Bonds that last
,
used to hate my
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did.
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ODPH,WKRXJKWLWZDV
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place to raise a family.
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of my world hadn’t
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hated my hometown.
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back when we went on
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was naive.
,WWRRNXQWLOFROOHJH
ZKHQ,ZDVDZD\
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extended period of time
to fall in love with my
hometown. For the first
time.
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WKLQNLQJDERXWWKH
WKLQJV,GLGQ¶WOLNH
,ZDVWKLQNLQJDERXW
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missed the familiarity.
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the three paper mills
and their by-products.
,PLVVHGWKHSHRSOH
,PLVVHGP\IDPLO\,
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kinda-picturesque man-
made lake in the center
of town.
My world had finally
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seen daily life outside
RI/RQJYLHZDQG,
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you only have one
hometown. You only
have one place you
identify with at a core
level. As Dorothy said,
“There’s no place like
home.”
1RZZKHQ,ORRN
back on my 18 and
some-odd years in
/RQJYLHZ,WKLQNDERXW
WKHOHVVRQV,OHDUQHG
WKHUH7KHSHRSOH,
met, the successes
DQGIDLOXUHV,KDG,
WKLQNDERXW/RQJYLHZ
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depressed way, but
in a comparative
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weather, the drivers,
WKHEXLOGLQJVWKH
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EDVHOLQHDQGHYHU\WKLQJ
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This sense of where
,FDPHIURPLVQ¶W
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shared by people across
the country and world.
,QP\PLQGLW¶VD
necessary sentiment to
effectively know where
one fits into the world
in which one lives.
6RZKHQ,JRWRDQ\
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JDPHV,VHHSHRSOH
FROM THE SIDELINES
Sports reporter
who share my fervor
for their hometown.
People pack these
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²WRZDWFKWKHVFKRRO
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compete. Maybe they
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that certain school.
Maybe their children
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and they’ve become
proxy fans, like my dad
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The two Hermiston
IDQV,UHFHQWO\VSRNH
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two examples of people
who know where they
come from. They are
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terms with myself.
:KHQ,JRWR5$
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don’t just watch with a
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what happens on the
field, court or diamond.
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DQG,XQGHUVWDQGZKDW
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who came before me,
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who used the locker
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IRUWKHJX\VZKRFDPH
back and lived and died
with us.
Ross and Harlan,
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DVWKRXJKWKH\¶UHDSDUW
of the school. And they
are. They’ve seen so
much happen. They’ve
seen the football team
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win on opponents’
schedules to state
champs. They’ve seen
the football stadium
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condemned to the best
in the state. They’ve
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and they still come and
support and cheer and
JDVSDQGGRHYHU\WKLQJ
fans do.
$V,ZDVVSHDNLQJ
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the passion on their
faces. They smiled
ZKHQWDONLQJDERXW
WKH%XOOGRJVDVLI
all the fine memories
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They spoke of their
families, and Harlan
WDONHGRIZDWFKLQJWKH
FXUUHQWSOD\HUVJURZ
up because she’s a
custodian at a local
elementary school.
GO SEE IT
Saturday, February 14
Swimming
Hermiston @ district meet @ Hood River, 11 a.m.
Girls Basketball
Umatilla @ Vale, 5 p.m.
6WDQ¿HOG#,UULJRQSP
Boys Basketball
Umatilla @ Vale, 6:30 p.m.
6WDQ¿HOG#,UULJRQSP
Sunday, February 15
No events scheduled
Monday, February 16
No events scheduled
Tuesday, February 17
Girls Basketball
Hermiston vs. The Dalles, 7 p.m.
Umatilla vs. Nyssa, 5 p.m.
Boys Basketball
Hermiston @ the Dalles, 7 p.m.
Umatilla vs. Vale, 6:30 p.m.
6WDQ¿HOGYV7%'#'LVWULFWV7%'
Wednesday, February 18
No events scheduled
A9
PREP BASKETBALL • PREP SOFTBALL • SCHEDULE
SAM BARBEE
SEE BONDS/A10
SPORTS
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Buckaroos nip the Bulldogs
BY SAM BARBEE
HERMISTON HERALD
The last time the Herm-
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a back-and-forth affair at
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ton boys would eventually
win.
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been more different.
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points, seven rebounds and
three blocks and they held
off a late rally by Hermiston
to win 62-51. Austin Nail-
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“He was the hard-
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difference-maker. He was
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three after Austin Naillon hit
a three-pointer to put Herm-
iston on the board. Pendle-
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would close the quarter on
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early and extended the lead
to 12 at halftime. Hermiston
never came closer than 10
points in the second half.
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and, by his account, it’s not
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communicated real well,”
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rebounds and box out ev-
ery time, not just some of
the time. We didn’t do that.
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easy baskets. When you
look at the shot chart after
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shots outside of 15 feet.
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SAM BARBEE PHOTO
Hermiston·s &ole 6mith
Àghts off 3endleton defend-
ers -ames %radt and
&aden 6mith as %ulldogs
teammates Zait for a pass
during the Àrst half of 3end-
leton·s - Zin over the
Bulldogs Friday night in The
DaZghouse.
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
&hase .nutz of Hermiston rises for layup against 3end-
leton·s :es 3ersinger left and 6onny *reen during the Àrst
half of 3endleton·s - Zin Friday night in The DaZghouse.
the ball inside on drive-
and-kicks, Pendleton easily
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looks.
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from Kai Quinn, an and-
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inside baskets, while Herm-
iston turned the ball over
four times and forced shots.
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of its own way, and Pendle-
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son came off the bench
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opposed to a collection of
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na lose, and the scoreboard
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quarter that Hermiston be-
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of the one-and-one and
then Naillon made two free
throws to cut Pendleton’s
lead to 17.
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throws, and Dillon Zim-
merly hit a 3-pointer to cut
Pendleton’s lead down to
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covered just a little over a
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the Pendleton bench.
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would’ve been worried,” the
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Hermiston couldn’t come
any closer, however.
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to push the lead back to 13,
Naillon hit two free throws,
which prompted a Pendleton
timeout. Smith made one of
two at the line, and Sonny
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merly hit a step-back 3-ball
with 36 seconds left to cut
it to 10, but that was all the
comeback Hermiston could
muster.
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up a lot of easy baskets,”
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staff and put our heads to-
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do.”
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they play The Dalles at 7
p.m. Tuesday on the road.
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feated Pendleton 66-57.
Drotzmann to play softball at Linfield next year
BY SAM BARBEE
HERMISTON HERALD
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to mature physically and was
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for the sport.
“She loved it. She had a
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have to push her too hard. So
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be a successful softball player
because of that.”
Four years later, surround-
ed by friends, teammates,
coaches, teachers and family
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school located in McMinn-
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west of Portland.
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and in the country. The Wild-
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pionships and are picked to
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SAM BARBEE PHOTO
Hermiston senior Abi Drotzmann, pictured here signing her National Letter of Intent, said the
main reasons she chose to attend LinÀeld &ollege are the academics, the coach and the toZn
of McMinnville itself.
have also won two national
titles since 2007.
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ronment of the team also so-
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has demonstrated why a suc-
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ence performer and a sec-
ond-team all-state player as
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state tournament. As a junior,
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kept her bat hot and posted
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plate.
She mostly played left
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“That’ll be up to the coach
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mann said.
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She started by “heavi-
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University in Salem, but
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an Williams, took a leave of
absence for this season, elim-
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mann’s considerations. She
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that was for her. She also
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VLW\ LQ )RUHVW *URYH ZKHUH
SEE DROTZMANN/A10
