Wednesday, June 2, 2021
A11
SPORTS
Peters brothers enjoy lone season together
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — They
had an opportunity to run
together during the 2A
state track meet in Union.
The younger brother even
handed the baton to the
elder during the 4x100-me-
ter relay that day.
One would think that
would be the icing on the
cake in a track season —
especially in a pandem-
ic-riddled year.
Yet that wasn’t the high-
light of the 2021 track sea-
son for Enterprise’s Peters
brothers — senior Jericho
and freshman Ransom.
Rather, the top moment
for both was when each
set a personal best in the
same heat in a race in Mil-
ton-Freewater in May — the
100-meter dash.
Jericho ran a time of
11.24 seconds — one that
topped his dad’s family-best
time of 11.3 in the event
— and Ransom turned in a
time of 11.72. Jericho won
the race that day, with Ran-
som placing fourth.
“Having that competition
to drive us both was a lot of
fun, and defi nitely the high-
light for me,” Jericho said.
“I was so happy,” Ran-
som added. “I never imag-
ined I could run an 11 my
freshman year.”
That’s not to say the race
at state May 22 in Union
wasn’t memorable.
The duo ran the fi rst two
legs to help Enterprise place
fourth in the race that day. It
was part of an eff ort that led
to the Outlaws taking third
overall in the state meet.
“For me it was really
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain
Enterprise’s Jericho Peters, left, takes off after receiving the baton from his brother, Ransom Peters, during the 4x100 relay at
the 2A state track meet in Union on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Running together in the state track meet was one of the highlights
of the season for Jericho, a senior, and Ransom, a freshman.
great,” Jericho said. “I have
always enjoyed being able
to compete with Ransom.
We did it in football this
year. I’ve always pictured
Ransom handing the baton
off to me. Being able to do
that at state was something
very special to me. I’ll never
forget it.”
Both started competing
in track in seventh grade,
and are part of a track-run-
ning family. Their father,
Justin, older sister, Hero,
and younger sister, Mercy,
all are runners. And their
mom, Kara, while not a
trackster, played basketball
and softball.
“We’ve defi nitely got
some athletic blood in our
family history,” Jericho
said.
The older brother, who
is a three-sport athlete, tried
track after realizing the
speed he had on the football
fi eld.
He quickly learned the
sprints would be his forte,
and having that knowledge
early was a plus.
“It was very handy to
have it fi gured out by then,”
he said. “I knew what I
needed to work on.”
Ransom followed in
his older siblings’ foot-
steps when it came to track,
though he played soccer and
baseball before ultimately
trading those in for track
spikes.
“My seventh grade year
I did track and realized I
am way better than that,”
he said. “Because Jericho
was a sprinter and my sister,
Hero, was a sprinter. I felt
like sprinting was my goal
for track.”
The COVID-19 pan-
demic has obviously limited
many athletes, but the Peters
brothers were able to work
together, and Jericho teach-
ing Ransom the ropes was
rewarding for both.
“He’s been helping
me with my strides,” the
younger brother said. “He’s
always had a shorter one.
He’s also helped me with
my blocks a bit. And then
coach (Dan) Moody helped
me with that. They are also
helping me run on my toes.
(Jericho) was training me in
areas like that.”
With that help, Ransom
was able to make strides in
the sport more quickly than
Jericho.
“It was fun to be able to
see him improve in those
areas much faster than I
did,” Jericho said.
The concern of if there
would be a spring season
after the rash of COVID-re-
lated cancellations, post-
ponements
and
other
changes, was on both broth-
ers’ minds during the school
year.
They both felt amazed
that it did, indeed, take
place, and that they got to
share in several memorable
moments in the shortened
season.
“I do think it is amazing
both of us were able to com-
pete this year,” Jericho said.
“Going into my senior year,
I didn’t think it was going
to happen. I didn’t think I
would get this opportunity.”
Added Ransom: “It’s
exciting for me to think I
just ran my (freshman) year
despite COVID, I got to
play in track (and) I got to
hand off to him.”
Enterprise’s Mike Crawford receives Section 8 COY honor
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — A
major accolade has come
the way of Mike Crawford.
Next Sunday, June 6, the
longtime Enterprise girls
basketball coach will be
given his award for being
named the 2021 National
Federation of State High
School Associations Sec-
tion 8 Coach of the Year
for girls basketball, which
in essence pegs him as the
top girls hoops coach in the
Northwest, and one of the
best in the county.
“You stop to think about
it, Mike was chosen as the
best of the best from six
Northwest states,” Oregon
Athletic Coaches Associa-
tion Executive Director Rob
Younger said.
Crawford, along with 12
other Section 8 award win-
ners, fi ve state award win-
ners and two national win-
ners, will be honored at an
awards banquet Sunday
evening at Eastern Oregon
University in La Grande.
Crawford was nomi-
nated last fall as the state
coach of the year for girls
basketball, which pit him
up against other coaches
from Section 8 states. That
includes Oregon, Washing-
ton, Idaho, Alaska, Mon-
tana and Wyoming.
“The fact that it was
a recognition from other
coaches that got it started,
Lifetime
Warranty
it’s humbling,” Crawford
said. “It’s a longevity thing.
I got my 500th win. That’s
kind of rarefi ed stuff . It’s
‘How do you have a con-
cept or a feeling for what
that means when it is about
you?’”
Younger said Crawford
was nominated, in part,
because of his lengthy and
“THE FACT THAT IT
WAS A RECOGNITION
FROM OTHER
COACHES THAT
GOT IT STARTED,
IT’S HUMBLING.”
— Mike Crawford, Enterprise
girls basketball coach
successful career at EHS.
“The federation awards,
a big part of it is their lon-
gevity, their commitment
to their school and their
community,” Younger said.
“Mike is being recognized
for his many years of out-
standing service to the
Enterprise community in
basketball.”
Crawford, a staple of
Northeast Oregon hoops,
has racked up more than
500 career wins with the
Outlaws during a career
that has spanned three
decades. He picked up his
500th win when Enterprise
defeated Heppner in over-
time, 40-38, during a Blue
Mountain Conference dis-
trict tournament contest on
Feb. 22, 2020.
A major factor in the suc-
cess Crawford and Enter-
prise have had over the
years is due to his players.
“I’ve been incredibly
blessed to be at one school
and have the people around
me in that entire time to be
able to accomplish the fears
we have done together,” he
said.
Younger said the award
winners won’t speak Sun-
day, but Crawford said if he
were allowed to, he would
share how humbled he was
to be considered.
“Think of all the peo-
ple that are in that cate-
gory. To be the Section 8
winner puts me into where
there are eight people who
are vying for the National
Coach of the Year. And
to be in that fi nalist sec-
tion — it is humbling,” he
said. “I don’t have perspec-
tive for the whole country.
I know that it’s not typical
these days of coaches to be
in the mix (that long)...I’ve
been coaching for over 40
years, and (still) feel like
I’m young and can do it. I
just really appreciate the
acknowledgement. I don’t
know it’s quite as deserv-
ing, but others thought so.
“How do you express in
words to say how incredible
that is?”
East Oregonian, File
Enterprise coach Mike Crawford and his players react while watching the fi nal moments of the
team’s Blue Mountain District tournament overtime win against Heppner on Saturday at the
Pendleton Convention Center. Enterprise beat the Mustangs 40-38, notching third place and
Crawford’s 500th win.
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