WEDNESDAY
September 6, 2017
Prairie City wins home VB invitational
Panther spikers
host Pine Eagle
Friday
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Prairie City Panthers
overcame some challenging
opponents at their home invi-
tational, winning the tourna-
ment championship title over
Joseph.
Seven teams joined Prairie
City for the daylong compe-
tition, including cross-county
opponents Monument/Day-
ville and Huntington, Mitch-
ell/Spray, North Powder,
Adrian and Cove.
After beating Mitchell/
Spray 2-0 in pool play, Prai-
rie City head coach Lance
Zweygardt said he was
pleased with his team’s per-
formance.
“They’re working on cov-
erage to keep the ball alive
and to be more aggressive on
our offense,” he said. “We’re
working on some offensive
plays, so they have to think a
lot more. We’re really work-
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
The Prairie City Panthers celebrate after a successful rally at their home tournament on
Saturday, including Sierra Dahlen (11), Brianna Zweygardt (13) and Emily Ennis (6).
ing on spot serving to keep
the other team off balance,
and they’re doing well at
that.”
The Monument/Dayville
Tigers got off to a shaky start
with losses to North Powder
and Adrian in pool play.
After the losses Tiger
head coach Kristi Emerson
said her team needed to im-
prove their communication,
coverage and intensity.
Emerson was elated
when her team turned things
Tight-knit team views
season with positivity
Five-year
assistant coach
takes helm
around, beating Cove, also in
pool play, 21-17 and 21-14.
“It was amazing,” she
said. “Finally, this is what
we’ve been working on, with
very few mistakes. I’m hap-
py.”
Prairie City and Monu-
ment/Dayville faced off in
the quarterfi nal match, Prai-
rie City winning with scores
of 25-14 and 25-21.
The Panthers overcame
the Powder Valley Badgers
2-0 in close sets in the semi-
fi nals, winning 26-24 and 25-
21.
In the fi nal match, Prairie
City put together a 2-1 win
over Joseph. The Panthers won
the fi rst match 25-22, then lost
the second 12-25. Prairie City
rallied for the title with a 15-13
win in the fi nal match.
Zweygardt, who co-coach-
es with Louanne Zweygardt,
said the team rallied in the fi -
nal game, not letting their mis-
takes bring them down.
“It was fun to fi ght back
Prairie City’s Katie Hire in action at the Panther’s home
tournament. See more photos at myeaglenews.com.
and beat Joseph in the fi nal
set of the championship match
after losing the second set,”
said setter Brianna Zweygardt.
“It gives me confi dence in our
ability to not give in and to be
resilient. It felt really good to
win.”
Other teammates expressed
similar sentiments.
“We worked really hard,
and it paid off,” Cassie Hire
said. “I’m excited to see where
we go from here.”
Sierra Dahlen said they
kept positive attitudes all day
and stayed strong despite feel-
ing tired.
“We worked really well
as a team,” added Megan Ca-
marena. “We accomplished
what we have been working
on, and I am looking forward
to the future.”
Prairie City will host Pine
Eagle in a nonleague game
Friday in Prairie City with ju-
nior varsity starting at 4 p.m.,
followed by varsity.
Monument/Dayville will
host Harper at 4 p.m. Friday
in Dayville.
A DETERMINED
Panthers come up
EFFORT short in season opener
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
New Monument/Dayville
head coach Kristi Emerson is
no stranger to the Tiger vol-
leyball team.
She was the squad’s as-
sistant coach for fi ve years
before taking the helm this
season.
Cheyenne Perkins is step-
ping into the role of assistant
coach.
Though the team is young,
with just one senior, the play-
ers and coaches say the team’s
future is bright.
Monument/Dayville lost
three players to graduation,
including strong outside hitter
Kendall Hettinga, defensive
specialist Ravyn Walker and
Dinorha Vidreo Landin.
The coaches are working
on new lineups with some
players taking on new posi-
tions.
“We have a pretty positive
team,” Emerson said. “(Most)
have grown up together since
grade school, and they do get
along very well, which I think
is a positive aspect. We have
some strong servers and some
strong hitters.”
Returning starters are se-
nior Danielle Rhoda, junior
Kyla Emerson, junior Faythe
Schafer and sophomore Dena-
li Twehues.
The team of 10 includes
Danielle Rhoda
one senior, four juniors, four
sophomores and one fresh-
man, who has junior high vol-
leyball experience. Emerson
said the team returners are ex-
cited to be back and the new
players are happy to be on the
team.
Rhoda said she’s glad to
have several starters back on
the court.
