No. 2 Silverton made an early case as the team to beat in 5A football Friday night by dominating the trenches in a 35-12 season-opening home win over No. 3 Summit.
At half, the Foxes led 28-0 and had a 289-33 edge in total yards in a battle of 2023 semifinalists. The linemen gave senior quarterback Sawyer Teeney plenty of time to throw and put the heat on Summit sophomore quarterback Andrew Guthrie, who made his first varsity start.
Silverton senior lineman Brash Henderson said the Foxes were determined to take control up front.
"That's what we were told to do before the game, just to set the tone the best that we can,” Henderson said. “We were told to hit them hard and do your job. … We're the lead of this team. Without us, nothing really happens.”
Senior tight end Brody Kuenzi had seven catches for 102 yards and helped smother the Storm at defensive end.
"We came out with a lot of intensity,” Kuenzi said. “They couldn't get much offense. We kept hounding him, (Guthrie) tried to go and a linebacker was there, safety was there, everyone was there to make a play.”
The Foxes took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Teeney scored on a two-yard run and tossed a 40-yard touchdown pass to senior Hudson Waples. Senior Daniel Kuenzi made it 21-0 in the second quarter with a 10-yard scoring run, and Henderson pushed the lead to 28-0 with 30 seconds left in the first half by recovering a Summit fumble in the end zone.
Teeney's three-yard touchdown run with 3:50 left in the third quarter made it 35-0 and started the running clock.
Waples called the win over another potential 5A contender “super big.”
“Both semifinal teams last year, and to go out there and prove a point to state on how we're going to be this year and what we're about,” Waples said. “Just using this as motivation, as confidence, in not taking our foot off the gas.”
Up next for Silverton are two 6A tests in No. 9 Mountainside and No. 4 Lake Oswego.
– Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
Injury shifts load for CC
Central Catholic junior running back Tyson Davis will have to carry a heavier load than expected this season due to an injury to junior running back KK Sombe, who hurt his left knee in practice Aug. 21 and is out indefinitely, according to coach Charlie Landgraf.
The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Davis showed he was up to the task in the Rams' season-opening 35-15 win over Leilehua, Hawaii, on Friday. He not only rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries, but he caught three passes for 76 yards, including a 45-yard score.
“He was able to showcase a lot of his skills,” Landgraf said. “He's a physical runner that's got good speed. The thing that sticks out the most about Tyson is his balance and body control. It's usually not the first tackle that's bringing him down. He's going to have a big year for us.”
Landgraf said that Davis is a “complete” running back.
“His ability to pass protect has been really big for us,” Landgraf said. “It adds a level to our passing game, being able to pick up blitzes.”
Davis' senior brother, Zach, was a standout junior lineman for Central Catholic's state title team last season but opted to transfer to Homestead High School in Miami, Fla., for his senior year.
“We were bummed to see Zach go, but happy that Tyson's still around,” Landgraf said. “I think Tyson wanted to stick around and still be a part of it.”
Sombe, a key contributor as a sophomore, suffered a noncontact injury when he cut on his left knee after catching a screen pass in practice. Landgraf said it appears to be a “significant” injury.
“I would expect he's going to be out for a good majority of the season,” he said. “It's a bummer. One of those fluke things.”
It means more work for Davis and more carries for junior Cole Thomas and senior Ty Newbury. Thomas, who missed his sophomore season with a torn ACL, rushed for 19 yards on two carries Friday and shined on defense with an interception and 1.5 tackles for loss.
“He's going to be a big-time player for us on both sides of the ball,” Landgraf said.
Bidwell, Pasi duel
Marist Catholic senior receiver Aaron Bidwell and Churchill senior running back Ceville Pasi engaged in an entertaining duel Friday night, each scoring five touchdowns in the season opener between the 4A Spartans and 5A Lancers.
Bidwell got the last word, hauling in a 14-yard scoring pass from senior Nick Hudson with 15.8 seconds left to give the host Spartans a 33-30 win.
