A16
SPORTS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Joseph withstands self-inflicted issues to win
Eagles defense
forces 7 turnovers
to defeat Echo
GUTSY CALL SETS TONE FOR ENTERPRISE VICTORY
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
ECHO — Joseph did just
about everything right in the
first half, then seemingly little
right in the second half.
But when they needed to
in crunch time, the Eagles’
defense stepped up to the task
at hand, stopping Echo near
the goal line late in the fourth
quarter to preserve a 24-21
road win Friday, Sept. 2, in
a game where Joseph forced
seven turnovers.
“I think the score was a lot
closer than the game was. We
jumped out 24-0, then in the
second half, especially in the
fourth quarter, we shot our-
selves in the foot,” new head
coach Damian Huff said
The win was the first for
Huff, one he said was stress-
ful, though it hardly seemed it
would be a high-stress show-
down early.
Jaxon Grover, who had
150 yards receiving, had two
touchdowns and a big catch
that set up a short touchdown
run by Gavin Russell all in
the opening half. The Eagles
DUFUR — One might consider going for it on
fourth down, deep in your own territory, on
the first series of the game, a gutsy call.
after halftime when it blanked the Mustangs.
But Enterprise head coach Josh Harman said
he trusts his team — both his offense to
score points, and his defense to get stops.
Knapp, Duncan and Fent may have been key
on the opening drive, but Harman also noted
the contributions of several other athletes —
including Trey Stewart, Pearce Schnetzky and
Tanner Kesecker. He noted both Schnetzky
and Kesecker were starting on the offensive
line for the first time, and excelled in their
roles.
That trust was rewarded, as the Outlaws went
for it early in their season opener Saturday,
Sept. 3, at the Dufur Classic, and the play set
the tone.
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Joseph’s Jaxon Grover (4) outruns Echo’s Sam Wyse (4) to score
the Eagles’ second touchdown Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in Joseph’s
24-21 season-opening win.
WALLOWA STRUGGLES
IN LOSS TO IONE/ARLINGTON
DUFUR — A young Wallowa football team struggled Saturday,
Sept. 3, in the final game of the Dufur Classic, dropping its
opener to Ione/Arlington, a playoff squad a year ago, 48-0.
The Cougars return to the road Sept. 9 to face Sherman/Condon.
— Ronald Bond, For the Wallowa County Chieftain
were primed to run away,
opening up a 24-point lead
in the second. The defense
was stout, and senior defen-
sive back James Burney was
a key contributor to that suc-
cess, grabbing three intercep-
tions in the first half.
Echo clawed to within
24-6 by the half, and inched
closer in the second half, espe-
cially during a fourth quarter
that saw Joseph commit three
of its own four turnovers.
Echo pulled within 24-19,
and was driving for the lead,
but the Eagles stood tall when
it mattered. Joseph stopped
the Cougars near the goal line
in the closing minutes, and
Chase Duncan caught a pass from Tyler
Knapp and went 65 yards to the 2-yard line.
Caden Fent followed with a touchdown run
for the first score, and Enterprise rolled to a
48-14 win over Mohawk.
“Having Chase catch that energized our
team and set the tone for the entire game,”
Harman, who won his debut as EHS head
coach, said. “And then for our defense to
come back on the next series and give us
that ball back (by forcing a turnover), that is
the way to start a game.”
The offense didn’t let up, generating 442
yards on the day behind 275 yards passing
and four touchdowns from Knapp. The
defense, meanwhile, was solid, especially
although a safety followed,
the Eagles prevented the Cou-
gars from scoring again.
“I would just say the six
starters I have on defense,
there is no quit in them. They
were gassed. They were on
“I saw so many great things on Saturday that
I was pleased with,” Harman said.
“We did a great job controlling the line of
scrimmage,” he said.
Stewart, meanwhile, rushed for 131 yards
and two touchdowns. Duncan had 104 yards
receiving and a TD.
Enterprise, which has a road-heavy slate to
start the season, visits Imbler Sept. 9. The
Panthers, like the Outlaws, are coming off a
dominant opener, as they defeated Pilot Rock
44-8.
“They always have a great program. They’re
consistent,” Harman said. “I expect Imbler to
give us a tough game this week.”
— Ronald Bond, For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
the field most of the fourth
quarter,” Huff said, though
he noted the confidence they
exuded under fire. “They
were not going to let us lose
that game.”
Joseph aims for a second
win to open 2022 when it
hosts Harper on Sept. 9.
“If our defense can take
away the ball seven times,
I’m pretty comfortable with
how the season is going to
go,” Huff said.
Enterprise, Wallowa volleyball make strides at Dufur Classic
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
DUFUR — Enterprise
recovered from a challeng-
ing first weekend and saw
ample improvement in tak-
ing second at the Dufur
Classic on Sept. 2-3.
And the Outlaws did
so with a senior missing a
chunk of the action.
“Maci Marr, our captain
and senior starter, sprained
her ankle in about set three
of the day,” head coach
Lisa Farwell said. “That
was not an easy feat. The
rest of the girls stepped up.
We played some pretty darn
good volleyball, all things
considered.”
The Outlaws won their
pool to reach a matchup of
pool winners, where they
dropped two sets in the de
facto championship to South
Wasco County.
“We played some pretty
good volleyball in those two
(sets),” Farwell said.
And on the weekend,
Enterprise improved in the
two areas Farwell wanted
it to.
“Our top goal was
(improving) serve-receive,
which we did that, and our
second goal was maximiz-
ing our advantage on free
balls,” she said. “We did
that.”
Farwell
highlighted
Joana Tavares — a foreign
exchange student from Por-
tugal — Josi Coggins and
Bri Rouse among the play-
ers who elevated their play
over the weekend.
“I was pleased with their
mental toughness,” she said
of her team. “They kind of
pushed through. That is a big
thing in volleyball, so it was
good to see early in the sea-
son they have some of that.”
Wallowa also saw a
marked level of improve-
ment at the Dufur Clas-
sic, tying for first in its pool
after losses to Joseph and
Myrtle Point in the previous
two days.
“We had a really strong
pool on our side. All the
games were very very
close,” head coach Janea
Hulse said.
The Cougars went 4-2
in six sets — over three
pool matches — to tie for
first. South Wasco County
won the tiebreaker to reach
the final.
Hulse said the key for her
team was coming together
and deepening trust.
“You could see they were
relying on each other, trust-
ing each other, working as
a unit rather than individ-
ually,” she said. “We just
hadn’t put it all together yet
(in the first week). We saw
a lot of that this week, what
works for them and what
doesn’t work for them.”
Hulse noted the play of Zoe
Hermens, Sophie Moeller and
Libby Fisher, and of a fourth,
equally important player who
she said doesn’t get some of
the notice.
“Someone that I’ve seen
that is a total workhorse,
and you can guarantee is
going to give 110%, is
Cecilia April,” Hulse said.
“She gets lost in the wayside
because she doesn’t get the
kills, but she is so scrappy
and defensive. She works
really hard.”
Joseph won its lone
match of the week, easing
past Wallowa on Sept. 1 in
straight sets. The Eagles
have a matchup against
South Wasco County Sept. 9.
Wallowa visits Imbler and
Sherman Sept. 8 and 9, and
Enterprise visits Imbler and
Elgin Sept. 6 and 8.