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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2018)
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 Herald Sports CENTRAL VALLEY DEFEATS HERMISTON Follow sports on Twitter @HHeraldSports By BRETT KANE STAFF WRITER A fter missing out on a shot at the Mid-Columbia Conference playoffs with last week’s Kamiakin loss, Herm- iston dropped its season-ending game at home to Central Valley in an MCC-Greater Spokane League crossover. The Dawgs lost 44-14 to the Bears. A 33-yard field goal at the 7:30 mark from kicker Landon Rehkow put the Bears on the scoreboard first. Wide receiver Connor Caf- frey extended the lead with a 33-yard rushing touchdown at the last second of the first quar- ter, leaving the Dawgs down 10-0. The relentless Bears kept the scores com- ing to open the second quarter. Caffrey scored on a 59-yard reception from quarterback Matt Gabbert about 47 seconds into the quarter. While Central Valley connected on passes with ease, Hermiston struggled. A touchdown pass from Andrew James to wide receiver Youbani Razon in the third quarter was called back because of a holding penalty. Meanwhile, the Bears continued to rack up points as Gabbert later connected on a 10-yard pass to Caffrey for another touchdown. The fourth quarter featured a small Herm- iston comeback. After the Dawgs pushed the ball up to the 1-yard line, running back Wyatt Noland ran the ball into the end zone on the next play. The two teams then swapped touchdowns. Bears running back Jaren Thomas rushed 59 yards for a score, and James later responded with a 12-yard carry for another. With 4:24 left in the game, Central Valley running back Ryan Harper capped the scoring with a 7-yard rush to seal the 44-14 win. The Bulldogs may have closed the season with a loss, but coach David Faaeteete left his team with some uplifting words. “The only good thing about the end of a book is the start of a new one,” he told them. “You’re starting the next chapter of your lives. Thank you so much for all you’ve given. Rain or shine, it’s Dawgs all the time.” James completed 10-27 for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 112 yards. Noland rushed for 119 yards in his last game at Kennison Field. “The scoreboard doesn’t define us,” said an emotional James after the game. “Herm- iston football has been the greatest thing I’ve ever been a part of. These past four years have been unbelievable.” Hermiston finished with a 6-4 overall record for their first year in the MCC. Youbani Razon runs the ball Friday in Hermiston’s seaon finale against Central Valley at Kennison Field. Hermiston’s Jordan Ramirez runs the ball for Hermiston during Friday’s 44-14 loss to Central Valley. PHOTOS BY CASSANDRA WHITE FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD VOLLEYBALL Hermiston beats North Central, loses to Southridge Bulldogs beats North Central, loses to Southridge By ANNIE FOWLER STAFF WRITER The Hermiston volleyball team still is trying to navigate the waters of the Mid-Columbia Conference. Thursday, they got a taste of the regional tournament and the Greater Spokane League, with mixed results. The Bulldogs beat North Cen- tral in their first match, then got swept by host Southridge to drop into the consolation bracket. “They came into it with a ton of confidence,” Hermiston coach Amy Dyck said. “It’s tough play- ing back to back. You have to be tough mentally and physically. I’m excited for us to get back in the gym next week.” Hermiston will host Shadle Park at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 in a loser out match. The winner will play again on Saturday for a trip to the state tournament. After Hermiston beat NC 25-15, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, they advance to the semifinals against top seed Southridge. The Suns, who took both MCC matches from the Bull- dogs during the regular season, had to rally in the first and sec- ond sets, but left no doubt in the third, posting a 25-18, 25-23, 25-15 victory. “One good thing about this team, is we fight,” Suns coach Emily Otto said. “They don’t like being down. We are pretty pumped about playing for the regional title.” Southridge will host Mt. Spo- kane at 6 p.m. Nov. 8. The win- ner will advance to state, while the loser will drop into the con- solation bracket to battle for the No. 2 seed to state Nov. 10. The Bulldogs opened the first set against the Suns by tak- ing a 10-4 lead. They had a 13-7 lead, only to see Southridge pull within 13-11 behind a string of points by Bobbie Newton. Hermiston last led 14-13. From there, Jordan Missett reeled off four points for a 17-14 lead. The Bulldogs would get as close as 18-16 down the