Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2015)
SPORTS Grizzlies slip past Bulldogs WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM A7 PREP BASKETBALL • COLLEGE FOOTBALL • SCHEDULE Rooting for the Ducks A s a University of Washington alumnus, I was split about Monday night’s national college football championship game between the University of Oregon and Ohio State University. I’ve grown up in a household that holds contempt for Oregon football and had a hard WLPHZDWFKLQJWKH'XFNV in, arguably, the most important college football game ever played. 7KHUHZDVDQRWKHU side of it, though, a side that had been creeping into my mind since the 5RVH%RZOZDVSOD\HG on New Year’s Day. I found myself halfway hoping Oregon would win. I texted Eugene native and Oregon fan (ULN6NRSLOZKRLVDOVR a sports reporter for the East Oregonian, during the game and told him I was a 45 percent Oregon fan that night. It was the biggest number I could force myself to give. I said I would hope he would do the same for Washington. “No doubt!” he wrote EDFN³2QO\URRWDJDLQVW them once a year.” ,WKLQNWKDW¶V the thing a lot of people have come to IRUJHW7KHULYDOU\ between Oregon and Washington, though fierce and dormant at the same time, is a once-a-year deal. It did hurt a bit to see Oregon where Washington once was, but there was something about it that was easy to understand. First, it was the Pac- 12, the conference the national media forgets about because of the horrible scheduling with which the league LVLQIOLFWHG7KHJDPHV are too late for even PH,FDQ¶WWKLQNRI very many good reasons to stay up until 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday watching Colorado play Washington State. I mean, who cares? Obviously, I watch the UW games, but even WKHQ,NQRZWKDWLIWKH +XVNLHVSOD\ZHOODQG maybe even pull off an BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD SAM BARBEE FROM THE SIDELINES Sports reporter upset, nobody will see it. It hurts the league. So, for a Pac-12 school to be in college football’s biggest game is good for the league. Oregon is also a Northwest school, which is a small brotherhood in major FROOHJHIRRWEDOO7KHUH are just four of us, and, for the most part, two are afterthoughts. For the Northwest corner of the United States to be featured so throughly is a good thing. I was rooting for the region. Alas, Oregon got “Oregon-ed,” meaning, a team pulled away at the end of the game to PDNHDFORVHLVKJDPH not close. At halftime I called my dad, and we had the same perspective on the situation, both about the conference and about the region. It’s a perspective not a lot of +XVN\IDQVDQG,ZRXOG DVVXPH'XFNIDQVDUH ZLOOLQJWRWDNH 0DQ\PDQ\+XVN\ fans were openly rooting against the 'XFNVDQGURRWLQJIRU 2KLR6WDWH7KH*HUPDQ noun Schadenfreude, meaning pleasure from others’ pain, was rampant around the Washington community. I wasn’t one of them. I was hoping the league would get to be on top for the first time in a decade, and, even then, WKDWJDPHZDVWDNHQ away from USC. I would venture to say some will read this DQGWKLQNWRWKHPVHOYHV ³+H¶VQRWDUHDO+XVN\ fan.” Well, guess what? Four years ago I would have thought that same thing. I had a deep, irrational hate for Oregon that I couldn’t explain. Now, I’ve WDNHQDVWHSEDFNDQG ORRNHGDWWKHELJJHU picture. Seeing Oregon State fans openly rooting for Oregon Oregon helped me and SEE DUCKS/A8 GO SEE IT Wednesday, January 14 No events scheduled Thursday, January 15 Girls Basketball Umatilla vs. Riverside, 6 p.m. Boys Basketball Umatilla vs. Riverside, 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 16 Wrestling Hermiston @ Oregon Wrestling Classic, Redmond, 8 a.m. Girls Basketball Hermiston @ La Salle Prep, 5:30 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOG#3LORW5RFNSP Echo vs. Powder Valley, 6 p.m. Boys Basketball Hermiston @ La Salle, 7:15 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOG#3LORW5RFNSP Echo vs. Powder Valley, 7:30 p.m. SAM BARBEE PHOTO +HUPLVWRQ·V'LOORQ=LPPHUO\ULVHVIRUDVKRUWMXPSVKRW DV6XQQ\VLGH·V-XOLDQ1DUDQMRGHIHQGVGXULQJWKHÀUVW KDOIRIWKH%XOOGRJV·ORVV7XHVGD\QLJKWLQ+HUPLVWRQ Rocky start SEE BULLDOGS/A8 Teams adjusting to new hand-check rule Coaches say refs don’t always apply mandate BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD It’s been an all too com- mon occurrence in local KLJK VFKRRO EDVNHWEDOO games this season: A de- fender stymies an opponent on offense, only to be called on a foul. 7KDW¶V EHFDXVH EHIRUH WKH EDVNHWEDOO season started in Oregon, the National Federation of State High School Associ- ations instituted new hand- FKHFN