Pete Joyce and Ryan Opie earn state championships

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The High School National Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., will have eight Harney County cowboys and cowgirls competing for national titles.

The National Finals Rodeo will be held July 18-24. Qualifying for the rodeo were Ryan Opie, Pete Joyce, Nic Nyman, Jesse Northrop, Max Miller, Brooke Nyman Kenny Haworth and Riley Joyce. To qualify for nationals, competitors must have placed in the top four at the state level.

Opie came away from the Oregon High School Finals rodeo with a season championship in team roping. He and his partner, Cully Stafford, finished the year with 236 points, only five points ahead of the second place team of Harney County’s Northrop and Gus King. The third place slot in the team roping was claimed by Nic and Brooke Nyman who compiled 202 points during the year.

Nic Nyman will also compete at the national level in the tie down roping. For his rookie year in high school rodeo, Nyman compiled enough points to claim the Boy’s Rookie of the Year title as well.

Pete Joyce wrapped up the year as the Oregon High School Rodeo champion in the steer wrestling. During the state finals he took first in the opening round of competition, sixth in the second round and then won the final round to seal his championship.

In the rough stock events, Harney County will be represented by Haworth and Miller. Haworth took third in the state in the bareback, finishing the season with 93.5 points. Miller placed fourth in the saddle bronc, earning 58 points during the year.

Rounding out the local athletes qualifying for the National Finals was Riley Joyce. Joyce will represent Harney County in the Shooting Competition after capturing a third place in the rifle trap shoot at the state level.

In addition to the qualifiers for the nationals, five rodeo team members from the area will compete in the Silver State International Rodeo (SSIR) in Fallon, Nev., beginning on July 5 and running through July 9. To qualify for the SSIR, competitors had to finish in fifth through 10th place in the state finals.

Paige Landon qualified for the SSIR in two events, the goat tying and the barrel racing. Landon finished the year in sixth place in the barrels and ninth in goat tying. At year end, she had also compiled the most points in the Girls’ Rookie race and earned the state title for that.

Raime O’Sullivan qualified for the SSIR in team roping. She and her partner, Daniel Ibarra finished the year in eighth place.

Opie qualified for the SSIR in tie down roping, finishing the year in 10th, as well as the boys cutting, finishing in ninth. Brooke Nyman qualified to compete in the breakaway roping at the SSIR with a 10th place finish.

Rounding out the local competitors, Nic Nyman qualified in the steer wrestling, with a seventh/eighth place tie at the state level for the year.

The 12th annual Kids Club of Harney County 5K Run & Walk was held Saturday, June 19, at Hines Park.

In the run portion of the race Bob Walker was the first male to cross the finish line, while Rylee Curtis won the women’s race.

Sue Herringshaw won the women’s walk and Bill Jaques took top honors in the men’s walk.

Proceeds from the race go toward the operation of the Kids Club of Harney County.

Complete results are as follows:

Women’s walk
Age 15-21
Danielle Reynolds 52:32
Megan Kawagoye 52:47

Age 22-35
Sara Burns 46:38
Sena Raschio 46:38
Danielle Buckner 52:48
Lola Johnson 75:25
Cori Wright 75:29

Age 36-49
Sue Herringshaw 35:08
Darla Kawagoye 52:45

Age 50-62
Sherrie Ellson 39:05
Suzanne Thomas 45:44
Terry Farstvedt 46:38
Kim Dougherty 49:25
Connie Hall 49:25
Linda Anderson 57:58
Laurie Whitaker 69:56

Men’s walk
Age 14 & under
Adrian Thomas 58:15
Aiden Whitaker 69:18

Age 50-62
Billy Gifford 48:11
Scott Thomas 58:15

63 & wiser
Bill Jaques 35:08

Women’s run
Age 22-35
Rylee Curtis 26:33
Janelle Whitaker 30:31
Katie Whitaker 58:54

Age 36-49
Tammy McKenna 29:50
Janet Crew 35:00
Gwen Haigh 37:26

Age 50-62
Runell Curtis 32:35

Men’s run
Age 14 & under
Mitchell Wulff 29:23
Mason Wulff 29:35
Dustin Winstead 39:13

Age 50-62
Bob Walker 20:33
Robert Hurley 59:54

The First Brain Trimmer Half-Marathon was held on Saturday, June 12.

