Hood River Valley is one of the state's success stories through the first half of the football season, bouncing back from two losing years to start 5-0 for the first time since 1990.
The Eagles' play has invited comparisons to their 2021 team, which went 9-2 and made the 5A quarterfinals behind standout quarterback Trenton Hughes.
“This team has better talent spread over more positions than that team,” said coach Caleb Sperry, who is in his 16th season at Hood River Valley. “That team relied on our quarterback, who was a phenomenal athlete. Now it's more of a team approach. More guys are in positions to help us out and contribute.”
So far, seventh-ranked Hood River Valley has played only one team with a winning record, turning back previously unbeaten Forest Grove 20-14 in a Special District 1 game last week.
The stretch run, which starts Thursday at Hillsboro (4-1, 2-1 SD1), will reveal much about the Eagles (5-0, 3-0 SD1). It includes games at La Salle Prep (4-1, 2-1) on Oct. 18 and at home against Glencoe (3-2, 3-0) in the regular-season finale Nov. 1.
Last year, Hillsboro handled Hood River Valley 21-7 in a league playoff game. The Eagles have split four games against Hillsboro in Special District 1 since 2019.
Hillsboro, making steady progress since going 1-9 in 2021, is off to its best start since opening 7-1 in 2015. After losing to Glencoe 35-0 on Sept. 20, the Spartans have beaten Aloha 26-7 and Centennial 35-0.
“They're playing good ball,” Sperry said of the Spartans. “We've got to focus on this being our most important week.”
Hood River Valley is riding the momentum of last week's gritty win over Forest Grove (4-1, 2-1). The game showed how the Eagles have learned how to win this season.
“Each week we're gaining confidence,” Sperry said. “Each week we're getting a little more belief in what we're doing. We're playing at a high level.”
Hillsboro coach Dan Shuff is impressed with the Eagles.
“They just play downhill,” Shuff said. “They play hard and physical. They go 100 mph all game. They always give us a battle. I said that's the team to watch this year.”
Sperry was hopeful that the team was ready to take a big step after back-to-back 4-6 seasons that ended with lopsided first-round playoff losses to Summit in 2022 and Silverton in 2023. The Eagles are young – starting one senior on offense and four on defense – but many got extended playing time last season.
“They're playing like we were hoping they'd play,” Sperry said. “We thought there was a lot of potential there. They want to win the league and play deep into November. They've got their eyes set on playing for a long time.”
Bam Layna, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound junior running back, is having a breakout season behind the offensive line of juniors Lars Welch, Miguel Arriola and Jack Miller, senior Tristan Pasto and sophomore Milo Bielen. All but Bielen were starters in 2023.
“They're physical and strong and come off the ball really well,” Sperry said.
Layna rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries against Forest Grove, giving him 652 yards and nine touchdowns for the season. Layna was second string last year, when he was recovering from a broken ankle that he suffered as a freshman.
“He's healthy and stronger and faster and explosive,” Sperry said. “He showed glimpses last year of what he could be. But he's a lot more complete player this year.”
The only senior starting on offense is quarterback Davis Parr, a third-year starter. He has deftly managed the spread pistol offense, throwing for 553 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception.
Hood River Valley's defense – which features two stout senior tackles in Logan Lavoie (6-1, 280) and Omar Sedano (5-11, 275) – is holding opponents to 10.6 points per game, down from 27.3 last season.
Hillsboro's pistol spread offense, similar to Hood River Valley's, is averaging 25.6 points. The Spartans are strong in the trenches, led by junior two-way linemen AJ Garcia (6-3, 215) and Asante Mims (6-0, 220).
“All of our games, other than Glencoe, our offensive line and defensive line have been taking games over,” Shuff said. “They kind of set the tone for us week in and week out.”
At running back, senior Ryan Howard provides speed and sophomore Arturo Echeverria (185 yards vs. Aloha) can get the tough yards inside.
Shuff said Hillsboro has been plagued by slow starts this season, something his team can't afford against the Eagles.