"That was a really tough call," Bidwell told the Register-Guard. "Nick had to roll out to the right and I was on the left, so I just ran across the field. I honestly didn't expect him to throw it, but I saw the ball in the air, and I knew that we had an opportunity to win it. So I just took advantage of the opportunity and caught it."
The 6-5, 190-pound Bidwell caught 13 passes for 234 yards and the five scores, all from Hudson, including a 95-yarder for Marist Catholic's first score. Hudson shook off two early interceptions to complete 30 of 51 passes for 416 yards.
The 6-0, 220-pound Pasi ran for 211 yards on 23 carries.
“He's a pretty dynamic young man,” Churchill coach Layne Coffin said of Pasi. “His second year, he feels our running game a lot better than he did last year. He's added some speed and strength. He's a senior, and he feels a lot of responsibility to the team, and that really helps.”
The lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter. Pasi scored on a four-yard run to put Churchill up 24-20. Bidwell responded with a 20-yard touchdown catch to put Marist Catholic ahead 27-24 with 5:40 left. Pasi answered with a 28-yard touchdown run to put the Lancers back on top 30-27 with 2:39 to go, setting up the Spartans' final drive.
On the winning march, senior Christian Guerrero made a diving catch on third down and junior CJ Guistina made a catch while laying flat on his back. Guistina caught a pass off Guerrero's hands to set up Marist Catholic inside the Churchill 20-yard line.
The win was the first for new Marist Catholic coach Zach Loboy. He replaced Charlie Landgraf, who took the job at Central Catholic after leading the Spartans to the 4A final last year.
"In a lot of ways, it's a great game to start off with," Loboy told the Register-Guard. "They know we've got a solid defense, and we've got a really high-powered offense. They know they are never really out of the game. We can score in seconds if we need to."
Vale halts Challengers' streak
The Vale Vikings have had plenty of time to think about how their season ended last year – a failed two-point conversion attempt in a 27-26 quarterfinal loss to Cascade Christian, which went on to repeat as 3A champion.
On Saturday, third-ranked Vale got some payback, defeating No. 1 Cascade Christian 29-6 in a 3A nonleague game at Summit High School, ending the Challengers' 26-game winning streak. It is the lowest point total for Cascade Christian since a 21-0 loss to Santiam Christian in the 2013 opener.
“We tried to focus more on this team this year, but we had so many returning starters that it was hard not to focus a little bit on last year,” Vikings coach Jeff Aldred said. “I was just super proud of how we stepped up. It was an impressive win.”
Vale senior Kase Schaffeld ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. The Vikings led 8-6 at half, extended the lead to 16-6 in the third quarter and pushed it to 23-6 on a touchdown run by senior Landon Haberman on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Vikings controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“We knew that with the playoff game last year that we had a front that could match up really, really well against them,” Aldred said. “We felt like we could establish the run out of multiple formations.”
Vale struggled to move the ball in the first half – when it committed seven penalties for 80 yards – but after going to a heavy set in the second half, they kept the Challengers guessing.
“We jumped into multiple formations and kept them off balance,” Aldred said. “They're a heck of a team. They've got speed everywhere.”
Vale's defense stopped Cascade Christian for negative yardage on 11 plays. The Vikings got strong play up front from senior Jake DeVos (6-3, 230), sophomore Calvin Longoni and junior Wyatt Cox. Senior Matt Barton had an interception.
In an effort to boost its power ranking, Vale dropped Idaho schools from its schedule this season. The Vikings' nonleague schedule is Cascade Christian, Lakeview and 4A Greater Oregon League teams La Grande, Ontario and Baker.
“We made it as intense as we could,” Aldred said.
St. Paul stops No. 1 Crane
Seniors Clay Smith and Diego Medina each rushed for two touchdowns as 2A No. 6 St. Paul knocked off 1A-8 No. 1 Crane 30-18 in the Dufur Classic on Friday at Dufur.
Crane took a 12-0 lead in the first four minutes – its second touchdown coming on a long pass to 6-7 senior tight end Cody Siegner, an Oregon State commit – but St. Paul didn't buckle against last year's 1A-8 runner-up.
