A decision to go young last season is paying dividends for Central's football team.
The Panthers had a small senior class in 2023, and when injuries began to mount early, they dipped into a talented freshman class for reinforcements. The result was a 2-7 record.
This season – with six sophomores starting on offense, including quarterback JT Girod – Central is 3-0 for the first time since 2011. The Panthers will try to take another step Friday when they play host to unbeaten and sixth-ranked South Albany (3-0) in a 5A nonleague game.
“I've been really excited about this group,” fifth-year coach Joel Everett said. “It kind of started last year, laying the foundation. We ended up having to bring up quite a few freshmen, which we don't do at Central. We took our lumps.”
The Panthers have beaten Eagle Point 42-0, Beaverton 29-22 and Crescent Valley 43-30. Everett said the success reflects on the players' offseason commitment.
“We had the best summer numbers we've had in a long time,” Everett said. “We were averaging about 50 kids for summer workouts that are completely voluntary. Kids just wanted to be there. It was awesome.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound Girod, who took over as the starting quarterback in Week 3 last year, is showing the way. He has completed 41 of 58 passes for 579 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions. He also has rushed for 98 yards and two scores on 22 carries
Girod, a highly regarded baseball prospect as a shortstop and pitcher, has shown “huge” growth from last season, according to Everett.
“Just the understanding of what we're trying to do, starting to see it from a coach's side,” Everett said. “He's starting to understand what we're looking for. After the Beaverton game he told us, 'I think things are starting to slow down.' He's a pretty athletic kid. His ability to pull the ball and go when he needs to is awesome to see from a sophomore.”
South Albany presents an imposing obstacle for the Panthers. Central has lost its last four Mid-Willamette Conference meetings against the RedHawks, including 41-6 in last year's opener. The Panthers left the Mid-Willamette this year for Special District 2.
“They're so well-coached,” Everett said of the RedHawks. “They're going to play above their talent level with just how disciplined they are. They do a really good job of taking away what you're good at. We know we've got to be ready to move on to the next thing if they're taking something away.”
Likewise, South Albany coach Jeff Louber is impressed by Central.
“They're a completely different team than they were last year, for sure,” Louber said. “They've got a bunch of kids. They're tall, they're athletic. Their line does a really good job of staying engaged.”
After playing South Albany, Central's road won't get any easier in the next two weeks. The Panthers play at No. 1 Wilsonville on Oct. 4 and are home to face No. 2 Silverton on Oct. 10.
Central did not score more than 27 points in a game last season but has surpassed that total in each game this year as the players get a better grasp of the up-tempo spread offense.
Sophomore Ryan Perkins (14 catches, 223 yards, one touchdown) leads the team in receiving yards and senior Jackson Stevens has a team-high three touchdown catches. Sophomores Joe Mendazona and Rei Eaves also have scoring grabs.
Junior Kao Phatern (45 carries, 270 yards, one touchdown) and senior Asa Pritchard Moa (25 carries, 157 yards, six touchdowns) lead the running game behind an offensive line that features a sophomore center in Jackson Watkins (6-1, 250).
“We feel like we have the talent to be able to go in different directions,” Everett said.
The defense, coordinated by former Panthers head coach Jeff Centoni, is led by Pritchard Moa at linebacker and senior Caleb Castillo at safety.
“Those two guys are the anchors on defense, getting everyone where they need to be,” Everett said. “We're fired up with our defense. We feel like our defense has really taken a step forward this year.”
South Albany has won seven in a row going back to last season, when it rebounded from a 1-4 start to finish 5-4.
“We lost a lot of key seniors, but I really believe the players that were part of that team took some of those lessons we learned in that final stretch and brought it over to this season,” Louber said. “Last year we kind of struggled in the me-vs.-we mentality. We're just playing really good team ball now. Week in and week out, somebody else stands out.”
The RedHawks are led by senior Sawyer Hallberg, a running back the last two seasons who is playing quarterback for the first time since his freshman year. In a 48-28 win over Ridgeview on Sept. 13, Hallberg rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and passed for two scores.
