WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • B1
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Mustangs defeat Prospectors 47-14
By BRETT KANE
STAFF WRITER
S
trong play on both sides of the ball
powered the Heppner Mustangs to
a 47-14 home win over the Grant
Union Prospectors on Friday night.
Heppner locked up the 2A-Special
District 6 title with the victory.
Jayden Wilson led the Mustangs
with 118 yards through the air and two
touchdowns. He also rushed for 64
yards. Mason Lehman rushed 109 yards
and one touchdown. He also had five
catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Hanna-Robinson scored three
times for Heppner — two on the ground
and one in the air. He ended the game
with 67 yards rushing on 10 carries
along with two receptions.
The Mustangs held the Prospectors
scoreless until late in the game. Rus-
sell Hodge scored Grant Union’s first
touchdown with less than 5 minutes left
in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard run.
Hodge ended up with 79 yards rushing
on 15 attempts.
Jordan Hall intercepted a Heppner
pass and ran it back 63 yards for the
other score with about 2:25 left in the
contest.
“It was a game where we made good
plays, but also need to clean things up,”
said Mustangs coach Greg Grant. “The
offensive line came up and blocked
real hard. (Grant Union) scored late —
our defense did a good job. We need to
look at tonight’s film and work hard and
push each other at practice. I want to get
better at everything.”
Grant is excited about his team’s per-
formance not only against Grant Union,
but for the season as a whole.
“I’m very pleased with our prog-
ress,” he said after their Friday night
win. “The kids have come a long way.
I’m excited to see where they go.”
The Mustangs are 6-2 overall and 3-0
for the 2A-SD6. Friday night’s game
marked the Mustang’s sixth consecu-
tive win. They have one more league
game scheduled for Oct. 26 when
they’ll travel to Stanfield (1-6, 1-2)
to close out the season. Grant Union
(4-4, 2-1) wraps up district play against
Weston-McEwen at home on Oct. 26.
STAFF PHOTOS BY E.J. HARRIS
Heppner quarterback Jayden Wilson stiff arms Grant Union’s Devon Stokes while scrambling out of the pocket in the Mustangs’ 47-17
win against the Prospectors on Friday in Heppner.
Heppner’s Blake Wolters (26) and Jason Rea tackle
Grant Union’s Justin Hodge in the Mustangs’ 47-17 win
against the Prospectors on Friday in Heppner.
Heppner’s Gavin Hanna-Robinson attempts to break free from Grant
Union’s Damion Young Friday in Heppner.
Dawgs stay in playoff Hermiston’s playoff hopes
hinge
on
Friday’s
game
hunt with overtime win The Bulldogs must beat
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
The Mid-Columbia Conference play-
off picture was murky before Friday night’s
games. Hermiston made it even muddier
with an overtime win on the road.
Wyatt Noland scored four touch-
downs and ran for 117 yards, including
the game-winner, as Hermiston knocked
off Hanford 42-35 at Fran Rish Stadium in
Richland.
“That was one hell of a game,” Noland
said. “I knew we would have to come out and
battle. We knew this would be the game.”
The win put the Bulldogs at 5-2 in the
MCC and 6-2 overall. They finish the reg-
ular season next week in a must-win game
against Kamiakin at Kennison Field.
“Our kids are unwilling to quit,” Herm-
iston coach David Faaeteete said. “Tonight,
they decided to be a playoff team. Now, we
have to prepare for a good Kamiakin team.”
Chiawana leads the MCC at 6-1, while
Hanford and Richland also are 5-2. All four
teams are 6-2 overall.
Hermiston led 35-28 late in the fourth
quarter, but Hanford came down and scored
as Jared DeVine ran for his fourth touch-
down of the night with 53.4 seconds left on
the clock.
Faaeteete said there was no question who
would get the ball when the Bulldogs had
first-and-goal at the 7 in overtime.
“We wanted to take a shot right away,”
Faaeteete said. “Andrew’s willpower got the
first down, and Wyatt was able to run back
to the right side. Football players make big
plays, and he’s a heck of a player.”
After Noland gave the Bulldogs the over-
time lead, Hanford had its shot. DeVine was
stopped on first down, a penalty backed the
Falcons up to the 42, and they fumbled on
the next play, with Hermiston’s Zane Davis
coming up with the ball.
The game was scoreless in the third quar-
ter, but the Bulldogs put three scores on the
board in the fourth to take a 35-28 lead.
Noland scored on runs of 8 and 10 yards,
while Youbani Razon caught a 19-yard
touchdown pass from James, who finished
with 170 yards in the air.
The Bulldogs stepped up their defense in
the second half, putting Noland on the field.
He caused havoc in the backfield, and had
fun in the process.
“When he told me I could play defense, I
was excited,” he said. “It worked out fine.”
In a close first half, which saw the Fal-
cons take a 21-14 lead, the Bulldogs struck
first on their opening drive, moving the ball
67 yards in 2 1/2 minutes. Andrew James
capped the drive with a 37-yard touchdown
run up the middle for a 7-0 lead.
Hanford quickly replied, getting a 61-yard
burst up the middle from Jared DeVine for a
7-7 game.
Hermiston looked to take a 14-7 lead on
their next possession as James hit Wyatt
Noland with a 43-yard scoring pass, but a
holding penalty by the Bulldogs brought
the ball back. On the ensuing play, Blake
VanderTop intercepted James, and the Fal-
cons took over at the Bulldogs’ 27.
Five plays later, DeVine bullied his way
into the end zone from 1 yard out and a 14-7
Hanford lead.
Noland got his first touchdown of the
game on the next drive, taking the ball in
from 1 yard out for a 14-14 game just 2 min-
utes into the second quarter.
