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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2017)
A10 Sports Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 1, 2017 G RANT U NION W APITI A LL -L EAGUE SELECTIONS Contributed photos/Tanni Wenger Photography Studio Hailie Wright First Team Kaylee Wright First Team Mariah Moulton Second Team Madi McKrola Honorable Mention Trinity Hutchison Honorable Mention Duane Stokes First Team Zack Deiter Second Team Cauy Weaver Honorable Mention Ty McDaniel Honorable Mention H IGH D ESERT Contributed photos/Angie Johnson Grant Union’s Drew Lusco, right, takes on Dani Sanchez of Monroe in the Saturday quarterfinal at the state wrestling championships. Lusco went on to pin his opponent in the round, advancing to the semifinals. A LL -T OURNAMENT SELECTIONS Contributed photos/Tanni Wenger Photography Studio WRESTLERS Continued from Page A9 Boatwright said that as a first-year wrestler, he was sur- prised he made it to state. “It was a very fun expe- rience,” he said. “I really en- joyed watching the other wres- tlers.” Boatwright faced the No. 1-seed Anthony Ramirez of Neah-Kah-Nie in the quarter- finals, losing by a pin, and lost the consolation Round One match to Billie Tucker of Butte Falls/Prospect Charter. Maley, who has wrestled in the Grant Union program for three years now, said this was his first trip to state. “It was nerve wracking,” he said. “There was awesome competition.” He said it was exciting to see wrestlers competing in the same weight class from larger schools. Maley earned three team points. He lost to Mahsen Ash- er of Lowell by tech-fall. Ma- ley won the Round One con- solation match by a pin over Case Goracke of Central Linn, then lost a 5-0 decision to his teammate Drew Lusco in the consolation semifinal. Drew Lusco said he en- joyed the trip to state. “It was a reward for our hard work this season,” he said. “It’s a chance to show what you’ve done this season and how you compare to oth- er athletes and how well you compete.” Drew Lusco, earning nine team points, was the fourth seed entering the competition. Grant Union’s Dillon Maley, red singlet, wrestles an opponent in the consolation round at the state wrestling championships. He went on to get a pin to advance in the bracket. At the state wrestling championships, Grant Union’s Toby Boatwright, right, faces Anthony Ramirez, a senior from Neah-Kah-Nie. Boatwright lost the quarterfinal round and lost a match in the consolation round. He first went up against junior Dani Sanchez of Monroe, win- ning by a pin. Looking back on the sea- The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. corner’s HOT SH T EEK OF THE W CLAY JOHNSON School: Grant Union Grade: 12 Parent: Guy and Angie Johnson Sport: Wrestling What I like best about my sport: “It’s taught me discipline and built character, just through the sport.” Coach’s Comment: “Clay Johnson is a special athlete. He has committed himself to becoming an exceptional wrestler and a wonderful young man. Clay is a four-time state qualifier who placed fourth, third, and second over the past three seasons. He is a great example and leader for our younger wrestlers.” -Coach Andy Lusco PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES 100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day 541-792-0425 PANTHERS Continued from Page A9 www.eomediagroup.com the son, Johnson said things got off to a rough start for him when he faced three state-level competitors from Idaho at De- 05341 In the quarter, McKrola, Burke and Dorran Wilson scored one three-pointer each for the Panthers, McKrola gaining five points overall in the second, and Syd Holman scored two. The Lions led 38-27 in the third, clamping down in the final quarter to outshoot the Panthers 17-5. Wilson was the only Pan- ther to score in those last eight minutes, draining two shots beyond the arc for six points. Prairie City head coach Jonathan Gill said the loss came down to missed shots, but he said the coaches, the team and the community are not hanging their heads. “Those Prairie City boys have accomplished so much,” he said. “They have improved tremendously over the