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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2015)
B2 Sports Blue Mountain Eagle DANCE Continued from Page B1 Astoria, which claimed the championship title with a score of 75.56. Finishing out the rankings were: Santiam (3rd), Banks (4th), Sweet Home (5th), Ban- don (6th), Portland Lutheran (7th) and Seaside (8th). This year’s Gold included seniors Carli Gardner, Amy Lallatin, Lucrezia Noseda, Auna Waldner, Jenny McCloskey, and manager Charli Bowden. “Everything came togeth- er – our costumes, the music, the choreography all matched,” said Waldner, who has learned dance from Adair since she was a young girl. She said she was pleased with the way the team bonded. “We’re all friends on the team,” she said. She added that this year’s state competition routine was her all-time favorite, and mak- ing it even more meaningful, each dancer contributed to the choreography. Taking a major role in the choreography with coach Adair were Waldner, Reannah Lem- ons, Mackenzie Woodcock and 2014 graduate Hannah An- drews. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better season,” Waldner VDLG³,WZDVDJUHDWZD\WR¿Q- ish off my senior year.” Lallatin said the team worked hard this year. “I’m glad that everything paid off well,” she said. “It’s been a fun season, and I love the team very much.” “This is such an excellent group,” Adair said. “They’re a very diverse group from dif- ferent backgrounds, yet they worked well together as a team ±LWZDVGH¿QLWHO\DWHDPHIIRUW´ Contributed photo/Cindy Dougharity-Spencer Grant Union Gold dancers, from left, Auna Waldner, Serena Pace Rebecca Batease, Lucrezia Noseda and Mackenzie Woodcock compete with their team at the state championships in Portland. PROS The Grant Union Prospectors break out of their after- game huddle to high-five their opponents, the Pilot Rock/ Nixyaawii Rockets. Continued from Page B1 The tie sent the game into extra innings. Taking the mound in the eighth, Zack Dieter, Win- ters and Copenhaver kept the Rockets at bay. The Prospectors sealed the win in the bottom of the inning when Young singled to second base, scoring Dieter. Brady Burch and Young The Eagle Angel Carpenter GU Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm 541-575-1113 24 hrs/7 days wk debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com EST. Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Continued from Page B1 “My coaches always taught me to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself, meaning \RXUWHDPFRPHV¿UVWDQGVKRZ- ing up for practice every single day,” he said. “That’s the kind of 1883 SILVIES VALLEY RANCH Open to Grant and Harney County Students. Postmark deadline is April 1, 2015 Applications are available from your school’s guidance counselor or online at www.silviesvalleyranch.com 10-12 work ethic that you try to teach kids.” Another important part of Sharp’s program is the time team members spend together bonding and developing friendships. He said the teams’ annual tra- ditions include a visit to the Crane Hot Springs when they play the Mustangs, a trip to see a Univer- sity of Oregon Ducks game, the 6LVWHUV7RXUQDPHQWDQGWKH¿QD- le, the Seaside Tournament. “The kids are making a huge VDFUL¿FH DQG ZKHQ \RX ZRUN hard, you’re rewarded,” he said. Sharp said he’s only as good as his support staff and parents. “I would like to thank the peo- ple who supported our team, and the girls for their dedication and hard work, and coming to practice – it was a big commitment they made,” he said. “We had a couple fundraisers, and the girls had to work hard – they didn’t get any- thing handed out to them.” had two RBIs each, and Grant Union overall had 12 hits to the Rockets’ six. Dieter took the mound for a OLWWOHRYHU¿YHLQQLQJVDQGKDG ¿UVW SLWFK VWULNHV DQG IRXU strikeouts. “They’re just a bunch of gritty guys who like to play for each other – not for them- selves,” Delaney said. “They don’t know how to quit. We have a lot to work on still, but if they can grind these games out and wear down pitchers, they’ll do well.” He added, the Rockets are “a talented, quality team.” The Pros had a 6-7 loss in Culver last Friday, the coach attributing the result mainly to ¿UVWJDPHQHUYHV Grant Union hosts the Les Schwab Icebreaker Tourna- ment this Thursday-Saturday and will play the winner of Country Christian vs. Oakland at 11 a.m. Friday. The Prospec- tors also will hold heir annual fundraiser dinner and auction at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Grant Union. Junior varsity girls With no freshman girls team at Grant Union this year, coach Lisa Weigum’s junior varsity group had 10 freshmen, two sophomores and two juniors. “Overall, based on the win- loss ratio, we had a successful season, but more importantly, I think our success could be de- ¿QHGE\GHYHORSPHQW´VKHVDLG She noted her team sees a higher level of competition, and it’s not uncommon for them to be up against seniors. “It’s about development for the future and preparing them to play at the varsity level, which ,¶PYHU\FRQ¿GHQWLQ±,¶PFRQ- ¿GHQWLQZKDWWKHIXWXUHRI*UDQW Union varsity basketball pro- gram holds.” This season the girls held a 10-5 overall record and were 7-5 in league. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the kids,” Weigum said. “I appreciated their positive at- titudes and their work ethic and commitment to the sport – it was a great group of girls this year.” Weigum, also assistant coach for the varsity girls team with head coach Mark Mosley, said she’s proud of what that team ac- complished this year – making it WRWKH¿UVWURXQGRIVWDWHSOD\RIIV ³,WZDVWKH¿UVWWLPHLQVHYHQ years to get to the state playoffs,” she said. “Mark did a great job, and Doug does a great job preparing the girls,” she said. “They’re great coaches, and we’re on our way to building a successful program.” Junior high and junior varsity boys Coaching the junior high sev- enth-grade and combined sev- enth- and eighth-grade teams this year was Kelly Stokes who also assisted Casey Hallgarth in coach- ing the junior varsity boys. Stokes said the younger teams worked through injuries and faced tough competition in club basket- ball tournament but ended with a winning season overall during the interscholastic basketball season, showing great improvement. Besides training his team in the fundamentals of basketball, Stokes said he tries to teach them the importance of family and friends, respect for others, keeping their composure in stressful times, preparing them for the next level in high school basketball. “It was a fun season, and they’re a great group of kids,” he said. “They’re going to do well, as long as they keep playing togeth- er.” He said the junior varsity boys played hard also, and with a lot of heart. “It’s nice seeing the kids af- ter coaching them at a younger level, and watch how much they improve, each at different in- crements, as they become great young men,” he said. He hopes they’re now ready for the next level of basketball. “I anticipate them doing well, competing at districts and even at state over the next several years – with this year’s junior high group, maybe even further,” he said. 10