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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2019)
A8 PAGE LABEL Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 13, 2019 WEDNESDAY November 13, 2019 Grant Union battles for sixth in state By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Grant Union Prospec- tors started to rally in set three against Portland Chris- tian, but fell to the Royals 3-0 at the OSAA 2A Vol- leyball State Championship in the quarterfinal round at Ridgeview High School in Redmond. The Prospectors went on to beat the Bonanza Antlers with scores of 25-18, 30-32, 25-22, 23-25 and 15-13 in the consolation round. Grant Union then lost a 3-0 battle for fourth place to Union, the Bobcats winning with scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 25-17. “It’s awesome to have such a young team, and it’s our first time at the tourna- ment,” said Grant Union head coach Ali Abrego. “We made the top eight, and that’s what we were aiming to do.” The loss to the Bobcats placed the Prospectors at sixth in state. In their first game of the day, the Prospectors fell to Portland Christian in the first two sets 25-7 and 25-10, but began staging a comeback in the third set. The teams went back and forth, then Grant Union went on a scoring run with Taylor Allen, a senior, serving. Grant Union went up 7-4 when Prospector Abby Lusco, a junior, spiked the ball, then Allen served up an ace. The Royals made a hard return of Allen’s next serve, but Prospector senior Kay- tlyn Wells was ready for it with Kenna Combs, a junior, setting the ball for Allen who delivered a powerful kill. The teams tied again 10-10, then the Royals began pulling away. Prospector sophomore Harli Grove had two kills toward the end of the set, but the Royals won it 25-18. “Portland Christian is really a great team. They’re a lot older than we are, and that really showed,” Abrego said. Abrego said Grove han- dles pressure well. “She comes in cool off the bench and causes a few errors for that team and scores a few The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Abby Lusco (7) cheers after making a forceful kill in the quarterfinal round on Nov. 8 against the Portland Christian Royals. points for us — that’s really awesome that she has the ability to do that,” the coach said. “Taylor’s serving accu- racy — she’s improved a lot — and she’s making smarter decisions.” Abrego said the game against Bonanza was “intense to say the least.” “We had one set go 30-32,” she said. “It was a long match, two hours and 45 minutes ... which just shows how mentally tough our girls had to be in order to win.” It was the second time in two years that Grant Union beat Bonanza during the state playoff or tournament. Abrego expressed her appreciation for assistant coach Andrea Combs, and said that while they both will miss the three seniors —Wells, Allen and Baylee The Eagle/Angel Carpenter La Grande Observer/Ronald Bond Grant Union Prospector Abby Lusco (7) pounds the ball with Union Bobcat Ahnica Shoemaker (17) defending. Combs — they’re glad they don’t have to say goodbye to nine seniors as they did last year. “Overall, we brought home a trophy, and I’m very Grant Union football team ends season at quarterfinal round pleased with that,” Abrego said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to have coached these girls.” Kennedy defeated Cen- tral Linn for the cham- Grant Union Prospector starters prepare to battle the Portland Christian Royals at the beginning of the State Championship quarterfinal round on Nov. 8 in Redmond. Clockwise from front: junior Maddie Spencer (6), sophomore Carson Weaver, senior Kaytlyn Wells, senior Taylor Allen, sophomore Grace Taylor and junior Abby Lusco (7). pionship title, and Port- land Christian placed third, Union fourth and Verno- nia fifth. Weston-McE- wen also competed at the tournament. Mountain goat sighted near town By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union Prospector foot- ball team faced an uphill challenge in Saturday’s OSAA 2A State Champi- onship first round battle against top- seeded Kennedy. They were unable to climb that mountain, with the Trojans winning 35-6. Kennedy powered ahead with an early 14-point lead, then Grant Union slowed the Mt. Angel team’s momentum. “Our defense was stout,” said Grant Union head coach Jason Miller, who is assisted by coaches Andy Lusco and Tucker Wright. Prospector quarterback Devon Stokes, a junior, connected on a deep pass to senior Mason Gerry for Grant Union’s sole touchdown. “Offensively, turnovers and mis- cues made it difficult for us to get into a rhythm,” Miller said. “Kennedy is a quality team.” Grant Union had a tough early season schedule, coming back from five nonleague losses to place second in Special District 6 with a 3-1 league record. The Prospectors first faced Ken- nedy on Oct. 4 in John Day, the Tro- jans winning 42-14. Kennedy was undefeated in Special District 2, los- ing only one nonleague game. “Our early season schedule was tough, and that made us tougher,” Miller said. “It would have been nice to have won a few of those early close games, then we would not have been playing the No. 1 seed.” He added, “I am proud of the play- ers this season from our seniors to our freshmen, varsity and JV.” Eagle file photo Grant Union Prospector Mason Gerry rushes as Taylor Hunt blocks Kennedy’s Bruce Beyer (3) and Brady Traeger (12) during the Oct. 4 game in John Day. Grant Union faced the Trojans again in the first round at the OSAA 2A Football State Championship on Saturday in Mt. Angel, Kennedy advancing to the quarterfinal round. BLUE MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE ALL-LEAGUE Grant Union football Defense Defensive Backs Justin Hodge, sophomore, first team Tanler Fuller, sophomore, second team Linebackers Peyton Neault, junior, first team Russell Hodge, senior, first team Jack Strong, freshman, honorable mention Defensive Lineman Drew Lusco, senior, first team Frank Douglass, senior, second team Offense Receivers Justin Hodge, first team Mason Gerry, senior, second team Jordan Hall, junior, second team Quarterback Devon Stokes, junior, second team Running backs Russell Hodge, first team Taylor Hunt, senior, honorable mention Offensive Line Drew Lusco, first team Peyton Neault, second team Punter Russell Hodge, first team Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Professional photographer Tanni Wenger of John Day snapped this photo of a mountain goat wandering on a hill on the west side of Canyon City. She took the photo from Adams Drive, looking to the west.
