WEDNESDAY
December 20, 2017
Running
down under
Cates prepares for Australia
track and field competition
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Trinity Hutchison (5) grabs the ball away from Burns Hilander Jenna Garner during the
Dec. 12 game at the Grant Union court.
Grant Union girls fall to
Burns, blow past Heppner
Pros hosts Prairie
City Dec. 28
Grant Union High School
sophomore Sierra Cates is
preparing for a big trip to Aus-
tralia where she’ll compete in
track and field next summer.
She has been invited to
the Down Under Sports Track
and Field Championships in
Queensland.
Down Under Sports pro-
grams aim to use the common
language of sports to bridge the
continents, providing a compe-
tition for athletes from around
the globe.
Cates said she plans to com-
pete in the 400-meter dash and
the 4x100-meter relay at the
event.
Last season, Cates placed
second in the 4x100 at state and
was on the Grant Union girls
track team which won the Wa-
piti District title.
Cates, 16, is the daughter
of Roni Hickerson and Bryan
Cates.
“I’m looking forward to
the experience, meeting new
Sierra Cates
people and hopefully learn-
ing some new techniques to
help me become a better track
sprinter,” she said.
The 10-day trip will cost
about $6,000, so Cates and her
family are holding a by-dona-
tion spaghetti feed next month
at the Mt. Vernon Communi-
ty Center at 6 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 13.
There will also be a dessert
auction and items for a raffle.
“It would be helpful for
people to come, and all are in-
vited,” she said.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The 2A Grant Union girls were
down to the wire in the final 8 minutes
of their Tuesday, Dec. 12, preseason
home debut against the 3A Burns Hi-
landers.
With 43 seconds left in the game,
Prospector Kaylee Wright tied the
score 33-33 with a two-point bucket.
Hilander Mileah Skunkcap went
1-2 at the free-throw line, sinking the
34-33 winning shot.
Burns stepped up their defensive
pressure, and Grant Union’s final at-
tempts didn’t fall.
“We let that one get away,” said Grant
Union head coach Casey Hallgarth.
He said several easy shots were
missed, but the team will take lessons
from the game, and they’ll work on
preseason adjustments.
See GIRLS, Page B10
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Madi McKrola (12) scores two points Dec. 12 over
the reach of Burns Hilander Alicyn Hoke (20).
Prospector boys dig in for big wins
Team outruns Burns,
Heppner
The Grant County Wrestling Club poses together,
including, from left, front row, Kale Tremblay, Sawyer
Hittle, Sam Stout, Porter Adams, Kainan Kenyon, Cody
Knowles and Brogan Lundbom; second row, Logan
Ineck, Jase Whatley, Jack Knowles, Taylor Parsons, Owen
Parsons, Jerett Waddel, Beau Van Cleave and Jeritt Gast;
third row, Colter Handley, Clayton Ineck, Cooper Ross,
Noah Kenyon, Trevor Sassor, Zeke Rookstool, Huntur
Wright and Trent Houpt; fourth row, Rowdy Wilson, Natalee
Clarry, Halle Parsons, Ethan Moore, Arionna Young, Mason
Benge, Tristan Clarry, Charley Knowles and Kaden Wright.
Wrestlers not pictured: Mitchell McKrola and Maveryk
Bartlett. Coaches in back, from left, Justin Clarry, Steve
Parsons Tye Parsons and Drew Knowles.
Wrestlers wrap up season
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Blue Mountain Eagle
Except for a fleeting moment near
the start, the 2A Grant Union Prospec-
tors led the way throughout their first
nonconference home game for a 46-39
win over the 3A Burns Hilanders.
“The boys came out ready to play,”
said Grant Union head coach Kelsy
Wright. “They knew it was going to be
a tough match, but they all came out
and played well.”
Prospector Cole Deiter led Grant
Union with 16 points, followed by Zack
Deiter and Cauy Weaver who each
scored 8.
Five Prospectors on the floor in the
first quarter contributed to the scoring,
including Zack Deiter with 4, Duane
Stokes with 4, Cole Deiter with 2 and
a free throw. Cauy Weaver also scored
2, and Kellen Shelley scored one free
throw.
“It’s great to have Wade back,”
Wright said. Reimers had been recover-
ing from a football injury.
