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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
S PORTS Hermiston A10 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM Colbray not practicing with the team A broken jaw and concussion issues likely to keep Colbray away from gridiron the summer while wres- tling, and a potential con- Entering the 2015 foot- cussion problem. ball season, the defend- “We hope for good ing 5A state champion QHZV DQG KLV UHFRYHU\¶V Hermiston Bulldogs had VSHHG\´ ¿UVW\HDU KHDG MXVW ¿YH UHWXUQLQJ VWDUW FRDFK 'DYLG )DDHWHHWH ers from last year’s team. said after practice Thurs- &XUUHQWO\ WKH\ KDYH MXVW day. “We can always use four. a great athlete like that Running back/defen- RQ WKH ¿HOG ² D UHWXUQ V L Y H ing All-State kid, tough, FOOTBALL t a c k - tough competitor and le and just a physical specimen w r e s - WKDW PDNHV WHDPV KDYH WR tling standout Sam Col- gameplan for him.” bray, a senior, is currently In two seasons, Colbray not participating in fall rushed for 1,088 yards on football camp because of FDUULHVDQDYHUDJHRI DEURNHQMDZVXIIHUHGRYHU 5.1 yards per, and scored By SAM BARBEE Staff Writer Colbray, in addition to KDYLQJ WKH EURNHQ MDZ sustained a serious con- cussion last season during Hermiston’s 31-27 loss at Coeur d’Alene last fall, and teammate, and fel- low senior, Bob Coleman said Colbray’s history of concussions jeopardizes his desire to wrestle colle- giately. “We knew coming into the season that Sam was a wres- WOHU ¿UVW DQG IRRWEDOO SOD\HU VHFRQG´)DDHWHHWHVDLG FILE PHOTO The news comes as a Hermiston’s Sam Colbray avoids the grasp of a defending Pendleton blow to the Hermiston Buckaroo in the rivalry War on 84 last season at Kennison Field. An %XOOGRJV ZKR KDYH MXVW injury over the some has kept Colbray from fall football practice. one returning starter from last year’s offense: re- 21 touchdowns. Last sea- DYHUDJH DQG VFRUHG FHLYHU (WKDQ 6QRZ 7KH son was his best by far, times. Colbray also had quarterback battle is still coming two yards shy of IRXU FDWFKHV IRU VHYHQ a two-man race between 1,000 on 198 carries (5.0 yards last season. senior righty Nathan Hun- saker and sophomore lefty Dayshawn Neal. It was assumed that Colbray would be joined by either of the them, but Colbray’s YDFDQF\ MXVW IRUFHV )DHH teete and staff to replace yet another body. That said, Colbray isn’t barred from the team. Though he declined to attend a team barbecue IUHVKO\ IURP KDYLQJ KLV MDZ ZLUHG VKXW )DHHWHHWH PDGH D SRLQW WR OHDYH WKH possibility open for Col- bray to return. “If he wants to come out, he can come out,” )DDHWHHWH VDLG ³7KHUH¶V no closed doors. Our pol- LF\ LV HYHU\RQH¶V ZHO come. It’s just when we’ll see him in action depends RQKLVDELOLW\WRPRYH´ Hermiston Super Oval has big, fun night announcement they would get their free rides, they hustled SAM BARBEE to the bus and were two of the FROM THE SIDELINES ¿UVWDERDUG&KLOGUHQ¿OOHG three buses, which performed SUREDEO\WKUHHRUIRXU¿JXUH HLJKWODSVZLWKNLGVZDYLQJ he smell of burnt rubber wildly out the windows like isn’t something I’m they were on a cruise ship at used to. The force of the turn of the century. They WKHVRXQGIURPWKHPDVVLYH were excited. engines pounding against my $IWHUWKHPDLQHYHQWVLW chest took some getting used was time for the actual main to, and the noise tickled my ear HYHQW strangely. With the sun long down, It’s Saturday night at YHKLFOHVZLWKDOOVRUWVRIWKLQJV +HUPLVWRQ6XSHU2YDODQGWKH behind them took the track. VWDQGVDUHSDFNHGIRUWKH¿JXUH One car had a little skiff with eight trailer races set for that no trailer attached, another HYHQLQJ%HIRUHKDQGPLQL car had a trailer with only one stock, bomber and super stock wheel, yet another had a boat UDFHVDUHKROGLQJFRXUWJLYLQJ on a trailer that no one cared a good show to the anxious DERXW$EXVHYHQWRRNWKH crowd. track for a time. A couple weeks ago I spoke Things deteriorated quickly with Dan Nelson, director ZLWKFDUVJRLQJDOORYHUWKH of operations, and Bryson SODFHLQWKHLQ¿HOGNLFNLQJXS Tarr, the owner, about their blinding dust that made it hard HQGHDYRUWRJHW\RXQJHUIDQV IRUGULYHUVDQGVSHFWDWRUVWR out to the race track by using see. There were a few narrow QRYHOW\UDFHVVXFKDVEXV PLVVHVWKHUHDVVRPHGULYHUV races, trailer races and an plowed through the dust and upcoming demolition derby, to some carefully picked through get that younger audience not it. only to the race track, but also But the clean didn’t last get them excited about racing. long. The car pulling the The night began with some boat-and-trailer combo got trophy sprints. Three cars from hung up with a truck pulling each class raced three laps for an empty trailer, rendering a trophy, and it was exciting it crippled. The bus, though, HQRXJK7KHQZHPRYHG GHFLGHGLWZRXOGKDYHVRPH into some heat races that saw fun. After lining itself up with VRPHDJJUHVVLYHGULYLQJDQG WKHVWDWLRQDU\ERDWLWUHYHUVHG close calls. One car failed to WKURXJKLWVHQGLQJ¿EHUJODVV QDYLJDWH7XUQDQGHQGHGXS HYHU\ZKHUHDQGDFKHHU in the sand bank, and another throughout the crowd. It