SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
SPORTS
BAKER BOYS SOCCER
Pioneers blank Bulldogs
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker junior Jozie Ramos makes a pass during the Bulldogs’ match against La
Grande on Thursday, Oct. 7 in the Baker gym. Teammate Campbell Vanderwiele
is at left.
Baker holds
off La Grande
 Tigers win third
set, but Bulldogs
run winning
streak to 11
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Sophomore goalkeeper Noah Lien
played most of the game after senior
Silas Carter suffered a nose injury
midway through the first half on
Thursday, Oct. 7 at the Baker Sports
Complex.
With games against La Grande and On-
tario still left on the schedule, Benites wants
the team to focus on its next opponent and
not worry about the past.
“We are just going to have to be ready,
pass the ball better, got to move and create
opportunities and take advantage of that,”
Benites said.
Baker will host La Grande on Wednesday,
Oct. 13 at 5 p.m.
BAKER GIRLS SOCCER
Baker girls tie with Mac-Hi
Layton said. “Teams were like
throwing haymakers with
shots, breakaways and free
The Baker girls soccer
balls, it was good stuff.”
team took an early lead and
Baker came into the game
then rallied late to forge a tie
with Mac-Hi on Tuesday, Oct. with a 2-7 record, while the
Pioneers were 6-3.
5 at Milton-Freewater.
The Bulldogs took an early
Baker coach Eric Layton
said the end of the match was lead on a deflection, but the
Pioneers scored two straight
dramatic.
goals, the second early in the
“The last eight minutes
second half, to take a 2-1 lead.
was the most exciting soccer
Baker, which had more
we had, it was back and forth,”
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
With the Baker gym
draped in pink for “Pink
Night,” a fundraiser for
the Billie Ruth Bootsma
Foundation, and a raucous
crowd in the stands, the
Baker volleyball team ran
its winning streak to 11
matches with a hard-fought
four-set win over La Grande
Thursday evening, Oct. 7.
The Bulldogs, ranked
fourth in the Class 4A
ranks, lost their first set
in almost a month, as the
Tigers rallied from a 2-0
deficit to win the third set,
27-25.
Baker then prevailed 25-
20 in the fourth set to close
out the Tigers (4-4).
For senior night, along
with statistician Sydnee
Hallet, Lacy Churchfield
was honored prior to the
opening serve.
During her four years in
the program, Churchfield
said she doesn’t remember
defeating the Tigers, so
Thursday’s match, besides
being her last league match
on the home court, had
added incentive.
“We were excited, but
definitely nervous, more so
me,” Churchfield said. “We
were definitely excited to
play our rivals ... to have
some competition.”
Baker won the first two
sets, but neither was a run-
away, with scores of 25-23
and 25-20.
Baker coach Ali Abrego
said Baker relied on good
communication and ball
placement to take the
2-0 lead.
“That’s exactly what
we want, we want to start
strong and finish strong,
and the thing about us is
we have to figure out a way
to channel that throughout
every set and we knew that
Engulfed at times by a dust cloud whipped
across the Baker Sports Complex by an
autumn wind, the Baker boys soccer team
was unable to fend off the Mac-Hi Pioneers
Thursday afternoon, Oct. 7.
The Pioneers (6-2) shut out Baker, 8-0.
Knowing the offensive firepower Mac-Hi
would bring, Baker coach Victor Benites
implemented a different defensive formation
than the Bulldogs usually employ.
“Honestly I knew that Mac-Hi was going
to be a hard team to beat, so we tried to focus
on more of a defensive game,” Benites said.
The Pioneers started off with three goals
early in the first half, when Baker senior
goalkeeper Silas Carter suffered a nose
injury that kept him on the bench the rest
of the game. Coming in to reprieve him was
sophomore Noah Lien, who Benites was
excited to see get more varsity experience.
“He (Lien) did a really good job, of course
they got some goals but I thought he did re-
ally well,” Benites said.
Mac-Hi led 5-0 at halftime.
Benites exhorted his team to be more ag-
gressive in the second half, and the Bulldogs
did get more shots. But none found the net.
“Early in the second half we had some
pretty good shots,” Benites said.
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker volleyball players huddle during their four-set
win over La Grande on Thursday, Oct. 7 in the Baker
gym. Facing the camera, in the center, is Rylee Elms.
Clockwise are Jozie Ramos, Macey Moore, Ryann
Paulsen, Taylor Dalton and Lacy Churchfield.
this was going to be a battle
so maintaining our energy
was going to be a struggle,”
Abrego said.
Baker also led for much
of the third set, by as many
five points before the Tigers
rallied late.
Baker hadn’t lost a set
since the championship
match against Grant Union
at the Baker tournament on
Sept. 10.
“Going up against La
Grande it’s more of a mental
thing and that showed in
set three when we lost, we
were not mentally sound
and we did not trust each
other enough to be de-
finitive in our decisions,”
Abrego said.
Going into the fourth
set, Abrego pushed for her
team to focus on the task at
hand, and that resonated
with Churchfield and her
teammates.
“She (Abrego) was just
saying to us to calm down,
be ourselves, play our game
and not play down to their
level,” Churchfield said.
“Go in there with confi-
dence and don’t go in there
complacent.”
With the win over La
Grande, which was 2-0
in the Greater Oregon
League play, Baker, with a
4-0 league record, is in sole
possession of first place.
But Abrego is already
thinking about the next
tasks for her team.
