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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2015)
A18 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM BULLDOGS: continued from Page A1 ecuted late in the stretch.... We’re excited, the kids are excited that they’ll be host- ing the game. Then we saw the draw, not too excited.” The Bulldogs got huge contributions from new var- sity players. Vaemu Ena, who sat out the War on 84 with a shoulder injury, stepped into a safety role and had key interceptions against Sandy and Hood River Valley, both wins. Nathan Hunsaker, whom Neal beat for the starting job out of fall camp, broke out against Pendleton with a huge game on the ground. Tre Neal has led a defense that got stronger and tough- er as the season wore on. Now, seeded eighth, the Bulldogs will host the Wilsonville Wildcats (8-1, 6-1) this Friday at 7 p.m. at Kennison Stadium. The Bulldogs and the Wildcats both played Sandy, who hails from Wilsonville’s Northwest Oregon Confer- ence, Sept. 11 and won 53- 3. Hermiston just slipped by the Pioneers 13-7 in double overtime. “They’re well-coached. They execute on offense,” Faaeteete said. “They have a great defense, have great kids and they play real- ly hard all the time. We’re VETS: continued from Page A1 A short program will in- clude a presentation by the American Legion and VFW Honor Guard, Dance Un- limited Troupe and special speakers. To RSVP, call at 541- 567-6151. Chuckwagon Cafe offers veteran specials The Chuckwagon Cafe will honor all veterans with specials and music. A free S.O.S Lunch Spe- cial, which also includes coffee or soda and dessert, is available to veterans Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 81027 N. Highway 395. In addition, veterans may order an ala-cart 8-oz New York steak for $2, which includes coffee or soda for breakfast from 6-10 a.m. or supper from 4-8:30 p.m. The steak is available while supplies last. In the evening, the But- tercreek Boys will play toe-tapping’ music, includ- ing famous renditions from back in the day. For more information or to reserve a steak, call 541- 567-6329. ECHO Echo students plan veterans celebration Students in the Echo School District from kin- dergarten though 12th grade invite all area veterans to a special celebration Thursday, Nov. 12. The event starts with stu- dents honoring all branches WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 lucky to be able to play a program like this.” The Wildcats are an ath- letic bunch with numerous weapons. They have two quarterbacks who are ca- pable throwers. The starter, Connor Neville, is a junior who has thrown a touch- down pass in each game this season. Against Liberty two weeks ago, a game Wil- sonville lost 40-37, Neville passed for 507 yards on 31 completions and four touch- downs. He threw four picks in that game, though, and he has ¿ve on the season. The week before, in a 45-14 win over Putnam, he threw for six touchdowns, 407 yards and had just ¿ve incomplete passes. Overall, Neville has passed for 2,198 yards on 68 percent passing for 30 touchdowns. Neville, a three-start recruit, currently has offers from Washington State and Boise State. Neville missed Wilson- ville’s 63-14 win over Park- rose, and the senior backup Tom Gomez stepped in ca- pably. He tossed four touch- downs — and three inter- ceptions — while eclipsing the 300-yard mark. Whoever plays quarter- back Friday will have some serious targets. Harrison Steiger has been a menace to secondaries all season. The junior has caught 40 passes this season for 821 yards and a whopping 18 of the military with a parade, which will be escorted by lo- cal police, ¿re and military personnel. Students have been making Àoats to honor each branch of the military. The parade starts Thurs- day, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. in front of the school at 600 Gerone St. It will continue down Main Street and circle back to the school. In addition, veterans and their families are invited to a school assembly at 1 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium. Veteran guests who have no- ti¿ed the school will be rec- ognized during the assembly with their name, branch of service and dates served. The assembly also includes spe- cial speakers, patriotic songs and cake following the pro- gram. To provide information to the school, ¿ll out a postcard at a local VFW hall or call the school at 541-376-8436. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS The Hermiston Bulldogs defeat the Pendleton Bucks 28-12 on Friday in Pendleton. touchdowns. He’s caught a pass and a touchdown in each game he’s played this season, and caught ten balls for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 40-37 loss to Liberty two weeks ago. But he’s not alone. Jonny Neville has been a threat in the passing game, just not as worrisome as Steiger. He still must be accounted for, however, as he’s caught 29 balls for 548 yards and 11 touchdowns. He, too, has caught a pass in every game this season, though he was held without a touchdown in Wilsonville’s 59-14 win over Hillsboro last week. “The key to stopping the great offense is keeping them off the ¿eld,” Faae- teete said. “We gotta execute on offense on our end and play the keep-away game: run the ball well, throw the ball ef¿ciently. And when we are on defense, get to the quarterback, create second- and-long, third-and-long situations so it’s an easier game for me to call. That being said, it’s not gonna be easy to keep this offense in check. They’ve been putting up numbers all year long.” Wilsonville can run it, too, though it’s not the strength of the its offense. No Wilsonville running back ever received more than 11 carries in any game this year, and no Wilsonville running back has rushed for more than 111 yards in any game. The running game is mainly a big play threat, with Elijah Benedick and Mason Craig each averag- ing more than 10 yards per carry. Andrew Merrick is the Wildcat’s leading rush- er with 467 yards on just 63 carries and three touch- downs. Sophomore Taran Floyd has scored eight times on the ground. Hermiston was able to get a good pass rush last week against Pendle- ton and the week before against Hood River Valley. Pendleton quarterback Kai Quinn, who has a strong arm, couldn’t step into any throws against the likes of Neal and Coleman, and those two will have to do the same against Neville, who only has 37 yards rushing on 23 tries this season. Once a dual-threat quarterback, Neville now wears two knee braces af- ter a couple of knee inju- ries. If the Bulldogs can get a good pass rush, make Neville uncomfortable in the pocket, as they did with Quinn, Hermiston can dis- rupt the timing passes Wil- sonville likes and poten- tially force some mistakes. But the task, offensively and defensively, will be a tall one for the Bulldogs. “Our guys are gonna look at ¿lm, and they’re gonna see that the task at hand is a large one,” Faaeteete said. “You go out there and you ¿ght, be courageous and then at the end, when the chips fall, you’re holding your head held high. It’s football. Someone’s gotta lose. It’s what’s great about this game. Anything can happen on Friday night. Crazier things have hap- pened. We just gotta execute on offense and get home on defense and have fun.” Girls’ night in. STANFIELD Stanfield honor students host veterans program A Veterans Day Celebra- tion is being hosted by the Stan¿eld Secondary School National Honor Society. The event includes a free hot breakfast served Tues- day, Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. in the school’s faculty room, 1120 N. Main St. The meal will be fol- lowed by a school assembly at 9:30 a.m. All local veter- ans, their families and com- munity members are invited to attend to help celebrate and recognize those who have served our country. For more information, contact Kirsten Wright at kirsten.wright#stan¿eldsd. org or 541-449-2225. Everything takes on a whole new meaning when you become a parent. With locations throughout Washington and Oregon, Mirasol Family Health Center serves hundreds of young families each year. We are now accepting new patients. Mirasol Family Health Center enjoyparenthood.org
