1. Tigers cruise to third state baseball championship

KEIZER — The La Grande Tigers used a punishing offensive attack and a lockdown pitching effort to get roll to a 10-1 victory Tuesday, June 7, at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer to claim their third OSAA state title. La Grande claimed its other state titles in 2007 and 2017.

Nick Bornstedt and Jarett Armstrong each had three RBIs and Jace Schow outpitched both of Hidden Valley’s aces to help the Tigers (28-1 overall).

“It was pretty great, to be honest,” Armstrong said. “It felt like it was deserved in a way because of last year getting so close. It was a big sigh of relief for the whole team to finally get that work in and get the result you wanted.”

Schow, who also homered in the win, tamed the high-powered Mustang offense, striking out 11 and allowing just one run on six hits. The lone run he surrendered scored on a balk in the second inning.

“That’s a really, really good lineup, a strong-hitting lineup that he pitched against,” head coach Parker McKinley said. “He pitched beautifully. He executed his pitchers, hit his spots.”

Schow, who noted that having the early lead helped drop his stress, said he found success in knowing his defense would make plays behind him. He pounded the strike zone and deftly mixed up his pitches, but mostly used his fastball and changeup.

“I was trying to get them to put the ball in play and throw strikes,” he said. “I was keeping them off balance by throwing my changeup and (making them hit) it to my defense.”

“Phenomenal. Fantastic team win,” McKinley said. “They were ready to go. We knew we needed to get right after their starting pitcher. Kids had some great approaches.”

2. LHS girls claim first cross-country championship

EUGENE — The La Grande girls cross-country team placed three finishers in the top four and four in the top 15, led by Cecilia Villagomez’s second-place finish, to win the 4A girls title Saturday, Nov. 5, at Lane Community College in Eugene.

The state title is the first in program history and just the third for a girls sports program at LHS, alongside back-to-back state championships by the softball team in 2018 and 2019.

“It still feels kind of unreal,” Villagomez said. “I’m really proud of our team. It was really exciting.”

La Grande finished with 62 points as a team, well in front of runner-up Philomath, which had 84 points. Crook County (139 points) was a distant third.

Villagomez (19:13.8), Emily Tubbs (19:35.9) and Brooke Perry (19:38.1) paved the way for the Tigers with a 2-3-4 finish to set the tone for the day, while Kiah Carlson (20:37.7) followed in 15th place. The fifth La Grande runner, Karli Kretschmer, crossed the finish line in 53rd place, a solid showing that helped secure the state title.

“Karli Kretschmer really came through for us today,” coach Alma Crow said. “She ran fast, she had a huge PR and that was so important for us. It was one of those things where every point counted — every person at state (counted).”

Faith Calhoun, the sixth runner for La Grande, was 57th in 22:55.0, and Anne Sweet rounded out the Tigers in 89th in 25:04.0.

Tubbs, the defending state champion who had won 15 races in a row, was neck-and-neck with Phoenix’s Kyla Potratz, the eventual state champion, for the first two miles before slipping to third.

“I think mentally when the girl made her move, instead of her going, she didn’t,” Crow said of Tubbs. “But I feel that she did what she could today with what she had.”

3. Union girls basketball team wins historic state championship

PENDLETON — In 1949, a gallon of gas cost roughly 27 cents. Harry Truman was president, and George Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers over Red Auerbach’s Washington Capitols in the NBA Championship.

That same year, the Union boys basketball team won the school’s last state championship in basketball. After a 73-year hiatus without a title on the hardwood, the Union girls basketball team made history Saturday, March 5, in winning its first-ever girls state championship in a 52-38 win over Salem Academy at the Pendleton Convention Center.

“It feels like a movie right now,” Union senior guard Audrey Wells said. “It feels surreal.”

The Bobcats relied on a strong showing from their seniors to defeat Salem Academy. Senior guard Callie Glenn led all scorers with 20 points, while senior forward Kaylin Nowak scored 16.

