Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 21, 2025 -- SEVEN
Mustangs Sweep TigerScots
By Brian Bunch
Friday, May 16, the
Heppner/Ione Mustangs
traveled to Athena to take
on the Weston-McEwen/
Griswold TigerScots in a
double-header to close out
the 2A/1A-SD7 regular
season. The Mustangs came
into the series hoping to
finish the regular season on
a strong note and that’s just
what they did.
Ryan Haugen got the
start on the mound in game
one; the ace pitched a
six-inning complete game,
allowing just one unearned
run on two hits and two
walks with eight strikeouts
on the way to a 13-1 win.
R. Haugen had a hot start
to the game, earning six of
his eight Ks in the first two
frames, including a 1-2-3
first inning to set the tone.
Pitching fell apart for
the TigerScots in the second
inning as the first four Mus-
tangs up to bat were walked
to give Alakae Rodriguez
his first of two runs in the
game. The Mustangs would
send 10 batters to the plate
in the second inning and
come out of it with a 6-0
lead. The Mustangs would
build on the lead throughout
the game, adding two runs
in the fourth and one in the
fifth before working five
walks in the sixth inning
for four runs, to put them
up 13-0. The TigerScots
were backed into a corner
and had to score at least
three in the bottom of the
sixth frame to stay alive;
they managed one run, with
the help of some Mustang
errors.
Caleb George led the
team hitting with two hits
and a walk, earning two
RBIs and scoring two runs.
Five Mustangs followed
George with one hit a piece,
led by Shad Greenup who
joined George with two
RBIs on his one hit plus
a walk. Caylan Proudfoot
would join George and
Rodriguez as the only Mus-
tangs to score multiple runs,
with two each.
Pitching his last regular
season game of the year,
R. Haugen earned his sixth
win of the year for a 6-1
record in 13 starts, finishing
the regular season with a
2.639 ERA and batters hit-
ting .236 against him.
Game two was a group
effort on the mound for
the Mustangs, with Karver
Wilkins getting the start and
pitching 1.0 scoreless in-
nings, giving up one hit and
two walks. Keaton Coiner
relieved him and pitched
4.0 scoreless innings, al-
lowing just two hits and
one walk while earning four
strikeouts. Proudfoot would
close out the game, pitching
2.0 innings, allowing one
unearned run on three hits
and earning one strikeout.
Runs were a little hard-
er to come by in the second
game, as it remained score-
less until the third inning.
Greenup would follow his
own advice and “wear one”
as he would get hit by the
pitch and give the Mustangs
a lead-off runner. Two other
Mustangs would wear one
in the inning, all three going
on to score runs on the way
to a 5-0 Mustang lead after
three innings.
Jace Wilson would hit
a lead-off single in the fifth
and then go on to steal
home for a 6-0 lead after
five. George hit a two-out
RBI double with Coiner in
scoring position in the sixth
inning to make it 7-0. A de-
fensive error and a pitcher’s
balk, combined with a cou-
ple singles in the bottom of
the seventh inning allowed
the TigerScots to put up one
run for the 7-1 final score.
Wilson led the team
hitting with two hits for two
RBIs and two runs. Mason
Orem led all other hitters
with two RBIs on one hit;
Proudfoot and George were
the only other Mustangs
to tally a hit, George also
adding an RBI and a run.
With the final game of
the regular season scored,
Proudfoot (.333/.424/.403)
leads the team with 24 hits,
24 runs, 20 RBIs and 11 BBs.
George (.315/.457/.466)
is right behind him with
23 hits, 27 runs, 18 RBIs
and 12 BBs. Rodriguez
(.308/.444/.369) and Wil-
son (.303/.405/.333) both
added 20 hits; Rodriguez
with 27 runs, 14 RBIs and
9 BBs, Wilson with 20 runs,
12 RBIs and 11 BBs.
Mustangs Stumble
After Strong Start
The Heppner/Ione
Mustangs traveled to Grant
Union High School for part
two of the series with the
Grant Union/Prairie City/
Monument Prospectors on
Tuesday, May 13. A five-
hit, seven-run first inning
for the Mustangs that led to
a 7-2 lead after one inning
would be the highlight of
the game for the Mustangs,
but not enough. The Pros-
pectors would prove that
slow and steady (and de-
fense) can win the race, as
they wouldn’t put up more
than three runs in any sin-
gle inning on the way to a
11-9 win.
