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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2021)
Local veteran visits Washington DC 50¢ VOL. 140 NO. 40 8 Pages Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Mustang football earns OSAA team of the month, rolls vs Weston McEwen Billy Gentry visits Washington, DC’s monuments and memo- rials. Unfortunately, the Korean War Memorial (above) was under construction. -Contributed photos. The Mustang offense awaits the call from Coach Grant. -Photo by Damon Brosnan By Blake Carter After having a season scrapped due to COVID 19, the Mustang football team has returned with a fire in their eyes. They have played well, and impressed many, including the state of Oregon. The Mustangs have earned the honor of the OSAA 2A classification team of the month. Every month of the school year, the OSAA selects a varsity team from each classifi- cation as the team of the month. The team of the month is chosen based on performance, dedication in the classroom and service to the community. Each team is recognized by the OSAA and Les Schwab Tires. The Mustangs will receive a commemorative trophy, along with a $100 donation from Les Schwab. Heppner enjoyed this accomplishment but quick- ly focused their attention to Friday night, vs Weston McEwen. Heppner looked dominant once again as they rolled to a 39-0 victo- ry. Weston McEwen came out energized, they were undefeated, and looking for their third league win. Not only were they playing the Mustangs, but this contest also lined up with the Tiger- Scots homecoming. Weston McEwen students filled up the end of the grandstands and were creating noise all night. The coin was flipped, and it was the Mustangs’ opportunity to return. Hep- pner kicked things off with a bang, as senior Brock His- ler took the opening kickoff 55 yards and set the Mus- tangs up on Weston’s 30- yard line. However, Weston wasn’t going to give up that easily, they quickly forced a fourth down and held the Mustangs on their opening drive. Unfortunately for the TigerScots, this Mus- tang defense was relentless, Kason Cimmiyotti picked up a fumble and took it to the endzone, giving Hep- pner a 6-0 lead. Weston stayed competitive for the first quarter, both teams traded punts. The Mustang offensive line opened the TigerScot defense as Brock Hisler and Caden George gashed the defense. Hisler opened up the drive with a 27-yard gain. George cashed in on a 24-yard run to put Heppner up another score, 12-0. The Mustang defense has been talked about all year, and once again they helped produce points, George jumped in front of a pass from the TigerScot quarterback and returned it for a 47-yard pick six. Hep- pner wouldn’t slow down, Blaine Mahoney forced another TigerScot fum- ble, Hisler swooped in and jumped on the fumble just two plays after the pick six. Hisler proceeded to follow his offensive line into the endzone on a 20-yard run. Heppner led 26-0 and took this score into halftime. Heppner and Weston traded stops in the third Suspicious person flees from law enforcement Caught the next day in the mountains A suspicious person who was reported at a res- idence near Ione and later fled from law enforcement has been captured and lodged at Umatilla County Jail. Jeremy James Combs, 42, was charged with un- authorized use of vehi- cle, unlawful possession of fictitious ID, attempt to elude/flee, providing false information, forgery, crim- Jeremy James Combs inal trespass and reckless endangering with total bail set at $100,000. Morrow County depu- ties were dispatched to Ione on October 2 shortly after 10 p.m. after the suspicious person was reported but he left in a vehicle headed towards Lexington. A dep- uty located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near Heppner. When the subject was questioned about war- rants he fled from the stop in the vehicle. Traveling south of Heppner on to Shobe Canyon Rd. and then turning on to Sanford Can- yon Rd, Combes lost con- trol and crashed. He then ran on foot into the dark. Sheriff’s office personnel searched the area but were unable to locate him. On Sunday, October 3 at approximately 10 a.m. a four-wheeler was report- ed stolen on Upper Rhea Creek. All leads and sight- ings led the MCSO deputies searching in the Upper Rhea Creek area in the Blue Mountains. Around 5:30 p.m. some hunters found the four-wheeler, undamaged and out of gas. Then a call came in from a hunter who had eyes on Jeremy and gave deputies a location. MCSO was able to locate Combes and take him into custody without incident. quarter, but the Mustangs found paydirt once again as Hisler scored on a two- yard run. Early in the fourth quarter, Heppner capped off the scoring as Jace Coe finished off an 88-yard drive with a 38-yard touch- down run. At this time the clock began to run without stoppage, and it was only a matter of time until the clock struck zero and gave the Mustangs a 39-0 win. Week after week the Mustang defense has had continued success, and this game was no different. The stiff Mustang defense re- covered three fumbles and intercepted a pass, scoring two touchdowns on the turnovers. The TigerScot offense only gained 51 total yards of offense and was forced to punt 10 dif- ferent times this game. The TigerScots crossed the first down marker five times in the game. Billy Gentry pictured with the Washington Monument in the background. Local veteran, Billy Gentry, recently visited Washington DC, travel- ing with other veterans on the Honor Flight. Gentry and five other men from Heppner volunteered for the Korean War 68 years ago and Gentry is the only one left. Bill was afraid he wouldn’t be able to go on the trip because it had been cancelled twice before due to COVID and this trip was the only group from Oregon to travel this year. Bill was excited to visit Washington DC monu- ments and memorials with the Honor Flight of Central -See MUSTANGS VS WM/ Oregon out of Redmond, PAGE SIX accompanied by his daugh- ter, Janet Greenup. Roy Drago, former Morrow County Sheriff, and his son from Boardman also rep- resented Morrow County. Veterans from the Korean and Vietnam wars were rep- resented on the flight. The flight began in Redmond on an Alaska Airlines Airbus 321, specially painted for Honor Flights, with 23 vet- erans, guardians and staff on board. “The reception when we landed at the Ronald Reagan Airport in DC was fantastic. Everyone in our part of the airport wel- comed the veterans with a standing ovation and ap- plause,” Greenup told the Gazette. “The view from the hotel included the Air Force Memorial, the Pen- tagon, the Capitol Building and Arlington Cemetery,” Greenup continued. Of all the sites visited, Gentry’s favorite was the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. “It was reverent and moving,” she said. Bill was looking for- ward to seeing the Korean War Memorial and hoped to find the name of a very good friend he lost in Ko- rea on the memorial wall, but the memorial was un- der construction. Bill is reminiscent of the men he served with and the coun- tries where he was stationed during the war. Gentry said, “This trip should be on ev- ery veteran’s bucket list.” When the flight re- turned and landed in Red- mond, a group from the American Legion and VFW Left: Billy Gentry visited the tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard. -See VETERAN VISITS DC/ PAGE THREE