<p>Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann greats visitors on Friday at the new Kennison Field at Hermiston High School.</p>

A pair of sisters from Mission were part of one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Fifth-seeded Louisville, behind guards Shoni and Jude Schimmel, stunned defending national champion Baylor 82-81 to advance to the Elite Eight.

Shoni, a former Hermiston High standout, scored 22 points and Jude added six points, five rebounds and three assists for the Cardinals, who went on to appear in the national title game.

Top-seeded Baylor had won 32 straight games behind 6-foot-8 post Britney Griner, the second-highest scorer in NCAA history.

During a pivotal stretch in the upset win, the 5-foot-9 Schimmel dribbled behind her back, diced through the lane and blindly flipped a shot over her head and Griner’s lengthy arm amid a fastbreak. The shot banked in and Griner was called for the foul.

An elated Shoni barked a few words at Griner before sinking the ensuing free-throw in what was perhaps the most picturesque moment of the tournament.

Louisville went on to beat Tennessee in the Elite Eight and California in Final Four before falling to UConn in the national championship.

Looking ahead: Louisville is currently ranked No. 7 in the country. Shoni, now a senior, is forecast to be drafted in the first round of the 2014 WNBA Draft.

Jude, a junior, leads the Cardinals in assists (67) and is averaging 7.1 points a game.

2. Timberwolves howl

Of the 29 volleyball teams that comprise the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, Olympic was the lone burden for Blue Mountain.

The upstart Rangers enjoying their best season in program history were the rare club to best the defending champion Timberwolves twice during the regular season.

So it was only fitting that BMCC, which conversely beat OCC twice, settled the de facto series on the most significant stage in the NWAACC Championship in November at Mt. Hood Community College.

The Timberwolves (42-5) withstood the Rangers (46-6) various rallies before coming away with a 25-22, 21-25, 27-25, 25-21 win, capturing their third championship banner in four years.

BMCC capped a four-day tournament which saw it drop just three sets in five matches, solidifying its label as the premier program in the Washington and Oregon-based league.

Its a difficult tournament, fifth-year Blue Mountain coach Dave Baty said. The top 16 teams in the Northwest come here and since 2009 weve been pretty fortunate. This group was resilient. They kept going and going and made no excuses. Were pretty lucky to have them represent Blue Mountain Community College.

The championship season came with a hoard of postseason awards for the BMCC?players.

Hermistons Crystal Schmidt finished her BMCC?career on top and was named the East Region MVP, NWAACC Player of the Year and made the AVCA All-American first team for two-year colleges. BMCC?sophomore libero Piper Cantrell also made the East Region and All-American first team.

Sure-handed freshman setter Samantha Odren was named to the East Region second team before earning NWAACC tournament MVP and second-team AVCA?All-American honors. Freshman outside hitter Sierra Linke was on the East Region first team.

BMCCs four sophomores Schmidt, Cantrell, Kendra DeHoog and Kensey Mix finished their careers undefeated in East Region and NWAACC tournament play.

Looking ahead: The Timberwolves have some big shoes to fill in the offseason, but with eight freshmen looking to return for their sophomore seasons coach Baty may have his replacements in house already. That hasnt stopped him from hitting the recruiting trail hard, and BMCC?will announce its newest recruits in January.

3. Redemptive Dawgs

The Bulldogs showed dominance and class in winning their seventh wrestling championship at Portlands Veterans Memorial Coliseum in February.

After the Dallas Dragons pulled off the upset for a team title in 2012, then accepted their trophy sporting purple-and-gold attire in an unspoken shot at Hermiston, the Bulldogs let their mat-work do the talking with four individual champions and a trio of runners-up.

Hermistons victory was built from 34 single match victories over the two-day tournament, wins coming from 14 different boys. Twelve Hermiston wrestlers placed in the top six and the Bulldogs outscored second-place Dallas 246-181.5.

I think thats the way its been all year with all the kids because thats what we preach, first-year Hermiston head coach Shaun Williams said. We dont fold our tents because bad things happen; we still have a team to be responsible to and we keep fighting back.

Tyler Berger and Abraham Rodriguez became repeat titlists and Samuel Colbray and Beau Gleed each won state for the first time.

Looking ahead: Of their titlists, only Colbray returns to the mats for Hermiston as Rodriguez and Gleed graduated and Berger transfered to Crook County for his senior season after a falling out with Williams. Hermiston recently placed 13th at the Tri-State Tournament they won a year ago, showing they have a long way to go before they can start thinking about a repeat at state.

4. Knights nearly run the table

The Irrigon boys basketball team was as dominant a unit as Eastern Oregon saw in the 2012-13 season. Of their 28-straight wins leading up to the state championship game, only six came by 10 points or fewer two of those by a combined five points over league foe Pilot Rock. Coach Jake McElligott led a group of talented underclassmen to several firsts for the team a league title, district title, state postseason berth and state trophy.

Looking ahead:?All-tournament selections Anthony Landeros (first team), Adrian Romero (second team) and Ernesto Aguilera (second team) are all back in the starting lineup for the Knights this season and the team is off to an 8-0 start that has seen them outscore opponents by 38 points a night on average.