DeVine scored his third touchdown of the
game, again from 1 yard out with 2:33 left in
the first half for a 21-14 lead.
Hanford was closing in on the end zone
just before the half as Gabe Martinez caught
a pass from Garrett Horner. Martinez was
knocked out of bounds at the 3-yard line as
time expired.
———
Hermiston
7 7
0 21 7
- 42
Hanford
14 7
0 14 0
- 35
Scoring
1Q
Her - Andrew James 37 run (Juan Carlos Navarrette kick)
Han - Jared DeVine 61 run (Xavier Uvalle kick)
Han - DeVine 1 run (Uvalle kick)
2Q
Her - Wyatt Noland 1 run (Navarrete kick)
Han - DeVine 1 run (Uvalle kick)
4Q
Her - Noland 8 run (Navarrete kick)
Her - Noland 10 run (Navarrete kick)
Han - Luke Sutey 18 pass form Garrett Horner (Uvalle kick)
Her - Youbani Razon 19 pass from James (Navarrete kick)
Han - DeVine 2 run (Uvalle kick)
OT
Her - Noland 7 run (Navarrette kick)
Statistics
Passing – HERHS, Andrew James 18-24-2-170-1; HANHS Garret
Horner 20-26-0-258-1.
Rushing – HERHS, Andrew James 17-83, Wyatt Noland 24-117;
HANHS Garrett Horner 8-21, Jared Devine 21-108, Dylan McElderry
7-21.
Receiving – HERHS, Jordan Ramirez 8-76, Youbani Razon 2-20,
Garrett Walchli 3-29, Wyatt Noland 4-41, Pitney 1-4; HANHS Blake
VanderTop 4-49, Jared DeVine 3-29, Tyler Garcia 1-14, Gabe Marti-
nez 5-66, Dylan McElderry 2-11, Isaiah Mitcehll 2-20, Luke Sutey
2-33, Dandre Forbes 1-36.
Kamiakin to advance
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
It’s all pretty simple. Hermiston beats
Kamiakin on Friday, it is in the playoffs.
Lose, and the Bulldogs miss the playoffs.
That’s how things are shaking out in the
Mid-Columbia Conference 3A race for two
playoff spots. Southridge already is out of
the loop, but Hermiston (6-2 overall, 5-2
MCC), Kamiakin (4-4, 4-3) and Kennewick
(5-3, 4-3) still have something to play for.
“This is huge,” Hermiston senior
receiver/defensive back Jordan Ramirez
said of Friday’s game at Kennison Field.
“To lose, that would suck big time after all
the work we put in.”
Kennewick, which has beaten Hermiston
and Kamiakin, already has a berth locked
up, but seeding still is on the line. If Herm-
iston wins Friday, it would have the top
seed by virtue of a better league and over-
all record. A Kamiakin win would give the
Lions the top seed and the Braves would be
No. 2.
“Win and go on, that’s pretty much it,”
Hermiston coach David Faaeteete said.
“Kamiakin is a tough team. They are physi-
cal and they have a good running back. Our
run defense has been our Achilles’ heel.”
Kamiakin, which won the 3A state title in
2016, is looking to get back on the big stage.
“You tell the kids the No. 1 goal is to
make the playoffs,” Braves coach Scott
Biglin said. “This is it. We have to win this
one to go on.”
Ramirez and quarterback Andrew James
are two returning players from last year’s 5A
Oregon state championship team.
James, a three-year starter for the Bull-
dogs, said they have been watching film to
learn what they can about the Braves, but
ultimately, it will come down to playing
their game.
“We just have to keep our composure,”
James said. “We have to have a solid week
of practice and let people know the impor-
tance of this game. The seniors know what’s
on the line and know what needs to be done.”
The Bulldogs kept themselves in the
playoff hunt with a huge 42-35 overtime
win over Hanford last week.
Hermiston gave up a lot of yards to the
Falcons (408), and Ramirez said they can-
not do that again this week.
“We have to step up big time,” Ramirez
of the defense. “This will be one of our big-
gest weeks. We have to help out the offense.”
Kamiakin running back Tuna Altahir has
been a threat at times this season, but he only
had nine carries for 49 yards last week in a
42-0 loss to Chiawana. On the season, he
has 454 yards and three touchdowns.
The Braves are in the middle of the pack
when it comes to offense in the MCC, aver-
aging 279 yards per game. They are pretty
balanced with the run (962 yards) and the
pass (1,276), but know they will have to
have an outstanding game to keep pace with
the Bulldogs.
“We are struggling a bit offensively to
find our identity,” Biglin said. “You have to
have more than one guy. Tuna is great —
he is one of the best — but we are working
through some things.”
Hermiston running back Wyatt Noland
is due for a new set of cleats after churning
out 1,344 yards and 21 touchdowns in eight
games. James is no slouch either when it
comes to running the ball. He has 551 yards
and 10 touchdowns to his credit.
“They have a good running back and
an equally good quarterback,” Biglin said.
“They are a good 1-2 punch. You had bet-
ter bring your lunch pail, it will be a long
night.”
In the air, James has thrown for 1,149
yards and 10 touchdowns - 365 of those
yards have gone to Ramirez, who has scored
four touchdowns.
“Our line has been getting better every
week,” James said. “They are getting to the
point where they know what needs to be
done.”
Faaeteete appreciates what Noland and
James do on offense, but last week when he
put Noland in at defense end for a few plays
here and there, the game took on a differ-
ent look.
“Every time we put him on the field, he
brings a different dynamic,” Faaeteete said.
“We will mix him in. Defensively, we have
to get better and be more consistent. They
will have four good plays, then look like dog
feces.”