UXOHV IRU DOO KLJK VFKRRO EDVNHWEDOO WHDPV$ KDQGFKHFN LV D GHIHQVLYH maneuver where the defen- sive player places his or her hand on an offensive player — usually on the hip — to maintain control of the op- posing athlete and gains an advantage because of it. 7KH 1)+6 KDQGV GRZQ UXOH ERRNV WR WKH VWDWH DV- sociations in an attempt to even out the rules, so that each state — more or less — is playing by the same UXOHERRN Cindy Simmons, the Or- egon School Activities As- sociation associate director LQFKDUJHRIEDVNHWEDOODQG also a member of the na- tional rules committee for EDVNHWEDOO VDLG WKH KDQG FKHFNUXOHKDVEHHQDSRLQW of emphasis in this state for many years, but merely em- SAM BARBEE PHOTO According to the new National Federation of State High School Associations hand-check rule, Matison Aby (20) of Weston-McEwen should have been whistled for a personal foul for a hand- FKHFNRQ6WDQÀHOG·V&\QWKLD&XULHOLQDUHFHQWJDPH SKDVL]LQJ WKH UXOH ZDVQ¶W doing enough to curb the KDQGFKHFNLQJ 6R VKH VDLG D QHZ FODUL¿FDWLRQ RI the rule was adopted. 7KH QHZ UXOH KRZHYHU created problems for local teams. Fouls were up, and the games went longer. ,QRQH(FKRJLUOVEDVNHW- ball game early this season, more than 60 fouls were called. All Cougars coach -' %UD]LO FRXOG GR DW WKH WLPHZDVVKDNHKLVKHDGDQG say that his players would have to adjust because all the calls were correct, ac- cording to the new rules. Simmons said the new UXOH FODUL¿FDWLRQ PDNHV things fair for players, SEE ADJUSTING/A8 UO, OSU fans join to cheer 'XFNVLQFKDPSLRQVKLSJDPH ly since they’re meeting the team they played for the HERMISTON HERALD ¿UVW EDVNHWEDOO FKDPSLRQ- Hermiston was quiet ship,” Eugene-born Herm- Monday night. iston resident David Rich- %XVLQHVVHV FORVHG HDU- ards said during the game. O\ 7KH VWUHHWV ZHUH ODUJH- Disappointingly for ly empty, and many eyes University of Oregon fans, ZHUHVWHDGLO\¿[HGRQWHOH- Ohio State won the game vision sets as the Oregon handily, 42-20, but it wasn’t 'XFNV IDFHG RII DJDLQVW WKH¿UVWWLPHWKH'XFNVDQG WKH2KLR6WDWH%XFNH\HVLQ WKH%XFNVPHWWRVHWWOHDQD- WKH¿UVWHYHU&ROOHJH)RRW- tional title. ball Playoff Championship ,Q WKH 'XFNV Game. WKHQRI¿FLDOO\NQRZQDVWKH 7KH VLJQL¿FDQFH ZDVQ¶W Webfoots, rolled through its lost on many Oregon-na- regular season and met the tives. %XFNH\HV IRU WKH 1&$$ “It means they have a championship. Oregon won chance to set the bar, to win SEE CHEERING/A8 in the new format, especial- BY SAM BARBEE Saturday, January 17 Wrestling Hermiston @ Oregon Wrestling Classic, Redmond, 8 a.m. (FKR6WDQ¿HOG#%RQDQ]D7RXUQDPHQWDP Swimming Hermiston @ La Grande, 12 p.m. Girls Basketball Umatilla vs. Vale, 4 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOGYV+HSSQHUSP Echo @ Wallowa, 4 p.m. Boys Basketball Umatilla vs. Vale, 5:30 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOGYV+HSSQHUSP Echo @ Wallowa, 5:30 p.m. Sunnyside was winless and hungry. 7KH*UL]]OLHVZHUH hadn’t lost a game by fewer than nine points all season and had to drive an hour DQG PLQXWHV WR WDNH RQ WKH +HUPLVWRQ %XOOGRJV who were playing their best EDVNHWEDOORIWKHVHDVRQ Sunnyside was rewarded for its patience and hunger, GRZQLQJ WKH %XOOGRJV 7XHVGD\QLJKWLQDWLJKW and stressful affair at the Dawghouse. Sunnyside freshman 7UH\ 6DQFKH] VWROH WKH show, leading all scorers with 18 points and made a NH\IUHHWKURZZLWKVHF- RQGV OHIW WR KHOS WKH *UL]- ]OLHVWRWKHLU¿UVWZLQRIWKH VHDVRQ )RU WKH %XOOGRJV Dillon Zimmerly scored 12 points on his 18th birthday, and Austin Naillon chipped in with ten. Hermiston had a chance to win with eight seconds left in the game, but a costly WXUQRYHU GRRPHG WKH %XOO- dogs before a game-win- QLQJVKRWFRXOGEHWDNHQ Hermiston head coach -DNH 0F(OOLJRWW VDLG WKH missing ingredient for the %XOOGRJV ZDV D ODFN RI patience offensively, espe- cially since they demon- strated that patience in their last two games against La Grande and Summit. He said his team was showing a bit of complacency, as well. ³7KH\ VHH WKDW ZH¶UH NLQGRIVWUXJJOLQJVFXIÀLQJ coming into the game and FDQNLQGRIVHHDOLJKWDWWKH end of the tunnel,” McEl- ligott said of Sunnyside’s hunger to win. He said one of his main points before the game was IRUKLVWHDPWRJHWWKH*UL]- ]OLHVGRZQHDUO\DQGEUHDN their spirit. Unfortunately for the %XOOGRJV WKH\ weren’t able to do that. ,Q+HUPLVWRQ¶V¿UVWSRV- VHVVLRQ WKH %XOOGRJV JRW WKUHH WULHV WR VFRUH WKDQNV to Cole Smith grabbing SAM BARBEE PHOTO +HUPLVWRQUHVLGHQWV-RQDK/LQGHPDQIURPOHIW6KH\+HQ- GRQ'DYH'XTHWWH)&KDYH]DQG$OHQ+HQGRQFHOHEUDWHD \DUG2UHJRQWRXFKGRZQSDVVLQWKHQDWLRQDOFKDPSLRQ- VKLSJDPHDW1RRNLHV5HVWDXUDQWDQG%UHZHU\0RQGD\QLJKW LQ+HUPLVWRQ