A11
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Offi cials:
Continued from Page A10
makes it diffi cult for schools
to fi nd individuals to referee
the games.
“The biggest issue is
liability because if you have
an injury there are a lot of
things that could come into
play on the legal side,” he
said. “(Certified officials)
have training in case of
injury, and we know what
OSAA policy is.”
Other associations across
the state are facing similar
situations and can rarely
send their offi cials to other
areas to cover another asso-
ciations’ games.
Disturbing trend
Referee shortage is not
just an Oregon issue but a
nationwide problem driven
by several factors, Gillette
noted. It is a decline 30 to
40 years in the making with
older offi cials getting out for
a variety of reasons and no
one there to take their place.
“Young people watch
games growing up and see
people in the stands going
crazy, and really question
whether they want to go out
and subjugate themselves to
being treated that way,” he
said.
Gillette has been commis-
sioner for 24 years, but has
been an offi cial for 52 years
at the high school level. He
began as a 19-year-old and
has continued on. Today’s
athletes graduate and have
many other avenues to make
money or spend their time.
“Trying to get people
involved is very diffi cult,”
he said.
The lack of offi cials can
also have an impact on the
court with more games offi -
ciated by two-man crews
rather than the preferred
three.
“Over half our games in
the spring had just two-man
crews,” Gillette said. “That
is why peoples’ bodies
started breaking down when
they are working four and
fi ve nights a week. It doesn’t
mean in three-man that you
don’t run, but it is shorter
distances and your vision
and focus is greater.”
Getting involved
Becoming a certified
offi cial begins with a simple
click of a mouse on the
“Become an offi cial” button
on the OSAA website. After
choosing a sport, they fi ll out
an online information sheet
and the OSAA will reach
out to the proper association
based on where the individ-
ual lives.
For basketball, registra-
tion and a fee is required as
well as a background check.
Individuals watch a video
on warning signs when an
athlete may have suff ered a
concussion, and there are six
required meetings or at least
10 hours of instruction.
“People also have to take
a state certification test
that is 50 questions,” said
Gillette, who said people get
three tries at the test.
To offi ciate at the junior
varsity or lower level, people
only need to take the test. A
varsity-level official must
score 75 or better. To qual-
ify for postseason assign-
ments, offi cials must have
three years of experience
and score 90 or above.
The latest requirement
is to supply a COVID-19
vaccination card or apply
for a medical or religious
exemption.
ON THE SLATE
Caldwell, Idaho, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOV. 23
Prep girls bowling
Hermiston at Kennewick, 2:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 26
College men’s basketball
Eastern Oregon at William Jessup, 3 p.m.
College men’s basketball
Eastern Oregon at College of Idaho,
Caldwell, Idaho, 6:30 p.m.
College women’s basketball
Eastern Oregon vs. the College of Idaho,
College women’s basketball
Eastern Oregon vs. Simpson, Best West-
ern Caldwell Inn and Suites Classic, Cald-
well, Idaho, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Heppner:
Continued from Page A10
Coquille, which had
success moving the ball, but
not scoring, fi nally put the
two together on its ensuing
drive.
The Mustangs had the
Red Devils facing fourth-
and-1 from the Heppner
41-yard line. That’s when
Gunner Yates broke free for a
34-yard run to put the ball at
the Heppner 7. Yates would
score on the next play.
The Red Devils also opted
to go for the 2-point conver-
sion, and were successful as
Brock Willis ran the ball in
for an 8-6 lead with 2:23 to
play.
With one last drive to
score, the Mustangs strug-
gled to move the ball. They
looked to have a fi rst down
after an 13-yard pass from
Mitchell to Cimmiyotti, but
the play was nullifi ed by a
false start penalty. Two more
incomplete passes turned the
ball over to the Red Devils
with 1:16 to play
“To their credit, they
executed and we couldn’t
stop them,” Grant said. “It
was a tough, tough way to
go out.”
