Sports
Blue Mountain Eagle
A13
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Grant Union athletes ‘on track’ for successful season
Girls hopeful for
state title this
season
Grant Union track and field schedule
April 6: @ Oregon Trail Invitational in Vale at 11 a.m.
April 10: hosting Grant Union Small Schools Meet in John Day at 3:30 p.m.
April 14: @ Meet of Champions at Willamette University in Salem at 11 a.m.
April 17: hosting Grant Union Small Schools Meet at 3:30 p.m.
April 21: @ 12th annual Pepsi Invitational in Union at 11 a.m.
April 27: @ Don Walker Invitational in Nyssa at 1 p.m.
May 4: hosting Grant Union Invitational at 11 a.m.
May 11: hosting 2A-6 Wapiti League Districts at 11 a.m.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union has their big-
gest track team since the boys
took state in 2007.
“That year there were over
50 on the varsity team, and
this year there are 48,” said
head coach Sonna Smith.
The big goal this year is
well within reach — a state
championship for the girls.
“Our girls’ goal is to win
district and win state,” Smith
said.
“It’s encouraging,” she
said. “We won district the last
two years, and we’ve gone
one (2016) and two (2017) in
state, so we have lofty goals.
We want to repeat being dis-
trict champions and take our
state championship back.”
For the boys, Smith said
they’d like to improve their
district standing.
“We improved by one
place last year, and this year
we’d like to move up several
places,” she said.
All five girls who compet-
ed at state last year are back
on the team, including state
championship title winners
Kaylee Wright for javelin and
Trinity Hutchison for the tri-
ple jump.
Jozie
Rude,
Sydney
Brockway and Sierra Cates
also competed well at state,
contributing to the team’s sec-
ond-place finish, just 4 points
behind East Linn Christian.
This year, Smith hopes to
give the girls track team an
edge by adding the 4x400-me-
Jozie
Rude
Savannah
Wyllie
Duane
Stokes
Daven
Mauseth
Hadley
Boethin
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union sprint coach Ken Boethin instructs Ellie
Justice during Tuesday’s practice in John Day.
ter relay to their events.
Grant Union lost three se-
niors to graduation, and this
year, there are seven seniors,
seven juniors, 18 sophomores
and 10 freshmen. One of the
new members of the team is
junior Alcie Moore, a transfer
student.
“She is showing promise
in the 200-yard dash and the
400-meter run,” Smith said.
The seven seniors include,
Rude and Savannah Wyllie
on the girls team and Duane
Stokes, Cauy Weaver, Hadley
Boethin, Cameron Hallgarth
and Daven Mauseth for the
boys.
Rude, who competes in
pole vault, shot put, discus
and javelin, said she’s excited
for the season.
“I’m hoping to take girls
state again this year,” she
said. “Just the fact that it’s my
senior year is going to make
me push harder because this is
my last year to win All State.
We’re ranked right now where
we could win the state title
again.”
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Kaylee Wright launches her
javelin in practice.
Stokes said he is looking
forward to seeing the new and
returning athletes compete.
“We have a lot more boys
this year, and it’s going to
give us a lot better chance to
win districts,” he said.
Weaver said it’s his first
year out for track. He’s com-
peting in shot put and javelin
and may add some running
events.
“I’m just going to do as
good as I can,” he said.
Cameron
Hallgarth
Cauy
Weaver
Assistant coaches are
back this year to assist Smith.
Smith coaches distance, re-
lay and sprints; Ken Boethin,
sprints and hurdles; Angie
Lusco, shot put; John Houk,
long jump and triple jump;
Kelsy Wright, javelin; Buzz
Gilmore, pole vault; and
Emma Robertson, high jump.
Grant Union took a small
group to the Crook County
Icebreaker on Thursday, but a
school science fair kept some
of the athletes at home.
Highlights include Hutchi-
son placing first in the triple
jump with a mark of 32-0 and
second in the long jump with
13-11.25.
Rude placed first in jave-
lin with a throw of 100-4 and
first in shot put with 36-7. She
pole vaulted for second place
at 9-0 and was fourth in discus
with 88-1.
For the boys, Mason Ger-
ry had a fourth-place finish
in javelin with a mark of
151-7.
S PORTS R OUNDUP
Lady Pros defeat
Union/Cove
soundly in home
opener
The Grant Union Pros-
pector softball team started
off 2-0 in the first inning and
chipped away for a 10-2 vic-
tory over the Union/Cove
Bobcats.
“Our girls played tough
defense for their first game of
the season,” said Grant Union
head coach Zach Williams.
The Prospector defense
committed only two errors
and had a two-out rally in the
fourth.
“They stayed with broken
plays and got outs,” Williams
said.
Cody Jo Madden pitched
six innings for Grant Union
with two strikeouts and one
walk, keeping the Bobcat bat-
ting average to .130.
Brianna Zweygardt fin-
ished off in the seventh for the
Prospectors, allowing no hits
and striking out two.
The Prospectors hit .432 as
a team.
