A8 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
SPORTS
BAKER VOLLEYBALL
Bulldogs edge Pirates
in playoff thriller
Baker wins in
5 sets to advance
to Class 4A
quarterfi nals
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
In front of a large crowd in
the Baker gym on Homecom-
ing weekend, the Bulldogs
beat Marshfi eld in a thrilling
fi ve-set playoff match on Sat-
urday afternoon, Oct. 30.
The Bulldogs, who rallied
from an 8-6 defi cit in the deci-
sive fi fth set, which is played
to 15 points rather than 25,
advanced to the Class 4A
quarterfi nals.
And the home fans will get
another chance to watch their
team, as Baker (16-6) plays
host to Philomath (11-9) this
evening, Nov. 2, at 6 o’clock.
The winner advances to
the four-team state fi nals
Nov. 5-6 at Corvallis High
School.
“It feels great, I just hope
we continue to build on it,”
Baker junior co-captain
Jozie Ramos said after the
Bulldogs’ exciting win over
Marshfi eld (12-7).
After Baker lost its fi nal
regular-season match at
Pendleton on Oct. 25, coach
Ali Abrego focused on making
sure the Bulldogs responded
with a better performance in
the playoffs.
“The biggest thing you can
take away is either you rise
to the occasion or you don’t,
and if you don’t rise then
you regret it for a long time,”
Abrego said.
In the fi rst set against
Marshfi eld, neither team had
a lead of more than three
points, but Baker eventually
pulled away late to win 25-22.
Abrego said it was vital for
Baker to take an early lead.
“You have to set the tone,
especially when they are on
the west side of the state,
they haven’t seen us and we
haven’t seen them,” Abrego
said. “Coming out and being
hot in the fi rst set and setting
the tempo of the second set is
a rhythm we need to follow.”
Ramos said the win in
the fi rst set gave Baker
confi dence, and the Bulldogs
dominated the second set,
winning 25-14.
“It showed,” Ramos said.
But the Pirates from Coos
Bay, who traveled more than
450 miles for the match,
didn’t wilt under the pressure
of a 2-0 defi cit.
The Pirates handily won
both the third and fourth sets,
by scores of 25-15 and 25-16.
“It was just a mental thing
for us, we get into a bad habit
of when the score is tied we
start to panic,” Abrego said.
With the match going
to a decisive fi fth set, the
Marshfi eld fans rose to their
feet to cheer on the Pirates,
and the Baker fans respond-
ed in kind.
Ramos said it was an
electric environment.
“It really pumped up
the energy, it brought us all
invested in everyone in the
gym,” Ramos said.
Abrego said the fan en-
thusiasm is an incentive for
the players.
“The fans have to be
engaged, then we have to
be engaged,” she said. “I
thought they did a good job
of being able to give it all in
the last set.”
Seahawks snap
losing streak with
31-7 thumping of
Jacksonville
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker volleyball players celebrate after the fi nal
point of their fi ve-set playoff win over Marshfi eld on
Saturday, Oct. 30 in the Baker gym. From top left,
clockwise, Jozie Ramos, Macey Moore, Taylor Dalton,
Lacy Churchfi eld and Rylee Elms.
Baker hosts
Philomath
tonight
Crane ends Badgers’
season
The Powder Valley Bad-
gers ended their volleyball
season with a 24-10 record
after losing in three sets at
Crane on Saturday, Oct. 30.
The Mustangs avenged a
2-0 loss to Powder Valley
on Sept. 17.
The match will start
at 6 p.m. in the Baker
gym. Tickets are $8
for adults and $5 for
students; no season or
student passes will be
accepted.
Much like the fi rst set, the
fi nal set was close through-
out. After Marshfi eld took the
8-6 lead, Baker rallied to win
15-11.
Abrego said that at the
start of the season, she wrote
a list of goals on a white
board, including winning
the Baker tournament, the
Greater Oregon League and
making it to the Elite Eight.
The Bulldogs have accom-
plished all three goals.
“I really don’t have a word,
it was really, really fulfi lling
for me being a new coach
to a program when you’ve
done a lot of things different,
and they’re paying off which
is nice to see,” Abrego said.
“Seeing the girl’s reaction to
be able to check off that box ...
100 percent, I couldn’t ask for
anything better.”
Baker and Philomath
have one common opponent
this season — Burns.
Burns beat Philomath 2-1
at the Sisters tournament on
Sept. 18.
Baker played Burns twice,
beating the Hilanders 3-2 on
Sept. 7 in the Baker gym, and
losing 3-1 in the Powder Val-
ley tournament on Oct. 9.
SEATTLE — With the
possibility of their franchise
quarterback returning soon,
the Seattle Seahawks rallied
around the idea of winning
for Geno Smith.
For the fi rst time in years,
Smith walked off the fi eld
Sunday, Oct. 31 as a victori-
ous starting quarterback, and
he played a big part in ending
Seattle’s three-game skid.
“It’s a great day for Geno,
and he just deserves it,”
Seattle coach Pete Carroll
said. “He’s been such a great
Seahawk, and all of that.
He played his way to (win)
this game. Nobody gave
him nothing. He earned this
thing today.”
Smith ran for one score
and threw a pair of touch-
down passes to DK Metcalf,
and the Seahawks thumped
the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-7
to help stabilize a season
starting to spiral into trouble
for Seattle.
In what may be his fi nal
start while Russell Wilson
recovers from fi nger surgery,
Smith was terrifi c picking
apart the Jaguars defense
for one of the best perfor-
mances of his career. Smith
completed his fi rst 14 passes
for the longest streak to
start a game in the NFL this
season. He fi nished 20 of 24
for 195 yards, and his 83.3%
completion percentage was a
career best with at least 20
pass attempts.
Smith said he knew the
streak he was on before
throwing a pass attempt
away late in the fi rst half.
It was the fi rst game Smith
started and his team won
since 2016 in a game he
suffered a knee injury and
didn’t fi nish.
The last win Smith started
and fi nished was 2014.
“I’m out there just doing
my job,” Smith said.
While Tyler Lockett was
Smith’s favorite target, Met-
calf found the end zone. Met-
calf made a terrifi c leaping
grab over former teammate
Shaquill Griffi n in the second
quarter to give Seattle (3-5)
a 14-0 lead. Metcalf added a
5-yard TD reception early in
the third quarter.
Lockett fi nished with 12
catches for 142 yards, the
fourth time in his career with
at least 12 receptions.
“The more that Geno un-
derstands my game, the more
that I understand his game
it helps us to be able to fi nd
a middle ground and how we
can make each other success-
ful,” Lockett said.
Jacksonville (1-6) avoided
being shut out for only the
fourth time in franchise his-
tory in the regular season on
a short touchdown pass from
Trevor Lawrence to Jamal
Agnew with 1:49 remain-
ing. Lawrence fi nished 32
of 53 for 238 yards, and
his ninth interception this
season came when he clearly
expected Tavon Austin to run
a different route.
“We played like crap
today,” Lawrence said. “That’s
gonna happen every now and
then, but we can’t let this
happen again for sure.”
It didn’t help that Jackson-
ville played most of the fi nal
three quarters without star
running back James Robin-
son because of a bruised heel,
coach Urban Meyer said.
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PG 1,Common
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