WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
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Bulldogs hold off Lava Bears
Hermiston travels
to Pendleton for
Hermiston wins
Buckaroo Classic
fourth straight
By ALEXIS
MANSANAREZ
STAFF WRITER
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Hermiston’s Lesly Santoyo blocks a hit by Kristen Hale
Saturday morning during the Buckaroo Classic at Warberg
Court.
Bucks, Dawgs
faced non-league
matchups in
final weekend of
regular season
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
STAFF WRITER
There was a lot of ac-
tion inside Pendleton High
School’s gymnasium Sat-
urday morning. The Buck-
aroo classic brought four
schools together — Pend-
leton, Hermiston, Putnam
and Milwaukie — for four
matches beginning at 9 a.m.
The two Columbia Riv-
er Conference schools each
played the Putnam King-
sman and the Milwaukie
Mustangs from the North-
west Oregon Conference.
The Buckaroos swept
their competition, and won
the first match against the
Kingsman, 3-1 (25-20, 14-
25, 25-19, 25-17), and then
got it done against the Mus-
tangs in three straight sets
— 25-8, 25-8, 25-21.
Hermiston was also able
to take advantage of non-
league matches late in the
season, and were able to
accomplish something the
Bulldogs had not yet been
able to with their young
team. Hermiston picked
up its first three-set sweep
of the season against Mil-
waukie. The Bulldogs
opened play Saturday
against the Mustangs, and
battled back in the last two
sets to pick up the 3-0 win
(25-13, 26-24, 26-24).
“We were able to grind
and do the things we need-
ed to do, like the little
things and take of things at
the net,” head coach Amy
Dyck said. “We struggled a
little bit at times and again
that comes back to the fact
we don’t have a ton of ex-
perience playing in those
big matches so for us, get-
ting a huge lead like that
kind of throws us on our
heels a little bit because we
aren’t used to it.”
The Bulldogs opened
play with a huge 9-1 run to
take the lead over the Mus-
tangs. Milwaukie chipped
away at its deficit, but it
simply wasn’t enough. But
like Pendleton, Hermiston
faced a whole new team af-
ter winning the first set.
Milwaukie came out hot,
and made Hermiston work
to earn its next two set vic-
tories. The Bulldogs broke
a couple of set points, and
had big offensive perfor-
mances late in each game to
get the eventual win. It was
an effort Dyck was proud
of.
“We were able to push
through and even when we
were down and they had
some set points in the sec-
ond and third games — for
us to be able to come back
and finish is huge,” Dyck
said. “That’s showing the
growth that we’ve had over
the season.”
However, the second
match wasn’t as favorable
as the first. Putnam bounced
back from its loss to Pend-
leton, and swept Hermiston
in straight sets (25-21, 25-
13, 25-17).
The Bulldogs played
hard in the first set against
the Kingsmen, but lost
steam at the end, which al-
lowed Putnam to go on a
4-2 run to hand Hermiston
its first loss of the day.
The next two sets had
longer runs from the King-
smen, along with commu-
nication breakdowns from
the Bulldogs, which gave
Putnam the advantage.
“It’s been a busy week,”
Dyck said as the girls im-
mediately left Pendleton
for homecoming back in
Hermiston. “So the fact
they were able to hang in
there as much as they did,
I’m really happy about. We
definitely started getting a
little bit squirrelly there and
lost focus there in the sec-
ond match.”
Despite dropping the
second match, some Bull-
dogs still had a good day
on the court. Senior Breena
Wadekamper had one of the
best all-around performanc-
es, as she recorded five
aces, 10 assists, and eight
digs. Sophomore Halee
Stubbs and senior Masie
Hancock led the team with
21 digs each. Junior Sophia
Streeter had a team-high
nine kills, and freshman
Kendall Dowdy notched 13
assists.
———
Contact Alexis at aman-
sanarez@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4542. Fol-
low her on Twitter @al-
mansanarez.
After his final home-
coming game, Hermiston
senior Dayshawn Neal
was at a loss for words,
reeling. First, he had
to catch his breath, and
second, he was reeling
from the Bulldogs’ 35-32
win over the Bend Lava
Bears that did not come
easy.
“I’m feeling it,” said
Neal, who finished with
122 receiving yards and
three touchdowns. “It’s
just hard to explain.”
Bend came to town
on a five-game winning
streak, and had yet to
lose a league game. The
Bulldogs (5-2 overall,
4-1 Special District 1)
weren’t threatened by
the Bears’ record, and
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
came out on the hunt for
a win, scoring their first Hermiston’s Tyler Rohrman tackles a Bend player in the end zone Friday at Kennison Field,
touchdown in the open- jarring the ball loose.
ing drive.
way that any previously
Junior quarterback An-
drew James hit his favorite
unbeaten SD1 team would,
target of the night, senior
and executed in the red
Dayshawn Neal, for a 90-
zone for a score.
yard touchdown. Herm-
Hermiston
answered
iston was up 7-0 just two
with one of its own, and
minutes into the game.
every fan was on the edge
The second drive with
of their seats as Bend got
James and the rest of
the ball back with seven
Hermiston’s offense on the
minutes left in the game.
field had the same result.
