MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
PAGE LABEL
A9
WEDNESDAY
March 17, 2021
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Grant Union’s defense stops the Pioneers’ Kiez White (13) during Friday’s game.
Prospectors roll over Pioneers to even up record
Rematch with Heppner set for Thursday
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union unleashed an off ensive
onslaught Friday in their 44-7 win over
4A Mac-Hi, evening up their record in
the second game of their spring football
season.
Jason Miller, the Pros’ head coach,
said the team played well in the non-
league matchup. He said they are start-
ing to execute well.
“They are playing with a forward
lean,” he said.
The Pros off ense blew up out of the
gate with juniors Justin Hodge, Maver-
ick Miller and sophomore Jack Strong
all scoring touchdowns in the win.
Hodge, a running back, chipped in
on special teams as well with a 90-yard
kickoff return to keep the momentum
going down the stretch.
Hodge and quarterback Devon
Stokes, a senior, commanded the ground
game in the decisive win.
Stokes said the win was encouraging,
and after a year off the fi eld, the team is
fi nding its groove.
“We’re getting back
into shape after a year of
not playing,” he said.
On defense, sopho-
mores Preston Boethin
and Jack Strong made
Junior Justin
key
tackles
while
Hodge
senior
Jordan
Hall
made key pass defl ec-
tions to hold the Pio-
neers to one touchdown
all night.
Hall said the win
was a good momentum
builder as they get ready
Senior Jordan to play Heppner next
Hall
Friday.
Hodge said the Pros
came together as a team Friday and need
to carry it over into practice and into their
rematch with Heppner, who blanked the
Pros 35-0 the fi rst matchup.
Heppner, who beat Stanfi eld
46-0 Friday, will host the Prospec-
tors in league play at 7 p.m. Thursday,
March 18.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Justin Hodge runs the ball during Friday’s game against Mac-Hi. The Prospectors won 44-7.
Grant Union volleyball team decisively wins against Pilot Rock
Team travels
to Prairie City,
Heppner this week
before hosting
Stanfi eld Saturday
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Pros-
pectors volleyball team used
their momentum to carry out
a decisive victory against
Pilot Rock in John Day on
March 13.
The prospectors won with
scores of 25-15, 25-11 and
25-7.
“I think that the game
went really well, and when
it’s a game against a team
in our league, it’s very com-
petitive,” said Grant Union
senior Madison Spencer. “I
think we played it out to the
best of our abilities.”
Junior Lauryn Pettyjohn
said she felt that the serves
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
The Prospectors stomp on the ground after scoring a point to
keep the momentum going against Pilot Rock Saturday.
helped the team win the game
along with the runs they had
with the ball.
Pettyjohn said being
smart with the ball helped the
Prospectors win, as the team
worked on getting the ball
over the net instead of only
focusing on kills.
Senior Jordyn Young
added the energy her team
provided helped drive the
girls to victory.
In the fi rst set, Pilot Rock
served to start the game, but
the Prospectors’ defense was
on point. They bumped and
set the ball for junior Paige
Gerry to spike the fi rst point
of the game.
The score was close until
4-3, when Pilot Rock hit the
ball out of bounds, and the
Prospectors began their fi rst
scoring streak.
Spencer served 4 points,
with two aces, to get to 9-4.
At 12-9, Gerry began
serving, and the team worked
together to grow the lead
to 17-10. Great serves and
defense from the Prospectors
carried the set to 25-15.
Junior Grace Taylor
served to start the second set
and scored the fi rst point of
the set. The energy contin-
ued as Young spiked the ball
to Pilot Rock and scored the
second point.
Successful serves led the
prospectors to 10-4, with
7 of the 10 points coming
from serves. The momentum
carried the team to another
decisive set with freshman
Drewsey Williams scoring
the last point, 25-11.
Senior Kenna Combs
spiked and scored the fi nal
point to close out the fi nal
set, 25-7.
Grant Union head coach
Shanna Northway said it was
a great week for the team.
