More than halfway through the football season, the favorites are established.
The biggest question remains: What teams could challenge for a state title?
The top five in each classification is an evolving picture.
Class 6A
Sheldon and quarterback Jordan Johnson continue to look impressive at No. 1. (Photo by Dusty Myers)
Sheldon has earned the right to be considered title front runner, led by a core of seniors who started on the Irish’s 2007 title team. Sheldon opened its conference schedule on the road against a quality Roseburg team last Friday but continued its impressive play with a 42-21 win. Senior quarterback Jordan Johnson had 317 passing yards and three touchdowns and 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Behind the Irish, things are less clear. Jesuit, the preseason No. 1, has held firm at No. 2. The Crusaders won their fourth straight game, beating No. 4 Westview 24-23, but it came with a controversial ending. Jesuit saw a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead nearly evaporate when Westview quarterback Philip Belding hit Arseniy Goldberg for a touchdown on fourth down with 27 seconds remaining. The Wildcats went for a two-point conversion but Colin Forman was ruled short of the end zone on the run.
Sprague had reached No. 3 with quality wins against Tigard and South Medford, but the Olympians’ defense had no answer for Salvador Herrera of No. 7 West Salem last Friday. Herrera rushed for 258 yards and five touchdowns, both school records, in the Titans’ 61-52 victory. West Salem scored on nine of 11 possessions in the game and led 41-14 in the first half. Sprague dropped to No. 8 with the loss, but could remain a factor down the stretch behind senior quarterback Jeff Kidd, tight end Jeff Weisenhaus and a potent passing game.
South Medford, including in the thrilling 39-34 loss at Sprague on Sept. 18, has demonstrated that it can compete with any team in the state. The Panthers moved up one spot to No. 3 after opening the Southwest Conference schedule with a 31-21 win at Grants Pass. Still, the Panthers needed 24 points in the final quarter to pull out the win and are no lock to remain in the top 5.
Canby, up to No. 5 from No. 6 last week, has been one of the more erratic team in the Top 10. The Cougars looked solid in crushing defending state champion Southridge 35-7 in Week 2 but were sloppy the following week in losing 21-14 in overtime at Westview. Canby needed sloppiness by Grant the next week in order to eke out a 27-24 win. In its third straight close game last Friday, Canby needed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and a key interception to beat Newberg 33-27. Grant reached as high as No. 3 but enter the rankings this week at No. 6. No. 9 Lake Oswego and No. 10 West Linn round out the Top 10. Southridge dropped from the rankings after losing to Beaverton.
Class 5A
Since the season-opening 22-20 win here against West Albany, Sherwood and Nathan Potter have been dominant. (Photo by Blake Thiess)
The picture remains a bit clearer with Sherwood as the unanimous favorite, followed by West Albany and Hillsboro. Sherwood has yet to be challenged outside of its 22-20 win against West Albany to open the season. Through six games, the Bowmen have surrendered the second fewest points in Class 5A with 65 – No. 7 Crescent Valley has allowed 60 – and the offense has been equally dominant by averaging 42.5 points per game.
Hillsboro's Dominique Mims works under center near the goal line against Glencoe. (Photo by Dusty Myers)
West Albany won its second straight game in impressive fashion without all-state running back Anthony LaCoste. The Bulldogs beat Dallas 48-7 to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Mid-Willamette. LaCoste will be a game-time decision this Friday against Lebanon. Not much separates No. 2 West Albany and No. 3 Hillsboro. It was a late inadvertent whistle on an apparent touchdown that led to the Bulldogs’ 20-17 win. Then again, Hillsboro needed a 61-yard Hail Mary to beat No. 5 Glencoe. Hillsboro won its third straight last Friday with a 41-0 win against Wilsonville.
No. 4 Thurston validated its ranking with a 68-20 win at Willamette behind 255 first-half yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Chance Hendrickson. That win came on the heels of an embarrassing 49-14 loss against Class 6A South Eugene.
Glencoe responded from its heartbreaking loss to post a 28-7 win against Liberty. Crater continues to knock on the door of the top 5. The No. 6 Comets own wins against Jefferson and Class 6A North Medford, despite dynamic quarterback Tyler Turituri missing the game with a suspension. Most recently, Crater topped Eagle Point 57-20, and its lone loss came on Sept. 11 at Shasta, 33-23.
No. 7 Crescent Valley’s defense is likely to keep the Raiders in most games this season. They swatted away a pass in the end zone to preserve a 7-6 win against Lebanon last week. But the undefeated Raiders have yet to play a Top 10 team. They’ll get that chance this week by taking on Glencoe.
The Dalles-Wahtonka remained unbeaten with a 28-14 win against Pendleton. That came after the Eagle Indians beat previous No. 5 Hermiston 33-29. Hermiston is No. 9 this week while Churchill dropped from No. 8 to No. 10 after a narrow 21-20 win against Marshfield.
Class 4A
Marist has been dominant in every game this season, outscoring opponents 316-28. (Photo by Zane Ritt)
Just how much separation is there between Marist and everyone else? Well, Central has established itself as a solid No. 2 with wins the last three weeks against No. 5 Scappoose, No. 3 Astoria and Taft. But the Panthers opened the season against Marist and were dominated in a 49-22 loss. That’s been Marist’s closest game this season. The Spartans lead the Class 4A in points and are outscoring opponents 316-28 through six games, a few of those with the starters only playing a half.