Caleb George and Cay-
lan Proudfoot would lead
the Mustangs with two hits
apiece, each with one RBI,
one run and one walk as
well. Keaton Coiner would
lead all other hitters with
three RBIs and one run on
one hit, followed closely
by Karver Wilkins with
two runs and one RBI on
one hit. Ryan Haugen got
the only other Mustang hit
of the game, and the start
on the mound, pitching 3.0
innings, giving up four runs
(four earned) on five hits
with two walks and two
strikeouts.
Alakae Rodriguez
would pitch 0.2 innings in
relief giving up three runs
(zero earned) on one hit
and four walks with two
strikeouts. Proudfoot would
replace him on the mound
and go 2.1 innings, giving
up four runs (four earned)
on four hits with two walks.
2A/1A-SD7 League
Play Wraps-Up
On Tuesday, May 13,
news spread that the Irri-
gon Knights (13-3 League,
16-7 Overall) had secured
the District Championship
with a 10-0 win over Sher-
man. The Knights have
completed their scheduled
games and are awaiting
the OSAA ranking freeze,
which will happen at 10
p.m. on May 22.
Sitting in the number
two seed are the Union/
Cove Bobcats (12-4, 18-4)
with the Grant Union/Prai-
rie City/Monument Pros-
pectors (12-4, 13-11) sitting
right behind them. While
they are done with league
play, they do both have
non-league contests on the
schedule before the rank-
ings freeze, although with
their overall records being
so far apart it shouldn’t
make much of a difference
in league seeding.
The Heppner/Ione
Mustangs (11-5, 15-7) are
sitting alone in the four
seed with the next closest
team two wins behind. The
Mustangs join the Knights
on the sidelines watching
the action and waiting for
the ranking freeze. An im-
portant note: the Mustangs
do hold wins over all three
teams seeded above them.
There will be 18 auto-
matic qualifiers for the state
tournament, including four
from 2A/1A-SD7. After
those 18 are selected, the
next four highest ranking
teams in the state will be
selected for at-large bids.
The bracket will be built out
of these 22 teams. Round
1 games will be played on
May 26 with the top 10
seeds getting a bye into
Round 2 on May 28.
Big week for Heppner at WM
and Grant Union invites
Riley Archer (M) went the dis-
tance at Grant Union, placing
first in the 3000m. -Photo by
Susan Hisler
Healy Hisler takes her mark.
She placed first in the 400m at
Weston with a season record
of 1:01.28. -Photo by Susan
Hisler
Chris Humphreys placed first
in discus at both Weston and
Grant Union. -Photo by Susan
Hisler
Heppner athletes
shine at WM Invite
Heppner High School
track and field athletes de-
livered strong performances
at the WM Invite held on
Tuesday, May 13, at Weston
McEwen track, with both
boys and girls bringing
home top finishes across
sprint, distance, and field
events.
The Heppner girls’
team had a standout day, led
by Hallee Hisler, who won
both the 100 meters (13.00)
and 200 meters (26.87). Her
younger sister, Healy His-
ler, also impressed, taking
first in the 400 meters with
a season record of 1:01.28,
and placing third in the 200
meters.
In the 3000 meters, Lily
Nichols broke the 11-min-
ute barrier with a personal
record of 10:58.58 for first
place, while Brooklyn Hen-
dricks followed in second.
The girls’ 4x400m relay
team of Healy and Hallee
Hisler, Riley Archer, and
Lily Nichols claimed gold
with a 4:19.50 finish.
Other top finishes in-
cluded Natalie Piper win-
ning the high jump (4’6”),
and Laia Puelles taking
third in the 100m hurdles
and setting a personal re-
cord in the 300m hurdles.
On the boys’ side, Chris
Humphreys led the field
squad with a victory in the
discus (129’3”), second in
shot put (40’9” PR), and
second in javelin (164’0”).
Teammate Landon McMa-
hon also achieved personal
records in both shot put and
discus.
Joseph Albitre won the
high jump (5’10”), placed
third in the 110m hurdles
with a personal best of
19.19, and took third in the
long jump. In the relays,
the boys’ 4x100m team
(Medina, Ramos, Wenberg,
McMahon) finished second
in 47.63.
Marty Medina deliv-
ered strong results in mid-
dle-distance events, fin-
ishing second in the 1500
meters (4:36.20) and third
in the 800 meters (2:15.05).
Heppner athletes con-
tinue dominant season at
GU Invitational
Heppner High School
track and field athletes
made another strong show-
ing at the Grant Union
Invitational on Friday, May
16, at 3 Flags Field, earning
multiple event wins and
setting numerous personal
and season records.
Senior Hallee Hisler
continued her dominant
sprinting season, winning
the 100m (12.86 PR),
200m (26.25), and 400m
(59.90). Her sister, Healy
Hisler, wasn’t far behind,
taking second in the 400m
(1:01.91 SR) and third in
the 100m and 200m.
