A10 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 28, 2016 WEDNESDAY December 28, 2016 1 2016 Contributed photo/Aimee Rude The Grant Union girls track and field team poses with the 2016 State Track and Field Championships 2A girls first-place team trophy in May. From left, Chelsie Kodesh, Kaylee Wright, Kenzie Wilson, Samantha Brock, Sydney Brockway, Jozie Rude and Kori Pentzer. 16 SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle G 2 Eagle file photo Garrett Hitz pole vaults in Prairie City in May 2016. He set a new 1A state record in the event at the state championships. rant County sports fans were brought to their feet many times, cheering on the local athletes. Here are just 16 highlights in a look back at the 2016 sports scene: 1. The Grant Union Prospector girls 2A track and fi eld team placed fi rst at state May 20 at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The team, led by head coach Sonna Smith, included Chelsie Kodesh, Kaylee Wright, Kenzie Wil- son, Samantha Brock, Sydney Brockway, Jozie Rude and Kori Pentzer. Wright set a new record for javelin with a throw of 131-03. Pentzer earned the title in both the triple jump and long jump and fi nished second in the 300 hurdles. Rude earned second in javelin, third in pole vault and fourth in shot put. Brock was second in the 100 hur- See more photos at dles, and Wilson was second in the myeaglenews.com triple jump. Brockway competed for third in the long jump, and Kodesh was sixth in discus. Every girl contributed to the title, the team winning by just one point. 2. Prairie City’s Garrett Hitz, coached by Joe Weymouth, won the 1A boys state pole vault title shattering the 1A record with a mark of 14-6.00 in Eugene in May. He also placed second in javelin and the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. He sin- gle-handedly won fi fth place as a one-man team. His teammate Amaya Zweygardt placed second in pole vault for the girls. 3. Monument’s Sophia Pettit sprinted to fi rst at state in Eugene May 20 in the girls 1A 100-meter dash and had a second-place fi nish in the 200-meter dash. Teammate Kyla Emerson also fi n- ished fi fth in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles. The Monument team was coached by Darrin Dailey. 4. Dayville’s Kristina Humphreys, coached by Peter Bogar- dus, won the 1A girls state javelin title May 20 in Eugene with a throw of 129-2.0. 5. The Grant Union Lady Prospectors, coached by Shae Speth, placed third at the state volleyball tournament in Red- mond. They also were Wapiti League and district tournament champions. Head coach Shae Speth was named the league’s Coach of the Year. 6. Grant Union junior high wrestler Drew Lusco won the state championship title for the 220-pound weight class at the March 12 Oregon Middle School State Wrestling Champion- ship in Riverside. See SPORTS, Page A11 16 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Torie Coalwell of the John Day Swim Team, right, leads out in an event during the July 23 John Day Swim Meet, beating three competitiors in the heat. 5 6 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Mariah Moulton (2) sends the ball past Imbler opponents, with Prospector teammates Kaylee Wright (13) Natalie Stearns (12) and Chelsie Kodesh (9) in the action at the state tournament last November. Contributed photo/Cindy Dougharity-Spencer Grant Union eighth-grader Drew Lusco, wrestling at 220, goes for a pin in his second match at the Oregon Middle School State Meet in March on his way to earning the state title. EO Media Group/Kathy Aney Grant Union’s Zack Deiter (3) looks for a receiver as Tim Jaca (54) of Heppner gives chase during the Nov. 12 state quarterfinal at Les Payne Field in Heppner. 10