“It was extreme bliss, like living out a dream that I’ve had since I was a little girl,” Nowak said. “Every single person on the team wanted it equally as bad. It’s a feeling of being so proud of the team and being able to represent the community.”

The Bobcats capped off an immaculate season, finishing the year 25-3. Despite entering the state tournament as the No. 3 seed and facing the top-ranked Crusaders, Union found itself cutting down the nets.

Union head coach Jordan Klebaum-Johnston did not mince words before the start of the season, expressing confidence in the team’s potential. In fact, the Bobcats’ coach saw the vision well before this year’s senior class even entered high school.

“I told their parents in seventh grade that there is a state championship in this room,” she said. “Thank God I wasn’t wrong.”

4. La Grande captures Class 4A wresting title

TURNER — A year after finishing as the runner-up to Sweet Home, the La Grande wrestling team returned the favor, winning the OSAA Class 4A state wrestling title with 275.5 points and 14 place-winners, the most in school history. Sweet Home was second with 250.5.

“It was an amazing team effort,” Tigers coach Klel Carson said. “We have never had 14 placers at state, and everyone contributed and had a part in it. It really shows how deep and talented this team is and all the hard work that was put in.”

The Tigers crowned three individual champions and had two runners-up to help secure the team victory, a feat it also achieved in 2020. It is the fourth state team title in program history. The Tigers’ other state titles came in in 1978 and 1996.

Braden Carson claimed his third individual title — a first for the Tiger program — with a major decision over Baker/Powder Valley’s Gavin Stone 10-0 in the finals at 145 pounds. He wrapped up his season with a 39-1 record and had three pins en route to the championship match.

The senior, who finished second as a freshman, didn’t surrender a point during his final tournament, winning his third individual title.

“I have a lot of people to thank for the title, and a lot of people that pushed me in practice every day,” said the senior. “It is a big deal for me because I have worked my whole life for this and I am happy about it. I wanted to dominate and not leave anything behind.”

Kai Carson claimed the crown at 120 in dominating fashion. He pinned his way to the finals in a combined time of 3 minutes, 32 seconds. The sophomore, who concluded his season with a 39-3 mark, beat Sweet Home’s Kyle Watkins 7-1 in the championship match.

Joshua Collins followed a similar path to his title at 138, recording three pins to reach the finals before handling Stayton’s Eli Howard 11-4. The title came after runner-up finishes the past two seasons.

“I have been dreaming about winning ever since I was a freshman,” said the junior. “I was looking at the team scores before I went out and wrestled, so I wrestled for myself but also my team.”

Coach Carson said the three champions set a tone for the team.

“Those kids were favored to win the tournament, but they stepped up and really wrestled well,” he said. “They were stepping up and getting bonus points where they could, and there was a round where it just seemed we were pinning on just about every mat.”

5. Mountaineers come up short of ultimate goal

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — After one of the most outstanding seasons in program history, the Eastern Oregon University volleyball team saw its national championship hopes come up just short.

The Mountaineers were defeated by Corban in four sets — 27-25, 19-25, 19-25, 17-25 — on Monday, Dec. 5, ending the team’s season in the NAIA semifinals. Eastern Oregon’s year ended with a 34-3 record, taking home a Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship and qualifying for the program’s first ever NAIA semifinals.

The loss ended EOU’s 15-match winning streak, its second longest of the season behind a 19-match streak that was, coincidentally, also ended by Corban.

“We were hesitant on defense and timid offensively,” senior Cambree Scott said. “We had too many errors and Corban just outplayed us.”

Sade Williams led Eastern Oregon with 10 kills, while Scott led the way with six blocks. Hannah Ledgerwood and Alexis McMurtrey each tallied 19 assists, while Hailey Arritola recorded 20 digs.

