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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2025)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 23, 2025 -- SEVEN Heppner junior high takes second Mustangs earn the wins they need at Weston Invite The Mustang junior high track and field team started its season strong at the Weston Invite April 11, earning a second-place finish for both the boys’ and girls’ teams in a competitive field. The boys tallied 147 team points, second only to Central (175), with Helix in third at 95. The girls com- piled 92 points, finishing just behind Central (115.5). Heppner athletes also earned several first-place finishes and posted a wave of personal and season records throughout the day. On the boys’ side, Charlie Mullins led the way in distance events, win- ning both the 800 meters (2:36.02) and 3000 meters (11:01.00), with teammate Ketch Fennern placing second in the 3000 and winning the 300m hurdles. Heppner swept the top three spots in the 800 meters, with Carmine Albritre and Axton Hendricks joining Mullins on the podium. Brodie Ogden was a force in the throws, winning the javelin (120’5”), taking third in the discus, and placing fourth in the shot put. Heppner’s 4x200 relay team of Mullins, Albritre, Ramos Lopez, and Hen- dricks earned gold with a time of 2:02.30. For the girls, Hadlie Duncan grabbed wins in both the 800 (2:38.58) and 1500 meters (5:33.71), while Mikalie Duncan won the 3000 meters. Andee Lathrop had a strong meet as well, winning the long jump and 300m hurdles. Heppner’s girls 4x200 relay team also claimed first with a time of 2:12.58. Full Weston stats are as follows: Boys 100 Meters 16th – Brodie Ogden (8), 14.81 (PR) 22nd – Luke Imes (8), 15.26 (PR) 29th – Jasper Hanna (7), 16.02 (PR) 200 Meters 13th – Luke Imes (8), 32.72 (SR) 400 Meters 2nd – Ketch Fennern (8), 1:03.28 (PR) 3rd – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 1:04.54 (PR) 8th – Frank Di Salvo (7), 1:12.34 (PR) 800 Meters 1st – Charlie Mullins (7), 2:36.02 (PR) 2nd – Carmine Albritre (8), 2:39.42 (PR) 3rd – Axton Hendricks (8), 2:48.01 (PR) 6th – Frank DiSalvo (7), 3:00.72 (SR) 1500 Meters 1st – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 5:09.38 (PR) 4th – Carmine Albritre (8), 5:19.36 (PR) 3000 Meters 1st – Charlie Mullins (7), 11:01.00 (PR) 2nd – Ketch Fennern (8), 11:22.00 (PR) 3rd – Axton Hendricks (8), 11:30.00 (PR) 5th – Frank DiSalvo (7), 14:20.00 (SR) 300m Hurdles (30”) 1st – Ketch Fennern (8), 52.84 (PR) 4x200 Relay 1st – Heppner A: Char- lie Mullins (7), Carmine Albritre (8), Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), Axton Hendricks (8), 2:02.30 Shot Put (8lb) 4th – Brodie Ogden (8), 29’3” (PR) 9th – Jasper Hanna (7), 25’6” (PR) Discus (1kg) 3rd – Brodie Ogden (8), 85’7” (PR) 4th – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 78’3” (PR) 10th – Jasper Hanna (7), 62’0” (PR) 17th – Luke Imes (8), 56’6” (PR) Javelin (450g AeroJav) 1st – Brodie Ogden (8), 120’5” (PR) 3rd – Charlie Mullins (7), 98’4” (PR) 4th – Axton Hendricks (8), 92’11” (PR) 10th – Jasper Hanna (7), 84’7” (PR) 16th – Carmine Albritre (8), 74’8” (PR) 27th – Dawson Piper (7), 61’10” (PR) High Jump 12th – Dawson Piper (7), 4’0” (PR) Long Jump 4th – Ketch Fennern (8), 15’2” (PR) 24th – Luke Imes (8), 11’3.75” (PR) 27th – Dawson Piper (7), 10’5” (SR) Girls 400 Meters 3rd – Ella Mullins (6), 1:12.71 (PR) 800 Meters 1st – Hadlie Duncan (6), 2:38.58 (PR) 2nd – Mikalie Duncan (8), 2:57.49 (SR) 1500 Meters 1st – Hadlie Duncan (6), 5:33.71 (PR) 2nd – Ella Mullins (6), 5:47.87 (PR) 4th – Andee Lathrop (7), 6:11.81 (SR) 3000 Meters 1st – Mikalie Duncan (8), 13:18.91 (SR) 300m Hurdles (30”) 1st – Andee Lathrop (7), 59.43 (PR) 2nd – Ella Mullins (6), 1:00.30 (PR) 4x200 Relay 1st – Heppner A: Had- lie Duncan (6), Mikalie Duncan (8), Ella Mullins (6), Andee