SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A PERFECT WEDDING
2017 BRIDAL
Hermiston
Herald
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
HermistonHerald.com
PLANNER
By ERIC SINGER
Staff Writer
At 5:30 a.m. on school days,
many Hermiston High students
are fast asleep in their beds, en-
joying the fi nal minutes of rest
before the dreaded
alarm clock sounds
to start their day.
At that hour, the
Hermiston wres-
tling team is al-
ready awake and
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
at school, getting
in their grueling
VETERANS
morning workout.
MEMORIAL
Whether it’s run-
ning sprints, laps
COLISEUM
around the gymna-
300 N WINNING WAY,
sium or even a fun
PORTLAND, OR 97227
game of basketball
as a change-of-
8:30 A.M.
pace, the Bulldogs
meet up to get their
bodies going and their day start-
ed right.
The Bulldogs embrace the
diffi cult schedule, while in-
cludes a morning run on top of
a typical strenuous two-hour
practice after school. It’s all part
of the team’s winning tradition.
“Of course you’re tempt-
ed (to sleep), but while you’re
asleep someone else is already
up and getting better,” Joe Guti-
errez, a junior and state qualifi er
at 182 pounds, said after practice
on Monday. “So it’s just kind of
that drive that leads you.”
“You have to have that drive
to be better and that want to im-
prove,” said Corey Mason, a se-
nior and qualifi er at 220 pounds.
“And just know if you don’t
come to practice it’s a match
you might lose or a state title
you didn’t win.”
It is habits such as those,
plus hundreds upon hundreds
of hours in the weight room and
in offseason training, that have
pushed the Hermiston Bulldogs
to wrestling dominance in the
state of Oregon over the past
two decades. Since 2000, no
school has won more wrestling
team state championships than
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Hermiston, which has won 10.
Only Burns at the 3A level has Hermiston Bulldog senior wrestler Valen Wyse is looking to defend his state title this weekend at the state
wrestling championship in Portland.
matched that total.
Hermiston has won four
championships in a row and year,” said Valen Wyse, a senior though the road won’t be easy. full before the tournament even
eight of the last nine at the Class and qualifi er at 170 pounds. “So Just seven of the 16 state qualifi - starts, and will need exceptional
5A level with the exception of once we got a name for ourself, ers from the 2016 team returned performances from all 14 wres-
2012, all while undergoing three I think the coaching staff has this season.
tlers in the championship brack-
different coaching changes.
done a good job of pushing us to
Hermiston qualifi ed 14 total et and in the consolation rounds
“Once you kind of build a keep up that tradition.”
wrestlers this year — third most to earn those precious bonus
reputation in your city and peo-
Hermiston will be gunning in 5A behind Crater (21) and points to boost their march to-
ple start to hear about it you for its 11th state championship Sandy (16).
wards the title.
want to keep the talk up and starting Friday at Veterans Me-
Those numbers mean that
See STATE, A16
prove yourself going back every morial Coliseum in Portland, Hermiston already has its hands
CHECK
IT OUT
Volunteer works a way to blossom in Hermiston
By JADE MCDOWELL
Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
ROBERT &
NATALIE’S
STORY
PAGE 8
$1.00
DEFENDING
STATE
Charlie Clupny wipes a tear from his eye while accepting the Award for Merit
at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizens Awards
Banquet on Feb. 1 in Hermiston.
A VERY
PENDLETON
WEDDING
When children are removed from
their parents’ home and placed in foster
care, Court Appointed Special Advo-
cates, like Charles Clupny, can become
one of their biggest allies.
The CASA program gives children
in that diffi cult situation an advocate
whose sole focus is on what’s best for
them. Through interviews with the
child, foster parents, caseworkers and
others, CASA gathers information in
order to testify in court on the child’s
behalf and work to make sure they get
the services they need while in the fos-
ter system.
Clupny is currently volunteering as a
court-appointed advocate for two very
young siblings from Pendleton.
“It’s hard,” he said. “It’s really hard
See CLUPNY, A16
INSIDE
ON TO STATE
STANFIELD TIGERS WIN DISTRICT
TITLE, START STATE TOURNEY
PLAY ON FRIDAY.
PAGE A9
AT THE BUZZER
UMATILLA DEFEATS IRRIGON TO
START STATE RUN WITH A HOME
GAME FRIDAY WHILE IRRIGON
MUST GO ON THE ROAD.
PAGE A9
RACING
FOR CASH
HERMISTON’S CALLAHAN
CROSSLEY PLACES 4TH IN
BARREL RACING ROUND
ON RFD-TV’S THE
AMERICAN RODEO EVENT.
PAGE A10
40 YEARS OF
SHOE LEATHER
DESERT COBBLER CELEBRATES
FOUR DECADES IN BUSINESS.
PAGE A16
BRIEFLY
ODOT
holds
public
meetings
The Oregon
Department of
Transportation, and the
North East and South
East Area Commissions
on Transportation will
host public meetings in
eight Eastern Oregon
communities on Feb. 27,
where they will discuss
proposed transportation.
All members of the
public interested in
learning more about the
projects, or providing
their own input, are
encouraged to attend. The
Statewide Transportation
Improvement Program
will be discussed,
and includes several
proposed transportation
projects to be completed
between 2018 and 2021.
More than 80 projects
have been proposed
for the Eastern Oregon
area. The program is
developed by ODOT,
Area Commissions
on Transportation,
federal, local and tribal
governments.
Those unable to attend
the meeting can link
to it through Eastern
Oregon University’s
video conference system,
Zoom.com.
Meetings will take
place in Baker City,
Boardman, Burns,
Enterprise, John Day,
La Grande, Ontario and
Pendleton.