E AST O REGONIAN
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022
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THE TRADITION
CONTINUES
B1
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Hermiston’s
Reagan wins
NWAC
track title
East Oregonian
GRESHAM — Hermiston
graduate Scout Reagan won the
women’s 100 meters at the North-
we st At h let ic
Conference Track
and Field Cham-
pionships with
a time of 12.38
seconds, helping
Lane Commu-
nity College to
Reagan
t h e w o m e n’s
team title May 24
at Mt. Hood Community College
in Gresham.
The Titans ran away with the
women’s title with 288 points.
Umpqua was second with 109.
Reagan also placed second in
the women’s 200 meters (25.63),
and ran a leg on the 4x100 relay
team that placed second in a time
of 49.01.
Youth boxing
Hermiston’s Jesse Vassey, top,
wrestles Dallin Bowman, of
Southridge, in the 220-pound
fi rst place match Feb. 5,
2022, at the Mid-Columbia
Conference 3A District wrestling
tournament in Hermiston.
Vassey will continue his
wrestling career at Eastern
Oregon University.
East Oregonian, File
Hermiston’s Vassey will continue
his wrestling career at EOU
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
H
ERMISTON — The Herm-
iston wrestling program has
been churning out top-notch
wrestlers for years, and
Jesse Vassey is part of that
tradition.
The Hermiston senior, who placed third
at the 3A state tournament, has signed a
letter of intent to wrestle for Eastern Oregon
University in La Grande, where the Moun-
taineers have him penciled in to wrestle at
197 pounds.
“At fi rst I wasn’t too sure I wanted to wres-
tle beyond high school,” Vassey said. “As I
continued to wrestle, I found a passion. It
helps me deal with anger and my emotions.
It wasn’t until my senior year where I thought
I could do this.”
Vassey looked at Southern Oregon
University, Corban University and Warner
Pacifi c, but once he got to Eastern Oregon, I
knew he had found the right place.
“It’s going to be very awesome,” he said.
“I feel the coaches and my teammates will
help me get better. When I went for a visit,
they were amazing people. I want to strive to
be just like them.”
“IT’S GOING TO BE
VERY AWESOME. I
FEEL THE COACHES
AND MY TEAMMATES
WILL HELP ME GET
BETTER.”
— Jesse Vassey, Hermiston senior
Hermiston coach Kyle Larson said he is
excited for Vassey to begin the next chapter
in his wrestling career.
“I told him to go in and wrestle, become
a good teammate, get good grades, show up
on time and be ready,” Larson said. “Every-
thing we have been preaching for four years.
Things happen, and those are the opportuni-
ties you have to take advantage of.”
After a makeshift junior year because of
the pandemic, Vassey excelled in his senior
season.
He ran the table in the Mid-Columbia
Conference and earned fi rst-team honors at
220 pounds.
Vassey then won the Mid-Columbia
Conference district tournament, and placed
second at the Region 4 Regional Tournament.
He also placed fourth at the always tough
Rollie Lane Invitational.
“He started out really well,” Larson said.
“I thought he would do really well and he
had confi dence. When we were going to the
Muilenburg Tournament, he tested positive
for COVID. He didn’t get to go to Tri-State.
Those are a good measuring stick early. Then
he placed at Rollie Lane. That’s when his atti-
tude changed and we started telling him he
See Vassey, Page B2
The return of the night eel
Butte Challenge scheduled
for June 11
The 23rd annual Butte Chal-
lenge will be June 11 at Hermis-
ton’s Butte Park.
The annual event, which bene-
fi ts the Hermiston cross-coun-
try programs (high school and
middle school, has a 5K walk,
and chip-timed 5K and 10K runs.
The fee for each race is $25. There
are special packages for families
of four or more who want to race
together. Signups are online at
ButteChallenge.com.
Bib pickup begins at 7:30 a.m.,
and racing starts at 8:30 a.m.
The start and fi nish for each
race is in front of the Spray Park/
Funland Community Playground.
Participants will receive
custom Butte medals and a gift
bag when they fi nish. All partic-
ipants who are registered by
June 10 will be entered into draw-
ings for door prizes from area
businesses.
There also is a free kids race at
8 a.m. for runners 10 and under.
ON THE SLATE
DENNIS
DAUBLE
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
THE NATURAL WORLD
Prep softball
5A state championship game: Pendle-
ton vs. Wilsonville, Jane Sanders Stadium,
Eugene, 11 a.m.
Pacifi c lamprey have
endured the eff ects
of dam-building
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8
Rodeo
Oregon High School Rodeo, Prineville
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
I
t is a breezy day in late
May and I am knee deep in
the Umatilla River. Flows
dropped enough following a
recent surge of snowmelt and
rainfall to allow for safe wading.
Cliff swallows carve a graceful
path through the air as they pick
Rodeo
Oregon High School Rodeo, Prineville
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Rodeo
Oregon High School Rodeo, Prineville
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
Dennis Dauble/Contributed Photo
See Lamprey, Page B2
Pendleton’s Teresa Strock
stepped in the ring for her
first boxing match May 28 at
the Nor thwest
Amateur Boxing
Champion-
ship at the West
Central Commu-
nity Center in
Spokane.
The 12-year-
Strock
old from Pend-
leton Boxi ng,
competing at 95 pounds, lost
her match to Araeya Nelson of
Polson, Montana.
“Her opponent had a few fi ghts
and has been boxing for a while,”
Pendleton coach Rob Brooks said.
“It was a pretty tough matchup for
her fi rst fi ght.”
Pendleton Boxing’s Ean
Carroll, 17, had his fi rst match
May 7 at the Fuerza de Mayo in
Pasco. He lost a split decision to
Andres Morales of the Righteous
& Chosen Boxing Club in Pasco.
An adult lamprey uses its suctorial mouth to attach to river cobble prior to spawning.
Rodeo
Oregon High School Rodeo, Prineville