SPORTS
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
A13
Football teams ready to get on the gridiron after late OK
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
THIS WEEK’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
Football
Defense a focal
point for Eagles
again in 2021
JOSEPH — Defense has
been the name of the game
for the Joseph football team
during its two years in six-
man football — and will be
again this spring when it
opens Season 2 play on Fri-
day, March 5, at Harper.
“We spend a lot of time
working
on
defense,”
Eagles head coach Duncan
Christman said. “Defense
is really what sets the tone
for us. It’ll be a little differ-
ent than it was with passing
league defense.”
In two seasons of six-
man, Joseph has given up a
total of 100 points over 14
games — 7.14 points per
game. The Eagles, who are
13-1 in that stretch, have
recorded six shutouts and
held four additional oppo-
nents to fewer than 10
points.
I defi nitely foresee our
defense being top tier again,
and (they’re) working
hard to accomplish goals,”
Christman said.
The offense, which itself
has been no slough at 55
points per game the last
two years, should gain a
boost from the 5-on-5 pass-
ing league that area schools
took part in in the fall.
“It was a blessing to get
that extra time to work on
everyone with rout running,
getting our receivers and
QBs on the same page —
and we’re looking to build
on that,” Christman said.
Juston Rogers and Jonah
Staigle are two returning
seniors Christman expects
to play a big role yet again.
Rogers has been a key factor
in the Eagles’ running game
the last two years, while
Staigle has helped shore up
the Joseph line.
Hayden Hite, Harley
Miller and Trace Collier,
who will be at quarterback,
also are important players
among the returners.
Among the newcomers
Christman is excited about
are Kale Ferguson and Kane
Johnson.
He’s a sophomore who
is going to do some really
great things for us,” Christ-
man said of Ferguson.
One concern, the coach
said, has been dealing with
the snow. The team has
slowly acclimated to prac-
ticing outside, but future
storms could potentially
impact game play.
“That’s the main chal-
lenge right now. The
weather is good now, but if
it snows again (and) it gets
really nasty, it limits what
we can do,” he said.
And though it’s a differ-
ent season — being played
in the spring in a pandemic
— Christman said the
approach will be the same.
“We’re all looking for-
ward to it, we’re gonna
treat it like any season even
though it’s shorter than
we’re used to,” he said.
The highlight game may
be the fi nale on April 2 at
South Wasco County. The
Redsides are the only team
Joseph at Harper, 3 p.m., Friday, March 5
Wallowa at Elgin, 2 p.m., Saturday, March 6
Volleyball
Cove at Wallowa, 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 2
Joseph at Enterprise, 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 3
Union at Joseph, Noon, Friday, March 5
Union at Wallowa, 2:30 p.m., Friday, March 5
Cove at Enterprise, 1 p.m., Friday, March 5
Enterprise at Wallowa, 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 9
Cross-country
Wallowa Valley at Nyssa, TBD, Monday, March 8
*all times, locations and dates subject to change
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Enterprise’s Jericho Peters carries the ball during a game against Imbler in 2019. The football
season gets underway next week for the Outlaws.
to hang with Joseph the past
two years, and handed the
Eagles a 19-6 defeat in the
2019 six-man de-facto title
game.
“That’s our big game at
the end of the season, which
is kind of nice to have them
at the end of the seasons, so
we’re worked and ready to
go,” Christman said.
Cougars look to
build of strides made
at end of 2019
WALLOWA — Head
coach Matt Brockamp said
he has a highly motivated
group of players — led by
four seniors he coached
when they were in fourth
grade — that he’ll take the
fi eld with this spring when
game play starts the after-
noon of Saturday, March 6.
“They really are a lot of
fun to coach, a great group
to coach,” he said. “We
made a lot of improvements
late in the year (in 2019) and
got, really, better and better
each week … We did a lot
of good things with those
guys.”
He said the Cougars
were a much better team
than their 2-6 record indi-
cated, and the growth was
evidenced in that late in the
season, Wallowa hung with
eventual state semifi nalist
Crane before losing 56-40.
