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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
A10 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 15, 2017 WEDNESDAY November 15, 2017 Grant Union Prospector Zack Deiter finds an opening. Contributed photos/Linda Studtmann Ukiah/Long Creek player Rafael Gumerato (10) moves the ball up field against Four Rivers. Prospectors end season at quarterfi nals By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle T he Grant Union Prospec- tor football team lost a heartbreaking 2A state quarterfi nals battle to San- tiam 50-14. Grant Union, entering the contest ranked fourth in state (8-1), hosted the Wolverines at Three Flags Field in John Day after winning the fi rst round playoff 52-0 against Central Linn the previous weekend. Santiam was ranked fi fth (9-1). Santiam’s rushing attack dom- inated, with 400 yards over Grant Union’s 150. The Wolverines forced six Pros- pector turnovers in all with three in- terceptions and three fumbles. Santiam put a damper on Grant Union’s momentum early when de- fensive back Jordan Lanham nabbed an interception during the Prospec- tors’ fi rst drive. Wolverine running back Trevor Tinney followed up, rushing for a touchdown; however, Grant Union’s Cauy Weaver made the tackle on the conversion play. Grant Union quarterback Wade Reimers was injured while running a keeper up the middle and came off the fi eld, unassisted. On the Prospectors’ fi nal drive in the last seconds of the fi rst quarter, Grant Union receiver Zack Deiter caught a 10-yard pass. Grant Union trailed 6-0 going into the second, but kept marching for the goal. Prospector running back Camer- on Hallgarth and Reimers — back in the game — rushed for fi rst downs, followed by another Hallgarth fi rst down. Deiter found a 10-yard path up the middle for Grant Union’s fi rst touchdown in the game. Reimers connected with Deiter for the two-point conversion, and the Prospectors gained an 8-6 lead. Later in the quarter, Reimers came out injured again, and Kellen Shelley stepped in as quarterback. Santiam scored a touchdown and two-point conversion on their next drive. Deiter answered back, returning the kickoff for a touchdown to tie it 14-14. Grant Union had a tough time put- ting the brakes on Wolverine running back Brody Davidson. Davidson rushed 65 yards for San- tiam’s next touchdown with Tinney Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Wade Reimers (12) brings down Santiam Wolverine running back Trevor Tinney (16). Other Prospectors in the action are Zack Deiter (3), Garrett Lenz (2) and Hadley Boethin (73), and Santiam’s Christian Cade (52) is at the right. Prospector running back Cameron Hallgarth (28) is on the move with help from Toby Boatwright (70). adding the conversion points, and Santiam added eight more to the scoreboard to take a 36-14 lead at halftime. Going into the second half, Pros- pector Russell Hodge kicked off, then immediately moved in to tackle San- tiam’s Colton Craigmyle at the 50-yard line. Prospector linebackers Elijah Humbird and Dillon Maley were in on another tackle, then Hadley Grant Union receiver Mason Gerry makes the grab on a pass from quarterback Kellen Shelley. Boethin sacked Santiam’s quarter- back Colin Thurston. See FOOTBALL, Page A13 Will to win: Ukiah/Long Creek soccer team wraps up successful season By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The entire Ukiah/Long Creek Mountain Lions soc- cer team bleached their hair, signifying a successful sea- son. Each of the 11 players agreed, if they won three matches, they would all dye their hair. They won three and tied two, with no losses. Led by coach Amos Studtmann, the 1A junior varsity team of 11 was com- prised of four local athletes, two freshmen and two soph- omores, and seven foreign exchange students, six ju- niors and one senior. Most players joined the team having little experience with soccer, including the coach, who said he had help learning more of the sport from the experienced play- ers. “I did a lot of reading to go along with it,” Studtmann said. “This is my fi rst year coaching soccer, and any success the kids had was ‘their fault.’” The Mountain Lions start- ed the season Sept. 13 with a 1-1 tie against Riverside. Their second match was a 9-2 win over Dayton, Wash- ington. ULC followed up with a 7-2 win Oct. 14 over Four Rivers Secondary School (Ontario), then a 2-2 tie Oct. 17 against Riverside. Their fi nal match was a 12-0 victory over Four Riv- ers Oct. 19 in Long Creek. ULC player Jaime Bal- lesteros of Spain, who has played soccer for 12 years, was key in sharing soccer techniques with his team- mates. “In Spain, I played all my life because that is the sport,” he said. “Some play- ers couldn’t keep the ball, so I taught them how they can keep the ball and move on the fi eld. It was cool to teach them.” He said they started with just fi ve on the team with soccer experience. “We played hard, and we played against good teams,” he said. “With only 11 play- ers, we didn’t lose in all the soccer season. Now we are Ukiah/Long Creek Mountain Lion Josh Konig passes the ball in one of team’s soccer matches this season. good friends.” At the end of the sea- son, Ballesteros was named Most Valuable Player for the Mountain Lions. Fernando Casillas of Mexico was given the Coach’s Award for character and sportsmanship. “He had just a couple years of experience, but he had the best attitude and was the least selfi sh player I’ve ever met,” Studtmann said. Thomas Kreamier was named Rookie of the Year. “He (Thomas) had no ex- perience and still managed to contribute two goals and was moving all over the fi eld with good passing, shooting and defense,” the coach said. The team captain was Ra- fael Gumerato of Brazil. Gumerato said he’d played soccer when he was younger, but his main sport is basketball. “It was good to see the players improve and play with heart,” he said. The coach said the play- ers just met this year, and the key to their success was their positive attitudes and deter- mination. “The kids worked togeth- er unselfi shly for offense and gave their everything on de- fense,” he said. He said they gave their all, both in practice and at the games. “I would think any team would set a goal to have a winning season. My goal is always for character fi rst and athletic success later — they did that,” Studtmann said. “We had a great year, and assuming all goes well, we look forward to a great sea- son next year.” V OLLEYBALL ALL - STATE TOURNAMENT HONORS Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Kaylee Wright, junior, middle blocker — second team Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Hailie Wright, junior, setter — first team Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Mariah Moulton, senior, outside hitter — first team