Dayville/Monument Tiger Dakota Emerson (21) breaks away in the hotly contested tournament championship game against the Jordan Valley Mustangs on Saturday. His teammates Tanner Moodenbaugh (22) and Hayden Schafer (20) are in the action, along with Mustangs Wyatt Stanford, left, and J.J. Echave (31).

Grant County sports fans were brought to their feet many times, cheering on the local athletes. Here are just 16 highlights in a look back at the 2016 sports scene:

1. The Grant Union Prospector girls 2A track and field team placed first at state May 20 at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The team, led by head coach Sonna Smith, included Chelsie Kodesh, Kaylee Wright, Kenzie Wilson, Samantha Brock, Sydney Brockway, Jozie Rude and Kori Pentzer. Wright set a new record for javelin with a throw of 131-03. Pentzer earned the title in both the triple jump and long jump and finished second in the 300 hurdles. Rude earned second in javelin, third in pole vault and fourth in shot put. Brock was second in the 100 hurdles, and Wilson was second in the triple jump. Brockway competed for third in the long jump, and Kodesh was sixth in discus. Every girl contributed to the title, the team winning by just one point.

2. Prairie City’s Garrett Hitz, coached by Joe Weymouth, won the 1A boys state pole vault title shattering the 1A record with a mark of 14-6.00 in Eugene in May. He also placed second in javelin and the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. He single-handedly won fifth place as a one-man team. His teammate Amaya Zweygardt placed second in pole vault for the girls.

3. Monument’s Sophia Pettit sprinted to first at state in Eugene May 20 in the girls 1A 100-meter dash and had a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash. Teammate Kyla Emerson also finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles. The Monument team was coached by Darrin Dailey.

4. Dayville’s Kristina Humphreys, coached by Peter Bogardus, won the 1A girls state javelin title May 20 in Eugene with a throw of 129-2.0.

5. The Grant Union Lady Prospectors, coached by Shae Speth, placed third at the state volleyball tournament in Redmond. They also were Wapiti League and district tournament champions. Head coach Shae Speth was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

6. Grant Union junior high wrestler Drew Lusco won the state championship title for the 220-pound weight class at the March 12 Oregon Middle School State Wrestling Championship in Riverside. His eighth-grade teammate Russell Hodge finished third for his weight class and seventh-grader Kevin Duvall finished fourth.

7. The Grant Union Lady Prospector basketball team, coached by Mark Mosley, finished fourth at state with a 41-30 win over the Imbler Panthers in Pendleton.

8. Grant Union wrestlers Clay Johnson (132 pounds) and Andrew Copenhaver (152), coached by Andy Lusco, reached the OSAA State Wrestling Championship podium, each placing fourth in their brackets.

9. The Grant County Wildfire 13-14-15 softball team placed second at the Oregon Juniors Little League State Championships.

10. The Grant Union Prospector football team reached the state quarterfinals this year. They were also the Wapiti League champions, and head coach Jason Miller was Wapiti Coach of the Year.

11. The Monument/Dayville Tiger boys basketball team, coached by Jeff Schafer, placed first in the 1A-8 High Desert District and reached the state playoffs Feb. 27, where they lost a close game to Hosanna Christian at the Dayville court.

12. Mt. Vernon steer wrestler Trevor Knowles finished 12th in the world standings at the Dec. 1-10 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

13. GW Clark of Long Creek entered the June 8-10 Oregon State High School Rodeo Finals in eighth place for steer wrestling, and finished 10th. He qualified for Silver State in Winnemucca, Nevada.

14. Owen Parsons and his wrestling buddies, coached by Tye Parsons, competed at the Feb. 7-8 Oregon Wrestling Association Kids State tournament in Salem. Owen Parsons earned the state youth wrestling title in the 55-pound weight class.

15. Mt. Vernon calf roper Chad Finley placed first in the event with a time of 8.20 at the Grant County Rodeo in September.

16. The John Day Swim Team, coached by Sabrina Howard, placed third at the July 29-31 Cascade East Finals in Lakeview.