The distance squad
kept the momentum going.
Lily Nichols captured gold
in the 1500m (5:04.59) and
placed second in the 800m
(2:30.16). Riley Archer
won the 3000m (11:44.86)
and placed fourth in the
1500m, while Brooklyn
Hendricks followed closely
behind in both.
Nichols also shined in
hurdles, claiming first in the
300m hurdles (49.73 SR).
Laia Puelles earned third in
the 100m hurdles and set a
new personal record in the
300m hurdles.
The girls’ 4x400m re-
lay team (Hallee Hisler,
Healy Hisler, Riley Archer,
Lily Nichols) once again
took top honors with a
4:20.05 finish.
In the field, Natalie
Piper hit a PR of 4’8” for
fourth in the high jump,
while Claire Lindsay threw
96’4” for fourth in the jav-
elin. Avia Boutefuhr, just a
freshman, placed fifth in the
shot put (28’1.5” PR) and
added solid marks in discus
and javelin.
Junior Chris Hum-
phreys led the boys with a
triple crown performance,
winning the shot put
(40’2.75”), discus (131’0”
PR), and javelin (167’11”),
adding to his growing list of
podium finishes this season.
Marty Medina also im-
pressed in distance events,
taking first in the 1500m
(4:30.98) and fourth in
the 800m (2:12.54). Nick
Wenberg notched a PR in
the 3000m (11:59.40) for
second, and also earned sec-
ond in long jump (18’2.5”).
Joseph Albitre showed
versatility by finishing
second in the high jump
(5’10”), first in long jump
with a PR (18’10”), and
eighth in the 300m hurdles,
where he set a new personal
best (48.23).
In the throwing ring,
Heppner’s depth was on full
display, with multiple PRs
from Gage Heideman, Lu-
cas King, and Austin Willis
in shot put, discus, and jav-
elin. Heideman placed third
in the shot put (37’7.5” PR)
and seventh in the javelin.
Next Stop: District
Championships
Heppner ’s athletes
now set their sights on the
2A-SD4 Special District
4 Championships, sched-
uled for Friday, May 23,
at Ward Rhoden Stadium.
With strong momentum
and standout performanc-
es across the board, the
Mustangs are poised for a
powerful showing.
Mustangs shine at MS Meet of Champions
Sixth grader Hadlie Duncan
qualified for the state meet in
three events, setting personal
records and placing in the top
10 in two of them. -Photo by
Andrea Di Salvo
Catherine Lindsay takes the
baton in the 4x400 relay in Ir-
rigon May 9. She qualified for
state in the 400m, in which she
ran a personal best of 1:02.20.
-Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Brodie Ogden, pictured here
in the 400m in Irrigon, quali-
fied for state in the javelin. He
threw a personal-record 147
feet last Friday in Corvallis,
earning sixth in the state.
-Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Aidden Ramos Lopez (L)
leads his heat in the 400m in
Irrigon. He qualified for state
in the 400m, where he placed
20 th with a personal best 56.30.
-Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Four Mustang junior
high athletes delivered
strong performances at
the Oregon Middle School
Meet of Champions, held
Friday, May 16, at Corvallis
High School. The Heppner
track and field representa-
tives faced off against top
athletes from more than 60
schools around the state.
In the 400 meters, sev-
enth grader Aidden Ramos
Lopez placed 20 th with a
personal record time of
56.30 seconds.
In the javelin (450g
AeroJav), eighth grader
Brodie Ogden earned a
sixth-place finish with a
throw of 147 feet, setting a
new personal best.
For the girls, eighth
grader Catherine Lind-
say ran a personal best of
1:02.20 in the 400 meters,
placing 18 th overall.
Sixth grader Hadlie
Duncan had an impres-
sive day across multiple
events. She placed 10 th in
the 800 meters with a time
of 2:29.18, and sixth in the
1500 meters with a time of
4:59.96—both personal re-
cords. Duncan also compet-
ed in the 200-meter hurdles,
finishing 31 st with a time of
34.59 (-2.0) seconds.
The Mustang junior
high track and field team
had a strong season overall,
with several athletes mak-
ing their mark in various
events. Ogden and Lindsay
will be worth watching
as they continue their ca-
reers in high school. The
remaining middle school
team members also showed
great promise, gaining valu-
able experience and laying
the groundwork for future
success.
With a solid foundation
and growing talent, the fu-
ture of Heppner track and
field looks bright.
Please call to schedule an appointment at
541-922-6420. We are located in the
Morrow County Government Center at
215 NE Main Avenue in Irrigon. Heppner
appointments are available.