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Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
WEDNESDAY
December 28, 2016
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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