WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11
SPORTS
Bulldogs lack bite Cross Country
season starts
with local success
Hermiston can’t
sustain fast start
against Falcons
By SAM BARBEE
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
Hermiston’s season started off
Zith a bang, but its opening game
against Hanford ended in a ¿ ]]le.
'ayshaZn Neal found 9aemu
Ena on just the Bulldogs’ second
play from scrimmage for a 55-yard
touchdoZn and a - lead, but the
Falcons roared past the Bulldogs
Zith a big second quarter to Zin its
¿ rst game in tZo years - in a
non-league football game Friday
night at Kennison Field.
“I think Ze needed this,” senior
tight end/defensive end Bob Cole-
man said. “I mean, you gotta have
something to call you back to real-
ity after coming off a state run like
that...People either have to buckle
doZn and say, ‘We’ve had enough
of this,’ or the season keeps going.
I think Ze’ll just use this as a mo-
tivator.”
But the biggest loss of the night
Zasn’t the score. It Zas senior Zide
receiver/return ace Ethan SnoZ,
Zho left the game in the ¿ rst half
Zith Zhat the trainer thought Zas a
broken collarbone. He put the time-
table to return at si[ Zeeks at the
earliest.
A light rain began to fall shortly
before kickoff, and it lasted through
the third quarter. Balls Zere slick
and Neal had a tough time complet-
ing passes in the second half. But
the rain had nothing to do Zith the
numerous false start and pass inter-
ference penalties Hermiston racked
up, either killing their oZn drives or
e[tending Hanford’s.
“5ain has nothing to do Zith it,”
¿ rst-year head coach 'avid Faae-
teete said. “We just dropped tZo
Zhat someone could say sure in-
terceptions by young safeties Zho
have never played before.”
Everything looked like it Zas
going Hermiston’s Zay after Ena’s
long score. Hermiston - had just
forced Hanford into a three-and-out
on their ¿ rst offensive drive, and
the quick - lead Zas reminiscent
of last season Zhen Hermiston put
aZay teams early.
But Hanford - Zas never out
of it. Junior Falcons quarterback
'esmond Samples found Josiah
5ichardson on Hanford’s ne[t drive
to come Zithin a point at - after a
missed PAT. The Falcons then forced
a Hermiston three-and-out, and
scored tZo plays later Zhen senior
running back ElZood 'avis broke
through cleanly on an inside hand-
off and raced yards untouched to
give Hanford its ¿ rst lead at -.
Samples ¿ nished of for
yards and three scores, and also
rushed for 5 yards on carries
and a score. 'avis had 5 yards on
carries and the touchdoZn, and
Kevon Skinner had four catches for
yards and a touchdoZn.
Neal ¿ nished of through
the air for yards and a score,
and also rushed for yards on
carries in his ¿ rst varsity start, and
Nathan Hunsaker, Zho played most
of the fourth quarter, Zas for for
yards and a touchdoZn.
Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Hermiston quarterback Dayshawn Neal runs on a keeper during Friday’s
game with Hanford High School at Kennison Field.
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Bulldawg Tucker Salinas (13) attempts to evade a tackle during Friday’s game
with Hanford High School at Kennison Field.
Hermiston responded Zith a
seven-play drive that ended Zith
Omar *arcia ploZing into the end
]one from three yards out to knot
the score at Zith a minute and
change remaining in the ¿ rst period.
It Zould be the closest Hermis-
ton ever Zas again.
0idZay through the second quar-
ter, Hanford got its ¿ rst big break that
proved to be the turning point. After
the Falcons forced Hermiston into a
three-and-out at its oZn yard line,
the snap to the punter Coleman Zent
over his head and into the end ]one.
Instead of covering it up or booting
it out of the end ]one for a safety,
he tried to scoop it up and punt it,
but he mishandled it and Hanford
recovered for a special teams touch-
doZn and all the momentum. It Zas
the ¿ rst of unansZered Falcons
points that ultimately put the game
out of reach.
“It’s hard because those kids
have never been in that situation
before,” Faaeteete said of a big de¿ -
cit. “And they tired to battle back
but things just kept going Zrong:
false start penalties, defensive pass
interferences, missed assignments.
Things didn’t go our Zay.”
Senior back-up quarterback Na-
than Hunsaker engineered Hermis-
ton’s longest drive of the night, a -
play affair that ended Zhen Tucker
Salinas had a nice ball knocked
out of his hands in the end ]one on
fourth doZn. But Hermiston got the
ball right back after Hanford’s sec-
ond fumble, and Hunsaker found
Coleman over the middle on the en-
suing play from yards out.
