E AST O REGONIAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021
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1A Eastern Oregon leagues
are due for an overhaul
ANNIE
FOWLER
COVID-19
testing
expanded
after new
outbreaks
Hermiston athletes,
coaches will be tested
three times a week
FOWLER’S FOCUS
H
ELIX — The Oregon
School Activities Associa-
tion recently announced the
reclassifi cation of schools for the
2022-26 school years.
While there was a lot of shuffl ing
of schools to diff erent levels, the
OSAA may have missed the boat
in restructuring the 1A leagues in
Eastern Oregon.
At present, and with the new
plan, Griswold and Nixyaawii are
in the Old Oregon League, and will
be joined by Pilot Rock.
All of the other teams in the
OOL are on the mountain, or
beyond in the case of Pine Eagle.
While travel in the spring isn’t too
bad, fall and winter travel along the
Interstate 84 mountain pass can be
treacherous.
Winter is just beginning, and the
freeway already has been closed a
few times — as recently as Monday,
Dec. 20 — because of crashes and
collisions on slick roads.
In the Big Sky League, Echo and
Ione are having to travel to the Hood
River area, and into Washington,
where Lyle, Wishram, Bickleton,
Klickitat and Glenwood recently
moved to the OSAA.
There could be a solution to all of
this — resurrecting the former Big
Sky Conference.
The schools on the mountain
— Powder Valley, Joseph, Cove,
Wallowa, Imbler, Elgin, Pine
Eagle and Union — would remain
in the Old Oregon League, and the
Hood River area (Dufur and South
Wasco County) and Washington
schools could break off into a new
league — the Columbia River
Gorge, perhaps.
What does it it take to create
a new league? OSAA Assistant
Activities Director Kyle Stanley
had the answer.
“Normally, someone would
come forward and ask for us to take
a look at it,” Stanley said. “I haven’t
heard too much, as to anyone
asking, so it stays the status quo. It
has nothing to do with cost. Each
person may have a diff erent answer
if asked about it. It would be up to
them coming to us.”
Of course, this plan would not
A11
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Griswold’s Mayabella Texidor drives toward the basket Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in Helix against Weston-McEwen
JV. While the Oregon School Activities Association announced the reclassifi cation of schools for the 2022-26
school years, there could be a better plan.
work for football, baseball or soft-
ball. Not all schools have these
teams, which is where the special
districts come into play.
The Old Oregon and Big Sky
leagues were formed eight years
ago. Tammie Parker, Griswold
athletic director and former volley-
ball coach, said at the time she liked
the new conferences because of the
stiff er competition.
“Right now, we are all OK, but
we are two big conferences,” Parker
said. “I think in the future there
could be some changes. Right now,
it has been such a confusing time
with COVID, we are all just trying
to get settled again.”
With Union and Pilot Rock join-
ing the OOL, scheduling could
become an issue.
“We have discussed that we are
two large groups, and may have
more schools coming in before the
next restructuring,” Parker said.
“The bigger you are as a league, the
harder it is to get games scheduled.
We are happy to have Pilot Rock and
Union in the Old Oregon League,
now we just have to fi gure out how
to get them into our schedule.”
The old Big Sky Conference
once consisted of Arlington,
Cascade Locks, Condon, Dufur,
Echo, Griswold, Ione, Umapine and
Wheeler.
Cascade Locks and Umapine no
longer have high schools. Arling-
ton co-opts with Ione, and Wheeler
co-opts with Spray and Mitchell.
Putting Dufur in the new league
could balance things out, but putting
it in the BSC would not be a bad
choice.
The former BSC used to have
good and long-standing rivalries
between the Griswold, Echo and
Condon girls basketball teams.
In the early 1980s, only one team
from the area advanced to state, and
it was a knockdown, drag out fi ght
every year for that one spot.
Boys basketball games were a
heavyweight fi ght every Friday and
Saturday night.
A Griswold-Ione boys matchup
always was a good one, and the
full gyms were evidence to that.
It may be time to bring a little bit
of the past to the present.
Not only will travel be safer for
teams and fans with zero trips over
the mountain pass in the winter,
but Helix, which is the northern-
most team, would have short trips
to Nixyaawii, Echo and Pilot Rock.
Ione is 82 miles away.
