SPORTS
B2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAy, NOvEMbER 20, 2019
Hermiston welcomes basketball, football events
and $5 for students.
Burns and Santiam Chris-
tian will kick things off at
11 a.m. in a 3A state semifi-
nal game. The Hilanders and
Eagles are both 11-0 on the
season.
Adrian/Jordan Valley will
take on Crane at 2:15 p.m. in
the 1A state semifinals. The
Antelopes are 11-0, while
the Mustangs are 10-1, with
their lone loss to Adrian/Jor-
dan Valley (42-36) in High
Desert League play Sept. 13.
The final game of the
day is a 4A state semifi-
nal between La Grande and
The Dalles at 5:30 p.m. The
Tigers are 10-0, while the
Riverhawks are 7-4.
Kennison Field will host
3 state football playoff
games Saturday
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
The city of Hermiston
will nearly double in size
this weekend as 110 AAU
basketball teams invade
the town, and Hermiston
High School hosts three
high school football playoff
games at Kennison Field.
“We have a contract with
the OSAA, and it’s worth it
for the amount of money it
puts back into our commu-
nity,” Hermiston athletic
director Larry Usher said.
“We have hosted several
events before. The OSAA
looks to us because we
have nice facilities.”
Hermiston, with the help
of Echo and Stanfield, will
host the Autumn Kickoff
Classic.
Basketball games will be
played Saturday and Sun-
day in every available gym
in all three towns.
“If there is another event
that brings an economic
boon to our economy like
the AAU tournaments, I’d
like to know what it is,”
said Usher, who noted that
AAU events also will be
held in December, January
and February. “All of that
money stays in our commu-
nity. It’s easily $300,000
per weekend.”
Add in the three football
games, and that amount
will go up.
“It’s awesome for our
community,”
Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce
CEO Kimberly Nevil said
Golf
HH file photo
Teams from Boise, Idaho, and Richland, Washington, play a game Jan. 26, 2019, at Sunset Elementary School. The teams came
to town for the Best of the West AAU basketball tournament, which used gyms in Hermiston, Echo and Stanfield. Another
tournament is set this weekend.
“IF THERE IS ANOTHER EVENT THAT BRINGS AN ECONOMIC BOON
TO OUR ECONOMY LIKE THE AAU TOURNAMENTS, I’D LIKE TO
KNOW WHAT IT IS. ALL OF THAT MONEY STAYS IN OUR
COMMUNITY. IT’S EASILY $300,000 PER WEEKEND.”
Larry Usher, Hermiston athletic director
of the upcoming events.
“It’s great for our hospital-
ity industry, restaurants and
other businesses. I think
our community does well
to support things like this.”
A check of local hotel
websites shows no vacan-
cies at some properties,
while others have any-
where from one to five
rooms available.
“The amount of hotel
rooms determines what
events we can bring to
town,” Nevil said. “That’s
the cool thing about Herm-
iston — it’s not just one
week a year. We have wel-
comed events that make
Hermiston a wonderful
community.”
If sports are not your
thing, the Hermiston High
School marching band will
have a Christmas bazaar
Saturday at West Park Ele-
mentary School in the main
commons, and the drama
department is performing
“Hamlet Thrill-ma-geddon”
at the high school Friday and
Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Football
The nice thing about
hosting a day of football, is
that one ticket will get you
a seat for all three games.
Admission is $10 for adults
Four Hermiston
football players
earn MCC honors
Hermiston
offensive
lineman Chase Bradshaw
earned first-team Mid-Co-
lumbia Conference foot-
ball honors for the second
year in a row.
The 6-foot-5, 275-
pound senior, had a grade
of 92 percent on the sea-
son for his blocking
execution.
“It’s always a good
feeling when opposing
coaches recognize your
play, and you as a player,”
Bradshaw said.
Bulldogs wide receiver
Garrett Walchli, and
punter Trevor Wagner
were named to the sec-
ond team, while senior
offensive lineman Dustyn
Coughlin earned honor-
able mention honors.