Coleman said spirits are up, and
hard Zork is going to be the motto
going forZard.
“I think luck is Zhere prepara-
tion means hard Zork,” Coleman
said. “We gotta get those three
Zorking together Zith us. I think
this Zas good out here. It sucks tak-
ing a loss, but it’s hard. You can only
tell someone so much before (you
make e[perience be the speaker.”
Hermiston travels to Kenne-
Zick, Washington, Friday, Sept.
, for a date Zith the Kamiakin
Braves at p.m.
Han (1-0)
Herm (0-1)
13 14
13 0
0
0
14 — 41
7 — 20
RUSHING — Hanford: 23-102. D. Samples 11-45, TD;
E. Davis 11-57, TD; M. Valdez 1-0. Hermiston: 47-170.
D. Neal 19-106; M. Brown 8-52; O. Garcia 7-18, TD; N.
Hunsaker 2-(-)6; A. Horn 1-6, H. Simon 3-5, B. Coleman
1-(-)13, A. Faaeteete 5-5, K. Mendez 1-(-)3.
PASSING — Hanford: 14-27, 221 yards, 3 TD. Hermiston
— 10-25, 144 yards 2 TD. D. Neal (HERM) — 7-19, 113,
TD. N. Hunsaker — 3-6, 29 yards, TD.
TOTAL OFFENSE — Hanford: 323 yards. Hermiston:
312 yards.
The ¿ rst cross country meet of the
season isn’t generally for posting fast
times or Zinning. 0ost teams had
tough Zeeks leading up to the 5un-
ner Soul XC Fest at Sandstone Mid-
dle School in Hermiston, but many
local teams still had impressive out-
ings.
Without No. boy and last year’s
Runner Soul champ Hayden Earl
because of a funeral, Hermiston ran
aZay Zith the boys team title. The
Bulldogs racked up points, and
second-place Southridge Zas far
behind Zith . Pendleton ¿ nished
seventh Zith 5, 8matilla Zas ninth
Zith and Stan¿ eld Zas th Zith
.
On the girls side, Oregon City
took the team title Zith 5 points,
edging 8nion (5. Pendleton (
¿ nished in a distance third just ahead
of The 'alles (. Hermiston ¿ n-
ished th Zith points. 8matilla’s
Fabian Cardenas took the boys indi-
vidual title in minutes, . sec-
onds ² nearly seconds fast than
Oregon City’s James SZyter ² and
Pendleton’s 'elaney Clem took the
girls title, ¿ nishing in :..
Hermiston seniors Josiah Nie-
derZerfer (:. and 'onnell
Rome (:5.5 led the Zay for the
Bulldogs, placing si[th and seventh,
respectively. Sophomore Melany So-
lario (:5. ¿ nished th on the
girls side.
For coach Troy Blackburn and
Hermiston, it Zas good to see the
young girls team, Zith just one up-
perclassmen, to run together as they
aim to pull themselves from the bot-
tom of the Columbia River Confer-
ence.
“They ran as a team, and it Zas
great seeing them as a team catching
people and pushing,” the second-year
coach said. “I think the girls need to
get into better shape, but if Ze keep
on Zorking as a team and improving,
Ze’ll do Zell. It’s just that team unity.
I really love it. The guys already have
it, and Ze just need to take it a step
further (Zith the girls.”
Cardenas is trying to repeat as
A/A/A state champion, and Sat-
urday’s start Zas a good one. He
grabbed the lead from Pendleton’s
Nolan Bylenga on the back stretch
at the fast Sandstone Middle School
course and never looked back. But
Cardenas Zasn’t interested in talking
about his oZn race afterZards. He
said the goal of his 9ikings team is to
be the ¿ rst 8matilla boys team to go
to state, and he thinks they have the
group to do it.
“I think this is the year for our
team,” he said. “We’ve been train-
ing hard and Ze have a good group
of guys...That Zould be sZeet if
Ze could get our team, this year, to
state.”
8matilla coach Josh Ego Zas sat-
is¿ ed Zith hoZ both Cardenas and
the team, both boys and girls, ran as
a Zhole.
