A10
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
WEDNESDAY
March 22, 2017
Panther track team aims for state
Prairie City
is led by new
head coach
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The track and fi eld season
has just started, but already
Prairie City’s new head track
and fi eld coach Nate Barber
Taci
Perrenoud
Devin
Packard
has his eye on state.
He said he’s enjoyed
watching the Olympic trials
on TV that take place at Hay-
ward Field in Eugene at the
University of Oregon campus.
“It’s Track Team USA,”
he said. “Now, I fi nally get to
go see it. I just want them to
get in that atmosphere. There
aren’t very many people who
can say they ran there.”
Barber is taking over
where Joe Weymouth left off.
Weymouth was the Prairie
City head track coach for 10
years with 28 years experi-
ence coaching sports.
Barber coached for seven
years at Sugar-Salem High
School in Sugar City, Idaho,
where his son, now grown,
broke his high school record
in the 4x100 and the 200. Bar-
ber was also an assistant track
coach for the last two years in
Ft. Washakie, Wyoming.
See TRACK, Page A11
Prairie City
track and field schedule
Tuesday, April 4, Grant Union Small School Meet in John Day at 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 14, Ranchers Invitational in Crane at 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 15, Burns Lions Oster Invitational in Burns at 12 p.m.
Tuesday, April 18, Grant Union Small School Meet in John Day at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 22, 11th Annual Pepsi Invitational in Union at 11 a.m.
Friday, April 18, Don Walker Invitational in Nyssa at 12 p.m.
Saturday, April 29, Prairie City Invitational in Prairie City at 11 a.m.
Thursday, May 4, High Desert League Twilight Meet in Prairie City at 4 p.m.
Friday, May 5, Baker Invite in Baker City, 10 a.m.
Friday, May 12, District Track Meet, TBD
Thursday-Friday, May 18-19, OSAA 1A State Championships in Eugene
Grant Union wins 8-7
squeaker over Lakeview
G RANT C OUNTY
SPORTS ROUNDUP
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
It looked like smooth sail-
ing for the Prospector baseball
team Saturday until the Lakev-
iew Honkers stirred things up
in the sixth inning, but Grant
Union held on to win 8-7.
Prospector starting pitcher
Zack Deiter kept Lakeview at
bay for a time, Grant Union
leading 6-1 in the fourth inning.
Each team gained another
point in the fi fth, and early in
the sixth Lakeview hit a one-
run homer.
Grant Union’s Brogan
McKrola took the mound, and
in the inning, two Honkers
scored on an error, and two
more slipped past the Prospec-
tor defense to tie up the score
7-7.
In the bottom of the inning
Grant Union staged a come-
back.
The bases were loaded with
McKrola on fi rst, Billy Co-
penhaver on second and Roen
Langum on third as Cauy
Weaver stepped up to the plate.
Weaver was out at fi rst, but
not before Langum scored on a
wild pitch to put Grant Union
ahead by one.
McKrola closed the seventh
with quick outs for the win.
“We had a big lead, and
threw the ball around a little
bit,” said Grant Union head
coach Dusty Williams. “A
few errors here and there, but
they tied it up, and we stayed
with it, and we came back and
battled. They were able to get
some ground balls there in the
seventh inning and got the win.
It was a great win for the boys
— way to keep battling.”
Williams said he was
pleased with the hitting and
pitching.
“We need to work a little bit
on our defense in the middle
infi eld and outfi eld, but we’re
coming around and looking re-
ally good,” he said. “I’m happy
with where we’re at — getting
better every game is the goal.”
See BASEBALL, Page A11
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
The Grant Union Gold dance team,
standing with head coach Kattie
Piazza, prepares for the performance
on Thursday at the OSAA Dance and
Drill State Championships in Portland.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union Gold
ends season with
state performance
Although they didn’t win a trophy, Grant
Union Gold dance team members said they
had a positive experience at last week’s 4A-1A
OSAA Dance and Drill State Championship at
Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Sophomore Andrea Comer, who is on the
team led by head coach Kattie Piazza, said she
enjoyed the competition.
