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MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
A7
WEDNESDAY
September 11, 2019
PREVIEWS
DAYVILLE/MONUMENT TIGERS
Football team gearing up for season
Coach’s goal is
to stick to basics,
notch more wins
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Dayville/Monument
Tigers, led by head coach
Kyle Hand, hit the ground
running with their first game
of the season, a 64-0 loss to
the Joseph Eagles on Friday
in Dayville.
Joseph was undefeated
last season.
Hand, who is in his sec-
ond year as head coach,
assisted by Heather Bowlus,
said they’re confident about
what this year holds.
“Our
upperclassmen,
mainly juniors, are bring-
ing a lot of experience,”
Hand said. “The boys are
up-tempo. It’s a good group
of kids.”
Several key players are
back this season, includ-
ing four junior starters,
quarterback JT Hand; snap
receiver Donovan Schafer,
who is the second-string
quarterback; tailback Mark
Thomas; and tight end Tell
Cox. Rounding out the start-
ing lineup are senior Wes-
ley Adams, a 5-foot-9, 232-
pound offensive guard, and
junior DJ Powell, a 5-foot-
6, 213-pound center.
This year’s roster also
includes three freshmen,
four
sophomores
and
another junior.
The team lost two
seniors to graduation, Cade
Milton, known for his size,
and Gabe Walker-Hop-
kins, known for his speed.
Both were also known to be
tough players.
Coach Hand said he’s
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Dayville/Monument wide receiver Mark Thomas (22) finds a path during the team’s Aug. 29
practice scrimmage in Dayville.
seen
JT
Hand and
Thomas
stepping
into leader-
ship roles
this season.
Wesley
“They’re
Adams
very vocal,
helping the
next person below them
with reading the ball, read-
ing defense and where your
feet should be,” he said.
“They’re my field generals.
They stay positive, even on
an off day.”
Howell is another leader
for the team, the coach said.
“His work ethic has been
tremendous,” he added.
“He’s dominate on the
offensive and defensive
line.”
Coach Hand added that
Howell also is an example
in how he “plays through
the aches and pains.”
Dayville/Monument head coach Kyle Hand calls his team
over after practice Aug. 29 in Dayville.
DAYVILLE/MONUMENT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 13: @ South Wasco in Maupin, 4 p.m.
Oct. 4: vs. Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler in Monument, 1 p.m. (homecoming)
Oct. 11: @ Huntington/Harper in Huntington, 1 p.m.
Oct. 18: @ Prairie City/Burnt River in Prairie City, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25-26: Six-Man Showcase at Sherman High School in Moro, TBD
Nov. 1: Six-Man Final Crossovers at Madras High School, TBD
JT Hand said he’s opti-
mistic this year.
“As a team, our goal is
to have a winning season,”
he said. “I want to become
a better leader and lead my
brothers to victory.”
Thomas said, “I’m see-
ing that our team is coming
together, and I’m excited to
see where we can take that.”
Adams said he’ll miss
his teammates — “my
brothers” — when the sea-
son is over.
“It’s been a great three
years,” he said. “These guys
are by far the best.”
In the 1A Special Dis-
trict 5 (six-man), Dayville/
Monument will face: Prai-
rie City/Burnt River, Echo,
Huntington/Harper, Joseph,
Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler,
Sherman/Condon and South
Wasco.
“These are teams we
faced last year,” coach Hand
said.
He expects Joseph and
South Wasco to be tough
again this season.
Joseph was undefeated
last year, beating most of
their opponents by several
dozen points.
This is the second year of
a two-year pilot program for
six-man football.
Hand agrees with other
coaches that having play-
offs and an unofficial cham-
pion crowned this year
“gives players an incentive
— something to look for-
ward to.”
He said he’s confident the
team will be ready to face
South Wasco Friday, Sept.
13, on the road in Maupin.
Game time is at 4 p.m.
Dayville/Monument’s
sole win last season was
over cross-county rival
Prairie City with a score of
27-12. Prairie City has com-
bined with Burnt River this
season.
The Tigers are sched-
uled to face the Panthers
at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 in Prai-
rie City for Dayville/Monu-
ment’s final regular-season
game.
Coach Hand said his team
has a goal to have more wins
than losses and improve
their overall game.
He tells them, “Give 100
percent, even on your off
days.”
“We learned from last
year: Don’t make it compli-
cated,” he said. “Sticking to
the basics is essential — and
we’ve restructured our tack-
ling scheme. They’re really
positive this year and hungry
to win.”
Volleyball team starts season confident, committed
DAYVILLE/MONUMENT VOLLEYBALL
SCHEDULE
Coach Treila
Osborne leads
the team
Sept. 13: @ South Wasco County, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 14: vs. Ione / Arlington in Monument, 2 p.m.
Sept. 20: vs. Ukiah/Long Creek [JV] in Dayville, 5:30 p.m.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Sept. 21: @ Central Christian, 4 p.m.
Sept. 24: vs. Grant Union JV in Monument, 5 p.m.
Tiger seniors are shin-
ing on this year’s Dayville/
Monument volleyball team
with Treila Osborne in as
head coach.
