CROSS COUNTRY – FOOTBALL – VOLLEY BALL
CROSS COUNTY: Rockets ready for a change
By ANNIE FOWLER, CUJ Special Contributor
Pilot Rock hasn’t sent a runner to state for 23 years
PILOT ROCK — It has been ages since Pilot Rock sent a cross country runner to the state championships. That is something Rockets coach Tyler Zyph would like to change.
“We didn’t have a cross country program forever, and when I showed up, we started it again,” Zyph said. “In 2001, Amica Vogler was eighth at state. In 2001, Bobby Christensen went to state and was 49th. That’s about it.”
Zyph is not promising state champions this season, but he believes he may have a runner or two that can break into the top group at district and grab a spot to state.
It all starts with senior Carter Ford, who will be splitting his time between cross country and football.
“Carter has a chance at state this year,” Zyph said. “He just needs to put in the miles. He doesn’t get in as much practice as he should playing football.”
Juniors Deacon Gourlie and Carter Van Houten-Chase also play football, and will split their time between the gridiron and the road.
Also on the boys roster are senior Lewis Hansen, junior Ayden Hoeft, and freshmen Landon Norton and Mason Van Houten.
The girls roster is pretty thin. Senior Ali Warner is signed up, but she hasn’t been out for a couple of years. Freshman Hailey Severe is going to try her hand at running after playing football the past two years at the middle school.
“She’s a very good athlete,” Zyth said. “She’s tough. She was one of the better players on the middle school team.”
The Rockets run in the 2A/1A Special District 3, which is packed with talent year after year.
“It’s stacked,” Zyph said. “If you look at our league and state, it’s usually the same thing when it comes to the top runners — they are the same. The top three boys teams in the state are from our league — Heppner, Union/Cove, are usually the top two, followed by Stanfield and Weston-McEwen. Seven of the top 10 runners at state last year were from our league. Our league is without a doubt the strongest in the state. With the girls, Lily Nichols (from Heppner) is the best. She is fun to watch.”
Pilot Rock will open its season Aug. 29, hosting the John Hascall Memorial 3k. The Rockets will run Sept. 7, in the Ultimook Race in Tillamook.
“We have gone to Seaside the past couple of years, and some of the kids saw the ocean for the first time,” Zyph said. “This year, we are going to Tillamook instead.”
Pilot Rock cross country schedule
- Aug. 29 Pilot Rock at John Hascall Memorial 3k, Pilot Rock 6:30 p.m.
- Sept. 7 Pilot Rock at Ultimook, Tillamook 10 a.m.
- Sept. 20 Pilot Rock at Wallowa County Invitational 1:30 p.m.
- Sept. 26 Pilot Rock at Baker Invitational TBD
- Oct. 3 Pilot Rock at Mustang Invite, Heppner 4 p.m.
- Oct. 11 Pilot Rock at Panther Prowler on MERA, La Grande 11 a.m.
- Oct. 17 Pilot Rock at Kyle Burnside Memorial Invite, Pendleton 3 p.m.
- Oct. 24 Pilot Rock at Gold Rush Run, John Day TBD
- Nov 1. Pilot Rock at District 3 Championships, Pendleton 1 p.m.
FOOTBALL: Rockets look to be competitive in SD3
Pilot Rock will lean on Litfin and Ford to lead the way
PILOT ROCK — Pilot Rock had an option to drop down to 6-man football this season, but coach Shane Munkers said it was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
“Six-man is a lot of speed and your big linemen don’t get a lot of playing time,” he said. “We aren’t designed for that.”
The Rockets return senior Krister Litfin at quarterback, with junior Carter Van Houten-Chase in the mix.
Watch for Van Houten-Chase and junior Deacon Gourlie to come out of the backfield, and for senior Carter Ford to appear in a variety of positions for the Rockets.
“He played receiver at camp and did really well,” Munkers said of Ford. “He is super athletic. He may have to play multiple spots.”
The Rockets lost all-league linemen James Lunzmann and Broc Erickson to graduation, but should be able to fill the void with 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore Dakotah Enriquez from Ukiah, junior Jullian Endersby and senior Eli Hinkle.
“It will not be easy to replace them,” Munkers said of Lunzmann and Erickson. “Dakotah should be playing quite a bit for us on the offensive and defensive lines. Jullian has been in the weight room quite a bit and is committed. Eli has trimmed down quite a bit, but he likely will be on the line again.”
Sophomore Wyatt Fitzpatrick will line up at tight end, defensive back and linebacker for the Rockets. A handful of young players will be called upon to fill in the spots on offense and defense.
With Pilot Rock being a small school, players will occasionally try their hand at playing two sports at a time. Munkers said there are a couple of players who are thinking of running cross country as well, but he is not in favor of the idea.
“They could miss out on what we are trying to implement,” Munkers said. “Carter had a tough time last year. He never got a grasp on the offense. It could be a problem.”
Pilot Rock will play in Special District 3 this season with the likes of County Christian, Dufur, Sherman and Perrydale.
“It’s not as bad as last year when we had Enterprise and St. Paul,” Munkers said. “They moved up to 2A. Dufur will be better than they were last year, Sherman and Lyle/Wishram will both be good again, and Country Christian hasn’t had football for five or six years. They are kind of the unknown.”
The Rockets will open their season Aug. 31 against Prospect Charter at Dufur High School.