Lathrop (7), 2:12.58 Long Jump 1st – Andee Lathrop (7), 12’6” (SR) 8th – Ella Mullins (6), 11’0” (PR) Heppner Dominates Big Cats Invite in Stan- field Heppner junior high athletes also turned in an outstanding performance at the Big Cats Invite in Stan- field April 18, with the girls placing first as a team and the boys coming in second to Central Middle. In boys’ competition, standout performances in- cluded a first-place finish in the javelin from Brodie Ogden, who launched a personal-best throw of 131 feet. Ogden also placed second in the discus (86’6”) and fourth in the shot put (31’1”), rounding out a dominant day in the throws. Distance events proved fruitful for Heppner as well. Seventh graders Aidden Ramos Lopez and Charlie Mullins shared a tie for first place in the 1500 meters, both clocking in at 5:01.0. Ramos Lopez also took sec- ond in the 800 meters with a personal best of 2:26.6. Ketch Fennern was another strong contributor, finishing third in both the 800 meters and 1500 meters, and also winning the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 7 inches. The 4x200 relay team of Carmine Albritre, Axton Hendricks, Aidden Ramos Lopez, and Charlie Mullins placed fourth overall with a time of 1:58.6. On the girls’ side, Cath- erine Lindsay sprinted to gold in the 200 meters, finishing in a personal-best 27.8 seconds, and added a third-place finish in the 400 meters (1:06.5). Mikalie Duncan secured a win in the 800 meters (2:29.2) and added a third-place finish in the 1500 meters. Hadlie Duncan had a banner meet as well, winning the 3000 meters (12:11.7) and the 300m hurdles (57.6), both in per- sonal-best times. Heppner’s girls 4x200 relay team of Lindsay, M. Duncan, Lathrop, and H. Duncan took second overall with a time of 2:05.4. Full team stats were: Boys 100 Meters: 31st – Frank Di Sal- vo (7), 14.3 (PR) 49th – Jasper Hanna (7), 15.6 (PR) 200 Meters: 11 t h – B r o d i e O g - den (8), 29.6 (PR) 24th – Frank Di Sal- vo (7), 32.0 (PR) 32nd – Luke Imes (8), 33.8 400 Meters: 5th – Charlie Mull- ins (7), 1:06.0 (PR) 9th – Frank DiSalvo (7), 1:10.0 (PR) 800 Meters: 2nd – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 2:26.6 (PR) 3rd – Ketch Fen- nern (8), 2:30.1 (PR) 5th – Axton Hen- dricks (8), 2:37.4 (PR) 6th – Carmine Albritre (8), 2:37.6 9th – Frank DiSalvo (7), 2:55.2 (PR) 1500 Meters: 1st – Charlie Mull- ins (7), 5:01.0 (PR) 1st – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 5:01.0 (PR) 3rd – Ketch Fen- nern (8), 5:17.3 (PR) 4th – Axton Hen- dricks (8), 5:22.0 5th – Carmine Albritre (8), 5:28.1 300m Hurdles: 2nd – Ketch Fennern (8), 57.0 4x200 Relay: 4th – Carmine Albritre (8), Axton Hendricks (8), Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), Charlie Mullins (7), 1:58.6 S h o t P u t : 4th – Brodie Og- den (8), 31’1” (PR) 8th – Jasper Hanna (7), 25’5” 25th – Luke Imes (8), 20’3” (PR) D i s c u s : 2nd – Brodie Og- den (8), 86’6” (PR) 4th – Aidden Ramos Lopez (7), 84’4” (PR) 7th – Jasper Han- na (7), 63’1” (PR) 27th – Luke Imes (8), 43’10” J a v e l i n : 1st – Brodie Og- d en (8 ), 1 3 1 ’0 ” (P R ) 4th – Axton Hen- dricks (8), 100’7” (PR) 15th – Jasper Hanna (7), 79’6” 16th – Charlie Mul- lins (7), 76’0” 22nd – Dawson Piper (7), 71’0” (PR) High Jump: 3rd – Carmine Albritre (8), 4’4” (PR) 9th – Dawson Piper (7), 4’2” (PR) Long Jump: 1st – Ketch Fen- nern (8), 16’7” (PR) 26th – Luke Imes (8), 12’2” (PR) Girls 100 Meters: 27th – Ella Mullins (6), 14.8 (PR) 200 Meters: 1st – Catherine Lindsay (8), 27.8 (PR) 400 Meters: 3rd – Catherine Lind- say (8), 1:06.5 (SR) 4th – Hadlie Dun- can (6), 1:07.5 (PR) 28th – Sofia Di Salvo (6), 1:29.1 (PR) 800 Meters: 1st – Mikalie Dun- can (8), 2:29.2 (PR) 3rd – Ella Mullins (6), 2:50.1 (PR) 1500 Meters: 3rd – Mikalie Dun- can (8), 6:05.3 (SR) 4th – Andee Lath- rop (7), 6:08.9 (SR) 7th – Sofia Di Salvo (6), 7:01.1 (PR) 3000 Meters: 1st – Hadlie Duncan (6), 12:11.7 (PR) 300m Hurdles: 1st – Hadlie Dun- can (6), 57.6 (PR) 3rd – Andee Lathrop (7), 59.1 (PR) 4x200 Relay: 2nd – Catherine Lindsay (8), Mikalie Duncan (8), Hadlie Duncan (6), Andee Lathrop (7), 2:05.4 Long Jump: 2nd – Catherine Lind- say (8), 13’5” (PR) 4th – Andee Lath- rop (7), 13’2.5” (PR) 16th – Ella Mullins (6), 11’5.75” (PR) Caleb George delivers a strike. Ryan Haugen beats the throw to the plate. -Photo by Brian -Photo by Brian Bunch Bunch By Brian Bunch Friday, April 18, was a beautiful day for baseball in Heppner as the Mustangs (8-5 overall, 5-3 league) played host to the Sher- man Huskies (3-9, 0-4) in Special District 7 play. The Mustangs, coming off a mid-week loss to the Stanfield Tigers in extra innings, were searching for answers going into Friday’s double-header. The weather couldn’t have been better for an April day in the foot- hills of the Blue Mountains, with a sunny 61 degrees at first pitch. Ryan Haugen would get the start on the mound for the Mustangs, giving up a lead-off walk to start the game before settling in and inducing a pop-out, fol- lowed by two quick strike- outs to give the Mustangs a little momentum out of the gate. Caylan Proud- foot would get a single in the bottom of the first and would score on a Karver Wilkins double to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead that would carry into the third before another run would cross the plate for either team. A pair of hit-batters and a walk by R. Haugen would give the Huskies a 2-1 lead after three innings. Another hit-batter, combined with an error and a single in the top of the fourth, would put the Hus- kies up 3-1 in the middle of the inning. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the heart of the Mustang order was due up, and seeing their second round of pitches from Hus- ky starter Drake Dark, they were finding their stride. Two Mustang singles, a double, and a sacrifice-fly would give the Mustangs a 2-out rally, leaving the game tied at three after four innings. The fifth inning would give the Mustangs what they needed to earn the win as Caleb George gave them a lead-off runner getting on base with an error. George would go first to third on a great sacrifice bunt from Jace Wilson, then score on a Proudfoot single. Proudfoot would go on to score on an Alakae Rodriguez single; Rodriguez would then score on a Mason Orem single. Rodriguez would replace R. Haugen on the mound with one out in the sixth inning. R. Haugen finished with 5.1 innings pitched, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts, earning the win. The Mustangs would finish the fifth inning with a 6-3 lead. Rodriguez would give up one earned run on two hits in 1.2 innings of work with one walk and four strikeouts, earning the save. That one run, a last-ditch effort by the Huskies on a wild pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh, would make the final score 6-4 Mustangs for the first game. Proudfoot and Rodri- guez would lead the team on offense with two hits and two runs each, joined by Orem who also had two hits, all three contributing an RBI. Fifth Inning Come- back Powers Mustangs through Game 2 In game two of the double header, the Sher- man Huskies carried a 5-1 lead into the fifth inning. Their ace, Leven Whitbeck, had taken the mound in the second game and had not allowed a hit through the first four innings. But all that would change as Heppner/Ione Mustang’s relief pitcher Caleb George would work a 1-2-3 top half of the fifth inning, and the Mustangs would carry that momentum into the bottom half. George had replaced starting pitcher Caylan Proudfoot after he pitched 3.0 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and no walks. After four solid innings, the Husky ace came out struggling in the bottom of the fifth. Whitbeck