A10
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Prospectors sink Pirates
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
T
he Grant Union football team
picked up its second win in a
row in convincing fashion on
Friday, Oct. 7, dominating the
Riverside Pirates in a 68-20
league victory.
The Prospectors struck fi rst, fi nding the
end zone less than two minutes into the con-
test on a 3-yard touchdown reception by
Charley Knowles. The ensuing two-point
conversion try was successful to put the
Pros up 8-0.
Just over fi ve minutes later, Jack Strong
would fi nd the end zone for the Pros and
push their lead to 16-0 following a success-
ful two-point conversion. The Pirates would
respond immediately after Strong’s touch-
down scamper with a 95-yard kickoff return
for a touchdown.
Riverside’s two-point try failed, leav-
ing the game at 16-6. The Pros would
score again on a 4-yard touchdown run by
quarterback Talon VanCleave with nine
seconds left in the fi rst period to take a
commanding 24-6 lead following a two-
point conversion.
The Pirates would fumble on their next
possession, giving the Pros the ball and the
momentum headed into the second quarter.
The Pros would capitalize on that oppor-
tunity, pushing their lead to 30-6 follow-
ing another VanCleave touchdown run
of 5 yards. The two-point conversion was
unsuccessful.
Riverside responded with touchdown
passes of 10 and 37 yards in back-to-back
possessions to draw the game to 30-18 after
a pair of missed two-point tries. Momentum
appeared to be swinging toward the Pirates
as they recovered an onside kick following
their second touchdown of the quarter.
Riddick Hutchison was having none of
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union defenders converge on a Riverside ball carrier during their game at Grant
Union High School on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. The Pros went on to win the game 68-20.
it, however, forcing a fumble that the Pros
recovered on the Riverside 45-yard line.
The turnover swayed momentum back to
the Pros, who added a 23-yard touchdown
run from Strong and a 20-yard touchdown
reception by Preston Boethin to push their
lead to 44-18 with under a minute left to go
in the fi rst half.
The Pros still weren’t done, forcing and
recovering another fumble with just over
42 seconds left in the half. Again the Pros
would capitalize on the turnover, this time
with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah
Adams and a converted two-point attempt
to take a 52-18 lead into halftime.
The Pros would score twice in the sec-
ond half. Another touchdown catch from
Boethin, this time a 34-yard reception,
pushed the Grant Union lead to 60-18 fol-
lowing a converted two-point try.
The fi nal touchdown of the night for the
Pros came with 5:43 left in the third quarter
when Adams jumped in front of the Pirate
receiver he was defending to intercept the
ball and take it all the way for a touchdown.
Another converted two-point try left the
game at 68-18.
The fi nal score of the game came with
4:54 left. A fumbled snap in the end zone
by the Pros led to a safety and two points
for the Pirates. The tally was 68-20 at that
point, and the Pros had their reserves in the
game throughout the fi nal quarter.
Off ensive leaders for the Pros included
VanCleave, who fi nished with three touch-
down passes and a pair of touchdown runs.
Strong fi nished with a pair of touchdown
rushes and Boethin fi nished with a touch-
down reception and a pair of two-point
conversion catches. The win pushes Grant
Union’s record to 2-4 with a 1-2 record in
the Blue Mountain Conference.
Grant Union football coach Jason Miller
said he feels like his team is hitting its stride
in the nine-man game. “I feel like we are
fi nally gaining the confi dence in our abili-
ties and our responsibilities,” Miller said.
Next up for the Pros is a trip to Stanfi eld
on Friday, Oct 14. Miller said the Tigers are
always tough at home and that focus and
composure will be key to leaving with a
victory.
The game against Stanfi eld is scheduled
to kick off at 7 p.m.
SPORTS ROUNDUP
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Panthers blank Pine Eagle for third
straight win
HALFWAY — The ninth-ranked Prai-
rie City football team looked very much
like a Top 10 squad on Friday, Oct. 7, maul-
ing the Pine Eagle Spartans in a 72-0 rout
at Pine Eagle High School. The win is the
third in a row for the Panthers, who briefl y
fell below .500 earlier in the season.
The win brings Prairie City’s record on
the season to 4-2. The Panthers also have an
identical 4-2 league mark.