Heppner’s defense has
been its strength this season,
allowing an average of six
points a game. The Mustangs
still held strong Nov. 20,
despite Coquille’s Yates and
Soccer:
Continued from Page A10
said Pendleton coach Kiana
Rickman. “Her work ethic is
admirable, she gives 100%
every day, is super dedicated
to improving her skills, and
was a great teammate, which
was our goal for every player
this year. It’s a well-deserved
honor and I’m so proud of
her.”
Rickman earned Coach of
the Year honors.
Pendleton posted its fi rst
10-win season in school
Damon Brosnan/Contributed Photo
Heppner running back Brock Hisler (32) fi ghts off Coquille linebacker Bo Messerle (34). The
Heppner Mustangs fell 8-6 to the Coquille Red Devils Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, during the
semifi nal round of the Oregon School Activities Association Class 2A state football tour-
nament at McMinnville High School.
Willis, combining for 238
yards.
The Red Devils moved
the ball slowly and method-
ically on their first drive,
eating up nearly 10 minutes.
The drive moved into the
second quarter, where on
fourth-and-14 Cimmiyotti
intercepted Coquille quar-
terback Bryce Poston in the
end zone.
Heppner lost Jace Coe on
the next series. The talented
senior, who does a little bit of
everything for the Mustangs,
injured his knee when he
was tackled after a 16-yard
run. He did not play the rest
of the game.
“We lost Jace early and
it was tough without him,”
Grant said.
Heppner forced Coquille
to turn the ball over on
downs on its next possession,
and again on its fi rst drive of
the third quarter. The Red
Devils punted to open the
fourth quarter.
“We got behind the chains
in the fi rst half and played a
lot of defense,” Grant said.
“They had some drives that
ate up some time, but we
stopped them. In the second
half, I thought we could open
things up. I could have done
some things diff erently.”
Caden George led the
Mustangs with 54 yards
rushing on nine carries,
while Hisler had 39 yards on
12 carries. The Red Devils
held Heppner to just 141
yards of off ense and seven
fi rst downs.
“I thought they defended
us OK,” Grant said. “In the
first half, we made some
mistakes and I made some
wrong calls. It threw us off a
little bit not having Jace out
there.”
Defensively, Bla ne
Mahoney led the Mustangs
with 16 tackles, while
Cimmiyotti added 13, Conor
Brosnan 11, Toby Nation 11
and Hisler nine.
history, finishing with an
11-4-1 overall record, and
7-2-1 in IMC play. The
Bucks won their fi rst-ever
state playoff game on Nov. 2,
beating Thurston 2-1. They
then lost to La Salle in the
quarterfi nals.
Lovercheck had team-
high 12 goals in conference
play, along with three assists.
Also earning fi rst-team
honors was senior Kelsey
Lovercheck, who had seven
conference goals and four
assists. She also had one play-
off goal.
The Bucks dominated
the second team with five
players — junior Hadley
Brown, sophomore Hailey
Schmidt, sophomore Made-
line Schumacher, sophomore
Alison Spratling, and soph-
omore goalkeeper Miranda
Medrano.
Brown had one goal and
two assists in IMC play, and
played a key position to help
run the off ense.
“Madeline was a strong
center back, core of the
defense and not afraid to
challenge the ball,” Rickman
said. “Hailey was a strong
center back and commanded
the back line. Alison was
an explosive right back
and great at stopping major
threats.”
Medrano had 38 league
saves and two shutouts.
“She is a vocal leader on
the soccer fi eld, showed great
growth this year, and has
unmatched mental tough-
ness,” Rickman said.”
Named to the honorable
mention team were senior
Brielle Youncs and sopho-
more Ashtyn Larsen.
Larsen had two goals
and fi ve assists, and created
countless opportunities
off the wing. Youncs, who
played left back, stopped two
corner kick goals this season.
EASTERN OREGON
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EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN
481 Freebies
River rock: FREE, you haul. 541-
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For 100 years, Wilbur-Ellis
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Call for your classified ad today! 800-962-2819
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dream home
Check out our
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Advertise it here
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Current MLS listings include
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Looking for a new place to
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apartments, and mobile
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Check daily for new listings!
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