“It’s a lot to think about
tonight, a win is great but
we got to figure out how
to piece it together all the
time, making sure we take
not the ending of the sea-
son but the beginning of a
postseason,” Abrego said.
Churchfield is excited
to keep playing hard with
her teammates, pushing
forward in the remainder
of the season.
She hopes to return to
the Baker gym for a playoff
match.
“I don’t think this
will be my last (match
on my home court), if we
win league we get home
court and this wasn’t my
last game, I still get to go
on from there,” Church-
field said.
The Bulldogs are set to
compete today at the Pow-
der Valley tournament.
Stafford, Rams beat
Seahawks, 26-17
a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Tyler Higbee late in the third
quarter to give the Rams a
SEATTLE — Matthew
16-7 lead. Stafford hit DeSean
Stafford was able to manage
the discomfort with the finger Jackson for 68 yards earlier in
on his throwing hand and pick the quarter on third-and-10
that led to Darrell Hender-
apart the Seattle Seahawks’
beleaguered defense.
son’s 5-yard run that gave Los
Meanwhile, Russell Wilson Angeles its first lead of the
was left as a spectator. His
game.
own finger injury was too
And after Seattle (2-3)
severe for the Seattle’s star
pulled to 16-14 in the fourth
quarterback to continue
quarter, Stafford was 4 of 4
against the division rival.
for 71 yards on the ensuing
“It was just a little bit out drive leading to Sony Michel’s
of place and was able to put
2-yard touchdown run with
it back in and keep going,”
6:08 remaining.
Stafford said. “It didn’t affect
Robert Woods had 12
me too much, to be honest
catches for 150 yards and
with you.”
the Rams won their second
Stafford seemed just fine,
straight in Seattle after last
throwing for 365 yards and
January’s playoff victory over
a touchdown and the Rams
the Seahawks.
beat the Seahawks 26-17 on
“He was big when we
Thursday night, Oct. 7 in a
were backed up, made some
game Wilson left in the second explosive plays,” Stafford said
half with the finger injury on about Woods. “He played great
his throwing hand.
tonight.”
Wilson missed significant
The Rams finished with
game time due to injury for
476 yards of offense, the most
the first time after injur-
they’ve amassed in their last
20 games since Week 3 vs
ing the middle finger on his
Buffalo in 2020 when they had
throwing hand. Wilson was
478. It’s also their third-big-
hurt by contact on a follow
through midway through the gest offensive game in the last
third quarter. He attempted
two calendar years since Week
to direct one more drive before 5 at Seattle in 2019 when they
turning the game over to
posted 477 yards.
backup Geno Smith.
Seattle pulled to 23-17 on
Seattle coach Pete Carroll Jason Myers’ field goal from
said it was a “badly sprained
32 yards with 2:45 left. Se-
finger,” and that further tests attle forced a quick punt after
would be coming.
Carlos Dunlap batting down
“He wasn’t able to hold
Stafford’s third-down pass.
on to the football the way he
But Smith couldn’t lead a
needed to to throw,” Carroll
storybook final drive, with his
said.
first pass intercepted by Nick
Held to just three points in Scott as Tyler Lockett tripped
the first half for only the fifth making his break. Smith was
HUNTING
PHOTO
time in the regular
season CONTEST
10 of 17 for 131 yards in the
under Sean McVay, the Rams fourth quarter.
(4-1) woke up in the final 30
“I really thought we had
minutes and rebounded from a chance and I thought we
their first loss of the season
were going to come back and
last Sunday to Arizona.
get it done. Unfortunately, we
Stafford said his finger
didn’t,” Smith said.
first started bothering him
Smith was needed because
in the second quarter, but
Wilson’s fingers hit Aaron
was manageable. He threw
Donald’s arm on the follow
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Associated Press
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than 25 shots on goal, includ-
ing 10 by junior Sydnee Pierce,
kept the pressure on.
And with eight minutes
left, sophomore Skye Smith
found the net to tie the match
at 2.
Neither team could break
the deadlock before the final
whistle sounded.
Baker travels to La Grande
on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to take on
the Tigers at 5 p.m.
through of a pass that nearly
went for a touchdown but was
slightly overthrown midway
through the third quarter.
Wilson remained in for one
more series and attempted
one pass. He was sacked on
third-and-5 by Donald, No.
88½ of his career setting a
new franchise record — al-
though the Rams records don’t
include Deacon Jones as sacks
weren’t an official stat when
he played. Wilson never took
another snap and finished 11
of 16 for 152 yards, one touch-
down and his first interception
of the season.
“It felt good and it’s a
blessing. It’s even better when
you can accomplish some-
thing like that coming off a
divisional win,” Donald said
of the record.
Smith entered with
Seattle backed up at its own
2. Since arriving in Seattle at
the start of the 2019 season,
Smith had thrown a total of
five passes, all of them com-
ing in a blowout win over the
Jets last season.
On his first drive, Smith
was perfect. He was 5 of 5 for
72 yards, the last a 23-yard
strike to DK Metcalf for his
second touchdown of the game
with 9:23 remaining to pull
Seattle to 16-14.
Key penalty
Seattle appeared to take a
14-3 lead at the end of the first
half but a 15-yard touchdown
pass to Lockett was called
back on a holding penalty
against Duane Brown. Jason
Myers then missed a 35-yard
field goal and the Seahawks
had to settle for a 7-3 halftime
advantage.
Injuries
Rams CB Darious Williams
suffered an ankle injury in the
fourth quarter and did not re-
turn. ... Seattle played without
starting RB Chris Carson due
to a neck issue.