Wednesday, June 16, 2021
A9
SPORTS
500 vs. 500: Wednesday matchup features unique angle
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Two
individuals who could stake
a claim to the Mount Rush-
more of Oregon high school
girls basketball coaches
— especially at the small-
school level — will square
off in a unique matchup —
one that hasn’t happened in
close to 20 years.
When Enterprise hosts
Crane at noon Wednesday,
June 16, it will pit Enterprise
coach Mike Crawford and
his 505 career wins against
Crane coach Stub Travis and
his 504 career wins (win
totals as of Monday).
Only eight coaches have
ever won 500 games in girls
basketball in Oregon his-
tory. Crawford was the sev-
enth to reach the feat in Feb-
ruary 2020. Travis reached
the milestone in May of this
year, making him the lat-
est to join the club, accord-
ing to ORHSsportsrecords.
com. (The site does not have
a record for Travis’ first sea-
son in Crane in 1994).
The similarities between
the coaches are plenty. In
addition to both being in
the 500-win club, both have
coached their squads to state
championships (Crawford
in 1996, Travis in 2004 and
2020). Both have decades
under their belt at their
respective schools (Travis is
in his 26th season, Crawford
his 32nd). And both pointed
to their players as part of
what has allowed them to
have a successful career.
“I’ve had great athletes,”
Travis said. “That helps,
and kind of built a pro-
gram where we are doing a
lot of summer stuff. When
I first started a lot of teams
weren’t doing summer stuff.
It was definitely an advan-
tage. I started probably 18
years ago having a camp
at Crane and expanding it
each year. I bring in college
coaches. Definitely having a
lot of great athletes through
the years (helps).”
Crawford added the back-
ing of the community — in
addition to top-level athletes
— is vital.
“In order to survive as
long as I have in (this) job,
I’ve had a lot of community
support, also, that has helped
the program and supported
the program,” he said. “I
think it’s a good thing when
you are in a small commu-
nity. (You) get to know a
lot of people, good fami-
lies, good parents. In my
career I’ve been fortunate
that I have had good families
(and) kids who want to be a
part of the program.”
Prior to Wednesday, only
two Oregon girls coaches
with at least 500 wins had
ever met after reaching that
milestone — Lake Oswe-
go’s Gary Lavender and
Oregon City’s Brad Smith,
as the two schools are long-
time Three Rivers League
rivals. Both coaches reached
500 during the 2001-02 sea-
son, and faced off on several
occasions with 500 Ws until
Lavender retired after the
2004 season with 544 wins.
Smith, the winningest coach
in Oregon history, called it a
career two years later with
628.
It’s not the first time the
Mustangs under Travis —
who has an additional 70
wins during three seasons
See 500, Page A10
The Observer, File
Jonah Staigle of Joseph competes against Joshley Howell
of Siletz Valley in the 2A/1A state wrestling tournament in
February 2020. Staigle has been selected to play in the East-
West Shrine football game in August.
Staigle selected to
play in East-West
Shrine Game
Joe Brogdon/Contributed Photo
Joseph alumna and Eastern Oregon University graduate Karianne Zollman recently earned an NAIA all-American in the
women’s javelin.
Joseph alum closes chapter
on EOU throwing career
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
L
A GRANDE —
Some
athletes
save their best for
last.
But for Eastern Oregon
University javelin thrower
Karianne Zollman, her best
at the 2021 NAIA National
Championships came first.
Zollman, a Joseph
alumna who over the week-
end graduated from EOU,
wrapped up her collegiate
athletic career by earning
all-American in the wom-
en’s javelin with a person-
al-best effort at the national
meet May 26 of 141 feet,
4 inches. It was a perfor-
mance that lifted her to
sixth in the nation and
resulted in her garnering
her second all-American in
the event.
She didn’t linger around
till the end, either, to uncork
the PR throw, or build up to
it. Instead, she did so on her
very first attempt of the day.
“I get really amped up
for the first throw, and I get
really nervous,” Zollman
said. “I have to be very dis-
ciplined. I always have a
pep talk with myself. You
can’t wait until the next
throw, you have to do it
now.”
Her conversation with
herself included a reminder
that it was going to be her
final time on the javelin
runway.
“‘This is your last
opportunity. Let’s go out
having fun. Let’s execute
to the best of our ability,’”
she said of her personal pep
talk.
Having the big throw
early took some of the pres-
sure off as she set out to end
her career with a bang.
“I was in the first flight,
so I knew I should be able
In fact, she did the
same thing in 2019. Then
a junior, Zollman launched
the javelin 140-feet-2 on
her first throw of the day.
At the time, it was her per-
sonal best. And like at the
2021 nationals, it landed
her an all-American nod, as
she finished eighth that day.
The strong sendoff came
“I HAVE TO BE VERY DISCIPLINED.
I ALWAYS HAVE A PEP TALK
WITH MYSELF. YOU CAN’T
WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT THROW,
YOU HAVE TO DO IT NOW.”