The longest trip is to Fossil
(Wheeler High School) at 148 miles,
and Sherman (Moro) is 133. Most
of those drives are on the freeway
until you have to take an exit to your
destination.
“I think you look at what’s best
for travel and safety of the kids,”
Ione/Arlington boys basketball
coach Dennis Stefani said. “You
want your league to be competi-
tive, but also user friendly. I think
there is a lot to having your league
stay together. There’s a tradition that
needs to be upheld. The more you
move teams around, the less there
is.”
———
Annie Fowler is the sports
reporter for the East Oregonian
and in her career has covered high
school sports, rodeo and Tri-City
Americans hockey.
Echo’s Curiel co-MVP of Special District 4
Echo receiver averaged
100 yards a game
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
ECHO — Echo senior
Javon Curiel, who played quar-
terback and wide receiver for
the Cougars, was named the
Special District 4 Co-Off en-
sive Player of the Year. He also
was a second-team defensive
J. Curiel
back.
Curiel was one of three
Cougars named to the first
team. He is joined by junior
defensive lineman Mason
Murdock, and sophomore
quarterback Dom Curiel.
Murdock
Javon Curiel averaged 100
receiving yards and one touch-
down a game. At quarterback,
he threw for an average of 45
yards a game.
Dom Curiel averaged 213
yards passing and two touch-
D. Curiel
downs a game, while Murdock
averaged seven tackles, two
quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery an
outing.
Echo also had a number of players named to
the second team and honorable mention team.
The Cougars fi nished the season with a 4-3
record, and outscored their opponents on aver-
age 33-26 per game.
Special District 4
Player of the Year — Nate
Clark, jr., Wheeler.
Co-off ensive Players of the
Year — Clint Rutherford, sr.,
Wheeler; Cole Teel, jr., Prairie
City; Javon Curiel, sr., Echo.
Co-defensive Players of
the Year — Eli Wright, jr., Prai-
rie City; Logan Sweeney, so.,
Wheeler.
Defense
First Team
Defensive line — Logan
Sweeney, so., Wheeler; Eli
Wright, jr., Prairie City; Mason
Murdock, jr., Echo. Linebacker
—Clint Rutherford, sr., Wheeler;
Wes Voigt, so., Prairie City.
Defensive back — Nate Clark,
jr., Wheeler. Return man — Nate
Clark, jr., Wheeler.
Second Team
Defensive line — Kale
Ferguson, jr., Joseph; Trey
Brown, so., Prairie City; Brock
Farley, sr., Pine Eagle, Harley
Miller, sr., Joseph. Linebacker
— Tucker Wright, so., Prairie
City; Jaxon Grover, so., Joseph.
Defensive back — Will Segger-
man, sr., Pine Eagle, Javon
Curiel, sr., Echo. Return man —
Doyal Lawrence, so., Prairie City.
Honorable Mention
Defensive line — Tom
Chase, sr., Wheeler; Storm
McCoy, fr., South Wasco County;
Zach Neuberger, so., Wheeler;
Jesse Larrison, so., Joseph; Dax
Davis, jr., Echo; Ethan Rostock,
so., Dayville/Monument. Line-
backer — Zach Ferguison, sr.,
Dayville/Monument; Timbre
Hill, sr., Pine Eagle; Tommy
Bunch, jr., Wheeler; Cameron
Skinner, sr., Echo; James Best, jr.,
South Wasco County; Reming-
ton Sheer, sr., South Wasco
County; Kane Johnson, so.,
Joseph. Defensive back —
Illyssa Auty, sr., Dayville/Monu-
ment; Carter Boise, jr., Wheeler;
John Titus, sr., Prairie City; Sam
Wyse, so., Echo; Joey Hollo-
way, so., South Wasco County;
Chase Butner, sr., Pine Eagle.
Return man — Jaxon Grover,
so., Joseph.
Off ense
First Team
Quarterback — Dom Curiel,
so., Echo. Running back —
Clint Rutherford, sr., Wheeler;
Cole Teel, jr., Prairie City. Wide
receiver — Javon Curiel, sr.,
Echo. Off ensive line — Tom
Chase, sr., Wheeler; Eli Wright,
jr., Prairie City. Long snapper —
Riley Walker, jr., Dayville/Monu-
ment. Punter — Trace Collier, sr.,
Joseph. Kicker — Nils Lahme, sr.,
Wheeler.