More than 50 participants took part in the event, either on foot or riding bike.

All funds raised go toward AVM (arteriovenousmalformation) research at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

Results are as follows:

Bike 7 mile
Mac Ireland 49:32
Bob Spence 49:34
Isaac Zamora 50:16
Jenell Zamora 51:11

Bike 13.1 miles
Brianna LaFollette 1:07:47
Karen Miller 1:09:52
John Brawner 1:11:59
Austin LaFollette 1:20:32
Brittnee LaFollette 1:22:08
Nathan Enderle 1:22:09
Kelsee Morefield 1.22:15
Chance White 1:22:15

Men’s Run 13.1 miles
Nick Miller 1:19:42
Sean Nixon 1:23:19
Lewis Whiting 1:39:11
Troy Hooker 1:49:12
Travis Lock 1:49.41
Curt Blackburn 2:12:03
John Driscoll 2:14.21

Women’s Run 13.1 miles
Darby Kemper 1:45:40
Tori Haynie 1:45:41
Ashley Schouviller 2:09:21
Greta Emang 2:21:20
Polly O’Toole 2:28:23
Robin Hampton 2:41:21
Jackie McLaughlin 2:41:22

Men’s Walk 7 Miles
Rick Thein 1:43:12
Gabe Farmer 1:52:58
Brian LaFollette 1:58:24
Billy Giftard 2:34:01

Women’s Walk 7 miles
Sue Herringshaw 1:29:59
Tyra Rickman 1:32:41
Sherri Ellson 1:32:57
Gwen Haigh 1:34.46
Becky Thein 1:43:12
Nellie Franklin 1:43:17
Lori Bailey 1:50:32
Janet Braymen 1:50:33
Bev LaFollette 1:52:48
Renee Scott 1:52:48
Savannah Swisher 1:52:57
Kathy Swisher 1:57:51
Leeta Jantze 1:58:20
Kate Clark 1:58:25
Rachael Allison 1:59:02
Courtney Dorey 1:59:03
Connie Hall 1:59:04
Kim Dougherty 1:59:05
Lynn Carlson 1:59:29
Barbara Nourse 1:59:30
Linda Dobson 2:02:24
Ann Miller 2:02:24
Janice Morefield 2:02:24
Linda Anderson 2:34:07

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The 2009-2010 sports season at Burns High School (BHS) came to an official end with an awards ceremony on Thursday, June 10.

Letter-winners and special award recipients for tennis, golf, softball and baseball were announced, as well as the special year-end award-winners.

The Hilanders’ coaches Anne Kness (tennis), Scott Smyth (golf), Melanie Thomas (softball) and Kevin Feist (baseball) each introduced their team and presented the awards.

Special award-winners are as follows:

Tennis — Most Improved, Erika Bentz; Most Inspirational and Most Outstanding, Olivia Palmer.

Golf — Most Improved Female Golfer, Megan Fitzpatrick; Most Improved Male Golfer, Sam Fitzpatrick; Outstanding Female Golfer, Maggie Thompson; Outstanding Male Golfer, Dylan Thompson.

Softball — All-Around Player, Jessica Hodge; Most Improved Player and Most Inspirational Player, Kaytee Parks; Golden Glove Awards, Isabella Cristy, Andrea Herrera, Mariah Hodge, Anna Reid; Silver Slugger Award, Tanzie Bodeen; Home Run King Award, M. Hodge.

Baseball — Most Improved Player, Tyler Cooper; Lynn Brinkley Memorial Award and Lew Herrera Award, Caleb Feist; Most Valuable Player, George Swartzlender.

Coach Feist also announced the Hilanders who had received all-league and all-state honors for the 2010 baseball season.

Swartzlender was named Eastern Oregon League (EOL) Co-Player of the Year.

Also named to the EOL First Team were Nolan Stampke (catcher), Casey Thein (first baseman), C. Feist (infield) and Cooper (outfield). Zach Dobson (utility player) was named to the Second Team, and Zach Adams (infield), Casey Heinz (outfield) and Chance Peasley (outfield) received Honorable Mention.

Swartzlender and C. Feist were also named to the All-State First Team, and Stampke, Thein and Cooper were selected for the All-State Second Team.