— Karianne Zollman, EOU javelin thrower
to get into the finals (with
that throw),” she said. “I
wanted to get a good aver-
age. This was my last time
competing. I didn’t want
it to be a fluke. Most of
my throws were 40 meters
(131-feet-3), and before
that, I was struggling to get
above 40 meters.”
Her average on five
marked throws that day
was 133-feet-10, includ-
ing three throws above the
40-meter mark, all boosted
by the initial effort of the
day.
It’s not the first time her
first throw has been her best
at nationals, either.
after a pandemic-canceled
2020 that would have been
her senior campaign, one
in which, coming off an
all-American effort as a
junior, she hoped to con-
tend for a national title.
COVID-19 not only
altered that, but put her in a
spot where she was uncer-
tain she would even com-
pete in 2021.
“I wasn’t even sure I was
going to come back,” she
said. “I had a few classes,
but I didn’t have a reason
to come back in the fall or
winter, so I only showed up
in spring term.
“The season before, I
was really trying to go for
a national championship,
I had a good base of work
I had done in the previ-
ous years. Everything pre-
vented the access to gyms
and stuff. I couldn’t get
as much as I wanted, but
toward the end I worked
my butt off.”
Throwing javelin runs
in Zollman’s blood, as her
older sister, Grace, had a
successful career and pur-
sued the sport profession-
ally, Karianne said.
“She was able to give me
a lot of help,” she said. “It
was also so cool to watch
her throw. I was inspired by
her throwing.”
Zollman briefly dabbled
in the shot put, hammer
throw and weight throw at
EOU, but solely focused
on the javelin her senior
season.
“I did not have that much
time, and I knew I could be
the most successful in jave-
lin and reach (nationals) in
javelin,” she said.
Her marks improved
each week during the
2021 season, building up
to that best — and first
— all-American winning
throw at nationals.
“Coming back and fin-
ishing, before this, it felt
like you had to stop in the
middle of a book,” she said.
“The final chapter was not
complete. I didn’t care how
it ended up. I just wanted to
put in the work, and how-
ever it ended, great.”
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — Jonah Stai-
gle was excited when he saw
the email telling him he had
been selected to take part in
the Shriners East-West All-
Star Game, which returns in
August after a year away due
to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Oh, man, it’s an honor,”
the Joseph senior said. “(Head
coach) Duncan (Christman)
talked to me, he put me and
Juston (Rogers) both in there.
“I got the email the other
day. That was crazy.”
Staigle and 43 others
received that email, tell-
ing them they would be part
of the 69th Shriners game,
which is a major fundraiser
for Shriners Children’s Hos-
pital in Portland.
“It’s amazing to be able
to have the game back,” said
Zachary Steele, first vice
chairman and player per-
sonnel manager. “This year
would have been our 70th
game.
“It’s the largest fundraiser
in the Northwest for Portland
Shriners Hospital. Being able
to have a game and get those
dollars to help kids walk is
amazing.”
The pandemic canceled
last year’s game, but there
was hope the game would
be able to resume this sum-
mer. Steele said the big lift
came when state sanctions on
full-contact football in Ore-
gon were lifted.
“It’s always been the goal
since we canceled the game
last year,” he said.
Steele said the players that
get selected among the nom-
inees are those who coaches
believe are not only talented,
but who are tops in charac-
ter. The players are nominated
and selected by coaches.
“No. 1 we want high-char-
acter kids, and No. 2 we want
your best athletes,” Steele
said, noting the game is, after
all, an all-star game.
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Staigle does know some
about the history of the game
and the impact it has.
“I’ve heard a little bit
about. I know it’s been going
on for quite a while. I remem-
ber telling my mom, and she
freaked out telling me how it
was a big deal when she was
in high school here,” he said.
“It definitely is an honor to get
picked for it.”
Past traditions have been
for players to tour the Shri-
ners campus in Wilsonville to
meet children who are in the
hospital.
That won’t be possible this
year due to COVID restric-
tions, but Steele said players
still will be able to see how
the game — and, more specif-
ically, the funds raised by it —
help children and families.
“We still are going to get
the kids exposure to what they
are playing for,” Steele said.
The game traditionally
generates about $25,000 for
the hospital, which provides
orthopedic, burn, cleft lip and
cleft palate care — all for free
to families.
“The hospital, No. 1, is at
no cost to nobody, ever. We
do not bill parents for the cost
of care,” Steele said.
Staigle said now the hope
is he can get on the field, as
a lingering injury has limited
him in wrestling this summer.
“I guess the first thing I
thought of was my injury,
hoping it doesn’t hold me
back,” he said. “I was really
surprised, definitely. Didn’t
think I was going to get a spot
on the roster.”
There are four Union
County and one Wallowa
County athlete on the alter-
nate list who still could find
their way on the field.
“If a kid declines (or) gets
injured, we then go to the
alternate list,” Steele said.
“Every year we have five to
10 alternates who get selected
to play.”
The game is at 7 p.m. Sat-
urday, Aug. 7, in Baker City.