S PORTS
Hermiston
A9
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
First edition:
Fall sports
power rankings
Williams’ move in the works for months
begun teaching special
education there.
“While Shaun was
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candidate coming out
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SAM BARBEE
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Shaun
FROM THE
SIDELINES
By SAM BARBEE
to us if there wasn’t a
Williams
Staff Writer
teaching position he
The departure of Hermiston ZDVQ¶WFRPLQJWR&9´:DOWHUVDLG
wrestling coach Shaun Williams to “The time frame took so long be-
ith a new fall sports season Central Valley High School in Spo- cause of the teaching position, and
upon us, I wanted to try kane, Wash. seemed sudden, but REYLRXVO\ KH ZDVQ¶W JRLQJ WR VD\
something new with this according to CV Athletic Director anything whether or not there was a
space. Once a month I’ll rank the top Grant Walter, it was in the works for teaching position. If there wasn’t a
¿YHORFDOWHDPVDQGJLYH\RXUHDVRQV months.
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why I ranked them where I did. It’s
According to Walter, Williams OHIW+HUPLVWRQ´
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and hopefully we can create a wrestling coach position in March blow to an athletic department hit
dialogue about who you think should when John Owen retired. Walter KDUG E\ WXUQRYHU LQ WKH SDVW IRXU
be ranked where.
said Williams was their top candi- months. Head football coach Mark
So, without further ado, let’s get GDWHDIWHUWKHLQWHUYLHZVEXWDKROG Hodges announced his resigna-
started.
up with the special education depart- tion in May, and that was followed
ment protracted the process. School shortly thereafter by the retirement
1. Hermiston football
started Tuesday and Williams has RI KHDG YROOH\EDOO FRDFK %HFN\
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Hermiston won a state champion-
ship last season. So they’re tops on
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about the newness of the Bulldogs on
the gridiron from a new coach, to a
new quarterback to 18 new starters.
There is still a lot to learn. How will
Dayshawn Neal handle the quarter-
back duties? When, or will, Nathan
Hunsaker make an appearance be-
hind center? Who’s going to carry the
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yet another tough schedule?
These are all questions I’m excit-
ed to either answer or see answered.
Bob Coleman told me recently that
any expectations short of repeating
as state champions would be “sell-
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Field.
In addition to the whole state gun-
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is in pretty good shape with its core
from last year’s playoff team return-
ing. But Friday night against Hanford
will say a lot about where Hermiston
is as a football team.
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HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Ex-Hermiston wrestling
coach interviewed for
Spokane job in the spring
Wadekamper. Then, last month,
the Hermiston School District an-
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basketball coach, and Hermiston
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softball and boys golf.
Walter said there was a change in
leadership in the special education
department and the school had to
determine which positions would
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gust, Walter said, a teaching posi-
tion came open for Williams, and he
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Spoo shortly thereafter.
Attempts to reach Williams by
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As a wrestling coach at Herm-
iston, Williams led the Bulldogs to
three straight team state titles since
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tant at Central Valley and at Moses
Lake before coming to Hermiston.
He attended North Idaho Commu-
nity College in Coeur d’Alene be-
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of South Africa, Williams represent-
ed his country in the 2004 Olympics
in Athens.
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success at Hermiston speaks for it-
self. He had an excellent reputation
as an assistant at Moses Lake. We
know his reputation as an Olym-
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in-building wrestling coach for 13
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wrestling coach who’s a teacher and
has access to those kids.
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be an outstanding addition to our
teaching staff at Central Valley High
School. We see him as being an ex-
cellent teacher as well as a wrestling
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After slow start, Bulldogs roar past La Grande
2. Hermiston
cross country
Bulldogs give Dorothy
Smith first win
as varsity head coach
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
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leyball debut against La Grande,
things were ugly.
The Bulldogs, playing their
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Dorothy Smith, were tight and
the play showed. But despite the
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strong to sweep the defend-
ing 4A Greater Oregon League
champion Tigers 3-0 (26-24, 25-
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leyball match Tuesday night at
the Dawghouse in Hermiston.
“I think the girls felt better af-
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said.
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the lead right back to La Grande
(0-1), which scored six straight
of its own. Game 1 was a see-
saw from there, with Hermiston
gaining as much as a six-point
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stormed back again to tie it at 24.
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Myers.
La Grande, though, took a
turn building an early lead, gain-
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Game 2, but Hermiston scored
eight of the next nine points to
take an 8-5 lead it would not
relinquish. Sophomore middle
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four kills and a block to pace the
Also a district/league champ, the
Hermiston runners sent six to state
last year and the boys placed third.
Just one runner is gone from last
year’s group — Tim Swarat, who’s
running at Northwest Nazarene — so
it would make sense that the Bulldogs
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er Conference.
Back are standouts Hayden Earl,
Josiah Niederwerfer, Angel Castella-
nos and Donnell Rome on the boys
side. Back are freshmen standouts
Melany Solario and Morgan Han-
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solid freshmen campaigns. It seems
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
a foregone conclusion that the boys
team will be, again, right at the top Hermiston’s Baylee Powers spikes the ball guarded by La Grande’s Larissa
of the CRC and the state, but the in- Jensen on Tuesday in the Bulldogs’ 3-0 win against the Tigers in Hermiston.
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Hermiston didn’t lose a single runner
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Gispert and Laura Zepeda and sopho-
more Jailee Vogt are all back.
By SAM BARBEE
I expect the Bulldogs runners to be
³,W GHSHQGV´ KH VDLG ³,W terback closer to 2.5 yards behind
Staff Writer
at the top of this list all year, maybe
shouldn’t change. He throws a center.