Eastern won a program-record 34 matches, finishing with a record of 34-3. The program reached 30 victories for the fourth time under head coach Kaki McLean-Morehead. The .919 winning percentage on the season also was a record. EOU won the Cascade Collegiate Conference with 21 CCC victories, and claimed the regular season and tournament titles in the CCC for the second time, also doing so in 2016.

For the first time in program history, the Mountaineers moved to the top spot in the NAIA coaches poll on Sept. 28, and held that position through the end of the regular season. That came just two weeks after Eastern had reached No. 2 in the polls, which was at the time its highest ranking ever.

6. Former La Grande quarterback transfers to Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Andrew Peasley, the former standout La Grande quarterback, announced on social media on Thursday, Jan. 13, that he will be transferring to play football at the University of Wyoming. Peasley will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Cowboys.

The junior quarterback left Utah State University, where he split reps and was ultimately beat out for a starting spot by Logan Bonner. Peasley announced that he would be leaving Utah State in a tweet on Dec. 23, 2021.

Peasley threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns in the 2021 season, along with 212 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 25 carries.

In a 49-45 victory over Air Force, Peasley threw three touchdowns. The Aggies finished the season 11-2 and won the Mountain West Championship game over San Diego State.

The senior-to-be was a three-star recruit and the No. 70 pro-style in the class of 2018, according to 247Sports. In his time at La Grande High School, Peasley tallied over 100 total touchdowns and had more than 4,000 passing yards between his sophomore and junior seasons.

Peasley joins two other transfer quarterbacks, one true freshman and one redshirt freshman, as the Cowboys look to stock up their quarterback room under ninth-year head coach Craig Bohl.

Peasley’s transfer comes just 14 days after former Wyoming quarterback Levi Williams announced that he would be joining Utah State. Last year’s Cowboys starter Sean Chambers also transferred to Montana State this offseason, leaving the starting job open in Laramie.

7. New leadership for the Union County chapter of Special Olympics Oregon, athletes heading to regional games in July

LA GRANDE — With very little being said in recent years about the Union County chapter of Special Olympics Oregon, Lis and JT Thorne noted there was some concern that the program had dropped altogether.

But the couple, who a few months ago took over as the local program coordinators for the organization, said the program is up and running once again after a hiatus that saw the group face the passing of a man who was the face of the organization for decades, Doug Trice, and a long pause due to COVID-19.

“With Doug passing, a lot of people are assuming that the program is gone,” Lis Thorne said. “It’s definitely a regrowth year, and we are trying to do the best we can. We’re full steam ahead.”

The Thornes, whose daughter, Dani, has been a Special Olympics athlete for about nine years, became the LPCs earlier this year.

“We were, quote unquote, tapped for this by the state office due to us being some of the only ones that could take it on,” JT Thorne said.

Lis Thorne said in addition to Trice’s death in May 2020, the other co-LPC, Pam Thompson, retired, though she is still the Union County golf coach. Concerned the organization could fall away, the Thornes stepped in.

“We didn’t want the program to go by the wayside for Union County,” Lis Thorne said. “We know how much it has been a benefit for our own daughter with special needs, so here we are today.”

Financial issues at the state level led to the cancellation of the regional games in 2019. Athletes locally still practiced but didn’t have a regional event.

Then came the pandemic, which added to the delay. “It’s been three years since these athletes have been able to compete. It’s been four years since we’ve been to a state competition for track, golf, stuff like that,” Thorne said.

8. Cove upends Joseph, reaches playoffs for first time in nine years

BAKER CITY — In a rematch with a state playoff berth on the line, the Cove boys basketball team overcame the memories of a lopsided 63-34 loss just three weeks prior to grab the program’s first state playoff berth since 2013.

Caleb Wiggins scored 16 points and hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, Terrell Davis hit three tie-breaking free throws with 1:56 to play, and the Leopards held on for a 46-42 victory over Joseph in the third-place game of the Old Oregon League District Tournament in Baker City.