Three new school records were set by the Hilanders baseball team this year: Hit By Pitch (individual) —Swartzlender, 14; Stolen Bases — Thein, 14; and Hit By Pitch (team) — 47.

BHS Athletic Director Paula Toney announced the year-end awards and presented the trophies.

Jamie Higle was named the Most Inspirational Female Athlete of the Year, and Dobson received the Most Inspirational Male Athlete of the Year award.

The Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award went to Maddye Dinsmore, and C. Feist and Swartzlender were both named Outstanding Male Athletes of the Year.

Harney’s win over Sprague voted upset of the year

On Saturday, June 5, two Harney-Nadzitsaga lacrosse players were recognized by the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association (OHSLA) Coaches Committee for their 2010 season efforts.

Cole Potter was named to the Second Team All-State Team attack unit, and Andrew Roy was named to the Honorable Mention All-State Team midfield unit.

“This is a great accomplishment for both players personally and for the Harney-Nadzitsaga lacrosse program,” Harney coach Rick Roy said. “This is only our second year as a varsity team and we placed two players on the All-State Team.

“Cole and Andrew are the first players from our conference to make the All-State Team. In fact, this was a season of firsts for the High Desert Conference.  Andrew will be the first High Desert Conference lacrosse player to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse, and Harney was the first team from the conference to win a post-season game. I think these accomplishments speak volumes to the hard work and commitment of this team. Now, we need to build upon these successes.”

Roy added that according to LaxPower.com, Harney’s overtime victory over Sprague in the wild card game was the No. 1 upset in the OHSLA 2010 season.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns Hilander baseball team moved into the semi-finals of the OSAA 3A State Baseball Playoffs with a 2-0 win over Bandon on Friday, May 28, at Corbett Memorial Field.

In what turned out to be a pitchers’ duel, the Hilanders’ Tyler Cooper broke a scoreless tie with a leadoff homer in the fifth inning.

George Swartzlender added an insurance run for Burns in the sixth inning when he hit a solo shot over the leftfield fence in the sixth.

Swartzlender also picked up the win on the mound, throwing a two-hitter, and facing only two batters over the minimum. He struck out seven and walked two over seven innings of work.

It looked like Burns might get a run across in the second inning when Swartzlender led off with single up the middle and Zach Dobson then reached base on an error. The rally was cut short by the Bandon defense however, as they turned a double play and got a fly out to end the inning.

The Burns defense played well for seven innings, never allowing a Tiger base runner to get into scoring position.
With the win, the Hilanders advanced to the semi-finals to face Santiam Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in 3A, on Tuesday, June 1, in Corvallis. Results of that game were not available by press time.

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Ban 0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0   2  2
Bur 0  0  0  0  1  1  x   2   4  0

Swartzlender’s RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth gave Burns an 8-7 comeback win over Willamina in the opening round of the OSAA 3A State Baseball Playoffs on Tuesday, May 25.

Down 7-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Hilanders’ Dobson reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

Cooper then singled, and Casey Heinz followed with another single, driving in the tying run and forcing extra innings.
Willamina had the top of the order coming up in the eighth, but the Hilanders defense set them down in order.

Nolan Stampke drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the eighth and advanced to third on a passed ball and a throwing error. Swartzlender then stepped to the plate and delivered his game-winning hit, sending Burns on to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

Willamina, the defending 3A state champions, came ready to play and flexed their muscle early, scoring two runs in the top of the first on three hits and an error.

Burns cut the lead to 2-1 in their half of the first on Dobson’s RBI single.

Burns took the lead in the second inning with a two-out rally. Heinz led off with a double, and two outs later, scored on a hit by Caleb Feist. Back-to-back singles by Casey Thein and Stampke then brought Feist home.

The Hilanders’ upped their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the third when Cooper drilled a shot to the right field corner for a lead-off triple and later scored on a passed ball.

Willamina started off the top of the fourth with three straight hits and a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-3, but the Hilanders then cut the rally short by turning a double play.

In the bottom of the fourth, Thein singled with one out and came home on Stampke’s triple to deep centerfield. A Bulldog error then scored Stampke and Burns led 6-3.

The Bulldogs got their offense going again in the top of the sixth. Brent Buckner delivered a leadoff single, and one out later, TJ Greenhill drew a walk. Nick Goodman followed with an RBI-single and Brady Buckner was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a fly out, JJ Flynn sent Swartzlender’s pitch to the fence, driving in three runs with a stand-up triple.