Walchli, a senior, had
49 catches for 634 yards
and nine touchdowns in
10 games. He finished the
season with 1,099 all-pur-
pose yards, and was sixth
in MCC scoring with 72
points.
“I’m excited and hum-
bled,” Walchli said. “The
MCC is one of the hardest
leagues in the state. I am
grateful, but I am never
satisfied.”
Wagner, a junior, aver-
Wagner
Walchli
Coughlin
Bradshaw
aged 33.9 yards per punt
this season. He had 34
punts that covered 1,153
yards.
The 6-6, 300-pound
Coughlin was name to the
honorable mention team
for the second year in a
row.
Kamiakin
running
back Tuna Altahir was
named Offensive Player
of the Year by the league
coaches,
while
Chi-
awana defensive line-
man Bridger Feldman was
named Defensive Player
of the Year.
Baylor McElroy of
Kennewick was voted
Lineman of the Year, and
Pasco’s Des Licon was
the Special Teams Player
of the Year.
Chiawana’s
Steve
Graff was named Coach
of the Year, after leading
the Riverhawks to an 8-0
record during the regular
season.
Poker tournament
The annual Hermiston
High School Sports Boosters
poker tournament is Satur-
day at John Walchli Farms.
The buy-in is $100, and
offers players the chance to
win $2,400 in gift cards.
The social starts at 5 p.m.,
with tournament play at
6:30 p.m. If you just want to
go for dinner and drinks, the
cost is $25. You can register
for both on the booster club
website.
Swimming
Continued from Page b1
Offensive lineman
Chase bradshaw earns
first-team honors
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
The annual Turkey Shoot
will be Saturday at Big River
Golf Course. The annual
event is a fundraiser for the
high school and youth golf
programs.
Entry fee is $50 per
player. You can register the
day of the event, or contact
Pat Kerrigan at 541-571-
0166 to sign up.
Carts are not included,
but can be reserved by call-
ing 541-922-3006.
Photo courtesy of Sara Sargent/East Oregonian
Hermiston juniors Georgia Stevenson (left) and Abigail Sharon pose for a photo at the WIAA
3A girls swimming state championships on Friday in Federal Way, Wash.
backstroke.
“They push each other
quite a bit,” their coach,
Sargent, said. “It’s nice to
see them together. There’s
always a little competition
between them there. They
do everything I ask of them.
When it came to districts,
they laid it all out there.”
Sargent took on head
coaching duties for the Bull-
dogs’ girls swim team the
same year Hermiston joined
the WIAA.
“The team as a whole has
made huge improvements.
We’ve grown so much,” Sar-
gent said.
While their teammates
did not get the opportunity
that Stevenson and Sharon
did last weekend, the two
Hermiston swimmers have
had their eyes on a trip to
state since the beginning of
the season.
“I’ve had the idea that I
could make it to state,” Sha-
ron said. “That mentality
kept me going and pushed
me even harder.”
She needed that kind of
mentality to hit the water
against some of Washing-
ton’s best swimmers, which
Stevenson said she knew
would be “a lot faster.”
Stevenson and Sharon
have both been on the swim
team since they started high
school. Stevenson has been
swimming since was 5, and
Sharon since she was 8.
“I love being in the
water,” Sharon said. “It just
came naturally to me.”
Now their sights are set
on a repeat state appearance
for their senior seasons next
year.
MID-COLUMBIA CONFERENCE FOOTBALL HONORS
FIRST TEAM
Defensive back — Kelen Rutz,
sr., Kamiakin; Des Licon, jr., Pasco;
Aiden Mason, jr., Chiawana; Dion
Lee, sr., Chiawana.
Linebacker — Riley Cissne, sr.,
Chiawana; Cameron Breier, jr.,
Chiawana; Roy Colvin, sr., Chiawa-
na; Luis Salgado, so., Kamiakin.