was time a car got loose coming the loudest of the night. around Turn 1 and was spun The truck continued around out. Each time smoke billowed without a tire for the rest of the from a car’s tires, the energy race, its wheel being ground to in the crowd rose just enough nothing. The sparks and red- to sense it. They wanted to see hot metal were a sight to see. carnage. Tarr and Nelson both Next on the docket was the ZDQWHGWRUHLQYLJRUDWHWKH VSHFWDWRUGUDJUDFHV(YHU\ race track with a younger UDFHGD\IDQVDUHJLYHQWKH audience using these kinds opportunity to take their daily of races to drum up new GULYHUVRQWRWKHWUDFNDQGVHW interest. Preliminarily, at least, a lap time. A diesel pick-up it’s working. After the anti- truck tried a lap, so did a Mini climactic end to the bus race Cooper, a Volkswagen Golf during the rodeo (it’s coming ZKLFKKDGWKHIDVWHVWODS EDFN6HSWZLWKWUDLOHUV DQGHYHQDPLQLYDQ,WZDV +HUPLVWRQ6XSHU2YDOQHHGHG DQLQWHUDFWLYHVHJPHQWDVWKH a big and fun night to stay on crowd would guess the lap track, pun intended. WLPHVDPRQJVWWKHPVHOYHV And it looks like they are. and laugh when they were Let’s see how the demolition close and tease when a friend derby goes this Saturday. wasn’t. It was good fun. — Sam Barbee is a sports An intermission followed reporter for the Hermiston the fan laps, and children were Herald and East Oregonian ORDGHGLQWREXVHVDQGGULYHQ based in Hermiston. He can be around the track. This greatly reached by phone at 541-564- excited a couple little guys to 4542 or by email at sbarbee@ my left who kept wondering hermistonherald.com. Follow DERXWWKHEXVWKDWKDG³)UHH him on Twitter @SamBarbee1 Rides” painted in red across and follow Herald Sports @ one side. When they heard the HHeraldSports. T STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE 'avid Faaeteete is handed a football Zhile throZing sZing routes last Zeek at Hermiston football practice. He is in his À rst year as the Bulldogs’ head coach. Faaeteete easing into new role After seven years as an assistant, David Faaeteete takes over Hermiston’s football program of Oregon alumnus is the head coach of Hermis- 'DYLG)DDHWHHWHVWUROOHG ton’s football program fol- from one end of the turf lowing the best season in ¿HOG DW .HQQLVRQ 6WDGL school history. The Bull- um to the other. On the dogs went 12-1 last year fourth day of fall practice and capped the historic run XQGHU D KRW VXQ WKH ¿UVW ZLWKDZDOW]RYHUWKH year coach wasn’t focused 6LOYHUWRQ )R[HV LQ WKH $ solely on the linemen and state championship game their position drills as he LQ1RYHPEHU KDGEHHQIRUVHYHQVHDVRQ “I got a taste of (head under departed head coach FRDFKLQJ GXULQJ VSULQJ Mark Hodges. EDOO´ )DDHWHHWH VDLG ³JR 1RZ WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ ing to Tri-Cities and what- By SAM BARBEE Staff Writer not. It was easy to plan a practice in the spring then go scrimmage. But fall camp is a whole different animal.” )DDHWHHWH JRW D WDVWH of that last week. He had to hand out gear, assign lockers, get new guys sit- uated. It added yet another element to head coaching that he’s had to learn since WDNLQJ WKH YDFDQW MRE LQ May. He’s already ordered new helmets and new prac- tice jerseys. But now, the fun starts. Now he gets to coach football. “The football aspect of it’s the same,” he said. “It’s fun coaching. It’s just that there’s a managing piece to it that I’m adjusting to. :H¶YHJRWYHWHUDQFRDFKHV to help out. One of the big things that Coach Hodges taught me was you gotta delegate responsibilities See COACH, A11 Coaching positions open in Hermiston Jake McElligott’s only season at the helm. McElligott had come to Hermis- ton off of a 2A state championship at nearby Irrigon. McElligott was SODFHG RQ SDLG DGPLQLVWUDWLYH OHDYH $XJDQGLVFXUUHQWO\EHLQJLQYHVWL HERMISTON HERALD gated by the Teachers Standards and )RU WKH VHFRQG \HDU LQ D URZ Practices Commission for a potential Hermiston High School is search- XQVSHFL¿HGYLRODWLRQ ing for a new head boys basketball A ruling is expected to come re- coach. garding McElligott’s status in “early 7KHVFKRROGLVWULFW¿UVWDGYHUWLVHG fall,” said Wade Smith, deputy su- the opening on its web site on Aug. 6. perintendent for the district. 7KH %XOOGRJV ZHQW DQG ¿Q Hermiston is looking for a coach LVKHG WKLUG LQ WKH &ROXPELD 5LYHU ZLWK VXFFHVV DW D $$ RU HTXLYD Conference in what ended up being OHQW OHYHO SURJUDP DV D KHDG FRDFK Three vacancies at high school, including head basketball post or an assistant from a successful 5A/6A program. The listed yearly salary for the po- sition is $5,398-$6,094. In addition to the boys basketball position, the district is also still look- ing for new head softball and boys golf coaches. Listed salaries for those positions are $4,005-$4,701 for softball and $2,960-$3,656 for boys golf. Appli- FDQWVVKRXOGKDYHH[SHULHQFHDVKHDG FRDFKDWWKH$$OHYHORUHTXLYD OHQWRUDVDVVLVWDQWDW$$OHYHO )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ RQ WKH MRE openings, or to apply, go to Hermis- ton.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx.
