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MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
A9
WEDNESDAY
March 18, 2020
High Desert League names Long Creek’s
James Kreamier Player of the Year
day,” said Studtman.
“I would like to thank my fam-
ily, my team and my coaches, with-
out them I couldn’t have accom-
plished this,” Johnson said
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Three Ukiah/Long Creek bas-
ketball players earned all-league
honors from the High Desert
basketball league at the conclu-
sion of the 2019-2020 district
tournament.
For the boys team, the league
named James Kreamier, first-
team, “Player of the Year.”
Assistant coach Amos Studt-
mann, who coached Kreamier
throughout his high school career,
said he was dedicated to prac-
ticing everyday since he was a
freshman.
“He spent many, many hours in
the gym working on his shots and
was always dedicated to improv-
ing his game,” said Studtman.
“I credit his parents and his own
work ethic to his success.”
The senior led the Mountain-
eers to a 6-3 league record. Over-
all the team went 13-9.
“Winning Player of the Year
was a huge accomplishment for
me,” said Kreamier. “It is the first
time, as far as back as anyone
can remember, that a player from
Long Creek has won the honor,”
Prairie City All-League
Eagle file photo
Long Creek’s James Kreamier was named High Desert League Player of the Year.
He said he
worked
hard
throughout
his
high school career.
“I want to
thank my family,
coaches and team-
mates for making
Lucas
McKinley
this possible,” said
Kreamier.
Thomas Kreamier, a junior and
James’ brother, earned honorable
mention.
Studtman said
his favorite quote
from
Thomas
Kreamier
was
when he said, “a
good game for me
does not show up
Cole
on the books, it is
Deiter
when my brother
has success.”
Studtman said Thomas Kream-
ier brings the effort, teamwork and
sacrifice to the team’s success.
From
the
girls
basketball
team, junior Dor-
otha
Johnson,
received honorable
mention.
Studtman said
Betty Ann
Johnson was one
Wilson
of the most posi-
tive and uplifting
members on the team this season.
“She puts a lot of work in on her
own, working to improve every-
Spring sports practices suspended
Eagle file photo
Grant Union track and field hopeful season
is not canceled entirely because of coronavirus
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
As the rest of the sports
world came to a halt in
recent weeks, Grant Union’s
track and field met for prac-
tice Thursday, ahead of
Oregon School Activities
Association’s suspension
of all spring sports prac-
tices and contests through
March 31.
A day before the ban,
longtime head coach Sonna
Smith said all the team
could do, until further
notice, was to continue to
practice.
“That is all we can do
right now,” Smith said.
Smith said track and field
competitions, even without
spectators, are an inherently
large gathering of people.
They require a staff of 40
people or more, and tourna-
ments typically see multiple
schools competing.
Smith said that under
normal circumstances it is
critical to work on condi-
tioning the first few weeks
of the season, especially for
those on the team who do
not play a winter sport.
With 11 seniors return-
Sonna
Smith
Sierra
Cates
ing, six on the boys team and
five on the girls, the loom-
ing possibility of not hav-
ing a season at all takes on
another dimension should
OSAA decide to cancel the
season altogether.
“As a coach, it is a
frustration and letdown,”
Smith said. “I have
coached many of these
kids since they were in the
seventh grade.”
Smith said that most
have plans after high
school that go beyond
track and field.
Smith said there would
be challenges should the
season resume after March
31.
“I have encouraged
them to work on condi-
tioning in the meantime,
but the reality is that not
all of them will,” Smith
said. “So for those kids we
Erika
Dickens
Megan
McManama
are at square one.”
For the girls team, who
were a half of a point shy
of taking the state cham-
pionship
last
season,
the goal is to place high
enough in their respective
events to make it to the
state tourney.
Senior
Megan
McNamana, a shot put and
disc thrower, said her goal
is to go to state in one of
her events.
“A few more feet in of
those events can get me to
state,” McNamana said.
McNamana said the
team is very supportive
of one another, and many
have competed together
since
middle
school,
which adds to the group
camaraderie.
“Throwers can get
down on themselves when
they come up short, but
runners are always there
to cheer you on,” she said.
Sierra Cates, a runner,
said she has struggled with
self-doubt before competi-
tions and is working on
building her confidence
and mental toughness.
Last season, she placed
third in the 100-meter
dash, clocking in with a
personal record of 13.06 at
the state tourney and fifth
in the 200 and ninth on the
4x400 relay team.
She said just going
to state was a great
experience.
Cates said she is hope-
ful she is able to watch the
underclassmen have the
same experience she did at
state last year.
