WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
SPORTS
MUSTANGS:
continued from Page A8
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Heppner’s Weston Putnam goes over the top of
.enneG\’s %ishop 0itchell in the 0ustangs’ 4 rout
against the 7roMans in the state $ championship
game SaturGa\ in Hermiston.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Heppner coach Greg Grant gives a hug to senior
Saul Erickson as time runs off the clock in the
0ustangs· 4 rout against .enneG\ in the state $
championship game SaturGa\ in Hermiston.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Heppner’s 7omm\ %reGÀelG bottom anG -acob
Wallace Zrap up .enneG\ Tuarterback %rett 7raeger
in the Mustangs’ 48-0 rout against the Trojans in the
state $ championship game SaturGa\ in Hermiston.
RANKINGS:
continued from Page A8
Thyler Monkus — are back,
and bolstered by some more
guys with size and skills.
With Daniel Sharp moving
away from the boys program
to focus on the girls, Victor
Baros takes over with a run-
and-gun style that will put
¿ve guards on the Àoor at all
times. I can’t wait to watch
them play. I had fun watch-
ing them practice. You’ll
have fun watching them in
action.
4. Echo girls
basketball
The Cougars have lost
two key parts of their dis-
trict-winning team from last
season: leading scorer and
rebounder Elizabeth Mc-
Carty, and head coach JD
Brazil. McCarty graduated
and is throwing at Eastern
Oregon, and Brazil moved to
the Midwest when his wife
got a job there. So Michael
Swanson takes over a team
that thinks highly of itself for
good reason. Just McCarty
and Bailey Srofe are the de-
parted regulars, and most of
the rest of the roster returns.
Swanson takes over and will
institute a more defensive
scheme with his small but
athletic roster. He knows
expectations are high and
entering a situation with lots
of recent success is dif¿cult.
But the girls have walked
this road before and know
what kind of shoes they
need. They’ll be ¿ne.
5. Umatilla girls
basketball
Head coach Scott Bow
has usually had some pret-
ty good teams and pretty
talented rosters. This year,
however, he’s the most opti-
mistic he’s been because he
hasn’t gotten bogged down
in installation in the ¿rst few
practices. That’s huge for a
group that’s trying to break
through the Nyssa barrier
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Heppner’s &.-. .inGle falls into the enG ]one for a
touchGoZn in the 0ustangs’ 4 rout against the
7roMans in the state $ championship game SaturGa\
in Hermiston.
and the get-to-the-state-tour-
nament barrier that’s been
seemingly insurmountably
high. Aleesha Watson can
Àat-out score, Sidney Webb
is versatile, and Courtney
Dohman and Brenda Cam-
pos are a load on the block.
Add in more 3A opponents
to help out their colley rank-
ing, and I think these Vikings
can make a run this season.
Maybe ¿fth is too low. I
don’t know enough to be
sure. We’ll all ¿nd out to-
gether.
“We tackle well and our defense
is really quick,” said Grant. “They
are smart kids and they all did their
jobs really, really well tonight.”
Junior defensive lineman Kevin
Murray led the Mustangs with 11
total tackles, while Tommy Bred-
¿eld added 1 tackles and 3utman
had nine and earned a sack. Senior
linebacker 3atrick Collins also
contributed eight total tackles one
sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Mustangs also forced four
Kennedy turnovers — two inter-
ceptions and two fumbles — and
turned three of the four into touch-
downs.
The ¿rst came on the ¿rst play
of the second quarter, when Trae-
ger’s pass over the middle of the
¿eld was picked off by Heppner’s
Caden Hedman at mid¿eld. A few
plays later, Kindle dove into the
end zone on fourth-and-goal to put
the Mustangs up 1- in the second
quarter.
That’s when the snowball start-
ed for Kennedy.
The Trojans fumbled on the ¿rst
play of the ensuing possession and
the ball was recovered by Mustangs
defensive lineman Kevin Murray at
the Trojans’ 15 yard line. And then
on Heppner’s ¿rst play, junior /o-
gan Grieb took a receiver sweep
around the left edge of the Mus-
tangs’ offensive line and sprinted
all 15 yards for the touchdown and
a 2- lead for Heppner.