Defensive line — Jagger Childs,
sr., Kennewick; Bridger Feldman,
sr., Chiawana; Tanner Sullins, sr.,
Kamiakin; Isaiah Anderson, so.,
Chiawana.
Offensive line — Baylor McElroy,
sr., Kennewick; Baiden McElroy,
sr., Kennewick; Casey Moddrell,
sr., Hanford; Tanner Sullins, sr.,
Kamiakin; Chase Bradshaw, sr.,
Hermiston.
Wide receiver — Woodley
Downard, jr., Kamiakin; Ben
Fewel, jr., Richland; Des Licon, jr.,
Pasco; Kelen Rutz, sr., Kamiakin.
Quarterback — Easton Wise-
Hyde, jr., Hanford.
Running back — Myles
Mayovsky, so., Kennewick; Tuna
Altahir, jr., Kamiakin.
Punter — Seamus Hall, jr., Walla
Walla.
Kicker — Xavier Uvalle, jr.,
Hanford.
Returner — Des Licon, jr., Pasco.
SECOND TEAM
Defensive back — Arnaldo
Cabrera, sr., Kennewick; Aarloh
Valdovinos, jr., Chiawana; Elijah
Rodriguez, so., Richland; Simeon
Howard, so., Kennewick.
Linebacker — Konner Oberman,
sr., Hanford; Cody LaFontaine,
sr., Kennewick; Kaleb Stevenson,
sr., Kennewick; Nathan Torres, jr.,
Pasco.
Defensive line — Sam Stanfield,
sr., Richland; Cole Schmidt, sr.,
Walla Walla; Bryson Knapik, sr.,
Kennewick; Isaiah Arline, jr.,
Pasco.
Offensive line — Cole Schmidt,
sr., Walla Walla; Michael Chvedov,
sr., Hanford; Austin Schoffstall,
sr., Kennewick; Nic Gutierrez, sr.,
Pasco; Payten Collins, sr., Hanford.
Wide receiver — Dion Lee,
sr., Chiawana; Dylan Ashbeck,
sr., Walla Walla; Jaxon Farrah,
jr., Hanford; Garett Walchli, sr.,
Hermiston.
Quarterback — Henry Mercado,
so., Kamiakin.
Running back — Kamari
Durmas, sr., Hanford; Gabe Schilz,
sr., Chiawana.
Punter — Trevor Wagner, jr.,
Hermiston.
Kicker — Francisco Valle, jr.,
Pasco.
Returner — Simeon Howard, so.,
Kennewick.
HONORABLE MENTION
Defensive back — Hunter Polley,
sr., Walla Walla; Kamari Durmas,
sr., Hanford; Tuna Altahir, jr.,
Kamiakin; Aidan Leonard, sr.,
Kamiakin; Gabe Martinez, sr.,
Hanford.
Linebacker — Gerardo Alonso,
so., Chiawana; Camron Ball, jr.,
Richland Gilbert Marquez, jr.,
Kamiakin.
Defensive line — Josh White,
sr., Richland; Omar Cruz, jr., Walla
Walla; Lucas Martin, jr., South-
ridge.
Offensive line — Wyatt Eller, sr.,
Hanford; Dustyn Coughlin, sr.,
Hermiston; Jackson Owen, sr.,
Walla Walla; Jaiden Anderson,
sr., Chiawana; Aaron Tano, so.,
Kamiakin.
Wide receiver — Simeon
Howard, so., Kennewick; Gabe
Martinez, sr., Hanford; Messiah
Jones, jr., Kamiakin; Caleb Harvey,
jr., Hanford.
Quarterback — JP Zamora, so.,
Chiawana; Blaine Chavez, sr.,
Kennewick.
Running back — Jakob Hum-
phrey, so., Walla Walla.
Punter — Simeon Howard, so.,
Kennewick.
Kicker — Evan Dawes, sr., Chi-
awana.
Returner — Josiah Wik, sr., Walla
Walla.