“It Zas a pretty good start,” he
said. “Four of our guys on varsity
6tan¿ elG 8Patilla (cho start seasons with wins
Vikings break winless
streak, Stanfield
blows out Enterprise
STANFIELD 42, EN-
TERPRISE 0 — At En-
terprise, a rain-soaked ¿ eld
forced the Stan¿ eld Tigers
to change their gameplan but
couldn’t derail their opener
under ¿ rst-year head coach
'avy Salas on Friday.
“The Zeather Zasn’t very
favorable. Both teams had
trouble holding on to the ball
but for the most part Ze Zere
able to keep it aZay from the
edges and go up the middle
three or four yards at a time,”
Salas said. “The running backs
had trouble keeping their feet
so Ze tried to keep it as sim-
RACING
continued from Page A10
ture, requires a support sys-
tem.
Brock and Paul most cer-
tainly received it from in be-
ginning in racing.
)rom tKe ¿ rst feZ Zeeks
of Brock’s karting career to
recent happenings at HSO,
ple as possible. Our players
did a very good job of adapt-
ing to Zhat Zas given us and
our blockers Zere able to open
holes for our running backs.”
Thyler Monkus led the
Zay Zith 5 yards and tZo
touchdoZns, and quarter-
back 'ylan *rogan added
rushing yards and tZo touch-
doZns to his passing stats of
for 5 for yards.
Justin Keeney added
yards and touchdoZns, and
Salas said the defense had
tZo goal-line stands to pre-
serve the shutout.
Stan¿ eld (- Zill play on
the road Friday at Tri-Cities
Prep in Pasco, Washington.
Kickoff is at p.m.
book being ruined in the rain.
The 9ikings Zill rest up
and hit the practice ¿ eld again
ne[t Zeek before traveling to
Pilot Rock (- on Sept.
to try and add another check
mark in the Zin column.
“(The teams’ spirits are
really high right noZ,” said
Mosher, “noZ let’s see if Ze
can Zork on some little things
and carry it over to ne[t Zeek.”
8matilla is at Pilot Rock
Friday at p.m.
UMATILLA 7, UNION/
COVE 6 —— After an -
season in , the 8matilla
9ikings did not Zant to Zait
any longer to get into the
Zin column, as they doZned
8nion/Cove -.
“I’m proud of Zhat I saZ,”
said 9ikings coach Mike
Mosher. “The kids kept their
heads up Zhen things didn’t
go right. 8nion Zas really
tough, just like last year, and
Ze pulled through.”
Wet and sloppy ¿ eld con-
ditions did not deter the 9i-
kings (-, Zho trailed - at
halftime before a late second
half touchdoZn vaulted them
into the lead and eventually
the victory.
“It Zas really Zeird play-
ing the ¿ rst game of the sea-
son in 5 degree Zeather and
seeing everyone bundled up
in sZeats,” said Mosher.
No statistics Zere avail-
able due to the 9ikings’ stat
Paul and Brock have never
been alone.
“We’ve had the help from
tZo /egends drivers Bill
Kik and Jose Zamudio,” Paul
said. “Which I personally feel
that’s a sponsorship. Without
their help, Ze Zouldn’t be
Zhere Ze are.”
(ven Zhen 'alton gave
Brock the opportunity to
race his car, Zhich Zas re-
cently purchased by the
0c'ounoughs, 'alton Zas
afraid he Zouldn’t be in-
volved in any Zay. Paul as-
sured 'alton that Zouldn’t
happen, that 'alton’s e[-
pertise and e[perience Zere
needed Zith a couple of green
racers.
“I’m like, ‘No, I need
your help. I need your knoZl-
edge,’” Paul said. “‘You can
help us and you knoZ Zhat
to do and Zhat not to do.’ It’s
been bene¿ cial to us to have
all the support from the track,
all the racers out there. Not
Must Zith our /egends group
but everyone else Zho’s out
there.
Brock and the other driv-
ers become competitors on
the track, but afterZards ev-
eryone meets up at a barbe-
ECHO 58, SOUTH
WASCO COUNTY 14 — In
the midst of a culture change,
Rick TheZ and the Echo Cou-
gars started things off right,
clobbering the South Wasco
Redsides, 5-, for its ¿ rst
home Zin in tZo seasons.
Echo (- is at Ione Fri-
day at p.m.
STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE
Southridge’s Trevor Jones (859)
and Jesse Brinson-Wagner pass
Hermiston’s Graydon Fritz at the
line during the Runner Soul XC Fest
Saturday in Hermiston. Fritz popped a
rib out during the race and struggled
to À nish.
have never run before, so it Zas their
¿ rst 5K that Zasn’t a time trial...It’s
e[citing for us. It Zas a good learn-
ing e[perience.”
