If the 6A Three Rivers League is the SEC of Oregon high school football – as it is often called – then perhaps the Oregon West Conference is 4A's version of the TRL.
The Oregon West has four teams ranked in the top six of this week's OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll, virtually assuring that the conference schedule will deliver a marquee match-up each week.
For No. 6 Stayton (4-0), that means consecutive games against No. 1 Cascade (4-0), No. 5 Philomath (4-0) and No. 3 Marist Catholic (3-1). It begins Thursday when the Eagles play host to Cascade in the conference opener for both teams.
“We're just starting the gauntlet right now,” Stayton coach Randy Nyquist said. “We're going to focus on us, keep getting better, and hopefully we can play well enough to have a chance in those games.
“The good thing is we get to play at home Thursday. It'll be exciting for our kids. If you want to be the best, you've got to play the best. I think it's a great opportunity for our kids.”
Stayton went 4-5 overall, 2-4 in the Oregon West last season, when it had six seniors on the roster. That included a 40-7 loss at Cascade in the regular-season finale.
Buoyed by experience, the Eagles have won their first four games for the first time since 2015.
“Stayton's always had athletes. There's no question about that, football, basketball, baseball,” Cascade coach Shane Hedrick said. “They've been able to attract the athletes and get them out. They've turned the tide this year. They've got some momentum going, some confidence. We're certainly going to have our work cut out for us.”
The Eagles have outscored their opponents 158-48, although they have yet to face a team currently ranked in the top 10.
“We haven't played anybody the caliber of Cascade yet,” Nyquist said. “In my opinion, they're as good as it gets in 4A. They've steamrolled everybody they've played. They have a really, really good running game, and they're fast and stingy on defense. We'll be severely challenged.”
Stayton returned its starting quarterback in senior Hudson Hughes, the son of assistant coach Kyle Hughes. He has been steady at the controls, passing for 709 yards and eight touchdowns and rushing for 134 yards and five scores.
Hughes spreads the ball around to seniors Tanner Starbuck (11 catches, 174 yards, three touchdowns), Kaden Arnold (seven catches, 219 yards, four touchdowns) and Ethan Whieldon (18 catches, 192 yards, one touchdown).
Hunter Mollerstrom, a 5-foot-8, 155-pound sophomore, leads the team in rushing with 391 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries. He is finding room behind the offensive line of seniors Roman Charepanov, Rylan Mumey and Ean Dillingham and juniors Hunter Etzel and Ayden Collman.
Dillingham is the only returning starter on the line. Charepanov is a transfer from 6A McNary.
“Our offensive line has really been the biggest surprise for me,” Nyquist said. “We kind of had to scramble to put some things together. That group is considerably improved from a year ago.”
The defense features two tough inside linebackers in senior Kale Hubert and junior Brycen Schaan and an athletic, opportunistic secondary with Hughes, Arnold, Starbuck and junior Wyatt Black.
Stayton's defense will be on high alert against Cascade junior running back Bryce Kuenzi, one of the state's most dangerous weapons. Last week, he rushed for 366 yards and six touchdowns on 14 carries in a 48-6 win over Baker. For the season, he has run for 949 yards and 13 scores, averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
“I would say Bryce is one of the top two or three backs in the state at any level,” Nyquist said. “It seems like the longer the game goes, the better he gets.”
Hedrick said the 5-8, 185-pound Kuenzi has a similar running style as former Oregon State great Ken Simonton.
“He's one of the strongest players I've had,” Hedrick said. “You get behind those big linemen, and as a defensive player, you can't see him. And when he does hit the hole, he's so powerful, you don't arm-tackle him.”
Cascade junior quarterback Cade Coreson has thrown only 32 passes in four games, but eight have gone for touchdowns, four to sophomore Josiah Hawkins.
Cascade, a state quarterfinalist last year, has outscored its foes 181-33. On Sept. 13, the Cougars went on the road for a 36-0 win over No. 4 Scappoose.
