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