The Bears were down by
This time senior Jonathan
three as the score read 35-
Hinkle ran in a 1-yard
32, but the way the game
score after he had moved
had been going no body
the ball 53 yards on the
would have been surprised
previous play.
if they had scored. And
However, the 14-0 lead
they almost did.
would only last until the
An offensive pass inter-
end of the first quarter.
ference call in the end zone
After Neal recorded his
push Bend back outside of
first interception of the
the 20-yard line. Desperate
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
night on his own 4-yard
to make anything happen
line to stop the Lava Bears Hermiston’s Dayshawn Neal runs 90 yards for a touchdown
with the clock now at three
(5-2, 4-1) from scoring, early in Friday’s game against Bend at Kennison Field.
minutes, Simmonds throw
Bend’s defense stepped
a bullet inside the 10. The
up and opened the second after it. They rallied behind Kjellesvik got one touch- only problem for the Bears
quarter with a safety. Its one another and moved on down under hist belt, a was that a Bulldog caught
defense continued to make to the next play. When your five-yard run that pushed it instead.
big plays by recovering a team does that it just shows the Lava Bears over the
Neal
made
the
ball fumbled by Neal on how much they’ve grown Bulldogs for the first time game-winning play deep in
what would have been a as a group, and how much Friday night.
his own territory, securing
Down 26-21, the Bull- Hermiston’s fourth consec-
they have each other’s
Hermiston first down.
dogs were struggling to utive win.
Five plays later, Herm- back and what not.”
After Gutierrez’s big de- make anything happen.
iston senior Joey Gutierrez
James finished 11-of-15
got a pick-6, intercepting fensive play, Bend scored Silly mistakes and costly for 211 yards, one intercep-
quarterback Cooper Sim- 24 unanswered points that penalties extended Bend’s tion, and three touchdowns.
monds and running 68 stretched from halfway drives and ended their own. Hinkle led the ground
“We can’t let that get to game with 141 yards on
through the second quarter
yards to the house.
The two teams didn’t to over 10 minutes into the us,” Neal said. “We’ve just 16 carries. He recorded a
got to start dominating, touchdown of his own, and
just swap turnovers, they third.
Simmonds connected to start playing.”
swapped the lead too. It
the two point conversion
Hermiston was finally that gave the Bulldogs the
happened four more times. junior Tysen Scott for the
But Hermiston stuck with Bears first touchdown. The brought back to life near edge they need to best the
6-foot 2-inch, 195-pound the end of the third quar- Lava Bears.
it, all 48 minutes.
“It’s a testament to their wide receiver was tough to ter when James once again
“It was a great atmo-
growth as young athletes,” cover. Scott recorded one found Neal for an 11-yard sphere tonight,” Faaeteete
head coach David Faae- more touchdown just three touchdown. Hinkle ran in said. “There were big plays
teete said. “When adversi- minutes after his first. He the two-point conversion, on both sides of the field
ty struck they didn’t turn ended the night with 108 and Hermiston was back and it was just a fun foot-
on top, 29-26.
on each other and start yards on three receptions.
ball game to watch and be
Bend responded in a a part of.”
Bend senior Haakon
pointing fingers, they got
PREP ROUNDUP
Riverside coasts
through season
around and travel to Nyssa
just five days later.
BY HERMISTON HERALD
Riverside hosted Uma-
tilla on Saturday and was
able to come back from its
1-0 loss just four days earli-
er. The Pirates shut out the
Knights, 3-0, and moved
to 6-2-2 on the season and
3-0-1 in the league.
Riverside sits in first
place with a one-game
lead, and is facing a must-
win situation for its next
match. The Pirates will
travel to Nyssa to take on
the Bulldogs, who are try-
ing to knock Riverside out
of playoff contention.
Only one team from the
Special District 2 will ad-
vance into the postseason.
If Umatilla wants a
chance it will have to turn
its season around and win
out.
The Vikings (2-6-3,
1-1-2) took a break from
The Riverside boys
soccer team continued its
dominance, and shut out
Umatilla, 7-0. The Pirates
(10-0 overall, 4-0 Special
District 4) came out hot,
scoring five of their goals
in the first half.
Umatilla has struggled
of late, and pushed its los-
ing skid to four games after
this road loss. The Vikings
(1-9-1, 1-3) can look for-
ward to facing Irrigon, the
only league team they have
beat this season.
Riverside’s regular sea-
son will stretch on, as the
Pirates have four more
games to play before the
playoffs. First up is a non-
league opponent, Prescott
(WA) on Monday. River-
side will have a quick turn-
Girls soccer
league play to face Port-
land Christian/Columbia
Christian on Tuesday.
NYSSA 4, IRRIGON 1
— The Bulldogs did dam-
age on the road and earned
a much needed victory to
keep playoff hopes alive.
While Nyssa did let one by,
its three goals in the second
half sealed the deal and
moved them into second
place in the league.
The Bulldogs (2-4-1
overall, 2-1-1 Special Dis-
trict 2) had not seen a win
since their Sept. 23 victo-
ry over Irrigon. They will
need to keep the momen-
tum past their non-league
match up next week if
Nyssa wants to see the
playoffs.
The Knights (2-8-1, 0-4)
have yet to win a league
game and will only have
two more chances to do so.
Irrigon will have a whole
week to recover, and host
Umatilla on Saturday.
Cross country
The Hermiston Bull-
dogs competed in one of
their last meets before
they enter post season, the
George Fox XC Classic on
Saturday.
The boy’s team ran in
the 5,000-meter varsity sil-
ver race, and finished sev-
enth with 171 points.
Once again, Hermiston
was led by its No. 1 run-
ner, senior Isaac Sanchez.
Sanchez finished in eighth
place, clocking 16:31.17.
The field was stacked with
many fast runners, as the
first two ran sub-16. The
next Bulldog to finish was
just shy of the top-25. Se-
nior Emanuel Ibarra placed
26th in 17:10.09
Hermiston will run in
the Kyle Burnside Wild-
horse Invite on Thursday.
Heppner, Pendleton, Riv-
erside-Irrigon, Stanfield,
Umatilla, Weston-McEwen
and others will be joining
the Bulldogs.