The Panthers will look to win their
fourth straight game while still seeking a
spot in the eight-team state playoff when
they travel to Harper Charter on Friday, Oct.
14. Kickoff for the contest is scheduled for
4 p.m. MDT.
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Lady Pros fall to Stanfi eld 3-1
STANFIELD — The sixth-ranked
Grant Union volleyball squad traveled to
Stanfi eld for a league showdown with the
fi fth-ranked Lady Tigers and left with a 3-1
loss.
The fi rst game of the match was a com-
petitive 25-19 win for the Lady Tigers. The
Lady Pros would respond, regrouping in
the second game to tie the contest at 1-1 fol-
lowing a 25-15 win. The pivotal third game
was won by the Lady Tigers 25-17 to set
up a potential match-clinching fourth game
between the two teams.
The fourth game was competitive but
the Lady Pros ultimately came up short,
falling 25-21 to lose the match 3-1. The loss
puts the Lady Pros at 13-8 on the season
with a 4-1 record in league play.
The Lady Pros will look to get back on
track when they host Irrigon on Thursday,
Oct. 11. The match tips off at 5 p.m.
Prospector cross country takes part
in Mustang Invite
HEPPNER — Grant Union’s cross coun-
try team traveled to Thompson Ranch in
Heppner to run in the Mustang Invite along
with seven other teams. The boys fi nished in
sixth place with 167 points while the girls did
not record a score in the varsity race.
Pacing the Prospector boys was Brady
Dole, who fi nished 12th overall with a time
of 17:45.5. Quinn Larson was the other
Prospector runner to place in the top 50, fi n-
ishing 39th with a time of 19:54.4. There
were 117 runners in the boys race.
Maddie Bailey logged the fastest time for
the Lady Pro runners, fi nishing 33rd with a
time of 25:30.3. Abbie Justice recorded the
second-fastest time for the Lady Pros. Jus-
tice fi nished 45th with a time of 28:08.7.
The Grant Union cross country season
continues with a trip to Sisters for the Clash
in the Cascades on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Hello Grant County,
Upcoming Events
October 14 & 15 Grant County
Farmer’s Market Harvest Fest and Best of
the Old West Quilt Show
Grant County Fairgrounds –
14th - 3-8pm • 15th - 9am-2pm
October 15th – National Fossil Day at the
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument –
9am – 5pm
A uniquie boutique featuring local
Bank of Eastern Oregon is collecting
artisans from Grant County
Hats and Mittens through October 21st
133 W. Main, John Day, OR
November 12
541-620-2638 • etc.handmade@yahoo.com
Deck the Halls Gala – 6pm
Sponsored by Painted Sky Center for the
Arts – 6 pm Grant County Fairgrounds
Daycare and Workers Are a
Big Problem in Grant County!
At our Chamber Board meeting on Septem-
ber 15, Megan Brandsma and Laci Wheeler
from Frontier Childcare Resource and Refer-
ral and Aaron Treadwell, the Executive Direc-
tor from Umatilla-Morrow Head Start spoke
to the board about the shortage of daycare
and the absence of a Head Start program
currently in Grant County.
Head Start is not able to operate currently
due to the lack of a teacher and other neces-
sary employees.
If you are interested in starting a child care
facility, contact Megan - 541-589-2066 or
Laci – 541-620-4427.
If you are interested in helping Head Start
contact Aaron at 541-564-6878.
The Chamber is concerned about the lack
of a dependable workforce in our county.
www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com
Lori Hickerson
Sally Knowles
Babette Larson
We have talked to several of our businesses Principal
Broker, GRI
Broker, GRI
Broker, GRI
who are struggling to keep their doors open Office: 541-575-2617 Office: 541-932-4493 Office: 541-987-2363
because they can’t find people who want to
work! How do we solve this problem? If
you have any ideas or answers, we’d like to
hear from you.
Business Enhancement Grant Update
Funds are still available for Business En-
hancement Grants. Applications are avail-
able at the Chamber office and online. The
program has recently been revised to in-
clude security for businesses. Business En-
hancement grants provide matching funds
up to $2,500 for Chamber members making
exterior and interior improvements to their
businesses intended to restore and rehabili-
tate their buildings. Grant applications must
be submitted before the project is started.