“I really want to be a
part of that experience,
and I want to see them
have the time that I had
last year,” she said.
Smith said, while the
team is hoping the season
picks back up after March
31, they are being realis-
tic, considering the pre-
cautions being taken by
league officials at both the
college and professional
level.
Dayville/Monument
Senior Drew Wilburn was
named to the second team while
junior Donovan Schafer earned
honorable mention.
For the Lady Tigers, senior
Denali Twehues was a second
team selection.
SHOOTING THE BREEZE
The Big Bwana
W
From the district track meet last year, sprinters in the girls 200-meter dash include, from left, Chelsy Lemmon of Stan-
field-Echo (second place), Shelby Moncrief of Enterprise (first), Keree Graves of Weston-McEwen (fifth), Sierra Cates of Grant
Union (third) and Shanniyah Hall of Grant Union (seventh). Spring sports practices have been suspended through March.
First team selections for the
Panthers included seniors Cole
Deiter and Lucas McKinley, while
junior Jojari Field was named to
the second team.
Honorable mention went to
sophomore Marcus Judd and
juniors Declan Zweygardt and
Jayden Winegar
For the Lady Panthers, Betty
Ann Wilson, a freshman, was
named to the first team while junior
Samantha Workman was named to
the second team.
Honorable mention went to
senior Hailey Wall and junior
Katie Hire.
hat is it about
big guns? The
fascination, the
stigma, the Hollywood
exaggerations? There are
two kinds of people, when
given the
oppor-
tunity
to shoot
some
kind of
hand-held
howit-
zer: The
Contributed photo
Dale Valade
Dale Valade bought this
one lights
Winchester Model 70 in
up like a Christmas tree,
John Day.
and the other, dreading
the thought, takes a cou-
ple steps back. Both,
legs as Jack O’Connor,
mind you, usually take
Townsend Whelen and I
the chance to shoot it, and
were stopped along the
when they do so it’s usu-
ally “not that bad.” No car- Yukon, watering our pack
toon-esque scene where
string. And magically
the poor nimrod is jerked
as I looked at the price
backwards out of their
tag, my wallet levitated
shoes, sailing through the
out of my back pocket
air doing several backflips
and spewed money like
off of a steep embankment confetti at a ticker tape
ending up in the bottom of parade. My wife was very
Brown Creek just over the kind. On the ride home,
she said, “You don’t have
county line while steam
to explain. I heard the
rolls out of their ears.
angelic hallelujah cho-
Nope, those big ones
rus from across the store.”
kick, but with a few
She’s a keeper! That hap-
exceptions, you’ll likely
retain your teeth and your pens to me a lot. I’ve got
to quit going in there, or
footwear. Obviously, I
win the lottery — one of
belong to the aforemen-
tioned first group of peo-
the two!
ple who get excited at the
No, sir, the Big Bwana
followed me home that
thought of firing some-
thing huge.
day. And I cannot wait to
Everyone’s definition of throw down on a bear or
big may vary. To the week- an elk with it in the near
end warrior accustomed to future. There is just some-
.22s and 9mm handguns, a thing about a big gun. You
.30-30 could be considered don’t need one until you
do. By then it might be
huge. To the average big
too late.
game hunter toting a .243,
I’m thinking maybe I
.270 or .30-06, the .338
should save up for a nice
Magnums are veritable
couch in the near future,
cannons. To the African
if I’m going to be buy-
Professional Hunter who
carries a .375 or .458 Mag- ing guns with such pre-
num on a daily basis, well, dictable regularity, I’ll be
you get the idea. Most of
spending more time on
us however, will never
ours after hours. But if
“need” anything genuinely Sasquatch should come a
knocking in the night, and
huge. Since I fall into the
Emma doesn’t shoot him
big game hunter category,
with her .243, she will
I consider anything larger
be glad I have that .375!
than a .300 Magnum to be
It will give me another
“huge.”
excuse to go back to the
Recently, finding
myself in a local hardware hardware store — not to
look at guns but to buy
store, I grabbed a used
material to replace the
Winchester Model 70 off
wall I got kicked through
of the used rack. The leg-
end stamped on its bar-
when I shot Sasquatch
rel read “.375 H&H Mag-
with my cannon!
num.” Instantly I was
Like to shoot the big
chasing lions through the
stuff? Write to us at shoo-
tingthebreezebme@gmail.
bushveld with Robert
com!
Ruark and Finn Aagaard.
Dale Valade is a local
As I shouldered the rifle,
country gent with a deep
I drew a bead on an imag-
inary giant brown bear
love for handloading,
reared up on its hind
hunting and shooting.