According to Stan¿ eld coach Eric
Jensen, the runners Zeren’t happy
Zith hoZ they run. But the Tigers
Zere essentially Zithout their top
tZo girls. Anna /emmon had a stiff
back and Bailey Watson has bron-
chitis. /emmon ran, but beloZ her
standards and Watson sat out. Anna’s
sister, Chelsey, surprised Jensen by
being Stan¿ eld’s top girl ¿ nisher in
her sister and Watson’s stead.
“The Zay she’s been running,
it Zas looking like she Zas gon-
na be our No. or No. ,” he said.
“Chelsey ran a great race. She didn’t
feel all that good. I thought some-
thing Zas Zrong because she doesn’t
usually run that poorly. But Chelsey
ran a great race. It Zas a big surprise.
I Zas e[pecting something maybe a
minute sloZer than Zhat she did.”
Clem said she Zas surprised Zith
her strong she Zas considering the
tough Zorkouts coach Nicole SteZ-
art put the Bucks through this Zeek.
“I didn’t have a good season last
year, so it’s good to come back and
already have a good start, and my
team, too,” Clem said.
Hermiston and 8matilla both
head to Tillamook ne[t Zeek for the
8ltimook race through a hydrangea
¿ eld. Stan¿ eld and Pendleton Zill
both run the Catherine Creek Scam-
per in 8nion. Both races involve lots
of mud, so times aren’t that import-
ant. For Blackburn and the Bulldogs,
the main focus is mental toughness.
“We’re trying to teach them, ‘Hey,
you still gotta go race,’” he said. “Ev-
erybody has the e[act same course,
you just have to be tougher. You have
to be more focused on you’re gonna
beat the person you’re Zith. You’re
gonna grind them and you’re gonna
beat them. We’re not gonna be beat,
Ze’re gonna do the beating.”
Team Results:
Boys: Hermiston 63, Southridge 96, Union 99, Oregon City
138, La Grande 146, The Dalles 151, Pendleton 158, Auburn
Mountain View 199, Umatilla 212, Redmond 225, Othello
6WDQ¿HOG+HSSQHU(OJLQ
Girls: Oregon City 50. Union 56, Pendleton 91, The
Dalles 94, Redmond 125, Enterprise 131, Hermiston 137,
McLoughlin 212, Othello 247.
SPORTS CALENDAR
Thursday, September 10
BOYS SOCCER
Hermiston vs. Mac-Hi, 8 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Umatilla @ Mac-Hi, 7 p.m.
Stanfield @ Riverside, 6:30 p.m.
Echo @ Ione, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Hermiston vs. Mac-Hi/Weston-
McEwen, 6 p.m.
Cross Country Invitational,
noon
Stanfield @ Ultimook Race Cross
Country Invitational, noon
BOYS SOCCER
Umatilla @ Culver, 1:30 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Echo vs. Irrigon, 10 a.m.
Echo vs. Pine Eagle, 1 p.m.
Sunday, September 13
Friday, September 11
No events scheduled
FOOTBALL
Hermiston @ Kamiakin, 7 p.m.
Umatilla @ Pilot Rock, 7 p.m.
Stanfield @ Tri City Prep, 7 p.m.
Echo @ Ione, 7 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Stanfield @ 39th Annual
Catherine Creek Scamper,
TBD
Saturday, September 12
Monday, September 14
No events scheduled
Tuesday, September 15
GIRLS SOCCER
Hermiston vs. David Douglas,
4 p.m.
Umatilla vs. Baker/Powder
Valley, 5 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Hermiston @ Ultimook Race
Hermiston @ La Salle Prep, 4:15
p.m.
cue to laugh and remember
the race.
It’s often said that if you
come to the races to race, then
you’ve come for the Zrong
reasons.
“You should come to the
race for the barbecue at the
end of the night,” Paul said.
“Because that’s Zhat it’s all
about: having the friends and
the family at the track Zith
you; getting that support from
them. Coming to the race is
Must a bene¿ t to race. It’s the
barbecue at the end you Zant
to look forZard to. Because if
you don’t race right, you’re
not gonna make that barbe-
cue at the end. It’s de¿ nitely
an important thing to have the
respect and be able to do that,
to be able to make it to that ¿ -
nal destination.”
CROSS COUNTRY