Swartzlender then struck out the next batter, setting up the Hilanders’ seventh inning comeback, and the eventual victory.

Swartzlender picked up the win, giving up six earned runs on 11 hits with nine strikeouts, two walks and two hit batters over eight innings.

The Bulldogs’ BJ Wilson also pitched a complete game and took the loss. He gave up eight runs, seven earned, on 12 hits with four strikeouts, four walks and a hit batter.

Stampke finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored, Dobson was 2-for-3, scored once and had one RBI, Heinz was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, Cooper 2-for-4 with a run scored, Thein 2-for-5 with a run scored, Swartzlender 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Feist 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

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Will 2  0  0  1  0  4  0 0 7  11  2
Bur 1  2  1  2  0  0  1 1 8  12  1

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The goal of an athlete is to reach the peak of their performance level when the stakes are down and when the competition level is at the highest. The Crane Mustang track and field athletes reached this goal during the OSAA state championship meet in Monmouth last weekend.

As the state meet ended on Saturday, the Mustangs had earned 32 individual medals. To top the weekend off, the Crane girls won the team championship by compiling 80 points, and the boys team finished second with 50 points.

Individually, the Mustangs’ September O’Crowley claimed four gold medals of her own. She earned the state championship in the 400-meter run, the 300 hurdles, the pole vault and was a member of the 4×400 relay team.

Running the championship relay with O’Crowley was Beth Milburn, Natalie Bentz and Alycia Jenkins.

In the boys competition, Blake Steeves gave the Mustang fans an opportunity to cheer, as he set a new state record in the triple jump. His biggest rival in the event, Stephen Larlee of South Wasco County, came  back and reset the record by beating Steeves’ jump. The tide turned again, as the Mustang athlete recorded the third record-setting jump of the meet. Unfortunately, the record was broken for a fourth time, when Larlee ended the meet with a jump that claimed the gold medal and the new record.

In addition to Steeves’ silver, second-place medals were earned by Jenkins in the 1,500-meter run and Jeran Conaway in the pole vault.

Coming away with third places were the girls’ 4×100 relay team (Milburn, Na. Bentz, Nichole Bentz and Emilee O’Toole), Jenkins in the 800-meter, Na. Bentz in the high jump and Conaway in the high jump.

Earning fourth places at the state meet were O’Toole in the 200-meter run, Steeves in the 100 hurdles and the long jump and Lewis Whiting in the 3,000-meter run. Fifths went to O’Toole in the 100-meter run, Gus Titus in the 3,000-meter and the boys 4×400 relay (Milton Merritt, TJ Potter, Lance Moser and Steeves).

Rounding out the Mustangs who earned medals were Conaway, seventh in the javelin, Tanner Titus, eighth in the 1,500-meter run, Wilson Witzel, eighth in the 300-meter hurdles and Levi Miller, eighth in the 800-meter run.
Times and distances for the Mustangs are as follows:

Girls
4×100 relay — 3-Bethany Milburn, Nichole Bentz, Natalie Bentz, Emilee O’Toole, 53.49.
1,500 meter — 2-Alycia Jenkins, 5:06.99.
100 — 5-O’Toole, 13.53.
400 — 1-September O’Crowley, 59.61; 4-Na. Bentz, 1:03.62.
800 — 3-Jenkins, 2:32.18.
200 — 4-O’Toole, 28.19.
300 hurdles — 1-O’Crowley, 48.47.
4×400 relay — 1-Milburn, Jenkins, Na. Bentz, O’Crowley, 4:16.70.
Pole vault — 1-O’Crowley, 9-0.
High jump — 3-Na. Bentz, 4-10.
Team scores: 1-Crane, 80; 2-Damascus Christian, 77; 3-Portland Lutheran, 48.5; 4-Imbler, 43; 5-Hosanna Christian, 34; 6-Sherman, Adrian, Southwest Christian, 32; 9-Triangle Lake, 30; 10-Crow, 28.5.

