WEDNESDAY May 27, 2015 STATE TRACK ATHLETES STRIKE GOLD The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union’s Garrett McConnell (5) safely reaches home as Burns loses control of the baseball. Prospectors wrangle with Rams State playoff Round 1 is in Regis By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Photos by Joshua Bessex/EO Media Group Grant Union’s Chelsie Kodesh competes in the 2A girls javelin throw at the State Championship event. .RUL3HQW]HU*DUUHWW+LW]DUHVWDWHFKDPSV By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle EUGENE – Athletes from three Grant County schools sailed to gold in WKHVWDWHWUDFNDQG¿HOGPHHW *UDQW8QLRQIUHVKPDQ.RUL3HQW]HU emerged as the girls long jump 2A VWDWHFKDPSLRQZLWKDOHDSRI DQG 3UDLULH &LW\ MXQLRU *DUUHWW +LW] claimed the boys 1A pole vault state FKDPSLRQVKLSVRDULQJ 0RQXPHQW VHQLRU 7UHLTXHOOD 2V ERUQH¿QLVKHGVHFRQGLQWKH$JLUOV ORQJMXPSDW In all, 10 Grant County athletes participated at last weekend’s OSAA Track and Field State Championships in Eugene. Monument’s Maya Thomas competes in the 1A girls 3,000-meter run at the State Championship meet. See PROS, Page B10 Grant Union “Our athletes did great at state, and we will have all back next year except Michael Ashmead,” said head coach 6RQQD 6PLWK ³:LWK RXU VPDOO QXP bers, we came away with sixth place for the women’s team – we will only DGGWRWKLVQH[W\HDUZLWKRXULQFRP ing freshmen.” 3HQW]HU DOVR SODFHG VHFRQG LQ WKH WULSOHMXPSZLWKDOHDSRIDQG VKHZDVVL[WKLQWKHPHWHUKXUGOHV Monument’s Emily Dailey clears the bar in the 1A girls DW )UHVKPDQ-R]LH5XGHKDGDIRXUWK high jump at the State Championship meet. SODFH ¿QLVK LQ VKRW SXW ZLWK D WKURZ RI±DVHDVRQUHFRUG6KHZDV DOVR ¿IWK LQ MDYHOLQ ZLWK D WKURZ RI DQGVL[WKLQSROHYDXOWDW 6RSKRPRUH &KHOVLH .RGHVK ¿Q ished fourth at state in javelin with a WKURZRI±DVHDVRQEHVW±DQG Prairie City’s Garrett Hitz clears the bar she was 11th in discus with a mark of during the 1A boys pole vault event at the State Championship meet. )RUWKHER\VVHQLRU0LFKDHO$VK PHDG ¿QLVKHG HLJKWK LQ ORQJ MXPS Garrett had to work at it ZLWKDVHDVRQUHFRUGOHDSRI Junior Andrew Copenhaver didn’t but after 15 vaults in all, place at state in pole vault, but had his with three attempts per VHDVRQEHVW IRRW YDXOW DW WKH 0D\ height, he became the GLVWULFWPHHW “ new 1A state champion.” Prairie City head coach Joe Weymouth See STATE, Page B10 JOHN DAY – The Grant Union Prospector baseball WHDP LV KHDGLQJ IRU LWV ¿UVW round state championship playoff game this Wednesday in Stayton. The Prospectors and the Regis High School Rams are scheduled to face off at 3 p.m. Grant Union head coach Brian Delaney said if his team SOD\VOLNHLWGLGDWWKHEHJLQ ning of the season, “we’ll be extra tough for anybody.” Rainy weather shut down DFRXSOHRIUHFHQWJDPHVLQ cluding one that got underway LQ%XUQVEHIRUHDGHOXJHVHW tled in. 7KH 3URVSHFWRUV DQG +L landers had a rematch last Thursday, this time at Malone Field in John Day. The two teams were tied at WKH WRS LQ OHDJXH DQG +LODQ der pitcher Ty Hueckman got the wins in the doubleheader to break the tie. “Ty threw a heck of a game DQGNHSWXVRIIEDODQFH´'HO aney said. “Burns is a good team, and they remind me of us in 2013.” Monument’s Treiquella Osborne competes in the 1A girls long jump event at the State Championship meet. Lady Pros lose tough district battle to Huskies By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle ELGIN – The Grant Union/ 'D\YLOOH3UDLULH&LW\/DG\3URV pectors ended their season last ZHHNDWWKHGLVWULFWVRIWEDOOSOD\ offs in Elgin. Grant Union had a good start to the May 20 game, scoring WKUHH LQ WKH ¿UVW LQQLQJ EXW WKH (OJLQ,PEOHU+XVNLHVZRQ Prospector pitcher Cody Jo Madden, who’d been ill for over a week, started the game. Head coach DeAnna Nash said Madden showed heart and pitched well for three innings. Natalie Stearns came in and See BATTLE, Page B10 GU middle school girls are tops in track Athletes step up in Pendleton, Baker meets By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY – The Grant Union middle school girls track team aimed high this year, resulting in a successful season. The girls won all their meets, at times up against larger schools. $WWKH0D\%DNHU0LG dle School Invitational, the *UDQW 8QLRQ JLUOV ¿QLVKHG ¿UVWZLWKDKHDGRI6XQ ridge, which scored 77, and La Grande, 62. ³7KH\¿QDOO\KDGWKHFRP petition they needed,” said Grant Union head middle school coach Elise Delgado. She added that even in the heat of the day, they still found the strength to compete well. “They all stepped up when race time came,” she said. She added the girls had, at that point in the season, also won all their previous meets E\DWOHDVWSRLQWV Delgado leads 28 girls and 13 boys on the team, which DOVRLQFOXGHVFRPSHWLWLYHDWK letes. “Several runners on the JLUOV WHDP FRQVLVWHQWO\ LP proved their marks and placed well at meets,” Delgado said. To highlight a few of the athletes achieving personal records this season: 6L[WKJUDGHU3DLJH3HQW]HU achieved her highest mark LQ WKH PHWHU GDVK DW WKH 0D\3HQGOHWRQ,QYLWDWLRQ DO ZLWK D WLPH RI +HU UHFRUGIRUGLVFXVZDV at the La Grande Meet on May 7. 6L[WKJUDGHU $EE\ /XVFR ZHQWIURPLQWKHOE shot put at the beginning of WKH VHDVRQ WR D SHUVRQDO UH FRUGRIDWWKH0D\ Baker Meet. See GU, Page B2 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Middle school runners take on a sprinting event at the April 7 small schools meet at Grant Union. From left: Monument’s Kyla Emerson, Dayville’s Courtney Nichols, Prairie City’s Rilee Emmel, and Grant Union’s Sierra Cates, Madi Spencer and Abby Lusco.