Second Team
Quarterback — Wes Voigt,
so., Prairie City. Running back
— John Titus, sr., Prairie City;
Remington Sheer, sr., South
Wasco County. Off ensive line —
Logan Sweeney, so., Wheeler;
Marcos Chavez, fr., South Wasco
County; Cody Reagan, so., Prai-
rie City. Long snapper — Cohen
Simpson, so., Pine Eagle. Punter
— Brock Farley, sr., Pine Eagle;
Ethan Rostock, so., Dayville/
Monument. Kicker — Cole Teel,
jr., Prairie City; Kale Ferguson, jr.,
Joseph; Nick Packard, fr., South
Wasco County.
Honorable Mention
Quarterback — Carter Boise,
jr., Wheeler; Trace Collier, sr.,
Joseph; Brock Farley, sr., Pine
Eagle. Running back — Tucker
Wright, so., Prairie City; Joey
Holloway, so., South Wasco
County. Wide receiver —
Harley Miller, sr., Joseph; Zach
Ferguison, sr., Dayville/Monu-
ment; Timbre Hill, sr., Pine Eagle.
Off ensive line — Will Segger-
man, sr., Pine Eagle; Kale Fergu-
son, jr., Joseph; Brad Wilcox, sr.,
Joseph; Alan Griego, fr., Echo.
Long snapper — Carter Boise,
jr., Wheeler. Kicker — Ondrij Klic,
so., Huntington.
HERMISTON — The Wash-
ington State Department of Health
announced Friday, Dec. 17, that
eff ective immediately, all athletes,
coaches, team managers and train-
ers for basketball, wrestling and
competitive cheer must complete
COVID-19 testing three times per
week, regardless of vaccination
status.
One test must be conducted at
least 24 hours before a contest, and
whenever possible, the day of the
event.
Previously, the DOH and the
Washington Interscholastic Activ-
ities Association required athletes
to either choose to be vaccinated or
be tested twice a week.
While Hermiston High School
is an Oregon school, its athletes
compete in the WIAA and must
follow its protocols.
“Vaccinations, in addition to test-
ing and masking, will help keep our
athletes healthy and allow every-
one to continue to enjoy sporting
events while also limiting the spread
of disease,” Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-
Gett, chief science offi cer, said in the
press release. “Getting a booster will
make protection against the omicron
variant even stronger. The booster
vaccine is now available for every-
one 16 years and older.”
Citing concerns after outbreaks
linked to wrestling tournaments
throughout the state, the Department
of Health set its new plan in motion.
The DOH said in a press release that
an estimated 200 cases are linked to
the tournaments. Genomic sequenc-
ing recently confi rmed at least three
cases are omicron.
Hermiston had positive tests
within its boys basketball team on
Dec. 17, forcing the Bulldogs to
forfeit their games against Richland
and Southridge.
A mask mandate for fans,
coaches and players who are not
actively competing, remains in
place.
At present, the Oregon School
Activities Association has not gotten
a mandate from the Department of
Health for weekly COVID-19 test-
ing, according to OSAA Assistant
Activities Director Kyle Stanley.
ON THE SLATE
Thursday, Dec. 23
Prep girls basketball
Weston-McEwen at Elgin, 1 p.m.
Boys prep basketball
Weston-McEwen at Elgin, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 27
Prep girls basketball
McLoughlin at Baker Invite, TBD
Nixyaawii at Baker Invite, TBD
Pilot Rock vs. Condon at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 10 a.m.
Stanfi eld vs. Wallowa at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 1 p.m.
Griswold vs. Echo at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 4 p.m.
Prep boys basketball
McLoughlin at Baker Invite, TBD
Nixyaawii at Baker Invite, TBD
Pilot Rock vs. Condon at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 11:30 a.m.
Stanfi eld vs. Wallowa at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 2:30 p.m.
Griswold vs. Echo at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 28
Prep girls basketball
McLoughlin at Baker Invite, TBD
Nixyaawii at Baker Invite, TBD
Pilot Rock vs. Griswold at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 10 a.m.
Joseph at Ione/Arlington, 2 p.m.
Stanfi eld vs. Echo at Bouncin’
Cancer Tournament, Echo, 4:30 p.m.
Riverside at Columbia-Burbank
(WA), 6 p.m.