Boys
1,500 meter — 8-Tanner Titus, 4:35.87; 10-Dan O’Crowley, 4:49.07.
100 hurdles — 4-Blake Steeves, 16.50.
800 — 8-Levi Miller, 2:10.89.
300 hurdles — 8-Wilson Witzel, 44.73.
4×400 relay — 5-Milton Merritt, TJ Potter, Lance Moser, Steeves, 3:40.25.
Javelin — 7-Jeran Conaway, 158.08.
Long jump — 4-Steeves, 19-10.25.
High jump — 3-Conaway, 5-10.
Triple jump — 2-Steeves, 45-09.25.
Pole vault — 2-Conaway, 12-03.
3,000 — 4-Lewis Whiting, 9:39.63; 5-Gus Titus, 9:42.27.
Team scores: 1-Southwest Christian, 57; 2-Crane, 50; 3-New Hope Christian, 47; 4-Pacific, 45; 5-South Wasco, Imbler, 38; 7-Triad, 37; 8-Damascus Christian, 30; 9-St. Paul, North Clackamas Christian, 26.

Colahan wins state title in discus for Burns boys team

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

With only five athletes competing, the Burns girls track team racked up enough points to place second at the 2010 OSAA /U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires 3A, 2A, 1A Track & Field State Championships at Western Oregon University in Monmouth May 21-22.

Sophomore Maddye Dinsmore was a three-time state champion at the state meet, winning both the 100 (12.74) and 200 (25.92) meter dashes and earning another gold as part of the 4×400 relay team.

Rounding out the first-place 4×400 relay team were seniors Jamie Higle and Brea Ribeiro and sophomore Jen Higle.

Not only did they win the race, but they set another school record with a time of 4:03.51, breaking the record of 4:04.00 they had set just a week earlier at the district competition.

The same four runners teamed up for a second-place finish in the 4×100 relay. Catlin Gabel won with a time of 50.34, and the Hilanders were right behind with a time of 50.50.

Ja. Higle earned two silver medals in individual events, placing second in both the 400 (59.55) and the 800 (2:25.07) meter races.

Ribeiro brought home two bronze medals in individual events, placing third in the 100 meter hurdles (16.99) and the 300 meter hurdles (49.67).

The Hilanders’ Chelsea Siegner, a junior, added another three team points with a sixth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 106’ 2”.

Catlin Gabel won the girls team title with 85 points, and Burns was second with 69 points. Nyssa finished third with 44 points, followed by Bandon 33, Valley Catholic 32, Reedsport 28, Harrisburg 27, Rainier 25, Warrenton 24 and Riverside 23 in the top 10.

On the boys side, senior Carraig Colahan  was the lone competitor for Burns, and he returned home a state champion in the discus. Colahan’s throw of 168’ 6” easily out-distanced Reedsport’s Ismael Osorio’s second-place throw of 149’ 3”.
Colahan also placed fifth in the shot put (47’ 10 1/4”).

The 14 points Colahan earned placed Burns in a tie for 17th in the team standings.

Horizon Christian won the boys title with 59 points, followed by Rogue River with 53, Reedsport 42, Nyssa 41, Riverside 40, Bandon 35, Grant Union 31, Colton 30, Sheridan 29 and Westside Christian with 26 in the top 10.

“Each and every athlete performed at the highest level,” Burns coach Eric Nichols said. “It was great to see each athlete step it up when performing on the ‘big stage.’ Each of these student-athletes deserves the highest respect from their peers because they get it done in the classroom, in the community and in the athletic arena.

“These kids fought through the tough spring weather, which made it very hard to train. They were a lot like postal workers, rain, sleet or snow, these kids battled through the elements, came to work and performed their job every single day.”

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

Eighteen Crane Mustang athletes will end the 2010 track and field season with the ultimate opportunity — competing at the OSAA 1A state championship meet.

The Mustangs qualified seven girls and 11 boys at the District 4-1 meet in Baker City. The top two finishers in each event at the district level qualified for advancement to the state meet. Crane took the championship in nine boys events and seven girls events, and placed second in five boys events and four girls events.

In addition, the Mustang boys earned the district team championship by racking up 186.5 team points. Second place in the boys meet was Imbler with 97. Crane’s girls team finished the meet in second place with 144 points, behind Imbler with 181.5.