“I was really proud of the way our kids hung in there,” Buckaroos coach Tony Smith said. “It was a pretty evenly matched game. We just were fortunate to score a couple times in the second half.”
Leading 14-12 at half, St. Paul took control of the game with a 10-minute scoring drive to start the third quarter. Clay Smith's second touchdown run and a two-point conversion put the Buckaroos ahead 22-12 late in the third quarter.
Medina ran for a score as the lead grew to 30-12 in the fourth quarter. Crane got a late touchdown and St. Paul ran out the clock.
Tony Smith credited senior quarterback Grady Wolf for how he ran the offense in his first varsity start, making good decisions on run-pass options.
“He's a better running threat than we thought,” he said. “And he played really well on defense.”
St. Paul was a 1A-8 semifinalist last year but has moved back to 2A, where it played from 2014 to 2017. Friday's game was played with nine-man rules.
“I think Crane was a great test,” Tony Smith said. “I think good 2A or 1A teams are the same. I think Crane would be fine in 2A.”
St. Paul has a week off before playing host to Regis, a 2A semifinalist last season. On Sept. 21, the Buckaroos play at Lost River, which won last year's 1A-8 title and also has moved to 2A.
Other highlights from Week 0:
The top two teams in the OSAAtoday preseason 1A-6 coaches poll squared off, with No. 1 Powers rolling to a 66-29 nonleague home win over No. 2 South Wasco County. Patrick Mahmoud caught five passes for 135 yards and five touchdowns (from Braden Bushnell), returned a kickoff 76 yards for a score and had an interception for the Cruisers, who led 45-6 in the second quarter. Rene Sears rushed for 114 yards and one score on 10 carries. ... Lake Oswego throttled South Medford 33-7 behind LaMarcus Bell, who rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. … Matt Newell caught 10 passes or 269 yards and three touchdowns, all from Noah Blair, who completed 18 of 27 passes for 407 yards and four scores, as Thurston stopped Caldera 45-29. …
Truman Brasfield had three touchdown catches, a fumble recovery for a score and an interception in Crescent Valley's 44-23 win over North Eugene. Grady Kik-Down returned two kicks for touchdowns and had a scoring catch for North Eugene. … Mason Chambers completed 11 of 15 passes for 229 yards and five touchdowns – four to Jack Foley, who caught five passes for 77 yards – to lead Mountain View past Springfield 55-20. Angel Valenzuela ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and Jordan Best had a 95-yard scoring catch in the win. … Adrian rolled over Camas Valley 80-20 in the 1A-8 Dufur Classic on Saturday as Colten Bayes scored touchdowns rushing and receiving and had two interceptions. Kash Morford (104 rushing yards), Rance Jordan and Zeke Bayes each ran for two scores. ...
Heppner defeated Gold Beach as Alakae Rodriguez had nine carries for 54 yards and four touchdowns. The Mustangs led 34-0 at half. … Valentin Rodriguez ran for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards for Crater, which turned back host Marshfield 22-16. Ben Higginson threw a 61-yard scoring pass to Jaxson Godley for the Comets. Marshfield drove to the Crater 7-yard line inside of four minutes left but the Comets held. … Scappoose's Max Nowlin led his team to a 49-35 win over Pendleton by completing 17 of 32 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns, two to Jaiden Smith (seven catches, 169 yards). ...
Connor Honn, a transfer from Roseburg, rushed for 74 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries and caught a 10-yard scoring pass to propel Douglas past North Marion 54-35. Ryder Sawyer completed 20 of 32 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 93 yards on nine carries for Douglas, which won its opener for the first time since 2015. … West Albany dropped Canby 49-26 as Kaden Martirano completed 11 of 17 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 56 yards and three scores. Tyler Hart-McNally had 99 rushing yards and 108 receiving yards for the Bulldogs. ... Lost River bolted to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter and held off Stanfield 34-8. Kyle Diaz rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, Christian Sanchez ran for 103 yards on 17 carries and Kayden Hartman passed for a touchdown and ran for two scores.