“Their intensity brings
everyone up,” Osborne said
of the four senior starters,
Denali Twehues, Aubrey
Bowlus, Miranda Cook
and Brooklyn Near. “Their
school leadership and good
camaraderie amongst the
girls gives the whole gym
that vibe of ‘we’re here to
improve and work hard and
be committed.’”
Osborne said Near, an
outside hitter, is “one of our
best servers” and Cook is a
“big middle” — front row
hitter and middle blocker.
Twehues is key for the
team as setter.
“She’s a great all-around
player,” the coach said.
Bowlus is also “a force to
be reckoned with” as an out-
side hitter and “is all business
on the court,” Osborne said.
“She is so strong and
powerful,” the coach con-
tinued. “She brings intensity
and fierceness to our team.
She along with Denali get
our team fired up. I know our
seniors want us to place well
in our league for the district
tourney.”
Both
Twehues
and
Bowlus received All-League
honorable mention volley-
ball awards last season for
their positions.
While the seniors are the
“core of the team,” the soph-
omores have really improved
Sept. 27: @ Ukiah / Long Creek [JV] in Ukiah, 5 p.m.
Sept. 28: @ Crane, 5 p.m.
Oct. 4: vs. Harper Charter in Monument, 2 p.m.
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Dayville/Monument volleyball head coach Treila Osborne shares some pointers with her
team during their Aug. 29 practice at the Dayville gym.
Oct. 5: vs. Adrian in Dayville, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 11: @ Huntington, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12: @ Jordan Valley, 1 p.m. (MT)
Oct. 18: @ Burnt River in Prairie City, 3 p.m.
Oct. 18: @ Prairie City, 5 p.m.
Oct. 26: High Desert League Tournament at Grant Union in
John Day, TBD
Aubrey
Bowlus
Brooklyn
Near
in their strength and tech-
niques, coach Osborne said.
The two sophomore start-
ers are Aubreianna Osborne,
a middle hitter and blocker,
and Katelyn Barker, a middle
and setter.
The team of 13 also
includes three freshmen,
another sophomore and three
juniors.
Dayville/Monument lost
two strong starters to grad-
uation last year, Kyla Emer-
son, an All-League honor-
able mention awardee, and
Faythe Schafer, All-League
Setter of the Year.
Coach Osborne, taking
over where Kristi Emerson
left off as coach last season,
previously coached the var-
sity team from 2002 to 2004.
Osborne practiced with the
Eastern Oregon University
volleyball team in her college
days, and she’s coached the
Dayville/Monument junior
varsity team for the past 15
Miranda
Cook
Denali
Twehues
years, and continues as their
coach. She teaches at Monu-
ment School.
Assistant coach this year
is Steven Schmidt, a new
teacher at Dayville School.
He’s played volleyball since
1998, which included college
volleyball, and this is his first
time coaching.
Dayville/Monument will
face eight opponents in the
High Desert League, includ-
ing: Jordan Valley, Adrian,
Crane, Prairie City, Long
Creek/Ukiah, Harper, Hun-
tington and Burnt River.
Jordan Valley, Adrian and
Crane advanced to the state
tournament last year where
St. Paul defeated North Pow-
der for the title.
Osborne said she expects
Jordan Valley to again be one
of the toughest teams in the
league.
“Our goal is to improve
when we play them and not
be intimidated by them,” she
Dayville/Monument Tiger
Katie Barker is quick to the
ball in practice.
said. “We’re going to bring
our own game to the gym
and our own aura. I think
we’ll surprise a lot of teams
this year.”
The team plans to take the
season one week at a time,
she said, and try to play
smarter with good game
strategy.
The 1A Tigers had a good
start to the season, beating
2A Enterprise 2-1 to a match
at the Aug. 31 Grant Union
Tournament, also losing 2-0
to 2A Grant Union.
Dayville/Monument lost
a home match in Monument
Thursday 3-2 to 1A Condon
and competed at the Prairie
City Tournament on Satur-
day, beating 1A North Lake
2-0 and losing to 5A Red-
mond in two.
Osborne said she enjoys
the extra playing time tour-
naments give her team
members.
“We learn from each
game and each rally and
adjust and continue doing
what we’re successful at and
keep our momentum,” she
said.
She said overall the
Tigers are a strong, coach-
able team with positive atti-
tudes, which inspires her as
their coach.
Good mental health leads
to good physical health, the
coach said, adding, “We
stress loyalty and teamwork
and positivity.”
“Maybe we’ll miss a cou-
ple passes, but we’ll rally
and regroup — and con-
fidence, that’s what we’re
really working on,” she said.
Bowlus and Twehues
have been teammates for
several years and classmates
since kindergarten.
“I hope to improve from
last year,” Bowlus said. “I’m
excited to play with the peo-
ple I’ve grown up with.”
Both girls said they’re
glad to have new players on
the team and a coach with a
lot of experience.
Twehues said everyone is
improving.
“I think my strong points
are hitting, and we’ve got-
ten our passing down — it’s
definitely one of our strong
suits,” she said.
Near and Cook said they
both love volleyball and
their team.
“I think one of the best
things about our team is that
every single one of us gives
100 percent effort in every-
thing we do,” Near said.
Dayville/Monument
faced Grant Union junior
varsity at Humbolt Ele-
mentary in Canyon City on
Tuesday, past press time.
The Tigers travel for a
match against South Wasco
County at 5:30 p.m. Friday
in Maupin.