By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The Crane Mustang volleyball team will have their first test on the court this weekend, as they attend the Dufur Classic Tournament.

Mustang fans will see a few changes in the team from last season, beginning with an addition to the coaching staff. Lindsey Robertson has joined head coach Sherri Hussey and assistant Rachel Dunten. Robertson is a native Harney Countian, and a Burns High School alumni. “She brings a whole lot of enthusiasm to the court,” said Hussey.

With only seven returning varsity players, Hussey said they are looking at a young team, but one that has a lot of talent. The Mustangs will, for the first time, run a 5-1 offense. The strengths Hussey sees at this early stage of the season are good blocking and hitting skills.

Returning to the court for Crane will be September O’Crowley, Lindy Steeves, Brooke Nyman, Lily Valentine, Hannah Buermann, Merry Jo Whiting and Natalie Bentz.

The opening league game for the Mustangs will be against the Burnt River Bulls, in Unity. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5, but has been changed to Thursday, Sept. 4, to allow 4-H and FFA members to participate in the showmanship competition during the Harney County Fair.

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The Crane Mustang football team lost a lot of size with the graduating class of 2008. This loss has head coach Stub Travis and his assistants John Opie and Chuck Steeves making personnel adjustments, moving players to new positions.

“Since we don’t have very much size on the line, we’re going to have to make some changes,” said Travis. But, there will be some experience up front with veteran players Drew Cody, Royal Henricks, Milton Merritt and Tucker Dunbar.

Crane will also have the experience of fourth year varsity players in the back field with Raymond Thompson and Dallin Davies. They will be joined by returning players Josh Williams, Blake Steeves, Ty Harris and Lewis Whiting.

Going into the season already slated to take first place in the High Desert League, Travis said he looks for the Mustangs to live up to the expectations. The passing game will have the benefit of first-year senior Jordan Conaway receiving, and the running game will benefit from the speed of Davies and the muscle of Thompson.

The first test will be at Dufur this Friday. Crane will play Butte Falls at 4 p.m. The first league game will be on Sept. 4, against Burnt River.

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By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

At the same time many Harney County residents may be enjoying their first or second cup of coffee, the Burns Hilander cross country runners are already stretching and preparing to race through the sagebrush covered hills.

With 13, and possibly 14, runners making up the boys and girls teams this year, head coach Alice Herauf likes what she sees so far. “The boys team should be strong this year,” she said. “In fact, they compare to a boys team we had a few years ago that won the district title.”

The boys team is led by senior Devan Attleberger who placed at the state meet last year. He’s joined by fellow seniors Nathan Drushella and Josh Walters, juniors Tyler Rowley, Brenden Palmer, Kraig McCanna and Ralph Caldwell, sophomore Truman Mallon and freshman Sean Cashen.

Herauf said the Burns boys team should be tough in the Eastern Oregon League (EOL), but Union is the favorite to win the district title. “They won state last year and only lost one runner to graduation,” Herauf said.

Brianna Cunningham, a senior, is the top returning runner for the girls team, having just missed placing at the state meet last year. Rounding out the roster are sophomore Kara Davis, and freshmen Visalia Hammond and Anna Clemens. “If I had just one more girl, I think we’d have a strong team,” Herauf said.
The Hilanders open their season with the Lakeview Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6, and Herauf is looking forward to the season. “We’ve got good leadership with Devan and Brianna, and another great schedule,” she said. “If we run to our potential, we’ll be all right.”

Football

With only 28 kids out for football, head coach Scott Smyth may be fighting an uphill battle.

“I’d say it’s a rebuilding year,” Smyth said. “We don’t have the numbers we’ve had in the past, so we’re going to be thin at a few positions. There are some new faces, and three or four kids that I was expecting didn’t come out this year.”

This year’s team is comprised of just three seniors, seven juniors, eight sophomores and 10 freshmen.
Ethan Bentz, who was sidelined due to injury last year, Michael Martin and Garrett Bentz should be mainstays on both sides of the ball for this year’s team.

Smyth said that despite the low numbers, the Hilanders could be in the running for a playoff spot again this year. “Grant Union may win the league with the talent they have, and Vale is always solid,” Smyth said. “Nyssa has a new coach, so I don’t know what to expect there. Riverside’s numbers are down and Umatilla will be much improved. With a little bit of luck, we should be competing for a playoff spot.”
The Hilanders open the season at home this Friday, Aug. 29, when they host La Pine.

“We’re real young, not much experience, but the kids have good attitudes,” Smyth said.

Assistant coaches helping out this year include Dally Swindlehurst and Jim Wagner, as well as volunteers Dave Johnson, Wyatt Shelley and Newton Skunkcap.

Volleyball

After bringing home the state championship trophy the past two years, this year’s Hilanders are poised to make it three in a row.

“We have 10 players returning that went to state last year, and there are some younger kids coming up that could compete for varsity spots,” head coach Paula Toney said. “We’re working hard, improving daily and look to keep improving each day.”

The five returning seniors for this year’s squad include Ashley Schouviller, Erin Swindlehurst, Jessica Wheeler, Courtney Toney and Mattea Zabala. They’re joined by six juniors, six sophomores and 10 freshmen.

When asked about their main competition in league play, Toney said she expects the toughest challenges from Vale and Grant Union. “Vale lost 10 seniors, but they’re always tough and we expect them to be tough again this year,” Toney said. “Grant Union improved last year, and we should see that again.”

The Hilanders’ first action will come this Saturday, Aug. 30, when they take part in the Pendleton Invitational. The Hilanders will be home against La Pine on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and then will play host to seven teams in the Burns Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6.

“Cascade Christian out of Medford, who went to state last year, is coming to our tournament this year,” Toney said. “We’ll also get a look at Vale and Nyssa, as well as our old rivals Ontario and Baker.” Madras, who finished second to Burns at last year’s tournament, and Lakeview complete the brackets.

Toney is assisted by Tara Martinak and Lani Ribeiro.

Soccer

This year’s Hilander team might best be summed up in two words — experienced and fast.

“I’m really impressed with their speed,” first-year coach Jodi McLean said. “Some of the teams we play, like Umatilla and Riverside, run all the time, and I think we can keep up with them this year.”

The bulk of the experience comes with the six seniors on the team, Joe Jarvis, Patrick Stampke, Christian Lassan, Josh Cate, Charlie White and Logan McGee.

McLean said that experience translates into a lot of possibilities for the team. “These kids can play a lot of different positions, so we can, for instance, pull someone out of the goal and put him in at midfielder,” she said. “They communicate well with each other on the field, and they’re very aggressive, which is a plus as well.”

There are a total of 16 players out for the team this year and McLean said more show up every day. “I’d like to have a few more too, just to build up the depth,” she said.

Although this is McLean’s first go-round as the varsity coach, she won’t be hesitant to employ some new strategies. She said that rather than change the goalie every 10 minutes or so, she’d leave them in for a half, and the team was OK with that.

With the team unity, experience and talent the Hilanders have this year, McLean is optimistic about the season. “This is a good group of kids and you can see the determination on their faces,” McLean said. “This just may be the strongest team Burns has had.”

After taking part in the Redmond Jamboree this Friday, Aug. 29, the Hilanders will face a tough test right off the bat when they host Umatilla at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at Burns High School.

McLean is assisted by Ray Cate.