“It was really fun and a good experience,”
she said. “We all tried our best and were strong
in our movements.”
The top three winners at state, Stayton in
fi rst, Valley Catholic in second and Scappoose
in third, are all 4A teams, whereas Grant Union
is a 2A team.
Piazza said it can be diffi cult competing
with large schools that have up to 30 members
on their teams.
Still, she views the season, her fi rst as head
coach, in a positive light.
“I consider this season to be successful,”
she said. “The girls improved every time they
performed. Both the team and I learned a great
deal throughout the season, and I’m very proud
of all of them.”
Grant Union girls
track team heats up at
Prineville Icebreaker
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Brogan McKrola pitches to Lakeview Saturday, Zack Deiter at short stop.
Lady Pros softball team blasts Honkers
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Prospector soft-
ball team blasted the Lakeview Honk-
ers 12-2 in Saturday’s home opener at
Seventh Street Complex in John Day.
Cody Jo Madden was in the circle
for Grant Union, which took the win
in four and a half innings.
Prospector head coach DeAnna
Nash said she was pleased with her
team’s energy and effort, noting they
made “big strides” after Friday’s 12-7
loss to Union/Cove in Union.
Nash said they were happy to get
the fi rst-game jitters out of the way
and face Lakeview at the Grant Union
fi eld.
“Being at home helps, and they
like playing in front of people that
they know,” she said.
Grant Union wasted no time get-
ting on the board in Saturday’s game.
Prospector Whitney McClellan
singled right off the bat in the bottom
of the fi rst inning, then stole second
while her teammate Ravyn Walker
was at bat.
Walker doubled, scoring McClel-
lan. Then Walker reached home plate
off a single from Mariah Moulton.
Two Prospectors then scored while
Madden was at bat, giving Grant
Union a 4-0 lead.
Madden struck out a batter in the
top of the second, and fi rst baseman
Dauna Bishop made two stops.
Grant Union’s momentum contin-
ued to build with another run in the
second, and four in the third, which
was highlighted by a few Prospector
steals.
Grant Union had 12 hits and fi ve
walks in the game.
McClellan, Walker, Madden and
Marissa Smith each had two hits, and
Brianna Zweygardt had three hits.
See SOFTBALL, Page A11
The 2A Grant Union girls fi nished third
with 94 points at last Thursday’s “Breaking the
Ice, Icebreaker” in Prineville.
Crook County’s 4A girls team placed fi rst
with 171.5 and 3A Burns placed second with
138.5.
“We scored extremely well for the number
of girls we took,” said Grant Union head coach
Sonna Smith. “Overall they did well. Almost
everyone improved on last year’s scores, which
is extremely encouraging.”
She said, although the boys team doesn’t
have the numbers to compete teamwise, they
had some good individual performances.
The Prospectors will host the Grant Union
Small School Meet in John Day at 3:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, April 4.
Result highlights (top fi ve)
Girls
Kaylee Wright: 100 meter, fi rst, 13.06; 200, second, 28.22;
high jump, second, 5-01.00
Jozie Rude: shot put, fi rst, 36-06.50; javelin, fi rst, 118-04; pole
vault, second, 8-00.00; discus, third, 92-06
Reitta Wyllie: shot put, fourth, 29-04.25
Sierra Cates: long jump, fourth, 14-01.75
Boys
Tanner Elliott: 800 meter, second, 2:13.23
Nick Springer: high jump, third, 5-06.00; shot put, fi fth, 37-
04.00
Mason Gerry: triple jump, fourth, 35-01.00
Grant Union golf
team travels to Echo
for fi rst outing
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Cody Jo Madden pitches
Saturday’s game against Lakeview, with Sydney Stearns
at second base and Reagan Shelley in the outfield.
Over 70 golfers tackled the par 72 course
at the Echo Hills Golf Club for the Heppner
Invite.
See ROUNDUP, Page A11