S PORTS
Hermiston
A10
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2015
Youths
make good
baseball a
great show
SAM BARBEE
FROM THE
SIDELINES
I
f you have some time today,
head on down to Field of
Dreams and watch some
really good youth baseball.
Hermiston is hosting
two state tournaments. That
you probably already know.
Hermiston doesn’t have any
teams playing, though. But you
probably already know that, too.
But it’s good ball and fun
to watch. I spent about an hour
down there Tuesday and had
to peel myself away from it.
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played three scoreless innings
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with wonderful defensive plays
and good pitching.
But there’s more than just the
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little guys play ball. There’s
a purity there that is absent at
higher levels. There are no egos.
There are no massive, time-
consuming ticks at the plate. It’s
just full of kids grabbing their
bat, stepping into the box and
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they see.
There’s a rhythm to good
baseball and it’s hypnotic.
Higher level baseball, with its
between-inning entertainment
and strange entitlement, has lost
of some that, but it’s there in
doses.
But these kids play the game
with a joy that made me smile.
Here’s an example: In the
second inning Bend South
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with two out. On a solid base
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runner at second hesitated while
rounding third, and the throw
beat him to the plate. He didn’t
slide, and the catcher applied
the tag just in time in a bang-
bang play for the third out of
the inning and preserving the
scoreless tie.
That’s the good baseball.
But here’s the best part: the
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dugout because his teammates
mauled him on the skirt
between his dugout and third
base. His hat had come off and
he was holding it, so he couldn’t
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teammates threw themselves
into him; patted him on the
back; raised their gloves so he
might touch his to theirs.
The absolute joy in the
kids’ faces was what kept me
for three innings. It shows the
unadulterated happiness that
youth sports can bring when
done properly. Sure, it’s the state
tournament. The games matter.
Mistakes would be corrected,
and fast.
But you can’t simulate
children being excited for one
another and congratulating
one another. I saw a guy help
the catcher put his shin guards
on. Every third out, the teams
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him with smiles and well-
wishes.
It was beautiful. And I hope
you get a chance to go take
some of it in. It’ll be worth it.
— Sam Barbee is a sports
reporter for the Hermiston
Herald and East Oregonian
based in Hermiston. He can be
reached by phone at 541-564-
4542 or by email at sbarbee@
hermistonherald.com. Follow
him on Twitter @SamBarbee1
and follow Herald Sports @
HHeraldSports.
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Lady Bulldogs poised to dominate again
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
The Hermiston girls
basketball team ended its
dominant winter with a
loss to La Salle Prep at Gill
Coliseum in the 5A state
championship game.
Hermiston lost a start-
er, Abi Drotzmann, and
its sixth-man, Tavin Head-
ings, to graduation, but re-
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lections Jansen Edmiston
and Sara Ramirez, as well
as underclass standouts
Kynzee Padilla and Mad-
dy Juul in addition to some
role players.
If Hermiston’s summer
is any indication, the Bull-
dogs won’t be rebuilding
in 2015-16, they’ll be re-
tooling.
Led by Edmiston and
Ramirez, who, according
to head coach Steve Hof-
fert, have been dominant
all summer, the Bulldogs
pulled off an impressive
summer that saw them win
a couple tournaments and
faired well in the rest.
“A lot of positives were
seen in the younger girls
over the summer,” Hoffert
said. “Even though some
of those girls were on var-
sity last year, the minutes
weren’t there because of
who we had. They didn’t
get the minutes that they
got this summer. From the
Walla Walla tournament,
which was June 6-7, to
Medical Lake, which was
July 8-10, the growth in all
the younger girls was very
impressive. I was very
pleased.”
Two of the biggest leaps
were taken by Juul and Pa-
dilla, two returning starters
with something to prove.
Padilla, a slashing wing
and a rising junior, has
come into her own as a
perimeter scorer, Hoffert
said.
“Kynzee Padilla is gon-
na be a stud,” Hoffert said.
“She’s gonna be a force
next year. Where people
didn’t see what she could
do (last year), and this
summer she kinda came
out of it a little bit and
carried us and dominat-
ed some games when we
needed help.”
Juul, a rising sophomore
and skilled post player, is
also poised for a produc-
tive season. At times, Juul
looked tentative on the
court this past season. But
Hoffert said that is now a
thing of the past.
Jansen Edmiston
Sara Ramirez
“Maddy’s not a fresh-
man anymore,” Hoffert
said. “She’s not playing
like a freshman anymore.
She’s taken the initiative.
She’s taking chances, and
she’s pushing herself. Just
that year of maturity has
really shown this sum-
mer.”
Also players such as
Sydney Moore, a back-
up point guard; Shaelynn
Gilbert, another backup
point guard; Macey Fo-
ley, a senior forward; Ril-
eigh Andreason, a junior
guard; Makenzie Lind, a
junior forward; and Kiana
Heehn, a senior forward;
all took steps forward
with more minutes to go
around.
