JOHN DAY Grant Union High School sports will move to the 2A level from 3A in the fall, a shift due to declining enrollment.

The new schedule and the teams the Prospectors will face should be a good fit, said Grant Union athletic director Jason Miller.

Its all pretty doable, he said. Im pleased with how it looks. It will be good for our school and student-athletes.

The downside: many of the teams of the Blue Mountain Conference are farther away than the competitors faced in 3A.

Depending on the scheduling of games, some students may be out of the class a bit more, while for others, there wont be much of a difference.

Meanwhile, Miller is impressed with the athletic directors hes been working with in Grant Unions new league.

They have a big push in the league for sportsmanship, which Im happy about, he noted. This is all going to be a good step for us.

Heres a look at how Grant Union sports are shaping up logistically for next year:

FOOTBALL

Grant Union will play in the Blue Mountain league, facing Elgin, Weston-McEwen, Enterprise, Pilot Rock, Heppner, Stanfield and Irrigon. The Pros will also play Union, although for nonleague competition. Union has chosen, for a final year, to be independent and not align with a particular league for football, said Miller.

The Pros will have seven varsity league games, four at home and three away, all played on Fridays. The varsity will also play nonleague games against Burns and Culver.

Its going to be a great schedule, said Miller, who is the varsity head coach.

Junior varsity will play mostly on Mondays, with two home and three away league games. Theyll also gain nonleague experience against teams from Crook County, Vale and Burns.

VOLLEYBALL

To alleviate extensive travel demands, several of the volleyball teams contests will be three-ways, where two schools travel to a third, and each plays the other. All but three league matches will be on Saturdays, said Miller.

Grant Union will play each of its eight opponents twice, an increase in both games and travel.

Six of this school years Eastern Oregon League games were Tuesdays and Thursdays. The only weekend destination was to Umatilla and Riverside

DANCE

The schedule will continue much the same as in the past, with most competitions on Fridays or Saturdays.

BASKETBALL

Grant Union will play each of the eight league opponents the same teams as for football, plus Union twice. All games are on weekends. The season begins with two nonleague events, the Burns Tournament on Dec. 7 and 8, and hosting Prairie City on Dec. 12.

After league is over, Burns will come to John Day Feb. 12. The Prospectors will head to a district tournament, set for Feb. 15 at Pendleton.

TRACK

Grant Unions new track is expected to be finished for the next school year, and Grant Union again will host two or three small schools meets, the minimal travel time popular with other Grant County student-athletes. The same as basketball and football, track season will take place primarily on weekends, Miller said.

GOLF

The program, which is supported by fund-raisers, will continue with Grant Union in a 3A/2A/1A Special District. Miller noted that the schedule has yet to be set.

SOFTBALL

In the league with the Lady Prospectors are teams from Adrian, Elgin, Enterprise-Joseph, Pine Eagle, Wallowa and Union-Cove. The girls will also play several nonleague games. Schedules have yet to be set.

BASEBALL

Scheduling is still under way for spring baseball, which will probably align with Special District 7, said Miller. Teams include Adrian, Elgin, Joseph-Enterprise, Pine Eagle, Union-Cove and Wallowa-Imbler. The Prospectors are expected to continue their annual nonleague spring break tournament.