PAGE LABEL
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
A11
WEDNESDAY
May 26, 2021
Lady Pros softball makes
history, takes second in state
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union/Prairie City soft-
ball program made history over the
weekend when they took second place
in the state tournament, the best fi nish
ever for the program.
After a 24-7 shellacking of Colton
High School Saturday — senior Jor-
dyn Young and freshman Drewsey Wil-
liams each hit grand slams while junior
Paige Gerry hit a home run — the Lady
Pros fell to Kennedy High School in the
championship later in the day, 16-0.
Coach Zach Williams said the team
made too many defensive errors, seven,
against a quality team in Kennedy.
“We had a great season, and I could
not possibly be more proud of the way
this team battled and played together as
a team,” he said. “We had some great
senior leadership that will be sorely
missed next season from Jordyn Young,
Jesaka Culley and Maddie Spencer.”
In a fraught season of closures,
cancellations and interruptions due to
COVID-19 lockdowns, the Lady Pros
— with a young roster — dominated
their league with a 14-2 record.
The team beat Rogue River 19-1 in
the fi rst round of the playoff s and beat
North Douglas 14-4 in the second round
before Saturday’s games.
“We’re a very young team, and I
defi nitely never thought we’d be going
to the state playoff s at the beginning of
the season,” Young said.
Senior Madison Spencer told the
Eagle, even though the team did not win
the championship game, it was a great
experience to be a part of a team that
made history with the school’s fi rst sec-
ond-place fi nish.
Juniors Riley Robertson and Paige
Gerry both said they wanted to win it all
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography
See Softball, Page A12
The Grant Union/Prairie City Prospectors softball team posses with their tro-
phy after placing second at the 2A State Championships Saturday.
Hall, relay team win track titles
Boys team places
second at state
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
T
wo state titles helped the
Grant Union boys track and
fi eld team to second place Sat-
urday at the 2A State Track
Championships in Union.
Senior Jordan Hall placed fi rst in the
110 hurdles, while Justin Hodge, Quaid
Brandon, CJ Glimpse, and Luke Jackson
took the top spot in the 4x100 relay.
Hall, named athlete of the meet, also
took third in the triple jump, fourth in the
long jump and fi fth in the javelin.
Hall told the Eagle in a Monday
interview that hurdles are his favorite
competition.
“I defi nitely didn’t expect just to go
and win it,” he said. “But (winning the
race) was big. I was almost in tears.”
He said he was beyond nervous ahead
of the race.
“I wanted to throw up the entire time
I was so nervous,” he said. “There were
kids next to me who were talking about
how they were faster than their times were
showing.”
Hall said he took the advice of his
coaches and pretended that the runner
next to him was three seconds ahead of
him. The advice paid off .
He said he ran about 30 meters past the
fi nish line.
“Finally, I turned around and looked at
everybody, and I was shocked,” Hall said.
“It was emotional for sure.”
The members of the 4x100 relay team
said the experience of winning the state
championship was a “great feeling.”
Jackson, a junior, said he was nervous
for the fi rst half-hour of the tournament.
But, he said, the team practiced and
had the competition down.
Hodge said the experience of winning
at state was “cool” and “amazing.” Hodge
said it was his job to “run straight, run fast,
and to get there.”
Jackson, who moved to Grant County
from Boston last year, said he loved run-
ning with the relay team.
“Track’s a team sport,” he said. “But
this is like a real team.”
On the girls side, senior Abby Lusco
took fi fth in the discus competition. Lusco
told the Eagle that she threw better at the
district competition. She said the weather
was “atrocious.”
She said she placed higher than she
was seated, and she was happy with that.
Lusco said an injury, coupled with the
COVID-19 lockdowns, interrupted her
senior year.
“We had several meets canceled over
the entire season, which really didn’t give
us many chances to perform,” she said.
“But I’m grateful that we had one (sea-
son) at all.”
Contributed photo
Grant Union senior Jordan Hall, left, poses with
the trophy he received after being named male
athlete of the meet at the 2A track champion-
ships Saturday. Katie Hanson of Gervais was
named the female athlete of the meet.
Contributed photo
The 2A state champion boys 4x100 relay team
from Grant Union, from left, Luke Jackson, Jus-
tin Hodge, CJ Glimpse and Quaid Brandon.
See Track, Page A12
SPORTS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 26
Grant Union basketball @
Heppner, girls 3 p.m., boys
4:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 27
Grant Union basketball @
Umatilla, girls 3 p.m, boys
4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 29
Grant Union wrestling @
Culver, 4 p.m.
Three Grant Union students qualify for state rodeo competition
Strong, McCrackens
to compete in
Prineville June 9-12
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Three Grant Union High
School students will compete
at the state rodeo contest in
Prineville June 9-12 after fi n-
ishing in the top 20.
In Oregon High School’s
Rodeo Competition in Burns
on May 14, Jack Strong in
both the saddle bronc and bull
riding competitions fi nished
in the top 20, qualifying him
to go to the state competition.
Sam McCracken won the
average in the boys cutting to
move on to state. He brought
home the state title in cow cut-
ting at the Oregon State High
School Rodeo State Finals last
year.
In the recent contest, Bai-
ley McCracken placed in all
rounds of pole bending, fi n-
ishing in third and sixth place.
In barrel racing, she fi nished
in fi fth and sixth place and
was seventh and eighth place
in girls cutting.
Sarah Clark had a great
barrel run of 18.918, which
placed her in the 26th place
on May 14. Clark has been
working on a young horse
all season and has been more
competitive.
The National High School
Rodeo Competition in Lin-
coln, Nebraska, will be held
on July 18. For a rider to qual-
ify for the national competi-
tion, they must fi nish in the
top four in their respective
fi nals.