Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 11, 2024 -- SEVEN
Mustang boys start Greg Grant and Les Payne reflect on
basketball season
decades of success in emotional farewell
strong with back-to-
back wins
-Continued from PAGE ONE
The first week of the
basketball season began
with the Heppner Mustang
boys’ basketball team win-
ning its first two games of
the year. The Mustangs
travelled to Imbler and
defeated the Panthers by a
score of 66-20. They then
hosted the Joseph Eagles
and beat them 43-28.
The Mustangs started
fast in Imbler and led 25-2
after the first quarter. Hep-
pner started the game out
shooting the ball well from
the outside. They were also
able to get out and run on
the fast break, which result-
ed in several layups.
Imbler didn’t score its
second basket of the game
until mid-way through the
second quarter. The Mus-
tang pressure defense both-
ered the Panthers all night
long. The Mustangs con-
tinued to shoot the ball well
and led at halftime 43-9.
The third quarter was
closer, but the Mustangs
still outscored Imbler 13-9
to keep their commanding
lead. At the end of the third
quarter the Mustangs led
56-18.
Heppner outscored
Imbler 10-2 in the fourth
quarter to take the win by
the score of 66-20.
Joseph Albitre led the
Mustangs in scoring with
16. He also had one re-
bound and one assist in the
game. Scoring eight points
each in the game were
Marty Medina and Caleb
George. Medina also had
an assist and two rebounds,
and George finished with
five rebounds. Mason Orem
scored six points and had
four rebounds and two as-
sists, while Jackson Coiner
also scored six points, had
two rebounds and dished
out three assists. A big game
was had by Keaton Coiner,
who finished with six points
and hauled down nine re-
bounds for the team. Gage
Heideman also contributed
six points to the Mustangs’
win. Alakae Rodriguez was
next with five points, one
rebound and two assists,
and Tripp Stewart had three
points, two rebounds and
two assists. Jace Wilson
scored two points in the
game. Although he didn’t
score, Caylan Proudfoot
had a rebound and an assist.
Darby Spivey played in
the game and contributed a
solid defensive effort in the
key area.
In their second game of
the season, the Mustangs
didn’t shoot the ball nearly
as well as they did in Im-
bler. The game against Jo-
seph started slowly for both
teams, and the Mustangs
led after the first quarter
8-4. Heppner started to
improve its shooting in the
second quarter, but so did
the Eagles. The Mustangs
outscored Joseph 14-11 to
lead at halftime 22-15.
The Mustangs did
stretch their lead to as much
as nine points in the third
quarter, but Joseph would
not go away and only trailed
30-26 at the end of three.
The fourth quarter con-
tinued to be close until mid-
way through the quarter.
The Mustangs stretched
their lead to as much as
11 late in the quarter and
didn’t let up. Heppner got
its second win of the season
by the score of 43-28.
Albitre once again led
the team in scoring with 11
points to go along with one
rebound. Keaton Coiner
was next with nine points,
four rebounds and two as-
sists. Orem had a big game
with eight points, eight
rebounds and one assist.
Medina and Heideman
each had four points in the
game. Medina also had a
rebound and two assists,
while Heideman tallied
four rebounds in the game.
Rodriguez was solid with
three points, two rebounds
and two assists for the Mus-
tangs, and George finished
with three points and an
assist. Jackson Coiner had
one point and three assists
in the game, and Stewart
recorded two rebounds for
the team.
The Mustang will trav-
el to Umatilla on Thursday,
Friday and Saturday of
this week to participate in
the Columbia River Clash
Tournament. Their first
game will be on Thursday
at 3:30 p.m. against The
Dalles. The game will be
played in the Umatilla High
School main gym.
Greg and Les posing with members of the 2015 Stat Cham-
pionship team. (L-R) CJ Kindle, Kevin Murray, Greg
Grant, Les Payne, Logan Grieb and Pat Collins. - Photo by
Petra Payne
number of years they had
coached—a symbolic ges-
ture honoring their dedi-
cation and achievements.
Throughout the night, the
crowd was treated to a
touching slideshow, gifts
for the honorees, and shared
laughter and tears as mem-
ories and stories were re-
visited.
Former players traveled
long distances to be part of
the celebration, underscor-
ing the lasting impact Greg
Grant and Les Payne had
on their lives. The standing
ovation they received was a
testament to their influence
not just as coaches but as
pillars of the community.
As the night drew to
Ken Grieb serving as emcee during the event, guiding the
evening’s heartfelt tributes and celebrations. -Photo by Petra
Payne
a close, it was clear that
Greg and Les are more than
exceptional coaches—they
are cherished figures whose
legacy will continue to in-
spire generations to come.
Their dedication to Mus-
tang football, their players,
and the town of Heppner
ensures their place in the
heart of the community
forever.
Greg Grant concluded
his remarkable head coach-
ing career with an impres-
sive record of 350 wins and
82 losses, achieved during
his tenure at Heppner
(1990–present) and Alsea
(1985–1989), placing him
third on Oregon’s all-time
high school football coach-
Mustang JV starts
season with win
over Panthers
The Heppner Mustang
boys’ junior varsity team
opened its season with a
50-15 win over the Imbler
Panthers Dec. 4.
Heppner led 8-3 after
the first quarter and out-
scored Imbler 19-1 in the
second to lead at halftime
20-4.
The Mustangs contin-
ued to score well in the third
and led the game 38-9 at the
end of three quarters. Hep-
pner then doubled up the
Panthers 12-6 in the fourth
quarter to get the win by the
ing victories list. Together,
Grant and Payne built a
legacy of excellence, lead-
ing the Heppner Mustangs
to 29 league titles and an
astounding 84 consecutive
league game winning streak
spanning 14 seasons, from
1998 to 2011. Remarkably,
they never experienced a
losing season in their 35
years of coaching together.
Their achievements
include state champion-
ships in 1992, 2015, and
2019, along with runner-up
finishes in 2007 and 2014
and 7 other semi-final ap-
pearances. Under their
leadership, Heppner holds
the OSAA record for the
most consecutive winning
seasons, a streak that began
with four winning seasons
before Greg became head
coach—a period during
which Les was already
coaching.
The legacy of Greg
Grant and Les Payne is
defined not only by their
incredible achievements
on the field but also by
their commitment to their
players, their community,
and the values of hard work,
dedication, and sportsman-
ship. Their impact on the
Heppner football program
will continue to inspire
future generations, cement-
ing their place as two of
Oregon’s most influential
and successful high school
coaches.
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score of 50-15.
Everyone scored for
the Mustangs in this game.
Jace Wilson led the team in
scoring with 14 points and
Gage Heideman was next
with 12. Scoring four points
each for the Mustangs were
Caylan Proudfoot, Tripp
Stewart, Brody McDaniel,
Mason Seitz and Mason
Haugan. With two points in
the game were Alakae Ro-
driguez and Darby Spivey.
The JV Mustangs’ next
game will be December 17
when they travel to Dufur.
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Specials 12/12 - 12/18
Thursday - chicken plus with fries
Friday - Italian sub sandwich with jojos
Saturday - Corn chowder and quesadilla
Sunday - 1/2 order biscuits and gravy,
hashbrowns, and egg.
Monday - Buffalo chicken wrap with chips
Tuesday - Reuben and potato salad
Tuesday night - 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday - Turkey BLT with macaroni salad
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