SPORTS
SCHEDULE
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Football
WEDNESDAY
September 16, 2015
Friday, Sept. 18
• Prairie City @ North
Lake in North Lake, 2 p.m.
• Grant
Union @
6tanÀ eOG in
6tanÀ eOG,
7 p.m.
Dayville/Monument
Saturday, Sept. 19
• Day/Mon @ Joseph
in Baker, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17
By Angel Carpenter
Grant Union
Blue Mountain Eagle
• Grant Union @ (OJin
in (OJin, p.m.
Friday, Sept. 18
Prairie City
• Ukiah/LonJ Creek @
Burnt River
in Unity,
Noon
• Prairie City
@ North
Lake in
North Lake, 2 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 19
• Day/Mon, Prairie City
GU @ 2OG 2reJon/+iJh
Desert LeaJue 7ourney
in Baker, 8 a.m.
Cross Country
Long Creek
Friday, Sept. 18
• Grant Union, Monument @
Enterprise
Invitation-
aO, $Opine
MeaGoZs in
Enterprise,
1:45 p.m.
(varsity)
TOP-RANKED GU TEAM
SETS GOALS HIGH
Pros bring state
experience to
volleyball season
Volleyball
• Day/Mon
@ Crane
in Crane,
5 p.m.
B1
Panthers
¿ nish
week 2-2
in matches
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
UNITY – The Prairie City
Panther volleyball team kept a
busy schedule last week, end-
ing with two wins and two loss-
es.
“All of our matches have
been close with ups and
downs,” said head coach
Louanne Zweygardt. “All three
teams we played on the week-
end had a lot of hustle, and the
ball rarely hit the floor.”
The competition started
with a match against the Grant
Union junior varsity team which
the Panthers lost, 2-3 (18-25, 26-
24, 19-25, 27-25 and 9-15).
Prairie City defeated Pine
Eagle in Unity last Friday, 3-2
(17-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-14 and
15-9).
The victory was followed by
a win and a loss at the Arling-
ton Tournament where they beat
Arlington 3-2 (25-16, 22-25,
15-25, 25-16, 16-14) and lost to
Damascus Christian 1-3 (13-25,
26-24, 19-25 and 16-25).
“We struggled a little with
staying up in intensity, especially
on Saturday in the heat of the af-
ternoon,” coach Zweygardt said.
Highlighting last week’s suc-
cesses, the coach said, “Our
serving is improving with Cassie
Hire serving four aces against
Pine Eagle and five against
Arlington. Amaya Zweygardt
served 100 percent Saturday and
MaKenzie Jones 100 percent
against Pine Eagle.”
The Panthers now prepare for
a road trip to Silver Lake where
they’ll face the North Lake Cow-
boys at 3 p.m., Friday.
“We will be looking forward
to getting our team healthy and
ready,” coach Zweygardt said.
JOHN DAY – The volleyball
season has rolled out and the 2A Grant
Union Prospectors, three weeks into it,
have a good handle on the competition.
Grant Union is on a nine-game win
streak, even toppling talented 4A teams,
but still, head coach Shae Speth is keep-
ing her feet on the ground.
“Although a few teams in our league
graduated some key players, we play
in a league where any team can beat
another on any given night,” she said.
“We can’t underestimate anyone.”
Speth is in her ninth year with the
Grant Union program, seventh as head
coach.
The Prospectors are starting the
year with memories of last season’s trip
to the state championship ¿ nal game in
Redmond.
They entered the state tournament
ranked 13th, but were seeded 12th, due
to a higher-ranking team not making
the top 16.
Grant Union went on a roll, ¿ nish-
ing second at the ¿ nal game to league
foe Burns.
,t was their ¿ rst second-place ¿ nish
in at least 12 years – it’s been 25 since
they won the championship, when
coach Speth was on the team.
“After placing second in state last
year, we want to get back to that cham-
pionship game,” Speth said. “Losing
that game left a bitter taste. The girls
weren’t just happy to have made it that
far last year, they wanted to win.”
The coach said her team has be-
come more offensive-minded the past
few seasons, while continuing to keep
a defensive focus.
“This is the best offensive team I
have coached,” she said. “Physically
and skill-wise, this team is strong. The
mental game is something that we will
always continue to work on – we can
always be tougher in that regard.”
While the team graduated four se-
niors who were all active on the court,
there are ¿ ve seniors this year, as well
as some returning younger, gifted play-
ers.
The Prospectors have six returning
starters, including sophomore Mariah
Moulton, sophomore Kori Pentzer, se-
nior Rheanna Cartner, junior Chelsie
Kodesh and junior Heather Mosley, as
well as senior Samantha Brock who
shared time on the court last year.
Team captains are Cartner, Pentzer
and senior Kenzie Wilson.
Pentzer and Moulton lead the team
at the outside hitter position, Speth said,
with Cartner as setter, Kodesh as libero,
Mosley and Wilson as middle blockers
and Brock as opposite.
She added Jocelynn Smith, a senior,
is a talented utility player, and senior
Taylor McCluskey sees time as setter
and serving specialist.
Grant Union’s program also has
two junior varsity teams with 27 girls
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Prospector senior Kenzie Wilson is in hitting position during the Grant Union Invitational earlier
this season.
G RANT U NION S ENIOR P LAYERS
Samantha
Brock
Kenzie
Wilson
Rheanna
Cartner
Jocelynn
Smith
Taylor
McCluskey
Lady Pros continue winning ways
Lady Prospectors started off a successful week with their ¿ rst league win
at home, a 3-0 victory over the Imbler Panthers.
“We had a great team performance for our ¿ rst league match,” said head
coach Shae Speth. “We focused on that goal and executed pretty well on
serve-receive – this was one of our best passing matches of the season so far.”