The Mustangs who will be competing this weekend in Monmouth at Western Oregon University are Emilee O’Toole (3 events), September O’Crowley (4 events), Natalie Bentz (4 events), Beth Milburn (2 events), Nicole Bentz, Hannah Steeves, Alycia Jenkins  (2 events), Levi Miller (2 events), Tanner Titus, Dan O’Crowley, Jeran Conaway (2 events), Gus Titus, Lewis Whiting, Lance Moser (2 events), Blake Steeves (4 events), TJ Potter (3 events), Wilson Witzel and Milton Merritt (2 events).

Results from the District 4 meet follow:

Boys
100 meters — 8-Lance Moser, 12.72.
200m — 3-Jeran Conaway, 24.58; 6-Milton Merritt, 25.50.
400m — 3-Merritt, 57.89; 4-Levi Miller, 58.54; 10-Blaise Schulz, 1:06.04.
800m — 2-Miller, 2:15.34; 4-Tanner Titus, 2:20.85; 11-Schulz.
1,500m — 1-T. Titus, 4:39.04; 2-Dan O’Crowley, 4:40.99.
3,000m — 1-Gus Titus, 10:03.23; 2-Lewis Whiting, 10:12.61; 3-O’Crowley, 11:50.51.
110m hurdles — 1-Blake Steeves, 16.44; 3-Wilson Witzel, 19.35.
300m hurdles — 1-TJ Potter, 43.21; 2-Witzel, 45.37.
4×100 relay — 1-Merritt, Potter, Moser, Miller, 47.41.
4×400 relay — Steeves, Moser, Potter, Merritt, 3:44.37.
Javelin — 3-Conaway, 160.00; 4-Witzel, 132.2.5.
High jump — 2-Conaway, 6-01; 9-Moser, 5-02.
Pole vault — 1-Conaway, 12-0; 4 tie-Zach Cody, 9-0.
Long jump — 1-Steeves, 20-04.5.
Triple jump — 1-Steeves, 44-06.25; 6-Cody, 34-11.5.

Girls
100 meters — 2-Emilee O’Toole, 13.34; 6-Bethany Milburn, 13.94; 9 tie-Janessa Fowles, 14.84.
200m — 2-O’Toole, 28.23; 4-Nicole Bentz, 30.64; 7-Savannah Duff, 32.11; 11-Fowles, 33.15.
400m — 1-September O’Crowley, 1:00.44; 2-Natalie Bentz, 1:03.45.
800m — 2-Alycia Jenkins, 2:33.51.
1,500m — 1-Alycia Jenkins, 5:18.36; 5-Delilas Korth, 5:54.61; 8-Iris Gunkel, 6:23.63.
3,000m — 3-Korth, 12:29.14; 4-Gunkel, 12:48.98.
100m hurdles — 5-Milburn, 18.443; 7-Duff, 19.06.
300m hurdles — 1-O’Crowley, 46.27.
4×100 relay — 1-O’Toole, Milburn, Na. Bentz, Ni. Bentz, 53.23.
4×400 relay — 1-Hannah Steeves, Na. Bentz, Milburn, O’Crowley, 4:22.34.
Shot put — 9-Shayla Lundy, 24-08.5.
Discus — 4-Steeves, 78-02.
Javelin — 8-Lundy, 77-0.
High jump — 1-Na. Bentz, 5-04; 8-Lundy, 4-06.
Pole vault — 1-O’Crowley, 9-06.
Long jump — 9-Duff, 13-10.75.
Triple jump — 6-Ni. Bentz, 29-01.5.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns Hilander track teams competed in the Eastern Oregon League (EOL) Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 14-15, at Riverside High School in Boardman, and seven Hilander competitors qualified for the 3A state meet with their performances.

The 4×400 relay team of Maddye Dinsmore, Brea Ribeiro, Jamie Higle and Jen Higle not only won the race, but also broke the BHS school record again with a time of 4:04.00.

The same four also teamed up for a first-place finish in the 4×100 relay with a time of 50.15.

Dinsmore set a new school record in the 100 meter preliminaries with a time of 12.54, and then broke that record in the finals with a time of 12.43. She also qualified for state in the 200 meters with a winning time of 25.72.

Ja. Higle and Ribeiro will also be competing in four events at the state meet as they placed first in two individual races. Higle won both the 400 meters (58.19) and the 800 meters (2:24.16), and Ribeiro placed first in the 100 meter hurdles (16.83) and the 300 meter hurdles (48.79).