The Hermiston Bulldogs be- really good ball and does some
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“We’re gonna be a spitting
gan its 2014 title run with a 48-13 things well. But he has to under- LPDJH RI HDFK RWKHU´ )DDHWHHWH
two.
shellacking of Richland, Wash- stand that Nate Hunsaker is one said.
3. Umatilla girls soccer
ington’s Hanford Falcons early play from going in. Anything can
What Hanford has, though,
This team surprised me last year, last September.
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But with a new group and a two quarterbacks that are ready VWRXW GHIHQVLYH OLQH )DDHWHHWH
SOD\RIIVLQ7KH\¿QLVKHGWKLUG QHZTXDUWHUEDFN¿UVW\HDU+HUP- to play. Right now the guy we said it reminded him of last year’s
that year in Special District 2 before LVWRQKHDGFRDFK'DYLG)DDHWHHWH decided to go with is Dayshawn GHIHQVLYH IURQW LQ +HUPLVWRQ LQ
going undefeated in district play isn’t taking Friday’s season open- 1HDO´
terms of effort and physicality.
ODVW \HDU EHIRUH ORVLQJ WR 3HUU\GDOH er for granted against a team that
Hanford is a familiar opponent 7KH¿UVW\HDUFRDFKVDLGLWZLOOEH
Western Mennonite, 4-3, in a match went 0-10 last year and is hungry for a couple of reasons. First, and important to win the battle at the
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line of scrimmage in
highly despite their 2-1 loss Saturday
“I think last year they lost and teams played last
an attempt to neu-
to Hermiston because of the reign- WKH\¶UHRXWIRUUHYHQJH´KHVDLG year, as is the case
tralize that strong
More fall sports
ing league title hanging around their “I think we’re gonna get their for each of Herm-
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Look for more fall sports
FRPSHWLWLYH QHFNV EXW DOVR EHFDXVH best game. It’s gonna be a lot of iston’s opponents
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coverage, including schedules,
they held their own against a bigger physicality. It’s gonna be a really this season. But
D-ends that get off
in our special fall sports preview
school in a tough place to play. With physical game.
Hanford runs simi-
the ball really well.
section inside today’s paper.
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After a quarterback battle lar schemes on both
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FDQ SURYLGH XQLTXH FKDOOHQJHV WR that lasted the length of camp, sides of the ball.
inside D-tackles that
teams that are used to neither, and the Faaeteete announced Monday They like to spread
kinda remind me of
wind was bad enough on Saturday it that sophomore lefty Dayshawn it out on offense and throw it RXU GHIHQVLYH OLQH ODVW \HDU ZLWK
was taking things out of my hands.
Neal will start behind center for DURXQG WKH ¿HOG DQG OLQH XS LQ WKH WHQDFLW\ WKH\ SOD\ ZLWK´ KH
With most of its key players re- the Bulldogs. He beat out senior D GHIHQVLYH IRUPDWLRQ DV said. “Those guys on that D-line
turning, expect Umatilla to again Nathan Hunsaker, the only QB a counter to spread attacks. The are just getting after each other.
compete for a district title. Head between the two who has played only real difference, Faeeteete 2XU RIIHQVLYH OLQH LV JRQQD EH
coach Tim Lee has been talking with LQDYDUVLW\JDPHIRUWKHVWDUWLQJ said, is Hanford runs a shotgun WHVWHGUHDOHDUO\´
KLV WHDP DERXW OHDYLQJ D OHJDF\ D job Friday night.
with the quarterback, with him
But that’s the way Faaeteete
mark. I think this Umatilla team has
But, Faaeteete pointed out, OLQLQJ XS ¿YH \DUGV EHKLQG WKH wanted it. With so many un-
that doesn’t mean Neal has a long center. Hermiston runs what’s knowns currently surrounding
See RANKINGS, A10
leash. It’s the opposite, in fact.
known as a pistol, with the quar- the Bulldogs, an early litmus test
Hermiston gears up for early test
Bulldogs.
La Grande, though, tied it at
14, 17 and 20 before Hermiston
really took control. And in Game
3, the Tigers had no answer. But
things appeared to turn in Game
3 when La Grande though they
had scored a point.
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pulled within two at 11-9, but
the point was awarded to Herm-
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of turn. This, along with a more
relaxed mindset since Game 1,
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tum it would need. The Bulldogs
went on to score 13 of the next
19 points to ease into the sweep
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Smith said it was a bit of a
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the way.
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there and coach was saying,
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dence of, ‘Can I hit that ball that
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other plays we can do, but that
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in. So hopefully this next week
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Sophomore Regan Myers led
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fellow sophomore Maddy Juul
pounded four and had 13 blocks.
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with 10.
Hermiston next takes the
court Friday at the Mountain
View tournament in Bend. Game
times and opponents are yet to
be determined.
6eason’s ¿rst
linebacker
club luncheon
scheduled
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Club luncheon of the season
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tenure has been scheduled
for Thursday, Sept. 3, from
noon to 1 p.m. at Desert
Lanes Bowling Alley in
Hermiston.
Be there to listen to
Faaeteete discuss Hermis-
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ford, as well as the season
to come.
Those attending are
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541-567-5215 by 3 p.m. on
Wednesday. The cost is $12
for members and $14 or
non-members.
against a good unit is a plus. Re-
gardless of the result, Faaeteete
said, they will know more about
their team Saturday morning.
“You can’t simulate that type
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