Mariah Moulton went 4
for 5, Hailie Wright 3 for 5,
Zweygardt 4 for 4, Whitney
McClellan 2 for 4 and Mad-
den 2 for 4.
“I thought it was awe-
some,” Madden said. “We
were completely ready for
this game. I’m proud of all
my teammates. They all did
awesome as well. Everyone
was positive and encouraging,
and I can’t wait for the rest of
the season.”
Grant Union is on the
road Saturday for a double-
header against Lakeview
with games starting at noon
and 2 p.m.
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Studio
Grant Union Prospector Cody Jo Madden pitches in Friday’s game against Union/Cove.
Golf team starts
season at Echo
Hills Golf Course
Seven Grant Union golf-
ers, three boys and four girls,
competed at Friday’s Echo
Hills Golf Course for Hep-
pner’s invitational.
Grant Union head coach
Ron Lundbom said the em-
phasis was helping his newer
players prepare for the sea-
son.
“We helped with how to
walk off the green, where to
put your bag when you putt,
also with some shot making
and scoring,” he said. “There
are a lot of new players this
year, and this match was a
good teaching opportunity
for all.”
For the Grant Union
boys, Duane Stokes scored
86, Kellen Shelley 98 and
Parker Manitsas 114.
For the girls, Makenna
Culley scored 119, Kaytlyn
Wells 126, Fallen Bolman
136 and Emily Springer
146.
Lundbom said all the re-
turning players improved
from their first match last
year.
Prairie City, Long
Creek compete at
Diana Thurmond
Invite
Prairie City senior Megan
Camarena placed first in shot
put at 31-10, out-throwing
second-place finisher Caro-
line Bruton of Vale by 7 inch-
es.
Haley Pfefferkorn had a
first-place finish in javelin
with a mark of 101-04, just
over 6 feet farther than her
second-place opponent.
For the Prairie City boys,
SPORTS SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 22
Grant Union baseball vs. Homedale, Idaho, at
Triangle Oil Tournament at 11 a.m.
Friday, March 23
Grant Union baseball vs. Lost River at Triangle Oil
Tournament at 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 24
Grant Union baseball vs. Nyssa at Triangle Oil Tour-
nament at 2 p.m.
Grant Union softball @ Lakeview (2) at noon, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27
Grant Union softball @ Riverside-Arlington at
Riverside Tournament at 11 a.m.
Grant Union softball @ Knappa at Riverside High
School at 4:30 p.m.
Danner Davis placed second
in shot put and Jake McHat-
ton was fourth. McHatton also
placed third in discus.
“I was very pleased with
everyone,” said Prairie City
head coach Nate Barber. “Our
throwers were excellent, our
long jumpers and triple jump-
ers got good marks to work to
improve on and it was good to
see our relay teams with good
handoffs in traffic.”
The Prairie City girls
4x100-meter relay team of
Rilee Emmel, Abbey Pfeffer-
korn, Deja Amsden and Sa-
mantha Workman placed third
with 1:01.30.
The Long Creek girls were
close behind, taking fourth
with a time of 1:03.92. The
team included Jenny Kim,
Dorotha Johnson, Ximena
Millan and Lucchese Doug-
las.
The Long Creek boys
4x100 team placed third with
a time of 50.33. The team
included Jaime Ballesteros,
Luka Pesic, Kim Donggye and
Rafael Gumerato. Gumerato
also placed seventh in the 100
meter out of 27 competitors.
Ximena Millan placed
third in the girls 800-meter
the
run with a time of 3:43.40,
and her teammate Dorotha
Johnson finished fourth with
3:52.33. Johnson also placed
sixth in long jump out of 23
competitors.
The Long Creek team
is led by head coach Linda
Studtmann.
Prairie City competed at
the Oregon Trail Invitational
in Vale on Tuesday, past press
time, and they will host a meet
on Friday, April 6, with nine
teams invited, including Long
Creek, Baker, Crane, Condon/
Wheeler, Mitchell/Spray, Pine
Eagle, Powder Valley, Jordan
Valley and Joseph.
Grant Union
athletes chosen
for Shrine game
Grant Union’s Wade Re-
imers and Cameron Halgarth
were selected to compete in
Oregon’s 66th annual East
West Shrine All-Star Football
Game Aug. 4 in Baker City.
Zack Deiter and Cauy Weav-
er were selected as alternates.
The game benefits the Port-
land Shriners Hospital for
Children
corner’s
HOT
SH T
EEK
OF THE W
CLARA CARR
School: Grant Union
Grade: 9
Parent: Nancy Falk & Mike Carr
Sport: Dance
What I like best about my sport: “I like
competing and working hard.”
Coach’s Comment:
“Clara works hard in every practice.
She always has a positive attitude
and a passion for dance. She is a
great asset to the team.”
Wednesday, March 28
-Coach Kattie Piazza
Grant Union softball @ Irrigon at Irrigon High
School at 1 p.m.
Grant Union softball @ Willamina at Riverside
High School at 3:30 p.m.
PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES
100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day
541-792-0425
16515