A10
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
WEDNESDAY
November 23, 2016
Stepping into the spotlight
New coach leads
Grant Union
Gold dancers
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
New head coach Kattie
Piazza is leading the Grant
Union Gold dance team this
year.
She was an assistant to
outgoing coach Shannon
Adair last year, and also led
the elite junior high Plati-
num, a competition team, as
well as the junior high Gem-
stones.
Piazza’s dancing interest
began in a ballet studio, from
Grant Union dance schedule
Dec. 1: Holiday Showcase at Grant Union at 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 2: Holiday Showcase at Grant Union at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 27-28: Canby competition at 10 a.m.
Feb. 10-11: South Albany competition at 10 a.m.
Feb. 25: Pendleton competition, TBD
March 3-4: Thurston competition at 10 a.m.
March 10: Spring Showcase at Grant Union at 7 p.m.
March 16-17: State dance competition, TBD
ages 3-7. She was self-taught
until she joined the Grant
Union Gold team, where she
participated through her high
school years with Adair as her
coach.
While attending college,
Piazza took dance classes and
was a varsity cheerleader. She
also had dance as her talent
when entering Miss America
pageants.
Last Thursday, Piazza and
her team of 10 were practicing
at the American Legion Hall,
preparing a big band swing
routine for next week’s Holi-
day Showcase.
The event, which includes
dancers from age 4 through
18, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, Dec.
1-2, at Grant Union. The cost
is one canned-food item and
$5 presale or $7 at the door.
As soon as the show is
over, the team will switch fo-
cus to state competition. The
team has a “lyrical and fl ow-
ing” routine, with roots in bal-
let, planned.
Piazza said she is encour-
aged by some changes that
have been made to the way
state scoring will happen this
year.
See DANCERS, Page A11
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Gold dancers, senior Reannah
Lemons, front, and Dana Schajor, kick high during
practice last Thursday.
PROS PRIMED
Young, yet experienced, Grant Union team ready to take on season
Boys team led
by coach Kelsy
Wright this year
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
T
he Grant Union boys
varsity
basketball
team is gearing up
for the season with new head
coach Kelsy Wright.
Wright was previously as-
sistant coach for Steve Speth
for nine years, working with
the Grant Union varsity boys.
He also coached youth bas-
ketball one year.
Wright now is taking the
lead, and Speth is assisting
along with Brandon Culley
and Kelly Stokes.
The Prospectors have four
returning players with varsi-
ty experience, juniors Zack
Deiter, Duane Stokes, Cauy
Weaver and Ty McDaniel.
Wade Reimers, who also
played varsity last year, is ex-
pected to be out for the season
due to an injury.
There are seven freshmen
joining this year’s squad,
along with two sophomores,
four juniors and one senior.
The coach said, although
this year’s team is young,
they’re not lacking in talent.
Jack Gentis
“We do have a lot of expe-
rience out of our juniors, and
they’re becoming role models
for the younger players,” he
said.
Grant Union’s opponents
in the 2A Wapiti League in-
clude Imbler, Union, Elgin
and Enterprise.
Last year, the team fell just
short of advancing to the state
championships, falling 56-50
to Imbler and 46-44 to Union,
in physical games at the dis-
trict tournament.
Wright said his team will
be competitive this season,
and he expects Imbler to be
their toughest opponents.
“We have the goal of
league champions, and to
make it to the state tourna-
ment,” Wright said.
See PROS, Page A11
Grant Union boys basketball
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Kellen Shelley goes up for a shot in practice as Jacob Vaughan reaches out.
Dec. 2-3: @ Sherman tournament, TBD
Dec. 8-10: @ Umatilla tournament, 2 p.m. Dec. 8
Dec. 13: vs. Burns, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Dec. 16: vs. Irrigon, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Dec. 17: vs. Heppner, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Dec. 21-23: @ Nyssa tournament, TBD
Jan. 7: @ Lakeview, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Jan. 10: @ Burns, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Jan. 13: @ Elgin, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Jan. 14: vs. Union, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Jan. 20: @ Imbler, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Jan. 24: @ Baker, 6:30 p.m. (girls, 5 p.m.)
Jan. 27: vs. Enterprise, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Jan. 28: vs. Elgin, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Jan. 31: vs. Baker, 6:30 p.m. (girls, 5 p.m.)
Feb. 3: @ Union, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Feb. 4: vs. Imbler, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Feb. 7: vs. Crane, 7:30 p.m. (JV girls, 3 p.m.)
Feb. 11: @ Enterprise, 5:30 p.m. (JV girls, 1 p.m.)
Feb. 17-18: District playoffs, TBD
Feb. 24-25: First-round state playoffs, TBD
March 2-4: State Championships in Pendleton, TBD
Grant Union alum headed to collegiate rugby nationals
Babe Nash: ‘It’s really exciting to
be doing something at this level’
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union 2015 grad-
uate Babe Nash was known
for her softball home
runs while playing for the
Prospectors.
Now a sophomore at
Montana State University,
she competes as a member
of the Bobcats rugby club
that is headed to the Divi-
sion II Nationals in Wayne,
Nebraska.
Ranked No. 5 in the na-
tion with a 10-0 record, this
is the second year in a row
the team has reached this
level of success.
Montana State is in a
league with opponents
from Utah State Universi-
ty, Boise State, Idaho State,
Gonzaga and University of
Idaho, as well as a team
from Portland and one from
Canada.
At regionals, held in
Greeley, Colorado, MSU
defeated Mesa College 65-
22 and Utah State 46-12.
They’ll face Wisconsin
Saturday at nationals, and
if they win this weekend’s
games, they’ll advance to
the Dec. 3-4 Final Four,
traveling to Furman, South
Carolina.
Nash, in her first year
playing for the Bobcats, is
a forward on the team.
Since she started playing
the sport, she’s had some
pointers from her father,
Monty Nash, who played
rugby while attending Uni-
versity of Oregon.
Babe said she’s thrilled
to be a part of the national
competition.
“It’s really exciting to
be doing something at this
level,” she said. “I like the
program, and it’s a great
group. I’m very proud of
the team and what they’re
doing.”