Grant Union football rips Riverside in 54-16 win

The Grant Union Prospector football team claimed a 54-16 league win on the road against the Riverside Pirates in league action.

Grant Union head coach Jason Miller said his team performed well against the Pirates.

“We were up 46 to 0 at the half, then our JV players finished the game,” he said.

Next up, Grant Union hosts the Heppner Mustangs at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Mustangs are undefeated this season and ranked No. 3 among OSAA’s 2A teams. Grant Union and Heppner are tied with a league record of 2-0 in 2A Special District 6.

“We’ll need to continue to improve in order to compete with Heppner,” Miller said, adding that bettering their mental toughness will be especially important.

“We would love to have a packed house for this important league game,” Miller said.

Ukiah/Long Creek soccer

team shows improvement

The 1A Ukiah/Long Creek Mountain Lions hosted the 3A Nyssa Bulldogs Thursday in Long Creek.

Although Ukiah/Long Creek fell 5-1, the Mountain Lions bettered the outcome compared to their first meeting with Nyssa Sept. 19, when the Bulldogs won 12-0.

“We’re focusing on gross improvement and defense,” said Ukiah/Long Creek head coach Amos Studtmann. “We moved players around where their skills would be most useful.”

Carter Burnette kicked the goal for Long Creek/Ukiah.

“Linus Beck and Philip Lee, playing full back, got a lot of stops and provided good options in the back field for passing, and even for offensive opportunities,” Studtmann said. “Our goal keep, Bert Volney, made some difficult blocks, which, with him, we’re starting to get used to.”

“We put Thomas Kreamier on attack, which is his first game in that position — he did great,” the coach said. “His speed and ability to protect the ball allowed several opportunities to shoot, and even the one goal we made started with an attack by Thomas.”

Studtmann said his team’s chemistry is good, and their improvement shows that no one is giving up.

“I’m really proud of the kids,” he said. “I emphasize improvement and going from the 0-12 to 1-5 is an major improvement.”

Next up, Ukiah/Long Creek is on the road Friday, facing the 3A Irrigon Knights at 5 p.m.

Ukiah/Long Creek volleyball sweeps Harper

The Ukiah/Long Creek Mountain Lions volleyball team swept the Harper Hornets in Long Creek Saturday with scores of 25-18, 25-21, 25-17.

It was the Mountain Lions’ final game of the season.

Head coach Linda Studtmann said, although they got off to a slow start, her players worked together, played well and everyone came off the bench.

“Our captains, Dorotha Johnson and Jenny Kim, did a good job of leading, encouraging and helping players,” Studtmann said. “Lucchese Douglas, a junior, but a first year player, worked hard to learn the game and was a valuable asset to the team.”

Studtmann said, win or lose, sports teach athletes life skills.

“That is where we measure our success,” she said. “We want to develop players that are better athletes, better friends, better students, and better workers.”

Studtmann said she and co-coach Reagan Enriquez saw their young junior varsity team learn, grow and bond together.

Of the nine players they ended with this season, only two had previous experience playing volleyball.

“We have watched their spirits fall and we’ve watched them pull themselves back up again and soar,” Studtmann said. “They are stronger in skill, teamwork, discipline, attitude and determination — in that, I think we were successful.”

Snowfall challenges Grant Union’s cross country team at Idlewild Meet

The Grant Union Prospector varsity cross country team was challenged by the weather, as well as their opponents at Saturday’s Idlewild Meet hosted by Burns High School at Idlewild Campground north of Burns.

“Idlewild was cold, snowy and slick,” said Grant Union head coach Sonna Smith. “The treacherous footing made for slower times for all runners, except for Madelyn Bailey. She had a season’s best.”

Bailey, a seventh-grader on Grant Union’s middle school team, placed fifth out of 12 with a time of 13:55 in the 3K.

On Thursday, the varsity team competed at the Kyle Burnside Wildhorse Invitational in Pendleton, the layout including two loops on rolling hills of grass at the golf course.

Setting personal records were Erika Dickens, Katelyn Hughs and Mikiah Kimble.

“Erika Dickens had an outstanding race and reached her season goal of breaking into the 21-minute range,” Smith said. “She is primed and ready to go for our home meet and districts, as I am hoping all runners will be as we begin our taper phase for districts.”

The Prospectors host the Grant Union Gold Rush on Thursday at Seventh Street Complex.

Times have been adjusted to avoid running out of daylight, the coach said.

Middle school runners start at 4 p.m. with boys and girls running together.

A senior recognition will be held at 4:25 p.m. with the girls varsity starting at 4:30 p.m., followed by boys varsity.

The races start and end at Belshaw Fields at the lower field on the west side of the complex near the John Day Parks and Recreation office.

Kyle Burnside Wildhorse Invite results

Girls

Erika Dickens, 24th, 21:38.6

Rylee Browning, 70, 24:04.3

Amelia Hall, 73, 24:11.7

Katelyn Hughes, 82, 25:05.6

Riley Robertson, 98, 28:40.7

Mikiah Kimble, 100, 29:22.8

Boys

Brady Dole, 59th, 18:49.1

Quinn Larson, 99, 20:15.0

Jesse Randleas, 119, 21:05.9

Max Bailey, 127, 21:59.9

Gage Brandon, 136, 22:42.7

Gavin Lopez, 139, 23:15.0

Donavan Smith, 142, 23:24.4

Idlewild results

Girls

Erika Dickens, 9th, 25:59

Katelyn Hughes, 15, 28:12

Riley Robertson, 19, 30:30

Mikiah Kimble, 20, 31:42

Boys

Brady Dole, 14th, 21:20

Quinn Larson, 22, 22:56

Gage Brandon, 24, 23:15

Gavin Lopez, 36, 25:16

Max Bailey, 39, 25:57

Donavan Smith, 40, 26:50

Heppner, 2-0 district, 7-0 overall, ranked No. 3

Grant Union, 2-0, 2-5, No. 13

Stanfield, 1-1, 4-2, No. 20

Weston-McEwen, 1-2, 3-3, No. 19

Riverside (3A), 0-3, 0-7, No. 35