5. Logans run

Ellie Logans calendar year was a magical one for the Condon/Wheeler Knights as the multi-sport star helped the 1A?co-op reach two state championships and win its second-straight team track title. As a junior in the spring, Logan placed first at state in the 100-meter hurdles, javelin and triple jump giving her six state championships in her Knights career ?and the Knights tied Cove for the most team points with 51. Logan also was the key cog in basketball and volleyball runner-up finishes. She was the Knights Player of the Game in both finals losses and was named to both All-Tournament first teams.

Looking ahead:?Logan and her Knights are off to an 8-0 start to the basketball season while outscoring opponents by 17 points a game on average.

6. Bulldogs get new digs

Almost ten years after proposing a new state-of-the-art athletic facility, the Hermiston School District saw its efforts come to fruition.

The newly-revamped Kennison Field was unveiled this past August, a primo football, soccer and track & field complex among the most comprehensive in Oregon.

Just over a year removed from being condemned due to safety concerns, the new 4.7 million dollar facility and its matrix field turf wowed the 1,000-plus onlookers at its open house.

From its field turf the same Matrix-brand turf used by the Dallas Cowboys with the schools insignia at mid-field, to a press box that mirrors the most prominent high school programs in football-crazed Texas, this lengthy project didnt hold back.

I only hope that this complex continues the legacy of a great man, great coach, teacher and friend to so many, Hermiston deputy superintendent Wade Smith said.

Looking ahead: The Hermiston High football team celebrated its first Columbia River Conference championship season the the field this fall and hopes to more teams will be celebrating on it in the future. Hermiston wants to host as many district, regional and state soccer and track and field championships as it can with the new facility.

7. Mounties ranked No. 1

For five weeks, Eastern Oregon University was atop the NAIA men’s basketball world.

The Mountaineers were ranked No. 1 in the Jan. 8 poll, the first time EOU men’s hoops history.

EOU held that shat spot for five straight weeks before falling to College of Idaho in early February and dropping to No. 3 in the polls.

The Mountaineers were then shocked in the first round of the NAIA national tournament by the University of Midlands and fell to No. 20 in the final rankings.

Looking ahead: EOU head coach Isaac Williams, who led the Mounties to their sixth straight NAIA tournament, accepted an assistant coaching gig at NCAA Div. I Boise State over the summer. Former EOU hooper and Southern Utah assistant Jared Barrett took over and currently has EOU at 10-3, 2-1 Cascade Conference.

8. Hermiston softball surprises

The Hermiston softball team surprised its share of teams at the 5A state tournament, all the way to the championship round.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs, the Columbia River Conference runner-up, beat Sherwood in a play-in game before knocking off St. Helens,Liberty, Churchill to get to the title round.

Sandy clipped Hermiston 1-0 in a taut defensive showing, but just getting to the final round was the first in program history.

In fact, it was the first time a Hermiston boys or girls team made it to the state championship game in a head-to-head team sport.

Pitcher Paige Long was instrumental in the run, leading the Bulldogs in the circle and with her bat. She is now playing at the College of Idaho in Caldwell.

Looking head: Hermiston returns a wealth of talent from last year’s out-of-nowhere squad, but must replace all-state selections Long and Jennifer Paxson.

9. BMCC?women start hot

In the decades-long history of the Blue Mountain Community College women’s basketball program, fast starts were never a thing.

Not until this season, anyway.

The T-Wolves started the 2013-2014 season winning their first nine games all away from home for their best start in team history.

BMCC, now 11-2, owns wins over South Region-leading Clackamas (11-2) and West-leading Clark (8-2). It’s also won the Yakima Valley Tip-Off and Centralia Blazer Classic.

Looking ahead: BMCC coach Christy Martin and her club begin East Region play at home next against Walla Walla CC, also serving as the first home game of the season.

The T-Wolves have lost two of their last four games without 6-foot-1 standout Danah Haley (15 ppg, 9 rpg). She is expected to return from her sore knee for the homer opener, though. Athletic guard Mar’Shay Moore (20 ppg) has also been key for BMCC.

10. Pioneers reach new heights

The Mac-Hi softball team may have fallen just short of a 4A state championship this past spring, but it made history while doing so.

The Pioneers, who fell to Banks 1-0 in the title round, were the first ever girls sports program in school history to make it to a state championship game.

It was also the first season in Mac-Hi softball history where the Pioneers (26-4, 9-0) finished with an unscathed record in Greater Oregon League play.

“Having graduated from Mac-Hi, it’s pretty cool to be a part of history,” said coach Nicole Christian, a 1996 alumnus. “It really brings it home.”

Looking ahead: The Pioneers lost nine seniors from the 4A runner-up squad five who are now playing in college but does return one significant piece.

Junior pitcher and slugger Colette Robert (1.05 ERA) returns for after a junior season and hopes to a young team back to the state tournament.

Honorable mention:?There were a couple notable stories that fell just short of the Top 10 Pendletons boys swimming team overcame the odds to win state gold in the 200-yard freestyle relay while Jacob Rickman added individual gold in the 50 free and Evan OGrady won silver in the 100 free.

Hermistons girls basketball team overcame a rash of injuries and illnesses early in the season to make the state semifinals before earning the teams highest placing ever at state with third. Coach Steve Hoffert was the Class 5A?Coach of the Year.