While they lost to the 3A
Burns Hilanders Thursday,
Northway said the Prospec-
tors played good volleyball
against the competitive team.
Burns won, 25-6, 25-22 and
25-20.
“We’re starting to come
together as a team and get
some continuity,” Northway
said. “Our team is a tough
serving team, and it was nice
tonight that we didn’t air
out. We served until we got
a long run and then served
out. They did a good job this
week, and I’m super proud
of them.”
The junior varsity II team
was scheduled to host Day-
ville/Monument
Tuesday,
past press time.
Grant Union will travel to
Prairie City Wednesday and
to Heppner Friday, before
hosting Stanfi eld at noon
Saturday.
SPORTS SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17
Grant Union volleyball @ Prairie City/
Burnt River, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 18
Prairie City/Burnt River volleyball @
Crane, 5 p.m.
Grant Union football @ Heppner,
7 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 19
(Dayville/Monument volley-
ball vs. Crane, rescheduled to
April 2)
Grant Union volleyball @ Heppner,
noon
Prairie City football vs. Joseph, 1 p.m.
Grant Union Cross Country @ Burns,
4 p.m.
Dayville/Monument football @
Sherman/Condon, 7 p.m.
Grant Union dance virtual, TBA
SATURDAY, MARCH 20
Dayville/Monument volleyball @
Wheeler, 2 p.m.
Grant Union volleyball vs. Stanfi eld,
noon
SPORTS ROUNDUP
Dayville/Monument falls to
Joseph 33-13 in ‘hard-hitting’
game
Kyle Hand, Dayviile/Monument
football coach, said his team played
hard in a “hard-hitting football game”
Friday in their fi rst loss of the season
to Joseph, 33-13.
Hand said sophomore Gauge
Jenks “stepped up” with a receiv-
ing touchdown while Zach Ferguson
rushed for 110 yards.
Senior Mark Thomas, he said, had
another big game on the defensive
side of the ball with multiple tackles.
He said JT Hand stepped in for
starting quarterback Donovan Sha-
fer who sat out Friday’s game with a
concussion.
Lady Tigers fall to Crane 3-0
The Dayville/Monument volley-
ball team fell to Crane in three sets
Friday.
Treila Smith, Dayville/Mon-
ument volleyball coach, said the
team served well and stayed posi-
tive. She said Destiny Derowitsch, “a
very consistent server and defensive
player,” was outstanding and hustled
the entire game.
Grant Union cross country
team improves times
Head coach Sonna Smith said
all of the athletes on the cross coun-
try team improved their times at
the Stanfi eld Fun Country Meet on
March 11.
The boys took third place overall:
ninth place, Brady Dole, 19:07; 10th,
Quinn Larson, 19:52; 11th, Sky-
lor Boyd, 19:56; 16th, Max Bailey,
20:50; 24th, Landon Boyd, 23:02;
25th, Jesse Randleas, 23:09; and
31st, Cole Ashley, 25:41.
Smith said the girls were missing
an athlete, and it takes fi ve to seven
to have a team.
The girls times were: 10th, Kate-
lyn Hughes, 26:00; 11th, Abbie Jus-
tice, 26:23; 15th, Aliciana Archibald,
27:50; 19th, Audrey Walker, 29:35.
Smith said there were nine schools
were at Thursday’s meet.
Next up, the team will go to Burns
on March 19. She said Grant Union’s
home meet is April 2.
Prairie City football game
against Harper Charter
canceled
Prairie
City
Panthers
foot-
ball coach Nick Thompson said
he received an email that Harper
Charter canceled Friday’s game,
“due to COVID-19 concerns.”
He said he was not sure if that
was on Prairie City’s end or on
Harper’s.
Susie Combs, district secretary,
said Monday that Prairie City sports
games are scheduled this week.
The Prairie City girls vol-
leyball team will host Grant
Union at their gym Wednesday at
1 p.m.
The football team will welcome
Joseph at Friday at 1 p.m.