Other top match-ups in Week 5:
Thursday
Churchill (3-1, 3-0 Midwestern League) at 5A No. 3 Thurston (5-0, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Thurston extended its conference winning streak to 42 last week with a hard-fought 31-24 win over Roseburg. Surging Churchill,. which won at Roseburg 30-6 on Sept. 13, poses another threat.
3A No. 10 Sisters (3-1, 2-0 SD3) at Cottage Grove (4-0, 2-0), 7 p.m.: The Outlaws and Lions are tied for first place in SD3 with Madras. Cottage Grove, which went 1-8 last season, is flourishing in 3A after moving down from the 4A Oregon West Conference. Sisters has won three in a row since a 20-0 loss to No. 4 Burns.
Friday
6A No. 2 Tualatin (4-0) at 6A No. 5 Lake Oswego (4-0), 7 p.m.: A showdown right out of the gate in the Three Rivers League opener for both teams. Tualatin's offense revolves around BYU-bound senior quarterback Nolan Keeney. The Lakers feature one of the state's best running backs in junior LaMarcus Bell. The Timberwolves won 14-0 last year.
Forest Grove (4-0, 2-0 5A SD1) at Hood River Valley (4-0, 2-0), 7 p.m.: The teams share first place in SD1 with Glencoe. For each team, it's the first time they have been 4-0 since 2003. Last year, Hood River Valley won at Forest Grove 44-37.
5A No. 6 Central (4-0) at 5A No. 1 Wilsonville (3-1), 7 p.m.: The SD2 opener for both teams. Reigning 5A champion Wilsonville will be eager to rinse the taste of last week's 34-9 home loss to 6A No. 4 Lakeridge. Sophomore-led Central, riding high after beating No. 9 South Albany 28-24 last week, faces the top-ranked Wildcats and No. 2 Silverton in consecutive weeks.
5A No. 7 Dallas (4-0) at 5A No. 9 South Albany (3-1), 7 p.m.: A key game in the SD3 opener. Last year, South Albany rallied from a 14-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Dragons 15-14, getting the go-ahead score with 1:59 left. In 2022, the RedHawks edged Dallas 29-26.
4A No. 4 Scappoose (3-1) at 4A No. 8 Seaside (2-2), 7 p.m.: A game that could decide the Cowapa League title. Scappoose bounced back from a 36-0 loss to No. 1 Cascade to defeat Estacada 47-26 last week. In its last two games, Seaside lost to 3A No. 2 Banks 32-14 and 4A No. 3 Marist Catholic 35-7.
3A No. 3 Siuslaw (3-0) at South Umpqua (3-1), 7 p.m.: Coming off a bye after beating No. 5 Cascade Christian 40-35 on the final play, Siuslaw opens SD4 play with a big game against the Lancers, who suffered their first loss last week, falling at home to North Valley 24-9.
Douglas (4-0) at Sutherlin (4-0), 7 p.m.: The Trojans and Bulldogs aren't in the 3A top 10 despite winning their first four games. It will be harder to ignore the winner of this game, the SD4 opener for both teams.
3A No. 4 Burns (4-0) at 3A No. 1 Vale (5-0), 7 p.m.: Two unbeaten teams collide in the SD6 opener. Vale, led by senior running back Kase Schaffeld, has won all of its games by at least 22 points. Now the Vikings meet a Burns team that has recorded three consecutive shutouts.
2A No. 6 Culver (4-0, 2-0 SD6) at 2A No. 5 Lowell (3-1, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Culver passed its biggest test of the season last week with a 34-28 road win over Lost River, last year's 1A-8 champion. A win over reigning 2A champion Lowell in the SD6 opener would be even bigger.
1A-8 No. 1 Adrian (5-0, 2-0 SD2) at 1A-8 No. 5 Powder Valley (4-1, 1-1), 7 p.m.: Adrian's dominance is inviting comparisons to its unbeaten state title teams in 2019 and 2021. Powder Valley has made dramatic strides since going 1-8 last year, its only setback a 38-22 loss to No. 2 Crane.