would walk Kea- ton Coiner and Shad Gree- nup before hitting George to load the bases. A Jace Wilson double would start the rally for the Mustangs, scoring Coiner and Gree- nup and leaving George and Wilson in prime scoring po- sitions with Proudfoot com- ing to the plate. Proudfoot would get on base and reach second on an error while Greenup scored another run and George moved to third. Karver Wilkins would load the bases with a hit-by- pitch that would induce the Huskies to pull their ace; fifth inning, bases load- ed, no outs, and the heart of the Mustang order due up. Whitbeck would take the loss with 4.0 innings pitched, allowing seven runs (five earned) on one hit, with five strikeouts and four walks. Things didn’t improve any for the Huskies with the relievers in; an error, two walks, two hit batters, and a Wilson sacrifice fly would give the Mustangs a 10-5 lead through five innings of play. Deep in their second game of the day, at one point you could hear a Hus- ky player saying “...we only have so many pitch- ers….” as they searched for answers to the Mustang base runners. Wilkins and Rodriguez would tack on scores in the sixth inning and put the game just out of reach for the Huskies as their seventh inning rally attempt fell short, 12-8 Mustang final. George earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching 4.0 innings in relief, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Husky pitching as a whole gave up 12 runs (five earned) on two hits with eight walks and six strikeouts. Rodriguez and Wilson were the only two Mustangs to tally a hit with one apiece, but Wilson managed three RBIs and a run, and Rodriguez man- aged three runs. Extra Innings Not Enough as Mustangs Drop Another to Tigers On April 15, the Hep- pner/Ione Mustangs had faced off against the Stan- field Tigers in a tightly contested baseball game that went into extra innings, ultimately resulting in an 8-9 loss for the Mustangs. Caylan Proudfoot led the Mustang offense with an impressive four hits, includ- ing two doubles, and drove in two runs. Jace Wilson contributed two hits and a walk, while Mason Orem also added two hits and an RBI. Caleb George hit a tri- ple, and Shad Greenup re- corded two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Several other Mustangs contributed hits and walks throughout the game, showcasing a strong offensive effort. Alakae Rodriguez started for the Mustangs, pitching 4.0 innings and allowing only one run while striking out seven batters. Ryan Haugen followed, pitching 3.0 innings and recording five strikeouts, though allowing five runs. Despite the strong pitching performances and offensive output, the Mustangs were edged out by Stanfield in the extra innings. Midway Through League Play Mustangs Sit Alone in Third After eight league games the Heppner/Ione Mustangs find themselves in third place behind Irrigon and Grant Union/Prairie City/Monument. Caylan Proudfoot is leading the team with 19 hits, batting .404 on the season while Caleb George leads the team with 20 runs and an OPS of .981. Ryan Hau- gen is the team’s leading starting pitcher going 3-1 on seven starts with 34.1 innings pitched and a 3.262 ERA; Alakae Rodriguez is carrying the team leading ERA at 2.333 with 9.0 in- nings pitched. The Mustangs look to improve on league stand- ings with a visit to Pilot Rock on April 22 at 4 p.m., and then Pilot Rock will visit Heppner on April 29 at 4 p.m. Lunch & Dinner Menu 4/23 - 5/1 Thursday: Hot corn beef dip with coleslaw Friday: Tuna melt with macaroni salad Saturday: Hot dog, chips, and potato salad Sunday: Closed. Monday: Chili burger with French fries Tuesday: Mongolian beef with vegetables and potstickers Tuesday Night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos Wednesday: Grilled chicken burger with ham and Swiss. Side of cottage cheese.