With the score tied at 39-all after a 3-pointer by Joseph’s Hayden Hite with 2:15 to play — the only time the game was tied other than 0-0 — Davis was awarded three free throws after a late foul call on a 3-point attempt. The trio of conversions put the Leopards ahead for good.

Wiggins extended the lead to 44-39 with a pair of free throws with 32.9 seconds to go, but Blade Suto — who had missed a corner 3-pointer on Joseph’s prior possession — drained a deep 3 with 24 seconds to go to keep the Eagles in striking distance. Davis missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds left, but James Burney — who led Joseph with 11 points and hit three 3-pointers — missed a corner 3 for the lead. Patrick Frisch, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds, iced the win for the Leopards with two free throws with 5.7 seconds to play.

Cove played nearly a flawless first half, moving the ball well and hitting its shots as it took a 34-27 lead at the half. The Leopards led by as much as 10 in the opening half, and shot 58% from the floor. Joseph, though, made timely shots — often in response to a Cove basket — to stay close. Burney hit all three of his 3-pointers in the second, with the last coming just seconds after a Davis trey to cut the margin to seven at halftime.

9. Imbler’s Burns wins third state wrestling title

CULVER — Imbler’s Garrett Burns completed his run to a third OSAA Class 2A/1A State Wrestling Championship with a dominating performance at 126 pounds on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Burns became Union County’s first three-time state champion, joined later in the night by La Grande’s Braden Carson in Class 4A.

The Imbler senior opened up with a 15-0 technical fall over Neah-Kah-Nie’s Mikal Hunter before pinning Riddle/Kays Creek’s Blair Doud in 22 seconds in the quarterfinals. Burns recorded a second technical fall in the semifinals with a 17-1 win over Nestucca’s Zakai Chatelain.

The championship match was the closest contest, but Burns was still decisive with a 7-2 decision over Crane’s John Otley.

“Burns had a bad ankle and he was not 100%, and he had three points scored against him in the state tournament,” Imbler coach Doug Hislop said. “His work ethic, determination and heart is the key. I know this is something that has been on his mind.”

Burns injured his ankle at the district tournament, which hampered his preparation for state but did not derail him. He concluded the season with a 42-3 record.

The wrestler also made history at the 2021 state championship tournament when he became the first Imbler wrestler to win multiple individual state championship titles.

10. La Grande softball team headed to West Regional Tournament for trip to Little League World Series

LA GRANDE — Gary Krantz said team unity has been a key for the La Grande Little League juniors softball team.

Krantz, the manager of that squad, has witnessed that firsthand this summer as the team has gone undefeated — 18-0 — won a state championship in July, and represented the state at the West Regional Tournament in Arizona.

“The thing (head coach) Rob (Harnack) and I coach the most is the way a team represents a family on the field and when they’re off that field,” Krantz said. “We do our best to build unity, and that’s what these girls do — they come together (and) they support one another. We’re very big on teaching that.”

The team united in a big way claiming the state championship July 15-17 in Redmond. La Grande defeated Crook County, and twice defeated Klamath Falls, including in the championship, 12-9.

“This weekend, I don’t know what it was — sometimes our bigger hitters weren’t hitting, and then our ones that weren’t always our best hitters stepped up,” Krantz said. “It actually fell together. It was nice.”

The team is made up of 11 players who have all contributed in some fashion to the team’s undefeated run. La Grande has formidable pitchers, solid hitters and versatile players all around the field.

“When you show up to play like these girls do when it’s game time, it’s great. It’s fun to watch when it all clicks,” the coach said. “Sometimes it’s softball, it’s still Little League, there’s still errors, they’re learning, but every single one of these girls is coachable. I’ve got girls that have played since they were 4 years old and they’re still learning. That’s a big part of winning is their attitude, the way they do it. They’re phenomenal. I’ve coached a lot of them a lot of years. They’re pretty good, and they’re a lot of fun.”