stretch, only to face Sophia Sumner at the service line. Sumner, who led the Suns with 18 kills for the match, served five consecutive points for a 23-16 lead, and a net serve by the Bulldogs on set point sealed the win. The second set was a battle. Southridge led 8-5 early on, and Hermiston had a 20-14 lead before the Suns rallied back. The Bulldogs would hang on to a small lead until the Suns tied the set at 23-23. Two unforced errors by the Bulldogs gave Southridge the win. Sumner had seven of her kills in the second set. “Sometimes, the nerves get the best of us,” Otto said. “As long as we can stay mentally strong, we will be fine.” The third set was all South- ridge. After a 4-4 tie, the Suns took off. Sumner served five consecutive points for a 12-6 lead, and Southridge never looked back. Sophia Streeter had eight kills for the Bulldogs, while Ireland McDonough had 10 digs and four aces, Halee Stubbs 12 digs, Kendall Dowdy 12 assists, and Courtnee West 11 assists. “I don’t think people expected us to get past the first match,” Dyck said. “I like being a little unknown.” Sumner added 13 digs in the match, while Ashlyn Dupuis had 12 kills, Shayla Hood 13 digs, and Kennedy Conrad and Mis- sett 16 assists each. In the match against North Central, Streeter had 10 kills and two blocks, while McDonough had eight kills, nine digs and five aces, Stubbs had 39 digs, Emma Combes five kills and eight digs, Scout Reagan five kills and nine digs, and Dowdy 22 assists and 11 digs. Hermiston volleyball still alive in regionals Bulldogs will host Shadle Park on Thursday By ANNIE FOWLER STAFF WRITER Amy Dyck is trying to change the culture of volleyball at Herm- iston High School. That the Bulldogs are still alive in the Region 5/8 tournament speaks volumes of the program’s move in the right direction. “Hermiston is not known for its volleyball team.” Dyck said. “I am bound and determined to make it one. I think these girls are starting to realize what they are capable of. That fact we are still playing is proof they are good enough.” Hermiston will host Sha- dle Park of the Greater Spokane League in a regional loser-out game at 5 p.m. Thursday. The winner advances to play Saturday. Only two of the six Region 5/8 teams will advance to state. “We are excited to be able to host this game,” Dyck said. “We are hoping people will come and see what we have. The girls are pretty pumped about it.” Hermiston beat North Cen- tral 3-1 in its regional opener last week, then got swept by South- ridge to drop into the consolation bracket. “Every day, they are getting a little bit more confident,” Dyck said of her team. “Every day, I tell them it is a learning experience for them. Every match extends our season for the seniors and shows what we are trying to do as a program.” Dyck said she has not been able to find any film on Shadle Park, but that is not a bad thing. “If we go in focused on our side of the ball, we play better,” Dyck said. The Highlanders, led by 5-foot- 10 senior hitter Meghan Gallagher and senior setter Natasha O’Dell, lost their first regional match to Kamiakin. They have lost five of their past six matches. Southridge will host Mt. Spo- kane on Thursday in the regional title match. The Wildcats, led by 5-10 outside hitter Malina Ama, were third at state last year. The loser will host Saturday’s matches. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for students. No passes will be accepted. Prices are set by the WIAA. FOOTBALL Echo ends season on high note By ANNIE FOWLER STAFF WRITER When the OSAA created a 6-man football league, it did not include a state playoff for the 15 teams involved in the first-year program. So, the teams took matters into their own hands. Special District 4 (West) and Special District 5 (East) held crossover games last Saturday in Madras, where Echo shut out Gilchrist 55-0. “It was a pilot year, so they did not have playoffs, which we were bummed about.” Echo coach Rick Thew said. The Cougars (7-1) finished third in the East behind Joseph and Harper. Against Gilchrist, Echo quar- terback Devan Craig threw three touchdown passes, ran for another, and caught a touchdown pass. Mason Smith ran for three touch- downs, and Mychael Pointer had an interception, scored a touch- down and led the team in tackles. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Thew said. “We con- tinually got better through the last game of the season.” This was Thew’s last year coaching the Cougars. “I have a daughter in the sev- enth grade who does middle school volleyball and basketball,” he said. “And another who is in the first grade. It’s time to step back and watch my girls play.” Don Walker will take the reins of the program next season.
