E AST O REGONIAN
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022
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Soccer and sunshine
Hermiston’s
Seavert signs to
play soccer at
Ottawa University
in Arizona
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
SATURDAY, FEB. 26
Prep wrestling
Pendleton at 5A state tourna-
ment, Ridgeview High School,
9 a.m.
McLoughlin at 4A state tour-
nament, Cascade High School,
9 a.m.
Riverside, Irrigon at 3A state
tournament, La Pine High
School, 9 a.m.
Heppner/Ione, Echo at 2A
state tournament, Culver High
School, 9 a.m.
Prep girls basketball
2A state playoff s: Stanfi eld at
Vernonia, 1 p.m.
3A state playoff s: Hermiston
vs. Everett, Everett CC, 2 p.m.
1A state playoff s: Ione/Arling-
ton at Nixyaawii, 3 p.m.
1A state playoff s: Yoncalla at
Echo, 5 p.m.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Hermiston’s Sydney Seaver’s (14) drives the ball up the fi eld March 16, 2021, as Hermiston
defeated Pendleton 2-0 at Pendleton High School. Seavert is continuing her soccer play at
Ottawa University.
if I was cold. I told him what
it was like back home. It was
super warm, we got to see the
sunrise. It was really pretty.”
Seavert had breakfast with
the team and felt a connection
to the players and coaches.
“Just a day in the life of a
soccer player,” Seavert said.
“Being there helped make
my decision of where I want
to go.”
Seavert, who also visited
Arizona Christian Univer-
sity and Mesa Community
College, was off ered a schol-
arship by Ottawa, and the rest
is history.
A 5-foot-7 midfi elder for
the Bulldogs, Seavert said
she would likely play a center
attacking mid in college. The
Wolves also plan on playing
her as a freshman.
“I like pushing the ball up
and assisting on goals.” she
said.
Seavert plans to get a
bachelors of arts in exercise
science.
“Hopefully I can be an
occupational therapist,” she
said. “There are so many
diff erent ways I can go.”
The only problem with
playing in Arizona is that
mom and dad won’t be able
to be at every game.
“My parents (Trampas
and Amy) and I are going
there for spring break,”
Seavert said. “They haven’t
seen the campus. My dad is
pretty sad about me leaving,
he loves his baby girl. I told
him I was just a plane ticket
away. My grandpa (Bob) has
already planned a whole route
with my grandma (Marilyn)
to come down and visit and
watch me play.”
A good starting point
Seavert never played
club soccer, but playing for
Hermiston, and playing in
the Mid-Columbia Confer-
ence against some of the best
teams and players in Wash-
ington, she said she is ready
for what comes next.
“The MCC prepared me
for this,” she said. “There are
so many good players in the
league. It makes me honored
and thankful to have played
against them.”
Seavert was named to the
MCC second team her senior
year. She fi nished with three
goals and eight assists.
“Sydney is one of our
standout players,” Guizar
said. “She didn’t make it
this far for no reason. They
(Ottawa) said if she is this
good, who else do you have?
I was able to talk about my
program and where we are
going in the future. We have
a good sophomore class that
will be juniors next year. That
pumps me up.”
During the offseason,
Sherman and Cimmiyotti
are unanimous selections
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
H EPPN ER — Blue
Mountain Conference regu-
lar season and district cham-
pion Heppner had two players
selected to the all-conference
fi rst team.
Seniors Kason Cimmiy-
otti and Joe Sherman were
unanimous picks for the
Mustangs, who are 20-3 on
the season.
Other local athletes on the
fi rst team were junior Gator
Goodrich from Stanfield,
and senior Theo White from
Weston-McEwen.
All of the fi rst-team play-
ers were unanimous selec-
tions by the conference
coaches, with the exception
of Union’s Bo Ledbetter.
Cimmiyotti, a 6-foot-3
forward, averaged 16 points,
6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and
1.5 assists for the Mustangs.
Sherman, a 6-1 guard, had
13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds,
four assists and two steals a
game. He is a two-year starter
for the Mustangs.
Goodrich, who led the
Tigers (17-10) to the BMC
district title game, averaged
ON THE SLATE
Prep boys basketball
1A state playoff s: Ione/Arling-
ton at Nixyaawii, 4:30 p.m.
H
ERMISTON —
In what started
out as a trip to
an identifi cation
camp at Northern Arizona
University, ended with an
off er for Hermiston’s Sydney
Seavert to play soccer at
Ottawa University.
The liberal arts university
in Surprise, Arizona, may
have a soccer program that
is just four years old, but it’s
one of the top 10 programs
in the nation at the National
Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics level.
“Her original plan was
to go to NAU and their ID
camp,” Hermiston coach
Freddy Guizar said of the
Nov. 17-20 trip. “I said why
don’t we go to other schools,
we have three days? What’s it
going to hurt? When we went
to Ottawa, she was invited to
practice the next morning.
The school really enjoyed
her, and she liked them. They
wouldn’t let us leave. It was
pretty awesome.”
Guizar said he was
impressed with the program.
