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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, November 6, 2019 B1 WEDNESDAY November 6, 2019 Grant Union earns trip to State Championships By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The No. 12-seeded Grant Union Prospector volleyball team is advancing to the OSAA 2A Vol- leyball State Championship, fac- ing the No. 4-seeded Portland Christian Royals at 4 p.m. Fri- day on court 2 at Redmond’s Ridgeview High School. The Prospectors took full advantage of their wild card spot for round one of the state play- offs Saturday defeating the Mon- roe Dragons 3-1. “We played one of the best games that we have all season and knocked off the No. 5 team in the state,” said Prospector head coach Ali Abrego. Grant Union won with scores of 14-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21. Abrego said her team came out timid in the first set, but gained their bearings in the second. “The third set was intense and a real turning point for us — we fought hard to secure the win,” Abrego said. “We were disci- plined for three consecutive sets, something that we’ve struggled with in the preseason.” She said each team member had a solid game, contributing to the win. “This win was a real team effort, and we worked hard to eliminate our own mistakes,” she said. Grant Union has a 14-16 overall record, 7-5 league, and Portland Christian is 25-3 and 12-0. A noisy sendoff will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, as the Prospectors travel out of town to Redmond. The tradition usu- ally includes emergency vehi- cles with sirens blaring and lights flashing, leading the way and fans in their vehicles fol- lowing behind the bus, honking their horns. Fans also waves from the sidewalks in John Day and Mt. Vernon. File photo The Grant Union Prospector volleyball team is advancing to the state championship tournament in Redmond Nov. 8-9 after defeating the Monroe Dragons on Saturday. In the photo, Kaytlyn Wells (15) is in action earlier in the season against the Union Bobcats. Prospectors topple TigerScots to advance to state playoffs Prospectors finish second in Special District 6 with win over Weston- McEwen By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union Pros- pector football team came away with the victory they needed Friday, crushing the Weston-McEwen Tiger- Scots 46-6 and punching their ticket to round one of the OSAA Football State Championships. The Prospectors, seeded No. 16, will face the top- seeded Kennedy Trojans at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ken- nedy High School in Mt. Angel. Friday night’s contest began with a 6-6 tie after the first quarter. Grant Union head coach Jason Miller said his team then stepped up defen- sively and forced a turn- over — an interception by sophomore Justin Hodge. “We scored a touch- down on that drive and scored again just before the half to go up 18-6,” Miller said. “The second half, we were able to move the ball and get stops on defense.” It was Grant Union’s final league game, finishing second in Special District 6 behind the No. 3-seeded Heppner Mustangs. The Prospectors had an early look at Kennedy in the preseason, the Trojans tak- ing the 42-14 win on Oct. 4. Eagle file photo The Grant Union Prospectors advance to round one of the OSAA State Football Championships on Friday, facing the Kennedy Trojans in Mt. Angel. In the photo, Jack Strong, left, and Tanler Fuller (20) wrap up a Heppner ball carrier earlier in the season. Looking forward to this week’s game, Miller said Kennedy is ranked No. 1 for a reason. “They are solid across the board and have a lot of expe- rience,” he said. “We have improved since we played them last, and we feel like we can force this game to the wire, if we continue to play physically tough and smart.” There will be a noisy sendoff for the Prospectors as they leave for the game at 8:30 a.m. Friday. The tradi- tion usually includes emer- gency vehicles with their lights and sirens blaring and vehicles following the bus, honking their horns, as well as people waving from the sidewalks in John Day and Mt. Vernon. Prairie City volleyball team ends season at state first round in Joseph Panther Rilee Emmel, a senior, prepares to slam the ball during the Oct. 26 District 1A High Desert League Tournament in John Day, defeating the Adrian Antelopes. Eagle file photo By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Prairie City Panthers volleyball team pushed the Joseph Eagles to four sets in their round one state playoff battle Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Joseph, the Eagles winning 25-18, 25-14, 19-25 and 25-18. “The playoff match was a really exciting battle for our team,” said Prairie City head coach Jordan Bass. “They played hard, and a lot of things we have been working on all season came together.” The Panthers earned the round one match after placing third at the Dis- trict 1A High Desert League Tourna- ment on Oct. 26, defeating the Adrian Antelopes. Bass said the crowd of fans in the gym made for a loud competition, but she said, “I think it fed into our energy instead of taking away from it.” “I made some in-game adjustments and the girls responded well,” she said. “It was really fun to watch them and see how determined they were to play their best.” Prairie City claimed a victory in the third set with a serving run from Pan- ther Shaine Madden, a senior. “That really threw Joseph out of system and gave our girls the oppor- tunity to get our offense going,” Bass said. “Even though we ended on a loss, this team worked really hard to get there and should be proud of the sea- son we had.” HIGH DESERT ALL-LEAGUE HONORS FOR PRAIRIE CITY First team Co-player of the year: Rilee Emmel, senior, outside hitter Co-setter of the year: Katie Hire, junior Second team Emily Ennis, senior, setter Hailee Wall, senior, middle blocker Honorable mention Shaine Madden, senior, libero Samantha Workman, junior, middle blocker
