WEDNESDAY
November 8, 2017
Lady Pros win state
Team takes fi rst state championship in 28 years
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
T
he Grant Union Prospector volleyball team is on top of
the world after battling the Culver Bulldogs Saturday
with a 3-1 win for the 2A state championship title.
It was the first time since 1989 that Grant Union has
won the volleyball state championship — when Prospec-
tor head coach Shae Speth was a junior on the varsity team.
“I told the girls this means so much
more as a coach to see all the work that
they’ve put in come to a champion-
ship,” Speth said.
After winning a close fi rst set 25-
23, Grant Union lost the second 22-25,
then fi nished, victorious, with scores of
25-17 and 25-20.
Entering the tournament, Grant
Union was the No. 2 seed, and Culver,
led by Randi Viggiano, was the No. 1
seed.
The Prospectors’ only loss this sea-
son came in September to the Bulldogs
at the Grant Union court.
In that match, Prospector setter Hai-
lie Wright, a junior, was injured, and
she was out of play for a couple weeks.
“It was kind of hard to come back
from getting injured in that fi rst Cul-
ver game,” Wright said. “I worked
really hard in practices, and so did the
team. Every day we practiced hard and
we needed everybody, and that’s what
helped us get the win.”
Prospector opposite hitter Reagan
Shelley, a senior, said achieving the
championship win feels amazing.
“I think everyone brought every-
thing they had and played their best
when we really needed it,” she said.
Grant Union’s fi rst test at the two-
day tournament, held at Ridgeview
High School in Redmond, was in the
quarterfi nals, meeting up with the
Monroe Dragons. The Prospectors won
with scores of 26-24, 25-18 and 25-12.
Speth said, although her team came
out to a rough start, they were able to
settle their nerves and increase their of-
fensive momentum.
“We missed too many serves in the
fi rst set, but after that for the entire
tournament we were really solid serv-
ing, not just consistently, but we were
serving consistently tough,” she said.
In the semifi nals, Speth said the
Kennedy Trojans showed they were
an improved team, young but with tall
middle blockers.
The Prospectors beat Kennedy 25-
19, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25 and 15-13.
Middle blockers Kaylee Wright and
Trinity Hutchison played well against
the height across the net, Speth said.
“They really stepped up ... getting
up and hands over,” she said. “They did
really well, even hitting against a big
block.”
Prospector outside hitter Sydney
Contributed photos/Tanni Wenger Photography Studio
Grant Union celebrates their state championship win over Culver. From left, Sydney
Brockway (11), Kaylee Wright (13), Hailie Wright (10), Whitney McClellan (12) and
Alcie Moore (1).
Grant Union Prospector
Kaylee Wright kills the
ball with Culver player
Maddie Miller attempting
the block. Also in the
photo, from left, are
Sydney Brockway (11),
Whitney McClellan,
Hailie Wright and Reagan
Shelley.
TOP IMAGE: The Grant
Union Prospectors
stand with their award
Saturday.
See STATE, Page B10
SCHOOL SPIRIT
Cheerleaders rally around state contenders
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Contributed photos/JJ Collier
Grant Union linebacker Dillon Maley pounces on a ball fumbled by Central Linn’s
Chase Barnes in Saturday’s round one matchup in the state playoffs.
Grant Union shuts out
Central Linn in fi rst-round rout
Prospectors host
Santiam at 1
p.m. Saturday
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union’s Duane
Stokes started Saturday’s
fi rst-round playoff win with
a bang for the Prospectors,
scoring on the fi rst kickoff re-
turn in the 52-0 shutout of the
Central Linn Cobras.
Grant Union head coach
Jason Miller said his team
blocked well on the play, but
added sometimes an early re-
Grant Union Prospector
receiver Duane Stokes
makes a catch and hangs on
while tackled by Central Linn
Cobra Cameron McKee.
turn like that can mean “the
kiss of death.”
“That was true for the fi rst
quarter and a half, where we
couldn’t move the ball very
well,” he said.
Grant Union ended the fi rst
quarter 8-0.
The Prospectors added 14
more to the scoreboard, and
with just a minute and a half
left in the second, Central
Linn turned the ball over and
Grant Union scored, leading
28-0 at the half.
“The third quarter, we
moved the ball easier, contin-
ued stopping them on ‘D’ and
ended up 52-0,” Miller said.
“Defense played lights out —
they played well.”
See FOOTBALL, Page B10
Go! Fight! Win!
Grant Union cheerleaders
were busy making posters,
with those words, in prepara-
tion for the Saturday, Nov. 4,
state playoff football game.
“I’m proud of the team,”
said cheerleader Kelsey
Morrison, a senior. “They’ve
worked really hard. I’m excit-
ed about the game, and I hope
we win.”
It was a sentiment shared
by the other girls.
“It’s been a great season,”
said Tegan Wright, referring
to the football and cheerlead-
ing team.
This year’s cheer squad
includes 10 girls, led by head
coach Jodi Ranft who is in her
fi fth year leading the team. All
but two on the roster are new
to cheerleading.
“After our fi rst practice, I
was thinking ‘Oh, Lordy, how
am I going to do this?’ ” Ranft
said. “All of them have sur-
prised me, and they work hard
in practice.”
Junior Celine Hicks has
eight years of experience, and
Morrison has been cheering
for fi ve years.
Morrison said she’s espe-
cially enjoyed cheerleading
with the team this season.
“Most are in their fi rst
year, and they’ve done well,
and they’ve worked really
hard,” she said.
Other seniors on the team
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
The Grant Union cheerleaders, from left, front row, Maddy
Way, Fallen Bolman, Celine Hicks, Emily Springer; back
row, Aidan Broemeling, Mariah Wright, Cody Jo Madden,
Tressa Ranft, Tegan Wright and Kelsey Morrison.
are Cody Jo Madden, Tressa
Ranft, Tegan Wright and Ma-
riah Wright, along with one
more junior and three fresh-
men.
Coach Ranft said a fo-
cus of hers, which she shares
with the girls, is to bring back
school spirit, including more
crowd participation in cheer-
ing for the team.
“All in all, the girls have
been having a blast,” she said.
“We have a lot of fun, and
that’s been one of my biggest
goals.”
Madden said she tried out
for cheerleading this year
to be involved and be with
friends.
“It’s a lot of fun, and it
would be more fun if we had
more students who participat-
ed in cheering,” she said. “I
enjoy cheering for our boys
when they’ve come this far in
their season.”
Tressa said she also enjoys
the time cheering gives for her
to be with friends.
“It will be a memorable
season, because I’m here with
my friends, and we’ve been
supporting our boys through
their football season,” she said.
Tegan Wright added, “I’m
proud of the boys for how far
they’ve come, and hopefully
they keep going and win a
state championship.”