“It was an eye opener to
me,” he said. “She played
with some girls who are 21
and she had multiple oppor-
tunities to score and she
scored a goal on them.”
For Seavert, the team
camaraderie at Ottawa and
the endless sunshine was a
selling point.
“This is when people say,
‘this is where your heart leads
you,’” Seavert said. “They
are putting money back into
their school and soccer play-
ers. When I went to practice
and scored a goal. I told them
I could see myself playing
with them. They said they
could see me playing there.”
The Wolves’ practice time
was early, but Seavert was up
and ready at 4 a.m.
“It was 65 degrees and I
went to practice in shorts
and a T-shirt,” Seavert said.
“One of their coaches asked
B1
Seavert can be found play-
ing in the local men’s indoor
league on Sundays.
“She loves to learn, and
she puts in the work,” Guizar
said.
Seavert said she is thank-
ful for her coach for pushing
her to explore her options.
“Freddy made the connec-
tions,” she said. “It wasn’t just
for me, but for the younger
generations. These connec-
tions could help the girls get
out of Hermiston, and bring
some attention to Hermiston
soccer. He will have those
contacts forever.”
College men’s basketball
Big Bend at Blue Mountain,
4 p.m.
College women’s basketball
Big Bend at Blue Mountain,
2 p.m.
College baseball
Eastern Oregon at Lewis-Clark
State (2), noon
College women’s lacrosse
Eastern Oregon at Whitman,
10 a.m.
SUNDAY, FEB. 27
College women’s wrestling
Eastern Oregon at Cascade
Collegiate Conference Cham-
pionships, Great Falls, Mon-
tana, TBA
College baseball
Eastern Oregon at Lewis-Clark
State (2), 11 a.m.
Clackamas at Blue Mountain
(2), noon
College softball
Eastern Oregon vs. Mary-
mount California, Rocklin, Cal-
ifornia (2), 10 a.m.
College women’s lacrosse
Eastern Oregon vs. Whit-
worth, Walla Walla, 1 p.m.
Thursday, March 3
College track and fi eld
Eastern Oregon at NAIA
Indoor Championships, Brook-
ings, South Dakota, TBA
FRIDAY, MARCH 4
College track and fi eld
Eastern Oregon at NAIA
Indoor Championships, Brook-
ings, South Dakota, TBA
College softball
Eastern Oregon at Bushnell
(2), 1 p.m.
Clackamas at Blue Mountain
(S), 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5
College men’s wrestling
Eastern Oregon at NAIA
National Championships,
Wichita, Kansas, TBA
College track and fi eld
Eastern Oregon at NAIA
Indoor Championships, Brook-
ings, South Dakota, TBA
College baseball
College of Idaho at Eastern
Oregon (2), 11 a.m.
Columbia Basin at Blue Moun-
tain (2), 11 a.m.
College softball
Eastern Oregon at Bushnell
(2), 11 a.m.
Mt. Hood at Blue Mountain
(2), noon
College women’s lacrosse
Eastern Oregon at Corban,
1 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6
College baseball
College of Idaho at Eastern
Oregon (2), 11 a.m.
Blue Mountain at Columbia
Basin (2), 11 a.m.
March
26-27
Saturday 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am–3:00 pm
DESCHUTES COUNT Y
FAIR & EXPO CENTER
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SAT. MORNING 8–10
While supplies last
Sponsored by McDonalds
All proceeds to benefit Perfect Balance
KIDS’ ZONE
PROJECTS AND FUN ACTIVITIES
ALL THINGS AGRICULTURE
Sherman
Cimmiyotti
Goodrich
White
BLUE MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE
BOYS BASKETBALL
First team
Tee Ledbetter, so., Union; Gator Goodrich, jr., Stanfi eld; Ka-
son Cimmiyotti, sr., Heppner; Theo White, sr., Weston-McEw-
en; Joe Sherman, sr., Heppner; Bo Ledbetter, jr., Union.
Second team
Rylen Bronson, fr., Pilot Rock; Hobs Hurty, jr., Stanfi eld; Park-
er Neault, sr., Grant Union; Jackson Decker, sr., Enterprise;
Kyren Miller, jr., Weston-McEwen.
Honorable mention
Brock Hisler, sr., Heppner; Chase Koshinsky, fr., Union; Wyatt
Stillman, sr., Pilot Rock; Cameron Reich, jr., Weston-McEwen;
Sheldon Lenz, so., Grant Union; Pablo Arellano, so., Stan-
fi eld; Tucker Ashbeck, jr., Heppner.
14 points, four rebounds,
three assists and two steals a
game. In BMC play, he aver-
aged 19 points, four rebounds
and four assists an outing.
White averaged 17 points,
10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists,
three steals and two blocks
a game. He shot 57% from
two-point range, 30% from
3-point range, and 76% from
the free-throw line.
White started 79 of 80
games for the TigerScots
from his freshman year
through his senior year. The
one game he did not play was
due to an ankle injury.
Clint Johnson Working
Dog Demonstrations
SAT. 11–NOON • SUN. 10–11
Early Day Gas Engine
and Tractor Display
with Demonstrations