Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
B1
WEDNESDAY
March 14, 2018
Dancers give ‘Golden’ performance
State-bound
team showcases
‘Rise’ routine
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The 2A Grant Union Gold
varsity dance team displayed
their skills Saturday at the
annual Spring Showcase as
they prepare for state compe-
tition.
The team shared a num-
ber of upbeat performances,
including one set to “Can’t
Stop the Feeling” by Justin
Timberlake.
The Spring Showcase
previously included younger
dancers involved in the Body,
Fitness & Dance programs,
but those groups will hold a
separate event this year.
One younger dancer,
sixth-grader Liberty Woe-
hlert, joined the soloist per-
formers, including freshman
Leah Comer, freshman Bri-
anna Majors and junior Nikki
Jones.
The Showcase is the
Liberty Woehlert performs a solo at Saturday’s Spring
Showcase.
dance team’s kickoff to state
competition,
highlighted
by their grand finale perfor-
mance set to the Katy Perry
song “Rise.”
The dancers dressed in
camouflage-patterned
cos-
tumes with military-style
hats. Their makeup suggests
they’ve been in combat.
“The state routine is about
hard work, perseverance and
coming out victorious,” said
head coach Kattie Piazza.
Four Grant Union Gold dancers perform a ‘drill down’
following commands given by their head coach Kattie
Piazza. From left are Rhea Mead, Andrea Comer, Emilie
Updegrave and Shanniyah Hall.
“They do their best, and at the
end of the day they know they
gave everything they had.”
The introduction includes
the phrase, “We won’t just
survive — we will thrive.”
Several girls shared their
thoughts about their coach,
and presented her with a bou-
quet of flowers.
“I appreciate her for
pushing us,” Majors said.
“I couldn’t ask for a better
coach.”
Leah Comer added, “She
motivated me to be a better
dancer.”
After the program, Jones
said she felt that night was the
best they’d ever performed
the state routine.
She said returning to the
sport, which has one of the
longest seasons, has its tests
and takes dedication.
“If you can stay commit-
ted, it shows you have charac-
ter,” she said.
She added her coach has
been helpful to the team
members.
“She’s shown me the path
— how to have a successful
future,” Jones said.
The Grant Union Gold
leave for the OSAA Dance/
Drill State Championships
in Portland on Thursday, and
Prospector girls open season Friday
New softball
coach leads
many strong
returners
perform in the 4A/3A/2A/1A
division on Friday at the Vet-
erans Memorial Coliseum in
Portland. Performance times
will be announced by OSAA
on Thursday. Dance teams
finishing in the top 50 percent
will advance to Saturday’s fi-
nals performances.
A LL - STATE
TOURNEY HONORS
Grant Union
Prospectors
softball
schedule
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Prospec-
tor softball team has been prac-
ticing indoors and elsewhere
through winter, and they finally
had a chance to play some real
ball during a scrimmage game
at the Seventh Street Complex
in John Day.
A number of spectators
brought their folding chairs
and lined up behind the back-
stop to watch the game.
This is Zach Williams’
first year as head coach of the
Prospectors. As coach of the
Grant County Wildfire, he led
the team to third place in the
Oregon State Little League
Softball Tour-
nament
in
Medford last
July.
“I coached
most of these
girls in the
past,” he said
of the Prospec- Head coach
Zach
tors. “We’ve
Williams
seen
some
successes and
want to carry forward.”
Williams played baseball
years ago at Grant Union when
the team went to the state semi-
finals. He also coached the
school’s baseball team. He said
he’ll continue to coach Little
League softball and the high
school summer baseball after
the high school softball season
ends.
Last year, under head coach
DeAnna Nash, the Prospectors
finished third in the 3A-Spe-
cial District 2 playoffs and
advanced to the state playoffs
ranked in the top 16 among
OSAA teams. They were sec-
ond in the league with a 7-3
record.
The Prospectors fell to Glide
8-6 in the first round of the
OSAA 3A Softball State Cham-
pionships and ended the season
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Brianna Majors performs a
solo routine at Saturday’s
Spring Showcase.
