Blue Mountain Eagle
SPORTS
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
College
football
B1
WEDNESDAY
November 18, 2015
Saturday, Nov. 21
Oregon St.
Oregon State
Beavers vs.
Washington
Huskies in
Corvallis, 3
p.m.
Oregon
Oregon
Ducks vs.
USC Trojans
in Eugene,
12:30 p.m.
Oregon
delists
gray
wolves
West side wolves
still under federal
protection
Eagle photos by Angel Carpenter
Youth wrestling coach Mike Strong, back left, helps the athletes learn proper form in Monday’s practice at Grant Union.
By Eric Mortenson
Capital Press
SALEM — After nearly 11
hours of emotional testimony,
back and forth discussion and
two timeouts for legal advice
from a state attorney, the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Commission voted 4-2 Monday
to take gray wolves off the state
endangered species list.
In making the decision, com-
mission members agreed with an
ODFW staff appraisal that the
state’s wolves have expanded in
number and range to the point
that they no longer need protec-
tion under the state Endangered
Species Act.
Oregon’s wolves remain cov-
ered under the federal ESA in the
western two-thirds of the state,
and ODFW of¿ cials say the state
wolf management plan remains
in effect and will protect wolves
from illegal hunting.
The decision doesn’t close the
book on Oregon’s work to man-
age wolves. Some commission
members made it clear they pre-
ferred to delist wolves only in the
eastern third of the state, where
most of Oregon’s 82 con¿ rmed
wolves live, but were prevented
from doing so by language in the
state law.
Meanwhile, conservation groups
are expected to ¿ le a lawsuit over the
commission’s decision.
“I think that’s very likely,”
said Amaroq Weiss of the Center
for Biological Diversity. “I think
they’re in violation of the law.
They didn’t pay attention to the
science.”
Conservation groups believe
Oregon’s wolf population is too
small and too fragile to delist.
They point out wolves occupy
only 12 percent of their potential
territory.
Youth wrestlers learn
discipline, hard work
Athletes take 27 wins
at Pendleton Meet
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – The Grant County Wrestling Club
is in full swing, and their practice is paying off.
At the Pendleton Meet last weekend, which
included 400 participants, 12 Grant County wres-
tlers competed for 27 wins, nine losses and 16
pins.
Last Monday, about two dozen of the local
wrestlers started practice at Grant Union with
warm-up stretches, push-ups and sit-ups.
After a demonstration of wrestling moves by
coach Mike Strong, the athletes paired up and
went to work.
Strong has coached the wrestling club for
three years, and has help from several assistant
coaches, including Ty Parsons, Drew Knowles,
Mike Gast, Terry Harper, Zane Rookstool and
Mitch Wilson.
Other volunteers include Tobe Zweygardt,
Trevor Knowles, Steve Parsons, Rick Jensen,
Cindy Dougharity-Spencer and brother Jake and
Caleb Batease.
This season, 30 athletes are in the club, rang-
ing in age from 5 to12 years old.
“We have a great group of coaches, and with
that many young kids, we need a lot of coaches,”
Strong said.
He said his team, which is an Oregon Wres-
tling Association for Youth club, will attend ¿ ve
or six tournaments in Eastern Oregon during the
season.
Strong said he hopes the success the young
wrestlers gain in the program will carry over as
they continue on to junior high and high school.
“Our goal for the wrestlers in the club is to
learn discipline, respect, and most important, hard
work,” he said, adding their coaching centers on
fundamentals – “learning the basics and doing
them right.”
Taylor Parsons
Tatyn Harper
Age: 6
Division 2
Won: 1st Pendleton,
3rd Baker
Favorite move: Front
flip
See WOLVES, Page B8
Age: 7
Division 2
Won: 1st Pendleton,
1st Baker
Favorite move:
Fireman’s carry
Owen Parsons
Age: 5
Division 1
Won: 2nd Pendleton,
2nd Baker
Favorite move:
Windmill
Zeke Rookstool
Eli Wright
Age: 11
Division 4
Won: 2nd Baker
Favorite move: Single
leg
Tristan Clarry
Age: 7
Division 2
Won: 2nd Pendleton
Favorite move: “I like
to pin”
Age: 8
Division 2
Won: 3rd Pendleton,
3rd Baker
Favorite move: Double
leg
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Jonathon Gill
leads with high
aspirations
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Jonathon Gill
PRAIRIE CITY – “One
team, one family, one love –
Prairie City!”
That’s the new motto for
Prairie City’s basketball team,
said new head coach Jonathon
Gill.
Gill, who was an assistant
coach for the Panthers last year,
said he’s wants to establish a
winning mentality and involve
the fans.
“We want to galvanize the
community and get them behind
the kids,” he said.
“This is a blue collar team
that works hard, and reÀ ects the
environment of the community,
and they can outwork their op-
ponents,” he added.
Gill is from Mobile, Ala.,
and has lived in Canyon City for
two years.
This is his ¿ rst year coach-
ing, and last year was his ¿ rst
year as an assistant coach to
Mark Woodbury.
Gill said he’s played basket-
ball throughout his life, and his
experience includes playing on
the high school team, and he
was a Division 1 player at Uni-
versity of Alabama his freshman
year of college.
He gave up college ball to
pursue his career as a civil en-
gineer.
“It’s going to be a learning
curve for me this year, but I’m
dedicated and very passionate,”
he said. “I eat, sleep and live
basketball.”
The coach said he’s optimis-
tic this season, and is happy to
have some key players back on
the court, including team captain
Garrett Hitz, Ethan Camarena,
Brandon Gillihan and Dorran
Wilson.
“Our expectations are high,”
he said. “Our ultimate goal is es-
tablishing these kids to be young
men.
He said he and assistant
coach Bob Hassmiller want to
prepare the athletes to be suc-
cessful in their families, com-
munity and as students.
“We want to give them
tools,” he said.
Although he plans to take it
a day at a time, and look for im-
provement as the season moves
along, Gill said his expectations
are high.
“I’m a competitive guy, our
aspirations are the best – state
championship,” he said.
The Panthers, in the 1A-8
High Desert League, have
scheduled their ¿ rst varsity
game for Friday, Dec. 4, host-
ing the Redmond junior varsity
at 6:30 p.m., following the girls
game. They also host Burnt Riv-
er Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m.
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