season.” Gill said his three seniors SHOWDOWN Continued from Page A9 Local program co-coordi- nators Deronda Lallatin and Kathy Gill said the game is a fun family event. “I really enjoy the eve- cember’s Calhoun Classic in Nyssa. Those tough challenges may have given Johnson the edge he needed. “At state, things went pretty good,” he said, adding his first two opponents were unable to score on him. Johnson, who had a 25-6 season record, earned 18 team points. He pinned Seth Sidwell of Oakridge in the quarterfi- nals and pinned Tandy Martin of Gold Beach in the semifi- nals. In the championship match, Johnson was pinned by senior Jace Oppenlander of Culver, who was 36-5 on the season. “It was my first time par- ticipating in the championship round, and I’ll never forget the experience,” he said. “I’d like to thank the community for their support.” led by example, and the play- offs gave his younger players experience. He gave kudos to the Ho- sanna Christian team. “They executed well,” he said. Gill said one of his proud- est moments as coach was seeing his team earn the sportsmanship award at the district tournament. “We all feel so happy,” he said. “When they won games in the season, they ‘won with class.’” Gill said the team became a family and there was no greater feeling as a coach. “This has been the high- light of my life,” he said. “As much as I tried to affect their lives, they’ve really changed my life for the good. We’re going to be back next year, stronger than ever. We’re go- ing to get right back at it.” Brianna Zweygardt Prairie City Lady Panthers Second Team Cassie Hire Prairie City Lady Panthers Second Team Dorran Wilson Prairie City Panthers First Team Levi Burke Prairie City Panthers First Team Brogan McKrola Prairie City Panthers Second Team Ravyn Walker Monument/ Dayville Lady Tigers Second Team Hayden Schafer Monument/ Dayville Tigers First Team Tanner Walczyk Monument/ Dayville Tigers Second Team LADY PROS Continued from Page A9 “Offensively, we shot the ball well, and we had one of our best rebounding games of the season,” Mos- ley said. “Defensively, we did a good job of contest- ing their shooters. I am ex- tremely proud of what these girls have accomplished. Our goal was to return to Pendleton, and they made it happen.” He said they would spend the week preparing for Kennedy, which has “a traditionally strong pro- gram.” Moulton said the team played Saturday for their teammate Heather Mosley who was out early in the season with a knee injury. “We put it all out there for Heather, because it’s her senior year, and we hope to get more wins for her,” Moulton said. “I’m really proud of how good we did, being such a young team and against older players.” Kaylee Wright said she was concerned going into the game, knowing Pilot Rock would have a lot of community support, but added, “We had endless support, and it was great to have a win like that.” Hailie Wright said she knew it would be tough to face the Rockets after a long bus ride. “Pilot Rock is a great ball club,” she said. “It was tough competition for sure. We worked hard from start to finish and hope to finish (in Pendleton).” Kaylee added, “We just have to play our game and have intensity the whole 32 minutes, defensively and offensively.” Kennedy of the Tri-Riv- er Conference had a league record of 10-2, 15-10 over- all, in the regular season. Grant Union of the Wa- piti League had a league record of 7-2, 15-6 overall. Grant Union vs. Pilot Rock Kaylee Wright: 17 points Mariah Moulton: 11 Hailie Wright: 10 Madi McKrola: 8 Trinity Hutchinson: 3 Prairie City vs. Hosanna Christian Dorran Wilson: 13 points Levi Burke: 9 Brogan McKrola: 9 Syd Holman: 2 ning, spending time with the players and watching them play basketball with law en- forcement,” Gill said. For more information, call Lallatin at 541-620-4295 or Gill at 541-620-2186 or stop by Sue-Z-Q’s Thrift Store at 777 E. Main St. in John Day. EO Media Group/Matt Entrup Pilot Rock’s Rachel Willingham (3) defends against Grant Union’s Hailie Wright as the Rockets’ Sara Weinke watches during their 2A girls basketball state playoff game Saturday in Pilot Rock. Grant Union won 49-42.