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Pitchers warm up for Grant Union softball practice March 9.
Reagan Shelley
Brianna Zweygardt
Mariah Moulton
Tressa Ranft
Cody Jo Madden
Whitney McClellan
ranked 10th among OSAA
teams with an 18-7 record.
Brianna Zweygardt, the se-
nior catcher and pitcher from
Prairie City, Mariah Moul-
ton, the senior third base-
man and pitcher from Grant
Union, Whitney McClellan,
the senior outfielder from
Grant Union, and Marissa
Smith, the junior third base-
man from Grant Union, were
named last year to the first
team for the 3A All-Oregon
and Special District 2 soft-
ball selections. Zweygardt
was named Player of the Year
for the district.
“She’s a great hitter,” Wil-
liams said. “All our players
will be great hitters.”
Named to the second team
last year were senior pitcher
and outfielder Cody Jo Mad-
den and junior catcher and out-
fielder Hailie Wright. Senior
Tressa Ranft received honor-
able mention at outfield.
The team has enough play-
ers to field varsity and junior
varsity teams. Williams said
he tried to recruit some players
from Prairie City and Dayville,
but Zweygardt is the only play-
er from outside Grant Union.
“We have a lot of talent,”
Williams said.
The Prospectors open the
season with a tough game
against Union at home on Fri-
day, March 16, at noon.
“All league games are big,”
he said, adding that he didn’t
know of any outstanding pitch-
ing threats from any other
league teams.
Union has good pitchers,
good defenders, good hitters
March 16: vs. Union at
noon, beginning with JV
March 17: @ Lakeview
at noon (2)
March 23: vs. Culver at 2
p.m. (2)
March 27-28: @ Riv-
erside Invitational at 11
a.m./4:30 p.m., 1 p.m./3:30
p.m.
April 7: vs. Heppner at
11 a.m. (2)
April 10: vs. Pilot Rock
at 4 p.m., beginning with
JV
April 13: vs.
Weston-McEwen at noon
(2)
April 17: @ Nyssa at 2
p.m. MDT (2)
April 20: @
Weston-McEwen at 2 p.m.
(2)
April 20: @ Vale at 1
p.m. MDT (2)
April 27: vs. Burns at 1
p.m. (2)
May 11: vs. Enterprise at
1 p.m. (2)
May 18: District Playoff,
TBD
May 23: State Playoffs
first round, TBD
May 25: State Playoffs
quarterfinals, TBD
May 29: State Playoffs
semifinals, TBD
June 1: State Playoffs
Finals, TBD
and a good coach, Williams
said.
“They have a good softball
program,” he said.
Assisting Williams will
be assistant coaches Lance
Zweygardt, Mike Strong,
Amy Hittle and Brandon Cul-
ley, who served as umpire be-
hind the plate for the March 9
scrimmage game.
Wade Reimers
Grant Union, 2A
Senior, second team
The Grant Union boys also
received the Sportsmanship
Award.
Kaylee Wright
Grant Union, 2A
Junior, first team
Levi Burke
Prairie City, 1A
Junior, first team
SPORTS SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 15
Grant Union track and field @ Crook County
Ice Breaker in Prineville at 3:30 p.m.
Friday, March 16
Grant Union Gold dance team @ OSAA
Dance/Drill State Championships, TBA
Prairie City @ Diana Thurmond Invita-
tional in Harper at 10 a.m.
Saturday, March 17
Grant Union golf @ Heppner Invitational
at 10 a.m.
Grant Union baseball vs. Vale in John
Day at 2 p.m.
Grant Union softball vs. Union in John
Day, JV at 12 p.m., followed by varsity
Grant Union softball @ Lakeview at 12
p.m. (2)
Grant Union baseball vs. Kennedy in
John Day at 2 p.m.
Finals at the OSAA Dance/Drill State
Championships, TBA
Dorran Wilson
Prairie City, 1A
Senior, first team
The Prairie City boys also
tied for the Sportsmanship
Award.