“I’m excited for these
seniors to have the oppor-
tunity to compete again,”
Brockamp said. “Hopefully
things will come together on
Saturday.”
Wallowa didn’t lose
any players to gradua-
tion, brings back the four
seniors in Zeb Hermens,
Zeb Ramsden, Tristin Bales
and Freddy DeVore, and
returns its quarterback in
sophomore Lute Ramsden.
The younger Ramsden —
and the offense — benefi t-
ted from the 5-on-5 pass-
ing league in the fall that
helped nail down the Cou-
gars’ passing attack.
“(He’s) a good, accu-
rate quarterback,” Brock-
amp said of Lute Ramsden.
“It’ll be fun to watch … The
fall did help with our pass-
ing game, and adding that
into some of the other stuff
we’re doing is going to be a
lot of fun.”
The Cougars also have
size on the line on both sides
— including 6-foot-4, 300-
pound freshman Ty Hunt-
Prince, and Ruben Hunt at
6-3, 280.
“They’re bigger than we
have ever been up front,”
the coach said.
Brockamp also has two
lengthy defensive ends in
Ryder Goller and Kolby
Mandal, juniors who are 6-3
and 6-5, respectively.
The team will implement
tempo as it did in 2019, but
may take its foot off the gas
pedal at times.
“We learned a little bit,
too, about tempo,” Brock-
amp said. “There were some
instances we hurt ourselves.
To vary it and know how to
use it is a good thing. We
won’t always be going fast
as possible.”
a primary role rotating in
at tailback for the Outlaws,
but Jacob Amaro, who took
the snaps at quarterback
in 2019, will move over to
tight end, while Jackson
Decker is slated to take the
ball under center.
“He probably has the best
hands on our team. He’s got
some decent size,” Eschler
said of Amaro.
Flynn Nave also has
come out for football for
the fi rst time since middle
school, Eschler said, and
will add some bulk to the
backfi eld as a fullback.
“Great having him out.
He’s a really good ath-
lete. He adds to the team,”
Eschler said. “First time
I’ve been at Enterprise (as)
a head coach where I have
a true fullback. It’s too bad
we didn’t have a regular
season.”
Enterprise will largely
stick with its traditional
offensive sets, but Eschler
is looking to add a couple
wrinkles to the mix.
The Outlaws went 2-5 in
2019, and there won’t be a
statewide postseason event
for teams to play toward as
the Oregon School Activi-
ties Association culminat-
ing week will be local. But
Eschler is hopeful the team
will compete, even with no
regular postseason to play
for.
“We have fi ve seniors,
and they’re competitive,
they’re good boys and stuff.
There’s nothing at the end
of the rainbow — it’s go out
there, try to be competitive
and execute.”
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Outlaws have bulk of
key offensive elements
back this spring
ENTERPRISE — The
Enterprise football team
only lost one senior to grad-
uation from 2019, and brings
back the bulk of its main
offensive threats as it gets
ready for the COVID-short-
ened and rescheduled ‘Sea-
son 2.’
The Outlaws will take the
fi eld a week later than the
rest of the area teams, kick-
ing off at home March 11
against Wallowa, which may
serve a bit of a benefi t given
Enterprise lost two days of
practice last week because
of a confi rmed COVID-19
case in the school.
Head
coach
Rusty
Eschler said he has about
16 players out, but said
he’s heard numbers are low
throughout the region.
“It’s a different time.
There’s other things kids are
doing now,” he said. “Try-
ing to make a fun experience
for them and hope the word
spreads.”
Enterprise will have at
least one change on the
offensive side of the ball
this spring. Trace Evans and
Jericho Peters still will play
GETTING
HELP FOR
PROBLEM
GAMBLING
TAKES GUTS
take the first step and
contact us
call 541-426-4524
wallowa valley
center for wellness
or 1-877-MY-LIMIT (24 hour helpline)
It's Free - It's Confidential - It Works.
wvcenterforwellness.org
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