• etc •
PIONEER FEED &
FARM SUPPLY
60561 HWY 26,
John Day, Oregon 97845
541-575-0023
Chamber Board to Meet
Our next Chamber Business meeting will
be Thursday, October 20, 2022. The board
meets at 10:30 AM at the Chamber Office.
Tammy Bremner
Executive Director
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Prairie City earns a split
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
PRAIRIE CITY — The
Prairie City volleyball team
played host to local rivals
Dayville/Monument
and
Crane for a round robin set
of matches on Saturday,
Oct. 8, emerging with a 3-0
sweep of the Lady Tigers
and a 3-1 loss to the Crane
Lady Mustangs. The young
Dayville/Monument squad
went 0-2 on the afternoon
but battled in all six games
they played.
The first match of the
afternoon pitted the Lady
Panthers agains the Lady
Tigers of Dayville/Monu-
ment. The first game was
a one-sided affair with the
Lady Panthers emerging
victorious with a 25-7 score.
The second game was
much more competitive
until the Lady Tigers ran out
of steam to fall 25-17.
Prairie City would close
out the Dayville/Monument
squad in the third game, tak-
ing a 25-12 victory and win-
ning the match 3-0.
The Dayville/Monument
team would have little time
to reflect as they faced off
with second-ranked Crane
immediately following their
match with Prairie City. The
Lady Mustangs looked the
part of the No. 2 team in the
state, dispatching the Lady
Tigers with scores of 25-9
and 25-8 in the first two
games.
The third game was
much more competitive
than the first two but still
ultimately resulted in a
25-15 Lady Mustang win
and a 3-0 sweep of the
match.
The nightcap was the
matchup everybody had
been waiting for as the
Lady Panthers got to mea-
sure how they stacked up
against one of the best
teams in the state in hosting
the Lady Mustangs.
The first game of the
match was a back-and-forth
affair that saw the Lady
Panthers fall behind and
then rally to a 25-23 win to
take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Lady Mustangs would
regroup, however, winning
the next three matches in a
row with scores of 25-16,
25-17 and 25-18 to take
the match 3-1 and deal the
Lady Panthers their second
loss to Crane on the season.
Much like the first game,
the Lady Panthers would
find themselves down and
attempting to rally to vic-
tory in the final three
games of the match. Unlike
the first game, though,
the Lady Mustangs would
blunt the Lady Panther
attempts at come-from-be-
hind victories.
Dayville/Monument
coach Cheyenne Clark said
she sees her team getting
better. “Whether it’s hitting
or serving or our blocking
or whether it’s just talking,
they’re improving with
every single game.”
“This game in particular
(against Crane) we came
in with a different mind-
set, with having little wins
rather than the overall score
as a win, just because we
have little goals to accom-
plish and they did. Crane is
a hard-hitting team and we
knew that and a hard-serv-
ing team and they were able
to dig some of their hits and
dig some of their serves, so
I was really proud of them
with that,” Clark said.
Clark’s team came into
the match with Prairie City
with a different approach,
focusing on intangibles that
will make the team better in
the long run. “For us in that
game we wanted to work on
our mindset and our over-
all having a better attitude
and coming in with confi-
dence, and we were able to
do that,” Clark said. “These
girls, if they were to just
believe and have more con-
fidence in themselves, they
would be able to play better
overall.”
SPORTS SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCT. 13
Grant Union cross coun-
try, Clash in the Cascades,
Sisters HS
Prairie City volleyball
vs. Elgin, 5 p.m.
Grant Union volleyball
vs. Irrigon, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 14
Grant Union football @
Stanfi eld, 1 p.m.
Dayville/Monument
football vs. Pine Eagle @
Monument HS, 1 p.m.
Prairie City football
@ Harper Charter, 4 p.m.
(MDT)
Prairie City volley-
ball vs. Pilot Rock/Ukiah,
5 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 15
Grant Union volleyball
vs. Enterprise, noon
Grant Union volleyball
vs. Heppner, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT 18
Grant Union volleyball
vs. Stanfi eld, 4 p.m.
Home games in bold
STRUCTION, LL
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