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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 Herald Sports Follow sports on Twitter @HHeraldSports ‘WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH’ More than 150 teams compete in Hermiston’s Takin’ It To The Streets By BRETT KANE STAFF WRITER The only thing burning hot- ter than the sun over downtown Hermiston over the weekend was the passion for basketball. More than 150 teams from across the Pacific Northwest com- peted from sunrise to sunset in 90-degrees-and-sunny tempera- tures in the city’s annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament, known as Takin’ It to the Streets. This year marked the 14th year that Herm- iston’s Main Street has hosted the competition, where teams com- pete against one another in 20 dif- ferent brackets depending on age and skill level, and winners are awarded with assorted athletic gear. Funds raised over the course of the weekend are then used to support Hermiston High School’s basketball programs. “We had teams come from all over the region this year,” said tournament organizer Juan Rodri- guez. “Some came from as far as Portland, Spokane, and even Boise.” Rodriguez, also in the midst of his third year as Hermiston High School’s varsity girls head coach, says that basketball is part of the community. “We keep this tournament going because we love the game,” he said. And judging by the turn- out, he’s right. Main Street was packed day in and day out with players and their fans, friends and family. Ages of the athletes ranged from adults and all the way down to the second grade, and even included players from Hermiston High, hoping to keep their skills in tune during the offseason. Xavier Rambo, a 2017 Herm- STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Trae Garcia, of the TCB team, concentrates as he takes a free throw Saturday during Takin’ it to the Streets. For more photos from the event, see A15. CHAMPIONS STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Players battle for the ball Saturday during the Takin’ it to the Streets 3-on-3 basketball tournament. iston boys basketball alumnus, has been Takin’ It to the Streets every summer since he was in elementary school. “It’s tradition,” he said. “You get the same squad together every year and you get to play basket- ball with your best friends.” Rambo’s team, Purosho, could be spotted sporting cus- tom grey jerseys with the team’s logo printed on it. Purosho ended up taking home the champion- ship titles for both the 12th Grade Boys and Men’s 6-feet-and-under divisions. “We’ll be back next year,” he said. “There ain’t no stopping us now.” Perhaps the most heated of games came in the Men’s Open championship rounds on Sunday. The division is often com- prised of former high school and college athletes, all of whom bring their burning competitive spirits to the courts. The division title was ulti- mately claimed by Fox Harvest- ing after an intense 30-minute game and a close score of 15-13. “We’ve done this every year since it started,” said Brad Irwin of Fox Harvesting. Irwin, 27, along with team- mates J.J. Ross and Luis and Alex Second/Third Grade Boys: 509 Ballerz 3B Fourth Grade Boys: Hermiston Savage Fifth Grade Boys: Defenders Sixth Grade Boys: Hustle Hoops Seventh Grade Boys: The Nicks Eighth Grade Boys: Natural Born Ballers Ninth Grade Boys: Excelerators 10th/11th Grade Boys: $KEETERZ 12th Grade Boys: Purosho Third/Fourth Grade Girls: Baby Braves Fifth Grade Girls: Lower Valley Ladies Sixth Grade Girls: Prosser Elite Seventh Grade Girls: Fast and Furious High School Girls: 509 Ballers Adult Co-Ed: LOB Men’s 6U Rec #1: Killer 3’s Men’s 6U Rec #2: Team Loaded 6U Competitive: Purosho Men’s Rec: ASAP Men’s Open: Fox Harvesting Ortiz, met through eighth grade basketball, and have been playing together ever since. Nowadays, Irwin spends a lot of his time working at Columbia Auto Body & Paint, but still finds the time to get his friends together to shoot some hoops. “We love this sport, and we can’t get enough,” he said. “We’re going to keep going until we’re 40.” Program aims to make football safer By ERIC SINGER STAFF WRITER STAFF PHOTO BY DAWN HENDRICKS Zach Telford, 14, of Idaho poses with the kart he sometimes races at the Hermiston Raceway. Week 8 Hermiston Raceway 7/21/18 Hornets 1st #777 Devin Taylor 2nd #77 David Knowles 3rd #11 Joe Dunn 4th #12 Kris Marlow 5th 09 Travis “Baby Huey” Durfee 6th #1 Rob “Ricky Bobby” Cassano 7th #24 Justus Zamudio 8th #21 Owen Berglund 9th #5 Keith Boyd 10th #69 Cody McDonald 11th #7 Tracy “Snoop” Howell 12th #18 Karin Pitzer 13th #4 Mason Markee 14th #43 Jack Guier 15th #27 Jose Medina 16th 883 John Pittman Bombers 1st #17 Kedric Preston 2nd #123 Shade Cole 3rd #2 Arlen Calley 4th #55 Justin Gage 5th #N21K Carl Leggett 6th #2/5 Martin Montya Street Stock 1st #68 Bart Hector Sr. 2nd #46 Terry Osborn 3rd #18 Adam Baker 4th Kaylynn Jeffery Mini Stock 1st #36 Ken Bonney 2nd #49 Angel Oseguera 3rd #29 Andy Pierce 4th #32 Megan Harley 5th #71 Logan Mullen 6th #23 Ashley Harley Super Mini Stock 1st #00 Brad Rhoads 2nd #73 Dan Nelson 3rd #11 Chris Kohler 4th #27 Ron Wilbur 5th #50 Joshua Henne Legends 1st #24 Jose Zamudio 2nd #3 Neena Kik 3rd #66 Austin Snodgrass 4th #42 Dillon Huffines 5th #68 Greg Corrtaberria 6th #43 Bill Kik 7th #13 Donnie Rabbit 8th #10 Lloyd Biggler 9th #9 Donovan Barr 10th #33 Leonard Maine 11th #01 Brock McDonough West Coast Late Models Fast Time #42 Garrett Huffines 15.902 1st #39 Jake Klingenberg 2nd #3 Andy Beaman 3rd #12 Rick Girrard 4th #42 Garrett Huffines 5th #14 Rich Peters 6th #02 Todd Connell 7th #72 Brad Tidrick 8th #29 Jr. Minor 9th #21 Bobby Stewart Jr. Greg Grant felt it was time for a new perspective. As a member of the OSAA’s Foot- ball Ad Hoc Advisory committee, Grant, the longtime head football coach at Heppner High School took part in discussions between the expe- rienced coaches on the committee on ways to make the game safer and more enjoyable at the youth level. “It became really evident that there needed to be a better way to introduce kids to tackle football,” Grant said recently. The discussion soon centered around Rookie Tackle, a new initia- tive from USA Football that aims to bridge the gap between flag foot- ball and 11-person tackle football at the youth level. The Tualatin Valley Youth Football League, which cov- ers the Tualatin Valley and Portland metro areas and includes more than 6,500 players, were part of the 2017 Pilot Program for Rookie Tackle, and the feedback was positive. Grant decided to research it fur- ther with the possibility of bring- ing it to Heppner this fall. Unlike most youth leagues, Heppner has not started tackle football until fifth grade, but even then Grant said he and the youth coaches sometimes thought it was still too early. “We always struggled with mak- ing sure kids didn’t sour early with tackling,” Grant said. “And when I saw this (Rookie Tackle), it’s just like a natural progression. Plus I also felt like it’s time to look at things a little bit differently ... because it’s not all about teaching kids to hit each other hard.” Grant pitched Rookie Tackle to his youth coaches and the group liked the idea. So starting this fall, Heppner will keep its flag football program for grades 3-4, implement Rookie Tackle for grades 5-6 and then will implement 11-man tackle football beginning in seventh grade. Here is an overview some of the key components of Rookie Tackle: ● Smaller field: Rather than play- ing on the regulation-sized 100- by-55-yard football field, the field is split into two 40- by-35-yard fields, with a gap in the middle for the coaches to watch the action. ● Smaller rosters: Teams will have six, seven or eight players per side and all will play multiple posi- tions during the game. The smaller rosters and position rotation maxi- mizes space on the field and allows for more playing time and skill development and fewer kids stand- ing on the sidelines. ● Rule changes: There are no three-point stances for either offen- sive or defensive line positions. Instead, players at those posi- tions will start in upright, two-point stances, which will decrease the chances for blows to the head com- ing out of the three-point stances. OSAA Assistant Executive Direc- tor Brad Garrett, who sits on USA Football’s Board of Directors, said in an interview that he believes Rookie Tackle could be a good way to help participation in football at the high school level increase again. According to the National Fed- eration of High School Athletics Association surveys, participation in 11-man football at the high school level in Oregon has decreased each of the last four years, from 13,212 players in 2013 to 12,185 in 2016. Heppner hosts a Rookie Tackle Jamboree on September 8 with John Day and Stanfield youth programs committed to playing, and he said Boardman is also interested. Pend- leton Youth Football president Ron Smith said that he and others have looked into Rookie Tackle, but it’s not something that they have dis- cussed as a board as of yet. “It’s definitely worth a look,” Smith said. “We’re noticing a decline in our numbers over the last few years, some kids just moving away, some kids playing other sports and others because of the concussions fear. ... It’s definitely on the table, maybe in the next two years.” Tovar at 541-371-4153 or columbi- ariverheat@gmail.com. runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Coaches are looking for players for all positions. The team will begin play with the 2018 fall schedule and continue with various exposure and national tournaments for the 2019 season. To register for the tryouts, con- tact Saul Castro at castro3972@ msn.com, 541-571-3342; Candice Castro at cccastro1989@gmail. com, 541-571-5807; or Jim Whal- ley at jimwhalley@yahoo.com, 541-561-5736. SPORTS BRIEFS Columbia River Heat sets tryouts Girls who are 14 and under as of Dec. 31, 2018, are invited to try out for the Columbia River Heat ASA softball team. The event is Saturday at 9 a.m. at Umatilla High School. The team is a competitive travel softball club made up of girls from Boardman, Echo, Heppner, Hermiston, Ione, Irrigon, Lexington, Stanfield and Umatilla. For more information, contact Joe Columbia Storm announces tryouts The Columbia Storm Fastpitch is holding 16A team tryouts To be eligible, girls must be 16 or younger by Jan. 1. The tryouts are Saturday, Aug. 18 at the Stanfield Little League softball field. Pitch- ers and catchers are from 9-10 a.m.; fielding, hitting, speed and agility