“Every game we've started crazy slow,” he said. “That's something we're trying to get over. Our offense just takes a little bit to get going. We're not sure why.
“We've had adversity in the first half, but our kids find a way to overcome it and just keep battling. Our next couple of games, that's not going to work out well for us if we get behind the chains.”
Hillsboro plays at Forest Grove and La Salle Prep in the next two weeks.
“We've got to get at least two of the next three,” Shuff said.
Other top match-ups in Week 6:
Thursday
5A No. 2 Silverton (4-1, 1-0 SD2) at 5A No. 9 Central/Kings Valley Charter (4-1, 0-1), 7 p.m.: Central suffered its first loss last week, losing at No. 1 Wilsonville 41-10 in the SD2 opener. It's the first half of a key back-to-back for Silverton, which plays host to Wilsonville next week.
North Eugene (4-2, 4-1 SD4) at 5A No. 6 Churchill (4-1, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Churchill is coming off a 32-13 win at No. 8 Thurston, ending the Colts' 42-game conference winning streak. Now the Lancers take on the much-improved Highlanders, who have won four in a row, before going to unbeaten Willamette next week.
Friday
6A No. 9 Nelson (4-1, 3-0 Mt. Hood Conference) vs. 6A No. 3 Central Catholic (5-0, 3-0) at Hillsboro Stadium, 7 p.m.: Last week, Nelson senior Avirey Durdahl threw for 514 yards (No. 14 in state history) and six touchdowns in a 56-14 win at Sandy. The degree of difficulty goes up exponentially for him this week.
6A No. 1 West Linn (5-0, 1-0 Three Rivers League) at 6A No. 4 Lakeridge (5-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: An acid test for Lakeridge, which took a 6-1 record into last year's game against West Linn and lost 52-10. Since beating the Lions in 2013, the Pacers have lost 12 in a row in the series, including playoff defeats in 2018 and 2021.
5A No. 5 Bend (5-0, 1-0 Intermountain Conference) at Summit (2-3, 1-0), 7 p.m.: The Lava Bears won't be fooled by the record of Summit, which has lost to No. 1 Wilsonville, No. 2 Silverton and reigning Idaho champion Highland. Two years ago, Bend started 5-0 before losing 35-21 at Summit, which went on to win the state title.
4A No. 6 Stayton (4-1, 0-1 Oregon West Conference) at 4A No. 5 Philomath (5-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: The marquee game this week in the tough Oergon West. Stayton will try to bounce back from a 24-16 home loss to No. 1 Cascade. Philomath, 5-0 for the first time since 2013, shut out The Dalles 56-0 and Sweet Home 37-0 in its last two games, getting a combined 11 touchdown passes from Caleb Russell.
3A No. 2 Banks (4-0, 2-0 SD1) at 3A No. 8 Kennedy (5-1, 2-1), 7 p.m.: Banks won at Kennedy 21-14 last year in a game that ultimately decided the district title. The Braves can put a stranglehold on the district by beating Kennedy and No. 10 Yamhill-Carlton (4-1, 2-0) in the next two games. Kennedy's only loss was 12-7 against Yamhill-Carlton on Sept. 26.
Douglas (5-0, 1-0) at 3A No. 4 Siuslaw/Mapleton (4-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: Unbeaten Douglas, which has outscored opponents 223-56, still hasn't cracked the top 10 in the OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll, even after scuttling previously undefeated Sutherlin 39-14 last week. A win over Siuslaw is sure to get attention.
1A-8 No. 2 Crane (5-1, 4-0 SD2) at 1A-8 No. 1 Adrian (6-0, 3-0), 7 p.m (MT).: Adrian has been virtually unchallenged all season, winning by 50.0 points per game. Crane, which has won five in a row since losing to 2A No. 1 St. Paul, should put up more resistance against the Antelopes.
1A-6 No. 3 Harper Charter (5-0, 4-0) at 1A-6 No. 7 Joseph (4-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Harper Charter has allowed 12 points all season, the lowest in the state for any classification. Last year, Harper Charter started 5-0 before losing at home to Joesph 22-19.
jerryu@osaa.org
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