But perhaps the biggest
thing from Hermiston’s
summer is the dominance
of its electric backcourt
pair: Jansen Edmiston and
Sara Ramirez.
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team all-state selections,
the two Hermiston stand-
outs have gone from quiet
scorers to vocal leaders.
Hoffert said they can feel
their high school basket-
ball careers slowly con-
cluding, and they’re ready
and willing to do anything
necessary to get over the
state championship hump.
Hoffert said they take no
less than full effort and fo-
cus from their teammates
and have essentially car-
ried Hermiston through
the summer.
They often lead the
team in scoring, some-
thing they did last year,
but they’ve also bolstered
a defensive unit that aver-
age fewer than 35 points
allowed in two different
tournaments while scor-
ing, on average, more than
double their opponents.
“Jansen and Sara are
playing like, obvious-
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players,” Hoffert said.
“They’ve both had great
summers. Great growth
in leadership and scoring.
The same players you saw
last year, you’re gonna
be impressed when you
see them again. They’ve
matured. They’ve kicked
their game up a step. To
have those two doing it is
important because those
are our senior leaders. Sara
and Jansen have domi-
nated games. As a coach,
you just sit there and say,
‘Wow, this is kinda fun.’
“They’re very outspo-
ken right now. They’re
very positive. They expect
nothing less than every-
body’s best on the court.
They tell their teammates,
‘I’m a senior. I don’t get to
come back next year like
you guys. I don’t expect
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without giving 110 per-
cent. I can’t afford that.’
It’s the right message for
the right group.”
Farm-City Open to kick off rodeo week
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
In Hermiston, Farm-
City Pro Rodeo is a land-
mark on the calendar.
Piggy-backing on the
success of and interest in
the rodeo, a golf tourna-
ment sprung up.
The Farm-City Open,
which is to be played
Saturday, Aug. 8, at Big
River Golf Course in
Umatilla, raises money for
college-bound
students
who are interested in ro-
deo. The tournament be-
gins with a shotgun start at
8 a.m., after a registration
period beginning an hour
earlier, with appetizers at
11 a.m. and a pork loin
lunch at the conclusion.
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was for breast cancer
awareness,”
organizer
Kevin Fisher said. “This,
the fourth year, we’ve
been giving scholarships.”
Last year, the Farm-
City Open committee
award 10 scholarships
amounting to more than
$25,000.
“All proceeds are going
to a good cause, but it’s a
tournament for the golf-
er,” Fisher said.
That’s because of the
prizes that will be waiting
at each hole. Broken up
into foursomes based on
their handicaps, partici-
pants will have chances to
win various prizes ranging
anywhere from new clubs,
to Stetson hats, to belt
FILE PHOTO
Rodeo cowboys win buckles and so can participants in a the golf tournament named for the Farm-City Pro Rodeo. This buckle
was one of the prizes in the 2011 Farm-City Open golf tournament.
buckles for contests such as
closest to the pin, long put,
and more. In all, about 70
prizes will be awarded. The
par-3 ninth hole even has
a car giveaway if an ace is
made.
The teams, which are
to be selected Monday,
Aug. 6, will be comprised
of golfers at all skill-levels
and handicaps. They will
be tiered, though, so each
team member from his or
her corresponding tier will
only compete against oth-
Young duffers shine at
junior golf tournament
HERALD STAFF REPORT
A couple local youth golfers walked
away with some hardware after the City
of Hermiston Junior Golf Tournament
July 22 at the par 72, nine-hole Echo Hills
Golf Course.
In the 6-9 year-old division, Colby
Lerten ran away with the title, shooting a
nine-hole score of 39 as an 8-year-old. He
beat runner-up Wyatt Browne by seven
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Lacey by 18 strokes.
In the 10-13 year-old division, it was
decidedly more tightly contested. Payton
Gadsten shot 51 in nine holes, edging
runner-ups Cody Adams and Keeler Law-
son by a single stroke.
Winners received a set of Dunlap driv-
ers. Course pro Jason Speer said most of
the participants also took part in the ju-
nior golf clinics that ran during June and
July, and the tournament was a “culmnia-
tion of what they learned.”
STAFF PHOTO BY JEANNE JEWETT
Hermiston’s Colby Lerten poses with his
medal and prize clubs after shooting a
nine-hole 39 Wednesday to win the City of
Hermiston Junior Golf Tournament 6- to
9-year-old division at Echo Hills Golf Course.
ers from that tier. This al-
lows as many participants
to win as many prizes as
possible without a handful
of golfers taking home ev-
erything.
“It’s a good golf tour-
nament for the area,”
Fisher said. “A lot of the
guys in it have been in
the area for a long time.
It’s a good gathering.
“They’re there to have
a great time. There’s
friends they haven’t seen
in a long time.”