Chelsea Siegner qualified for state with a second-place finish in the discus. She and Anna Clemens will also go to state as alternates for both relay teams.

For the boys team, Carraig Colahan won the discus with a throw of 163’ 3”, and got third in the shot put, but got the automatic distance to go to state.

“Great performances by everybody involved,” Burns coach Eric Nichols said.

Nyssa won the girls meet with 121 points, followed by Burns with 103 points, Vale 83, Grant Union 81, Umatilla 69 and Riverside 65.

Nyssa won the boys meet as well, compiling 161 points. Grant Union finished second with 131 points, followed by Riverside with 113, Vale 33, Umatilla 29 and Burns 25.

The OSAA 3A State Track Meet will be held Friday and Saturday, May 21-22, at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
Individual results for the Hilanders from the EOL meet are as follows:

Girls
100m — Dinsmore 1st (12.43); Je. Higle 4th (13.36).
200m — Dinsmore 1st (25.72); Je. Higle 4th (27.49); Clemens 5th (29.66).
400m — Ja. Higle 1st (58.19); Clemens 6th (1:09.36).
800m — Ja. Higle 1st (2:24.16).
100m hurdles — Ribeiro 1st (16.83).
300m hurdles — Ribeiro 1st (48.79).
4×100 relay — Burns (Ribeiro, Dinsmore, Je. Higle, Ja. Higle) 1st, 50.15.
4×400 relay — Burns (Ribeiro, Je. Higle, Ja. Higle, Dinsmore) 1st, 4:04.00.
Shot put — Che. Siegner 9th (29’ 1”).
Discus — Che. Siegner 6th (106’ 2”); Charlie Siegner 8th (83’).
Javelin — Siegner 4th (104’ 3”).
High jump — Molly Fitzpatrick 9th (4’ 2”).

Boys
100m — Philip Kness 4th (12.26).
Shot put — Colahan 3rd (47’ 8”); Landon Hanner 7th (42’ 5”).
Discus — Colahan 1st (163’ 3”); Dylan Stanwyck 6th (114’ 8”).
Javelin — Stanwyck 3rd (156’ 7”); Hanner 8th (135’ 11”).
Pole vault — Kness 4th (10’).

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns baseball team swept Nyssa 10-3 and 15-5 in Eastern Oregon League (EOL) play on Friday, May 7, and in doing so, took a big step toward at least a tie for the league title and a spot in the 3A playoffs.

The Hilanders got a one-out rally going in the second inning of the first game when Zach Dobson drew a walk and scored on Tyler Cooper’s double.

Casey Heinz was hit by a pitch and Zach Adams made it to first on an error to load the bases. Chance Peasley followed with a ground-rule double that drove in two runs, and Caleb Feist doubled, driving in two more runs.

A double by Casey Thein then brought Feist around to score and the Hilanders led 6-0 at the end of the second.

Nyssa started off the third with two hits and it looked like the Bulldogs might have a rally of their own in the making, but the next batter hit a grounder to Adams at second base. Adams threw the runner out at first, and the Hilanders caught the other two runners off the bases for a triple play. End of rally.

Burns upped their lead to 8-0 in the fifth when Nolan Stampke drilled a lead-off double and scored on Dobson’s single. Dobson scored the second run of the inning on a fielder’s choice by Heinz.

Burns’ pitcher George Swartzlender was cruising through five innings, only giving up five hits , but ran into some trouble in the sixth. With two down, Swartzlender issued a walk, followed by a ground-rule double. Two Hilander errors then allowed two runs to score, and an RBI single gave the Bulldogs three runs before the final out of the inning.

The Hilanders added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a throwing error and Swartzlender’s sacrifice fly.

The Bulldogs did get a baserunner on in the top of the seventh on an error, but the Hilanders turned a double play to end the threat and the game.

Cooper and Peasley were both 2-for-3 at the plate, and Dobson was 2-for-4.

Swartzlender (8-2) gave up three runs, none earned, on six hits with four strike outs, three walks and one hit batter.

The Bulldogs came out fast in the second game, scoring four runs in the top of the first. The big blow was a three-run homer over the left field fence by Jeremiah Leos.

