
6 p.m.
SPORTS SHORT
Pendleton Round-Up is a Sowing Good Deeds fi nalist
East Oregonian
DULUTH, Ga. — The Pendle-
ton Round-Up is one of fi ve rodeo
committees selected by AGCO
Corporation, a global leader in the
design, manufacture and distri-
bution of agricultural machinery
and precision ag technology, as its
2021 Sowing Good Deeds fi nal-
ists.
Also selected were Gunnison
(Colorado) Cattlemen’s Days,
Burke (South Dakota) Stampede,
Prescott (Arizona) Frontier Days
and Reno Rodeo committees.
The annual contest recognizes
Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association rodeo committees
who go above and beyond in their
charitable endeavors, making
positive impacts in their local ag
communities.
This year’s fi nalists represent
the best of what the PRCA stands
for — community impact, innova-
tion, and their ability to overcome
adversity.
D u r i ng t he COV I D -19
pa ndem ic, t he Pend leton
Round-Up committee created
the Let’er Buck Cares program
to support and benefit various
community organizations that
rely on the Round-Up and Happy
Canyon events for revenue.
AGCO will announce the
winning committee at the 2021
PRCA Awards Banquet in Las
Vegas, at the South Point Hotel,
Dec. 1. The Wrangler National
Finals Rodeo presented by Teton
Ridge runs Dec. 2-11 in Vegas.
The overall winner receives a
Massey Ferguson tractor valued
at more than $60,000.
“Rodeos are an important part
of the fabric of America, support-
ing not only revenue-generating
Austin Johnson/For the East Oregonian, File
Members of the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon courts display their pink outfi ts for Tough Enough
to Wear Pink day Sept. 16, 2021, on the second day of the Pendleton Round-Up. The Round-Up is a fi nalist
for an award honoring professional rodeos for charitable eff orts.
competitions, but local ag orga-
nizations like FFA and 4-H that
represent the future of our indus-
try,” said Matt LeCroy, director,
marketing hay and forage for
Massey Ferguson North America,
in a press release. “Sowing Good
Deeds shines a spotlight on the
generosity and services provided
by rodeo committees across the
United States. AGCO is proud to
recognize these unsung heroes
who selfl essly give their time and
talents to make our ag communi-
ties stronger.”