“We play pretty well to-
gether,” she said. “For a
strength, I think we defi nite-
ly have a lot of hitters. There
are some girls who didn’t get
a chance to hit or play front
row, who are doing really
well.”
Player Kyla Emerson said
that even though the team is
young, she’s looking forward
to seeing how far they go as
the season progresses.
“I’m excited to play vol-
leyball with all my friends,”
she said. “I think everyone
See TEAM, Page B2
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Prairie City Panther
Lane Williams (62)
breaks up a pass
intended for Mitchell/
Spray’s McCoy Cook (2).
Prairie City will host Spartans at 7 p.m. Sept. 8
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
It wasn’t the outcome they were
looking for, but the Prairie City Pan-
thers made a determined effort in
their fi rst eight-man football game
of the season, hosting the Mitchell/
Spray/Wheeler Rattlers.
The game was scoreless until
midway through the third quarter,
but the Rattlers went on to claim a
22-0 win.
Near the end of the fi rst half, Prai-
rie City’s Jonathan Lawrence picked
off a Rattler pass, and the Panthers
moved the ball into the red zone be-
fore being halted.
The Rattlers took possession
at the start of the third and gained
ground with a 35-yard carry from
midfi eld.
Prairie City put on the brakes and
took over on downs at their 15-yard
line.
On the Rattlers’ next possession,
with about 6 minutes to go in the
third, Mitchell/Spray’s Myles Mc-
Cormick ran 30-plus yards for the
team’s fi rst touchdown, the conver-
sion no good.
See PANTHERS, Page B10
Tiger football team is young and determined
Tigers host
Harper Sept. 8 in
Dayville
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Monument/Dayville head
coach Nathaniel Ashley said
this is a building year for the
junior varsity football team, but
the 11 players he has to con-
struct his Tiger team are show-
ing determination.
“Just four out of the 11 guys
have worn shoulder pads,”
Ashley said. “We’re starting
from square one, but they’re all
working hard and picking up
everything — learning every-
thing.”
Monument/Dayville will
host the Harper Hornets at 1
p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, in Day-
ville.
Ashley is in his seventh
year coaching, and his assistant
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Monument/Dayville Tiger DJ Howell hikes the ball to
teammate JT Hand in a recent practice in Dayville with
head coach Nathaniel Ashley looking on.
coach is Kyle Hand.
Three returning starters are
helping the newer players, in-
cluding juniors Cade Milton
and Gabe Walker and sopho-
more Wesley Adams.
“These guys are stepping
up into leadership roles,” the
coach said.
Milton said he’s looking
forward to the season.
“We’re seeing what we can
do for the kids that are just com-
ing in and see what they can do
to improve for next year,” he
said. “I’m ready to learn new
things
and
play different
positions.”
“I’m look-
ing forward
to
hanging
out with my
Rafael Adas friends, and
Dualibi
seeing how
well they do,
and getting to know them bet-
ter,” said Gabe Walker. “I’m
looking forward to seeing how
everyone does in a game situa-
tion, and I’m going to help as
much as I can.”
The sole senior on the team
is Raphael Adas Dualibi, a for-
eign exhange student from
Brazil.
Although it’s his first time
taking the field for American
football, he has experience
playing soccer, surfing and
competitive rowing in his
home country. He also has
enjoyed working out at the
gym every day.
2017 Monument/Dayville
football schedule
Sept 8: vs. Harper in Dayville, 1 p.m.
Sept. 16: @ North Powder Tournament, TBD
Oct. 7: vs. Adrian JV in Monument, 1 p.m.
Oct. 16: @ Crane, 4 p.m.
Oct. 20: vs. South Wasco in Monument, 2 p.m.
“I’m very excited,” he said.
“I want to learn with them,
and I’m happy to play with the
team.”
There are three juniors, two
sophomores and fi ve freshmen
rounding out the team.
The freshmen all played
Monument fl ag football last
year, Ashley said.
Among the freshmen are the
two quarterbacks for the team,
JT Hand and Mark Thomas.
Mark Thomas has been
among the top cross country
and track runners in the state
since fi fth grade.
He earned fourth place in
the 1,500-meter run at the
Middle School Statewide
Championships in La Pine
last year, with a personal re-
cord of 4:50.85 and was sixth
in the 800-meter.
Ashley said his goals for
the team this year are hav-
ing fun playing football and
making sure everyone plays
safe.
Also, “getting those fun-
damentals down and build-
ing on and improving,” he
said. “They’re getting better
every day.”