Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
B1
WEDNESDAY
February 22, 2017
Grant Union girls advance to playoffs
Mark Mosley
named Wapiti
Coach of the Year
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Lady
Prospectors advance to the state
basketball playoffs after plac-
ing second at Saturday’s Wapiti
District Tournament.
Grant Union will travel to
Pilot Rock to take on the Rock-
ets at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
25, for Round One of the state
playoffs. The cost of admission
is $6 for adults, $4 for students.
Grant Union, as the top
seed, earned a bye in last week-
end’s tournament held at East-
ern Oregon University’s Quinn
Contributed photo/Elizabeth Shelley
Grant Union girls head coach Mark Mosley, left, talks with
the team during Saturday’s Wapiti District championship
game against Imbler.
Coliseum in La Grande.
The Prospectors came out
strong in the second half of the
championship game against the
Imbler Panthers, but lost the
close game, 29-28.
In the teams’ previous meet-
ings this season, Grant Union
won by two points at home,
and Imbler won by two on their
court.
In Saturday’s contest, the
Prospectors were making a
comeback after being down 19-
11 at the half.
“We started slow in fi rst
half and just could not get any
rhythm offensively,” said Grant
Union head coach Mark Mos-
ley.
Grant Union turned things
around with a strong third
quarter, scoring 14 points.
With 1:30 left in the game,
the Prospectors were up by
one, but couldn’t hold on for
the win.
“I was proud of how we
battled and gave ourselves a
chance to win,” Mosley said.
See GU GIRLS, Page B10
Contributed photo/Elizabeth Shelley
Grant Union Prospector Mariah Moulton looks to pass in
the Wapiti District championship game against the Imbler
Panthers.
Prairie
City boys
host state
playoff
game
Team places
second at High
Desert tourney
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
DISTRICT CHAMPS
Two Grant Union grapplers earn championship status, four to compete at state
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Each member of the Grant Union wres-
tling team battled to bring home the district
championship title at the Feb. 18 Special
District 4 Tournament in Hermiston.
Senior Clay Johnson (138) and freshman
Drew Lusco (220) became district cham-
pions, and juniors Dillon Maley (220) and
Toby Boatwright (285) earned second.
All four Prospectors will compete in the
Feb. 24-25 State Wrestling Championships
at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
“We exceeded expectations in a lot of
ways,” said head coach Andy Lusco. “The
team fi nished the way we thought they
would.”
Out of the 16 Grant Union wrestlers com-
peting, 15 earned a medal. There were fi ve
third-place fi nishers, fi ve in fourth place and
one fi fth-place fi nisher.
Lusco said the biggest surprise from the
district tournament was Prospector freshman
Eli Sheedy earning third and 18 team points.
Other standouts from the competition in-
clude Jesse Paulson fi nishing third off an in-
jury, and Airron Glimpse wrestling Paulson
to earn fourth and 11 team points.
“Airron’s a new wrestler, and he came
through for us,” Lusco said.
Another surprise was from freshman Da-
mion Young, a new wrestler who earned 15
team points.
“He’s a breakout kid,” Lusco said. “I
can’t say I was completely shocked, because
I think he has a high ceiling. His toughness
was awesome.”
Lusco said junior Hadley Boethin (170)
worked for a lower weight class and was
“dynamite,” fi nishing fourth and earning 14
team points.
Elijah Humbird, competing with an inju-
ry, placed fi fth.
See WRESTLING, Page B10
Contributed photos/Cindy Dougharity-Spencer
TOP: The Grant Union Prospector wrestling team poses with the trophy after a
first-place finish at Saturday’s 2A/1A Special District 4 Tournament in Hermiston.
ABOVE: Grant Union wrestler Drew Lusco takes control during a match with an
Adrian opponent at the District Tournament in Hermiston.
Contributed photo/JeremyLanthorn.com
Grant Union’s Clay Johnson (138) takes down opponent Cache Campbell of Crane
in Saturday’s finals at the 2A/1A Special District 4 Tournament in Hermiston.
Placing second in the 1A-8
High Desert District Tournament,
the Prairie City Panthers advance
to the state playoffs.
The Panthers hosted the Echo
Cougars past press time Tuesday,
Feb. 21, at the
Prairie
City
gym. The win-
ner will contin-
ue on, and the
season ends for
the losing team.
Prairie City
had a 12-2 league record, 15-7
overall, in the regular season and
was ranked No. 18. Echo had a
7-7 record in the Old Oregon
League, 10-16 overall, in the reg-
ular season and was ranked No.
36.
In the Feb. 16-18 tournament
held at Grant Union Junior-Senior
High School in John Day, Prairie
City had a bye the fi rst day as the
No. 2 team in the league.
The Panthers overcame their
fi rst challenge on Friday, defeating
the Monument/Dayville Tigers 54-
46.
Prairie City had control at the
start with a 19-7 lead in the fi rst
quarter.
Monument/Dayville held the
Panthers to four in the second, the
Tigers scoring 15 to pull ahead 23-
22 at the half.
“At the half, and even before
the game, we talked about the pres-
sure of the moment,” said Panther
head coach Jonathan Gill. “Those
guys, they know each other inti-
mately — all those guys, being 30
miles down the road. So I think the
See PANTHERS, Page B10
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Prairie City Panther Dorran
Wilson leaps up to score in
Friday’s game against the
Monument/Dayville Tigers.