The Rockets have a few changes on their coaching staff this fall. Joining Munkers will be Joe Byrnes, Josh Endersby and Gary Posten, a former standout linebacker at Eastern Oregon University.
Pilot Rock football schedule
- Aug. 31 Pilot Rock vs. Prospect Charter (at Dufur) 1 p.m.
- Sept. 5 Powder Valley at Pilot Rock 7 p.m.
- Sept. 12 Grant Union at Pilot Rock 7 p.m.
- Sept. 27 Pilot Rock vs. Union (at EOU) 7 p.m.
- Oct. 4 Sherman at Pilot Rock 7 p.m.
- Oct. 11 Pilot Rock at Perrydale 7 p.m.
- Oct. 18 Country Christian at Pilot Rock 7 p.m.
- Oct. 25 Pilot Rock at Lyle/Wishram 7 p.m.
- Nov. 1 Dufur at Pilot Rock 7 p.m.
VOLLEY BALL: Pilot Rock volleyball on the rise
Rockets have experience, leadership and height
PILOT ROCK — It has taken a couple of years, but Jen Porter is starting to see the Pilot Rock volleyball program take shape.
The Rockets return several key players, and Porter is excited with the prospect of having 17 players in the program.
“We have great kids, great parents and the community supports us,” Porter said. “I’m excited about this year. Everyone is looking really good. They all have a higher volleyball IQ than they did a couple of years ago. They all work hard. I don’t see many weak spots, we just have to fill in the spots we lost and see who fits in the best.”
There will be big shoes to fill with the graduation of Ali Smith, Paedyn Bennett and Jaxynn Thurmond, but Porter has quality setters, a seasoned libero, and four hitters that tower over their teammates at 5-foot-11.
“Paedyn and Ali were all-conference last year and they energized the younger kids,” Porter said. “The girls like being in the gym, and that makes my job easier. I’ve been pretty pleased.”
The Rockets have junior Aubrey Corwin and sophomore Kessa Litfin battling for time at setter.
“Last year, everything was new for both of them,” Porter said. “They hadn’t played at that level. They can run an offense now. It’s just a process getting going.”
Junior Coley Gibbs stepped in at libero mid-way through last season and did a solid job. She will share time with sophomore Jada Deist.
The quartet of hitters includes seniors Lynn Williams and Lillie Holman, junior Kashley Golden and sophomore Gracee Hemphill.
“They are hitting well, and my two seniors are good leaders,” Porter said.
In addition to the returning players, Porter there will be some new faces on the court.
“We are getting an exchange student, but I have no information on her,” Porter said. “It would be great if she has played volleyball before. We have three girls coming over from Ukiah. Two played for our middle school last year.”
The Rockets were in the middle of the pack last year in the Old Oregon League, finishing 4-6 and 11-12 overall.
“Our league will be tougher,” Porter said. “We have Imbler and Cove this year instead of Elgin and Union. Cove and Imbler were tough last year and didn’t lose very many players.”
Pilot Rock will play Aug. 29, in the Umatilla/Morrow County Jamboree at Pendleton High School, then will play Aug. 30-31 at the Central Christian Tournament in Redmond, where they will face St. Paul, Culver and Jordan Valley.
“We are starting our season with a little tougher schedule this year,” Porter said. “We want to see different teams and better competition. St. Paul, Jordan Valley and Culver are pretty good.”
Pilot Rock volleyball schedule
- Aug. 29 Pilot Rock at Umatilla/Morrow County Jamboree, Pendleton 4:30 p.m.
- Aug. 30 Pilot Rock vs. St. Paul, at Central Christian Tournament 4:45 p.m.
- Aug. 30 Pilot Rock at Central Christian 6:30 p.m.
- Aug. 31 Pilot Rock at Culver 10:45 a.m.
- Aug. 31 Pilot Rock vs. Jordan Valley, at Central Christian Tournament 2 p.m.
- Sept. 3 Ione/Arlington at Pilot Rock 5:30 p.m.
- Sept. 5 Pilot Rock at Heppner 4 p.m.
- Sept. 10 Pilot Rock at Echo 6 p.m.
- Sept. 17 Pilot Rock at Nixyaawii 4 p.m.
- Sept. 19 Pilot Rock at Huntington 5 p.m.
- Sept. 21 Imbler at Pilot Rock 10 a.m.
- Sept. 21 Cove at Pilot Rock 1 p.m.
- Sept. 24 Griswold at Pilot Rock 5 p.m.
- Sept. 26 McLoughlin at Pilot Rock 5:30 p.m.
- Sept. 28 Pilot Rock vs. Pine Eagle (at Griswold) 11 a.m.
- Sept. 28 Pilot Rock vs. Elgin (at Griswold) 1 p.m.
- Oct. 1 Echo at Pilot Rock 4 p.m.
- Oct. 3 Harper Charter at Pilot Rock 5 p.m.
- Oct. 5 Pilot Rock at Imbler 10 a.m.
- Oct. 5 Pilot Rock at Cove 1 p.m.
- Oct. 8 Pilot Rock at Griswold 5 p.m.
- Oct. 10 Dayville/Monument at Pilot Rock 5 p.m.
- Oct. 11 Nixyaawii at Pilot Rock 4 p.m.
- Oct. 15 Pilot Rock at Riverside 6:30 p.m.