The Prospectors traveled to the North Marion Tournament last Saturday,
competing, their second year there, against 4A and 5A schools.
Speth said their play started with a lack focus and too many errors – but
Grant Union bounced back to win the championship game against Sutherlin,
3-1 with scores of 25-12, 16-25, 29-27, 25-7.
“We had a big letdown in the second set while Sutherlin picked up their
level of play,” Speth said. “In the third set, we were down 12-21 before mak-
ing a big run behind tough serving from Kenzie Wilson. We were able to hold
off a few set points before coming up with the win ourselves.”
Speth continued, “In the fourth set, we came out strong and Kori Pentzer
had a huge serving run giving us a commanding win. I am so very proud of
the girls for coming away with another tournament championship.”
Grant Union now takes to the road with a game in Elgin at 6 p.m. Thursday
and a tournament in Baker on Friday.
total, including varsity.
Rhonda McCumber coaches JV,
Shanna Northway coaches JV2, and
Steve Speth is varsity assistant.
This year’s Wapiti League compe-
tition includes: Union, Cove, Burns,
Imbler, Elgin and Enterprise.
Currently, Grant Union (9-0) is
ranked No. 1 for OSAA 2A teams in
the state, and Burns (8-1) is ranked No.
4.
“They have a lot of offensive weap-
ons, and don’t make a lot of mistakes,”
Speth said of Burns. “We’ll have to
play our best in order to beat them.”
She added her players have set high
goals for themselves, and there are out-
side expectations this year as well.
She believes the team is up to the
task of handling the pressure.
Experience is lending con¿ dence.
Spring and summer were spent fo-
cusing on fundamentals, with lots of
time in the gym.
“This is a highly competitive group
of girls, and it is tough competition ev-
ery day in practice – that all makes our
team stronger,” she said.
Seniors talked about their team’s
performance and outlook for the sea-
son.
McCluskey said they use “co-ope-
tition” in practice.
“We’re all competing in order to
help everybody increase their skills,”
she said. “Since we made it to the state
championship game last year, we have
to work harder to make sure we get
there again.”
She added, “We’ve come together
as a family and a team to make sure
that not only we, ourselves, get better,
but the entire team.”
Brock said the family aspect of
their team is something she enjoys the
most.
“We’re really strong with the pos-
itivity and energy on the court,” she
said.
Wilson agreed, adding, “Our
chemistry is strong, and we’re ¿ ghting
our way back to the state champion-
ship game.”
Cartner said the team has a “good
sense of family.”
“I love the intensity and the lev-
el of play we have on the court,” she
said.
“I think we’ve realized how much
potential we really have after last
year,” Smith said. “I like how compet-
itive and also how supportive we are
to each other.”
Lady Tigers rally for win over Honkers Two schools take on mud
at XC Scamper course
Team travels to Crane
Thursday, Baker Saturday
Mark Thomas
takes second
for junior high
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
MONUMENT – The Dayville/Monu-
ment Tigers enjoyed a home victory over
Arlington last Friday at the Monument
court.
The Lady Tigers won, 3-0, in a hard-
fought battle.
“They came ready to play the game,
and it de¿ nitely showed,” said head coach
Tiffnie Schmadeka. “All the girls put their
hearts into this game and were very fo-
cused.”
The team won the ¿ rst set 25-21, and
when they were down 19-24 in the second
set, held on and rallied for a 27-25 win.
“This was a great boost for our ladies
to help us push through the third set with
con¿ dence,” the coach said.
She said the team made tough serves
and passed well.
“Ravyn Walker, our libero, played
amazing and had great digs to keep us in
the match,” Schmadeka said. “The girls
were hitting the À oor for every ball and
had some great saves – all the girls hustled
and had a fun day of volleyball.”
She said the Tigers would be working
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Contributed photo/Skip Inscore
Dayville/Monument Tiger Emma
Hettinga (3) faces an Arlington
opponent at the net with teammates
Kendall Hettinga (2) and Skylar
Powell (8) in the action.
hard in practice this week, preparing to
face Crane at the Mustang home court at
5 p.m. Thursday for both teams’ league
opener.
“The girls are ready to play tough and
get a win to start off league play,” the
coach said.
Her assistant coach is Kristi Emerson.
The Tigers then travel to Baker on
Saturday for a tournament and another
chance to match up with league teams.
“I’m very proud of our team,”
Schmadeka said.
Contributed photo/Maria Thomas
Monument
cross
CATHERINE
CREEK country runners Dinorha
– Cross country teams from Vidrio Landin and Maya
Grant Union and Monument Thomas.
schools enjoyed a mudfest at
last Friday’s 39th Annual Cath-
erine Creek Scamper.
Monument coach Chuck
Thomas said one mud bog in
particular is known for hanging
onto the competitors’ shoes.
This year, Maya Thomas is
the sole varsity runner for Mon-
ument with Dinorha Vidrio
Landin running junior varsity.
Among the coach’s junior
high athletes running in the
Scamper was seventh-grader
Mark Thomas who placed sec-
ond out of 108 sixth- through
eighth-grade runners.
The week before, the junior
high runner had a ¿ rst-place ¿ n-
ish at the Runner Soul XC Fest
in Hermiston for his age group.
Grant Union head coach
Sonna Smith said she has a full
boys varsity team this year.
“They ran hard at Catherine
Creek, and I expect their times
to drop at Enterprise this Friday
as the Scamper has many obsta-
cles to slow runners down,” she
said.
Grant Union will host a river
run in the near future with de-
tails in the works.
The two schools will com-
pete at the Enterprise Invitation-
al Friday with varsity beginning
at 1:45 p.m.