As the teams headed into half-
time, 3utman said there was a de¿-
nite buzz in the Mustangs locker
room, but he knew their job was
not ¿nished quite yet.
“I knew we couldn’t let up be-
cause one play could give (Kenne-
dy) the momentum back,” he said.
“We were in the locker room and I
told every one ‘we scored 34 in a
half, they can too’ so we just have
to keep the pedal down.”
In the second half, the Mustangs
scored just two times on a pair of
touchdown passes by Clark — the
¿rst a 3-yard bomb that was per-
fectly placed to receiver /ogan
Grieb and the second a 24-yard
connection to a wide-open Kindle
on a cleanly-run post route in the
middle of the ¿eld.
Clark ¿nished the game -
with 153 yards and those two
touchdowns, contributing a chunk
of Heppner’s 3 total yards of
offense. 3utman led the Mustangs
ground attack with 11 yards on 15
carries, while Grieb added 73 yards
as well as 75 yards receiving.
“We were like a well-oiled ma-
chine tonight,” said Clark. “We got
on the backs of our offensive and
defensive lines and just rode them
to victory, so that was pretty cool.”
After the ¿nal horn had blown,
the trophies were handed out, and
celebrations had calmed, the Mus-
tangs lined up for several team
photos which featured 3 players
and numerous coaches grinning
from ear to ear, taking in a moment
which Grant told them to embrace.
“I think it’s great for these kids,
and fantastic for the community,”
said Grant. “I think the kids and
community are going to have this
memory forever.”
Lunch date.
Honorable mention:
6tanÀelG girls
basketball
“But they didn’t have a
good record last year!” you’ll
say. “They didn’t even make it
past the district tournament!”
You’re right on both accounts.
But in talking to Sharp and a
player or two at practice, I
have a feeling these girls will
take a noticeable step forward
— even larger than last year. I
remember an interview I did
with then-junior now-senior
Yazzmin Chavez after a win
last year and I asked her if she
felt like a basketball player
instead of someone who just
plays basketball. She agreed,
and that sentiment has moved
into this season. As Sharp is
quoted in the winter sports
preview section (check it
out inside today’s issue, it’s
got a lot of great stuff) they
went to southern Idaho and
got waxed. But it was good.
They’ve broadened their
basketball horizons, which
is never a bad thing. May-
be they’ll be good, maybe
they won’t. As the old cliché
goes: That’s why they play
the games. This will be a fun
season.
Sam Barbee is a sports
reporter for the Hermiston
Herald and East Oregonian
based out of Hermiston. He
can be reached by email at
sbarbee@hermistonher-
ald.com or on Twitter @
SamBarbee1. Follow Herald
Sports @HHeraldSports.
SPORTS CALENDAR
Wednesday, December 2
BOYS BASKETBALL
Umatilla @ Irrigon, 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Umatilla @ Irrigon, 6 p.m.
Friday, December 4
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hermiston @ Kamiakin, 7:30 p.m.
Stanfield @ South Wasco
Tournament, TBD
Echo vs. Monument/Dayville @
Fossil, TBD
Tournament, TBD
Echo vs. Condon/Wheeler @ Fossil,
TBD
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Stanfield @ South Wasco
Tournament
Echo vs. Condon/Wheeler @ Fossil,
4 p.m.
WRESTLING
Hermiston @ End of the Oregon
Trail Tourney (Oregon City),
9 a.m.
Echo @ Irrigon Tournament, TBD
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Hermiston @ Kamiakin, 5:45 p.m.
Stanfield @ South Wasco
Tournament, TBD
Echo vs. Monument/Dayville @
Fossil, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, December 8
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hermiston @ Hanford, 7:30 p.m.
Umatilla @ Weston-McEwen, 7:30
p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Saturday, December 5
BOYS BASKETBALL
Stanfield @ South Wasco
Hermiston @ Hanford, 5:45 p.m.
Umatilla @ Weston-McEwen, 6
p.m.
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