The Hilanders answered back however, with five runs in their half of the inning. Feist drew a lead-off walk, Thein singled and Stampke singled to bring in the Hilanders first run. Swartzlender drove in another run with a base hit, and Dobson’s ground out RBI cut the lead to one.

Cooper’s RBI triple to right field tied the game at 4-4 and Cooper scored on a wild pitch to give the Hilanders the lead.

Burns took a 6-4 lead in the second when Cooper singled to drive in Stampke and Swartzlender.

Nyssa loaded the bases with no outs in the third but could only get one run across.

Burns put another five runs on the board  in the bottom of the third, the big hits being an RBI single by Dobson and a base hit by Cooper that drove in two.

The Hilanders took a 13-5 lead in the fourth when Feist brought Adams home with a triple to left-center field.

Burns put the game away in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles by Feist and Stampke.

Cooper finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs and one run scored, Stampke was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored, Thein 3-for-5 with two runs scored, Swartzlender 2-for-2 with three runs scored and Feist 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Dobson picked up the win for Burns, giving up five runs, all earned on 11 hits with three strike outs and three walks. Thein pitched the final inning and gave up no runs on two hits.

“We did a great job of coming out and getting the sweep today,” Burns coach Kevin Feist said. “It puts us in a good position to get at least a tie for first in the league.

“I thought we did a good job of coming back in the second game after Nyssa jumped out to a 4-0 lead. I’m proud of the kids and the way they played.”

Burns and Vale are now tied for first in the EOL with 6-2 records.

Burns finishes up league play with a doubleheader at Umatilla on Friday, May 14, while Vale hosts Nyssa in their final league action.

First game
1  2  3  4  5  6  7   R  H  E
Nys  0  0  0  0  0  3  0   3   6   2
Bur  0  6  0  0  2  2   x   10 9   3
Second game
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  H E
Nys    4  0  1  0  0  0  x  5  13 0
Bur    5  2  5  1  0  2  x 15  15 1

•••

Burns earned a split of their doubleheader with Baker on Tuesday, May 4, in Baker City.

The Bulldogs pounded out 18 hits in a 16-1 victory in the opener, but Burns bounced back for a 6-5 win in the nightcap.

In the first game, Baker jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, and then exploded for 10 runs in the third to put the game away.

“Baker put on a hitting clinic in this game,” Coach Feist said. “They had one stretch in the third inning where they got 10 straight base hits. It didn’t matter where we pitched the ball, they hit it and hit it hard.

“Offensively, we hit the ball but it went right to the Baker players. We only had one strike out in the game, but we couldn’t get the ball to find the holes in the defense.”

The Hilanders came up with only two hits, singles by Dobson and Cooper, and Swartzlender scored Burns’ only run when he came home on a sacrifice fly by Heinz.

Thein (2-3) took the loss, giving up 11 earned runs on 12 hits with one walk over two innings. Adams threw one inning and gave up four earned runs on five hits with one walk, and Heinz pitched one inning in relief and surrendered one run on one hit with two strike outs and three walks.

Down 1-0 after four innings in the second game, Burns scored four times in the top of the fifth, added two runs in the sixth, and then shut down a Baker rally in the seventh to come away with the win.

“I’m really proud of how our teams competed in the second game,” Feist said. “It’s hard to come back after getting beat badly in the first game. Baker is a great baseball team. They are ranked fifth in 4A and are tied for first in the Greater Oregon League.

“We hit well, pitched well and played great defense. When you do that, you’ll win a lot of baseball games.”

C. Feist banged out two hits for Burns, scored twice and had one stolen base; Cooper doubled and had two RBIs; Thein and Swartzlender each had one hit and scored once; Dobson had one hit, an RBI and a stolen base; Adams singled and scored a run;

Heinz had a triple; and Stampke added an RBI.

Swartzlender improved to 7-2 on the year with the win. He went four innings and gave up one earned run on five hits with two strike outs. Peasley finished the game, giving up four runs, all earned, on seven hits with one strike out, two walks and one hit batter in three innings of work.

First game
1  2  3  4  5  6  7   R  H  E
Bur  0  1  0  0  0  x  x   1   2   2
Bak  2  3 10 1  x  x  x   16 18   0
Second game
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  H E
Bur    0  0  0  0  4  2  0  6   9  0
Bak    0  0  0  1  1  1  2  5  12 3