Central poses the biggest threat with senior quarterback Grant Hedrick. No. 3 Astoria, the defending state champions, bounced back from that 32-28 loss to Central by dominating then-No. 3 Banks in all phases of a 30-3 victory. Banks fell to No. 8. Douglas went from No. 5 to No. 4 after improving to 6-0 with a 20-14 win against North Bend. The Trojans should be favored in their final four Far West games. No. 5 Scappoose has a powerful enough offense – the Indians beat Seaside 62-20 last week – to contend with anyone. The Indians lost to Central in a 58-47 shootout and meet Astoria then Banks in the coming weeks. Newport is unbeaten, but largely untested, at No. 6. No. 7 North Marion’s only loss was a 24-19 setback against Scappoose. No. 9 Baker and No. 10 Sweet Home finalize the Top 10. Dropping from last week’s rankings were Estacada (lost to Stayton) and Hidden Valley (lost to Phoenix).
Class 3A
Displaying similar dominance to Class 4A Marist, No. 1 ranked Amity has outscored opponents 260-27 through five games. The Warriors beat Valley Catholic 50-0 last week. But Class 3A might have the most worthy challenger at No. 2. Appropriately, it’s the Cascade Christian Challengers. Behind a powerful ground game, the Challengers are looking like a force out of the Sunset League. They’ve won convincingly in their first five games including its first two against Class 4A teams. Cascade Christian beat Bandon 49-13 last Friday and meet Glide this Friday prior to its showdown with No. 7 Gold Beach on Oct. 24.
Dayton's Jacob Becker (23) and Kyle Valdez (32) celebrate after a Pirates' touchdown. (Photo by Blake Thiess)
Dayton has been all over the Top 10. Last week, the Pirates were at No. 10 and out of the rankings the previous week following a shocking 26-14 loss at Horizon Christian. But Dayton, now No. 3, responded with a 42-27 win against Willamina. The Pirates ran the ball on all 68 offensive plays against the Bulldogs, and it was effective as Dayton gained 440 yards and built a 35-7 lead in the first half. Willamina dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 and is still a legitimate threat to climb back into the mix as the Bulldogs can put up points in a hurry with the arm of quarterback BJ Wilson.
No. 4 Santiam Christian moved from No. 6 to No. 4 following a 21-1 win at Creswell. The Eagles are 5-1, the only loss coming 28-14 to Dayton, and will be favored in its final three games. Vale is up to No. 5 from No. 9 after dismantling previous No. 3 Grant Union 33-12. That ended a three-game losing streak for the Vikings, which came against Class 4A and out-of-state competition. Next up for Vale is No. 9 Umatilla, which had moved into the top 5 before suffering a 33-27 loss to unranked Nyssa. Gold Beach held steady at No. 7 and Rainier at No. 8. Grant Union is at No. 10.
Class 2A
Kennedy and Jonathan Venegas have shaken off a difficult preseason schedule to climb to No. 4. (Photo by Blake Thiess)
Defending champion Knappa has breezed through its first five games, outscoring opponents 233-24. The most dominant effort came last Friday in a 52-0 win over Gaston. No. 2 Heppner is also 5-0 and also coming off an impressive 52-6 win against Union. Scio is another explosive team at No. 3, as evidenced by the Loggers 44-7 win against a ranked Lost River team. Scio beat Blanchet 52-12 last Friday and faces Kennedy next week. Kennedy is up to No. 4 after shaking off a difficult preseason schedule that included Heppner, Knappa and Class 3A Willamina. The Trojans started 0-3, close losses coming against Heppner and Willamina, but they’ve been on a tear since. Last week, Kennedy downed No. 4 Culver 33-6. Culver dropped to No. 8. Pilot Rock moved one spot up to No. 5 after squeaking out a 20-14 overtime win against Enterprise.
Santiam is also up one spot to No. 6 after improving to 5-0 with a 22-16 win against Salem Academy. The Wolverines have had close games the last three weeks with a pair of 14-7 wins against Lost River and Corbett and 28-20 win against Central Linn. Monroe climbed two spots from No. 9 to No. 7. The Dragons beat Riddle 50-0 last Friday and are 4-1, its only loss being a 28-8 setback against No. 3 Scio. Lost River slides to No. 9 while Enterprise checks into the rankings at No. 10.
Class 1A
Top-ranked Imbler has validated that ranking since the first week of the season and, barring injuries, are likely to finish the season undefeated on its way to defending its title. The Panthers are seasoned, with the core back from last season’s title team, and have added a much-needed speedster in La Grande transfer Wesley Burgess. Imbler downed Joseph last week 66-24 and has posted 60-plus points in its last three games. No. 2 Perrydale, No. 3 St. Paul, No. 4 Butte Falls, No. 5 Lowell, No. 6 Mohawk, No. 7 Triad and No. 8 Crane have all held those positions for multiple weeks.
Jordan Valley and Ione have fluctuated and are at No. 9 and 10 this week, respectively.
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