“He's been picking it up on the fly,” Louber said. “He's a great leader, with words and actions. The kids are following him. He put in so much time and effort throughout the summer to learn quarterback mechanics.”
Other top matchups in Week 4:
Thursday
2A No. 7 Culver (3-0) at 2A co-No. 5 Lost River (2-1), 7 p.m.: Culver, which went 3-6 last year, has outscored opponents 156-28 during a 3-0 start. Now the Bulldogs go on the road to face reigning 1A-8 champion Lost River, which is coming off a 32-22 loss to St. Paul.
Friday
6A No. 5 Lakeridge (3-0) at 5A No. 1 Wilsonville (3-0), 7 p.m.: Wilsonville's Mark Wiepert keeps getting better in his switch from receiver to quarterback, passing for 363 yards and seven touchdowns in last week's 56-34 win over Sunset. Lakeridge survived a challenge at Mountainside last week, getting a tiebreaking touchdown run by quarterback Drew Weiler with 29 seconds left.
6A No. 1 West Linn (3-0) vs. Skyview, Wash. (3-0) at Kiggins Bowl, Vancouver, 5 p.m.: The Lions play their third out-of-state opponent in four games before opening Three Rivers League play next week against Tigard. Skyview, a state quarterfinalist last year, is widely regarded as a top-10 team in Washington's big-school division.
Union, Wash. (1-2) at 6A No. 2 Tualatin (3-0), 7 p.m.: The game marks an Oregon homecoming for first-year Union coach Steve Pyne, who last year won his fifth state title at Central Catholic by beating Tualatin 49-21 in the 6A final. Tualatin will try to sharpen up for next week's showdown with No. 4 Lake Oswego in the Three Rivers opener.
5A No. 5 Thurston (4-0) at Roseburg (2-1), 7 p.m.: Coming off a 2-7 season, Roseburg is measuring its progress in dropping to 5A this year. The Indians got a solid 34-8 win at Crater last week and can add to the good vibes with a respectable showing against the powerful Colts, who are outscoring foes by an average of 34.8 points per game.
3A No. 6 Cascade Christian (1-2) at 4A No. 3 Henley (2-1), 7 p.m.: A game between reigning state champions that are coming off losses. Cascade Christian, which entered the season with a 26-game winning streak, fell at Siuslaw 40-35 last week by giving up a two-yard touchdown run on the game's final play. Henley had its 15-game winning streak snapped last week with a 24-6 loss at 5A No. 9 Summit.
3A No. 7 Santiam Christian (2-1, 1-0 SD2) at Amity (3-0, 1-0 SD2), 7 p.m.: Amity appears much improved after going 2-7 last season. If the Warriors are to contend in Special District 2, a win over the Eagles would be a good way to start. Santiam Christian has won two in a row after losing to No. 2 Banks 35-9.
1A-8 No. 3 Crosspoint Christian (3-0, 2-0 SD1) at 1A-8 No. 10 Mohawk (3-1, 3-0 SD1), 7 p.m.: Crosspoint Christian, 3-5 last year, smacked previously unbeaten Riddle 62-6 last week, owning a 485-124 edge in yards. Mohawk has scored 134 points in its last two games.
1A-6 No. 5 Echo (3-0, 0-0 SD1) at 1A-6 No. 2 Prairie City/Burnt River (4-0, 1-0 SD1), 7 p.m.: A pivotal game in Special District 1. Last year, Echo lost at home to Prairie City/Burnt River 45-26 in Week 3 but went on to win the state title. Prairie City/Burnt River made the state semifinals but lost to Joseph 33-19.
1A-6 No. 3 Harper Charter (3-0, 2-0 SD1) at 1A-6 No. 10 Jordan Valley (3-0, 1-0 SD1), 2 p.m. (MT): Jordan Valley went 1-6 last season, falling at Harper Charter 45-0. The Mustangs have turned things around this season, but will find out plenty from playing Harper Charter and No. 6 Joseph in their next two games.