Grant Union raised their 5-point lead
at the half, 21-16, to 10 at the close of
the third at 34-24.
The Hilanders made a strong attempt
to overtake in the fourth, whittling
down the Prospectors’ lead to 3 points
in the last minute, Grant Union ahead
42-39.
The Prospectors held Burns to 39
while adding 4 more points to the board.
Wright said he was impressed with
his team’s composure.
“They stayed patient looking for the
opportunity to score,” he said, adding
their rebounding was great. “We played
The Grant County Wres-
tling Club, with wrestlers
from ages 4-14, wrapped up
their ORWAY season with the
regional tournament in Irri-
gon last weekend.
Grant County placed sixth
out of 25 teams. Three indi-
vidual Grant County wrestlers
received championship titles
at the event, including Mason
Benge (second-time winner),
Taylor Parsons (fourth-time
winner) and Jerett Waddel.
Mason Benge had an un-
defeated ORWAY season, and
Owen Parsons had a 17-1 re-
cord, 15 of which were pins.
A shoulder injury ended Ow-
en’s season early.
Ten of the wrestlers will
continue competing in USA
wrestling. The season ends
with the Oregon Wrestling
Association Kids State Tour-
nament in Redmond on Jan.
27-28.
See BOYS, Page B10
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Cole Deiter goes up to score over the reach of
Burns Hilander Jacob Cawood (1) in the Dec. 12 game.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Duane Stokes cruises by Burns Hilander
opponents on his way to score, his teammates Cole Deiter, back left, and
Wade Reimers in the action.
Grant County Wrestling Club results
East Cascade Regional Finals in
Irrigon, Dec. 16
First place: Mason Benge, Taylor
Parsons and Jerett Waddel
Second: Beau Van Cleave, Jase What-
ley and Tristan Clarry
Third: Halle Parsons
Fourth: Zeke Rookstool
Also participating: Cody Knowles,
Charley Knowles, Noah Kenyon,
Kainan Kenyon, Kaden Wright and
Natalee Clarry
Grant County Team: sixth place out of
25 teams
John Day Tournament, Dec. 9
First: Landon Cearns, Jack Knowles,
Charley Knowles, Jase Whatley, Kale
Tremblay, Taylor Parsons, Mason
Benge, Rowdy Wilson and Beau Van
Cleave
Second: Jeritt Gast, Huntur Wright,
Jerett Waddel, Owen Parsons, Kainan
Kenyon, Cutter Marsh and Cooper
Ross
Third: Colter Handley, Halle Parsons,
Noah Kenyon, Sam Stout, Cody
Knowles, Clayton Ineck and Tristan
Clarry
Also participating: Sawyer Hittle,
Brogan Lundbom, Logan Ineck, Cooper
Volle, Rilen Smith, Arionna Young,
Kaden Wright, Trent Houpt, Zeke
Rookstool, Reed Smith, Trevor Sassor
and Natalee Clarry
Enterprise Tournament, Dec. 2
First: Jase Whatley and Mason Benge
Second: Arionna Young, Tristan Clarry
and Jack Knowles
Also participating: Natalee Clarry,
Charley Knowles, Trevor Sassor and
Cody Knowles
Milton-Freewater Tournament, Nov.
25
First: Jase Whatley, Beau Van Cleave
and Jerett Waddel
Second: Jack Knowles, Charley
Knowles and Zeke Rookstool
Third: Kale Tremblay and Tristan Clarry
Fourth: Brogan Lundbom, Sam Stout
and Natalee Clarry
Rock of Redmond Tournament,
Nov. 25
Second: Owen Parsons
Fourth: Mason Benge and Taylor
Parsons
Pendleton Tournament, Nov. 18
First: Owen Parsons, Noah Kenyon,
Jerett Waddel and Jase Whatley
Second: Rowdy Wilson, Taylor Par-
sons, Zeke Rookstool, Tristan Clarry
and Kainan Kenyon
Also participating: Charley Knowles,
Halle Parsons, Natalee Clarry, Sawyer
Hittle, Cody Knowles, Huntur Wright,
Kaden Wright, Ethan Moore and
Arionna Young
Bigfoot Tournament in Spokane,
Washington, Nov. 18
Sixth: Mason Benge