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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 31, 2018 B1 WEDNESDAY October 31, 2018 Prospectors shut out TigerScots 16-0 to advance Football team travels to Monroe Saturday By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union Prospectors will face the Monroe Dragons at 1 p.m. Saturday in Monroe in the OSAA state playoffs. Grant Union earned the playoff spot after defeating the Weston-McEwen Ti- gerScots 16-0 Friday night in John Day. “These guys deserve it,” said Grant Union head coach Jason Miller. “They’ve worked so hard, played hard — they de- serve the post season.” Miller said it was a team effort that got the job done. “Everybody is working hard and mak- ing things happen,” he said. Grant Union linebacker Devon Stokes moved Grant Union in the right direction in the first quarter, recovering Weston-McEwen’s fumble on the Tiger- Scots’ first drive. The Prospectors marched it down the field. On fourth down, quarterback Gar- rett Lenz handed off to Russell Hodge to keep the drive alive. Prospector Justin Hodge gained 15 yards on a carry for another first down, followed by Russell taking it another 15 yards for the Prospectors’ first touch- down. Lenz scored the 2-point conversion on a keeper. Weston-McEwen, led by head coach Travis Glover, continued a drive in the second quarter. TigerScot running back Dylan Kane made a long run to the 5-yard line, but Prospectors Russell Hodge and Justin Hodge pushed him out of bounds to bring up third down. Prospector Taylor Hunt then tackled Kane in the backfield, and Weston-McE- wen lost yards on the next play. Miller said he was impressed with his team’s “great defensive effort.” “We held them, and they didn’t score,” he said. “That’s all heart right there.” The first half ended with Prospector The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Jordan Hall breaking up Weston-McEw- en quarterback Kelen McGill’s pass. Grant Union Prospector quarterback Garrett Lenz scores a 2-point conversion in Friday’s win over Weston- See FOOTBALL, Page B2 McEwen. Contributed photo Grant Union Prospector cross country runners, from left, are Jesse Randleas, Braden Spencer and Eli Sheedy. Prospector cross country teams compete at district championships Boys team posts a fifth- place finish Grant Union advances to championship tourney after sweeping Bonanza Prospectors will face Coquille in quarterfinals Friday By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union Prospec- tor boys varsity cross country team placed fifth at Friday’s 2A/1A Special District 3 Championship meet held at Pendleton Community Park. Grant Union finished with 149 points, just 4 points be- hind Griswold. Prospectors Tanner Elliott and Braden Spencer each ran season bests, and El- liott placed first among team members for the first time in competition this season. The Union boys placed first, with Heppner in second and Stanfield in third. For the boys junior varsi- ty runners, Cole Ashley set a personal record. The Grant Union varsity girls placed seventh out of eight teams in the 3A/2A/1A Special District 3. Burns placed first, fol- lowed by Enterprise in second and Union third. Prospector girls Samantha Buckhaults and Rylee Brown- ing each set personal records. “We trained harder this year, and the athletes found they were able to push them- selves and hold their pace lon- ger,” said Grant Union head coach Sonna Smith. “We ac- complished our goal of mov- Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Kaylee Wright (2) pushes back Mikayla McGee’s scoring attempt in Saturday’s game. Contributed photo/Winnie Browning Grant Union cross country runner Rylee Browning, center, races in the District 3 Championship meet Friday at Pendleton Community Park. ing up in our placing, team- wise, and have set new goals to run more consistently in the offseason to come in next fall at the level we left at the end of the season.” Grant Union last ran with a full girls team at districts in 2016, which was the first time in 20 years, Smith said. Smith led the teams with help from assistant coach Brandon Smith. Grant Union boys varsity Tanner Elliott, 28th,19:54.8 Jacob Smith, 31st, 20:10.8 Gage Brandon, 33rd, 20:18.5 Mason Gerry, 36th,20:46.3 Jesse Randleas, 40th, 21:15.6 Braden Spencer, 42nd, 21:22.5 Donavan Smith, 47th, 22:14.8 Grant Union girls varsity Erika Dickens, 27th, 22:56.5, season record Rylee Browning, 32nd, 23:36.5, season record Tiler Voigt, 58th, 26:50.2 Makenna Culley, 73rd, 29:11.8 Sammi Buckhaults, 76th, 32:16.4 Grant Union boys junior varsity Eli Sheedy, 10th place, 21:15.6 Cole Ashley,16th place, 24:24.9, personal record By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle T he Grant Union Prospectors are advancing to Friday’s quarterfi- nal round of the OSAA State Vol- leyball Championship where they will face the Coquille Red Devils at 3:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in Redmond. The quarterfinal match will take place on court 2 at Ridgeview High School. Grant Union is ranked No. 2 among OSAA’s 2A teams with a 26-4 overall record and 12-0 league record. The Prospectors finished No. 1 in the Blue Mountain Conference. Coquille is ranked No. 7 and has a 24-3 overall record and 12-0 league re- cord. The Red Devils finished No. 1 in the Sunset Conference. Grant Union, the defending state champions, swept the Bonanza Antlers Saturday in John Day, affording the Prospectors the opportunity to compete at the final eight. Bonanza gave Grant Union a tough showing in the second set, but the Pros- pectors kept their cool, winning with scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-16. Leading the scoring for the Pros- pectors were outside hitter Sydney Brockway with 10 kills, two aces and one block; outside hitter Kaylee Wright See VB, Page B10 Grant Union Prospector McKeely Miller makes a kill that flies past Bonanza in Saturday’s first-round playoff game in John Day. Grant Union Prospectors Taylor Allen (14) and Trinity Hutchison go up to block. Enthusiasm for cheer is contagious at Prairie City School By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Four varsity cheerleaders have generated school spirit in the hallways, at pep as- semblies and on the sidelines at Prairie City School. The team is led by Jill Wright, whose enthusiasm for the sport has only contin- ued to build since she began coaching 17 years ago. “It’s my passion — I love cheer,” Wright said. She said it’s fun teaching the girls dances and cheers, and seeing them progress. “The harder we work, the better we get,” she said. Wright’s love for cheer has rubbed off on her squad, which includes junior Shae- lynn Bice, sophomore Jayda DuBois and freshmen Han- nah Wall and Tianna Law- rence. Hannah Wall also played volleyball for the Prairie City Panthers; and Bice, who is team captain, is the Prairie City student body president, a high-honor student and a reporter for FFA’s Strawberry Mountain District. Bice said the team start- ed their work together last summer, starting with a cheer camp for elementary stu- dents. The team bonded as they created all the team posters and run-through banners for fall. It’s a time to get to know each other and get things done, said Bice, who is in her second year of cheer. She plans to return and hopes others join the squad. “This year has really shown how much I enjoy being around the team,” she said. “I’m really looking for- ward to next year, and I hope it’s another good season.” Getting the school to- gether for pep assemblies, and “having them show their pride and excitement for the teams” has been fun, she said, especially when the stu- dents get loud. Bice said some of her fa- vorite experiences are seeing the reactions of elementary students when the team ap- pears in uniform. “Having them say, ‘I want to be like you when I’m old- er,’ is an inspiration to me,” she said. Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography The Prairie City cheerleaders, from left, are Shaelynn Bice, Jayda DuBois, Tianna Lawrence and Hannah Wall.
