This article is taken from the pages of the Friday, Dec. 3 1943 Blue Mountain Eagle. It documents the Grant Union football team’s first state championship.

The 1943 “B” high school football championship of Oregon was won by the Grant Union high school “Prospectors” in a hard fought game with the Taft “Tigers” Western Oregon champions, played on the Grant County Fairgrounds, Thanksgiving Day, before one of the largest if not the largest crowd to ever assemble in Grant County for a gridiron battle, Grant defeating the coastal team, 12-6.

The Prospectors, who the week previous had clinched the Eastern Oregon “B” championship by beating Maupin 6-0, displayed wonderful teamwork against the powerful Taft team, with exceptionally brilliant defensive play against Taft’s whirlwind passing attack. The Taft boys, who the week previous emerged victorious over Dayton by scoring four touchdowns, via the air, in the last five minutes of the game, overcoming Dayton’s halftime lead of 14-0, succeeded in completing nine passes out of 17 attempts and scored their touchdown from the old “deadman” sneaker play after the kickoff immediately following Grant’s first touchdown in the second quarter. Grant’s first score came after Taft lost the ball down on the 50-yard line, through a series of power plays featuring Bud Trowbridge and Wayne McKinnis, the latter making the touchdown on an end run. Both teams failed to convert for the extra point and with two minutes time left in the half the score stood at 6-6. Grant then made its second and final score, taking the ball again on downs and putting it over by successive power play, McKinnis also making this touchdown. The try for extra point again failed and at half time the score was 12-6 for Grant, and remained that when the timers’ gun ended the game.

In the scoreless second half Taft tried many passes, in fact during the entire game they used only five line plays. Gene Bauman, Taft’s left half, did the passing and he has wicked aim, but Grant’s defensive work against these passes was also wicked, and until the last play of the game which stopped on the 35-yard stripe, Taft was never able to get within Grant’s 40-yard line.

The Grant coach, Tommy Johnson said, as did many of the local fans, that the boys came through with the greatest playing they have displayed all season. A statistical record of the game reveals that Grant made 10 first downs to Taft’s five; Grant made 201 yards and Taft 152 yards from scrimmage and passes; Taft tried 17 passes and completed nine; Grant intercepted four passes. Grant’s quarterback Glenn Eddy averaged 41 yards on his punts in the game.

The Prospectors displayed excelled team work and, it would be difficult to pick any one or two men for individual starring honors. Each and every player on the team shares in the credit for this hard-earned victory. Coach Johnson used both his light and heavy backfield combinations and also did considerable substituting in the line. Nearly every man on the squad got into the game.

Bruce Barker, Taft quarterback, was outstanding in defensive play, and Lonnie Headrick, a 6 feet five inch end, showed up well in the Taft line.

Doc Mason, Bend High School coach, who refereed, said this was one of the cleanest games over which he had ever officiated and highly praised the boys for fine sportsmanship. There were only four penalties called.