Standings become clear, playoff picture does not for Oregon 6A Special District One teams
South Salem, Sheldon at the top of the Prep District; OSAA power rankings jumble the picture
Salem-Keizer and Southern Oregon schools in 6A Special District One are still no less certain of their playoff positioning despite wins and losses this week to sort out positions in the District standings. That’s because of the OSAA power rankings, and a huge advantage for teams in the Three Rivers League. Here come the results, and some attempt to explain the computerized mess that has drastically some re-seeded teams with just two games remaining.
Sheldon 24, North Medford 3
After consecutive losses to start to the season against Hawaiian power Mililani and defending state champ West Linn, the Sheldon Irish have reeled off five wins in a row. The latest victory came last Friday against the North Medford Black Tornado, which came into the contest with six straight wins themselves.
The Black Tornado’s combination of power running and opportunistic passing had mowed down all comers in the District by a combined total of 201 to 42.
The game at Sheldon was modest, scoring-wise. The visitors got the first points of the game when Cayden Morris drilled a 22-yard field goal in the first period to give North Medford the 3-0 lead. It remained that way until the closing minute of the first half.
With just thirty-five seconds until intermission, Sheldon moved to the edge of the red zone after a 29 yard keeper by senior QB Colby Parosa. North Medford stopped a second keeper attempt by Parosa on the very next play, but Sheldon finally got on the board on a stop and go pass from Parosa to receiver Marley Bonin for a 21-yard TD. The successful PAT gave the host Irish a 7-3 lead at the half.
The late first half touchdown may have let the air out of the North Medford offensive charge in the second half. The Black Tornado never hit paydirt again in the game, while Sheldon found just enough momentum to extend the lead and then slam the door shut.
Parosa ran the ball into the end zone a second time, on a 10-yard TD scamper in the third quarter, to extend the Irish lead to 14-3. Sheldon added a 33-yard touchdown run by Quincy Peterson and a 34-yard field goal by Rocco Graziano in the fourth quarter for the final score of 24-3.
North Medford’s Oregon-bound AJ Pugliano—a two-way standout on both sides of the ball—did not dress down for the Sheldon game, after suffering a leg injury last week against Roseburg.
With the win, Sheldon improves to 5-2 on the season, and 5-0 in district play. North Medford falls to 5-2 and 4-1 in Special District One. Sheldon travels to Grants Pass (2-5, 1-4) next Friday, while North Medford will entertain McNary (0-7) at Spiegelberg Stadium.
South Salem 63, Roseburg 7
South Salem continues to roll over its Special District One opponents on the football field. The Saxons scored the first two touchdowns of the game in the opening quarter, then rattled off 47 straight points before visiting Roseburg could get a score on the board in a 63-7 victory at South High’s Caldarazzo Stadium.
Saxon quarterback Athan Palmateer ran for a score (4 yards) and threw for another to Eli Johnson (15 years) in the opening quarter, to up out to a 16-0 advantage.
South Salem was just getting started—as the team recorded five touchdowns in the second quarter. Palmateer threw 65 and 88 yard TDs to Esteban Mendez, Hatimu Letisi ran 72 yards with the fumble recovery for another touchdown, and Palmateer and Noah Scharer ran for scores from four and seven yards out—as South had a comfortable 51-0 lead at intermission.
The Saxons weren’t done yet—as Tristan Geer and DJ James scored TDs on runs of one of 26 years.
The visiting Indians finally tallied a TD late on a 25-yard run by senior RB Cayden Eckel and an extra point by Jacob Michael to make the final score 63-7.
Palmateer—the top passer in Oregon 6A football—completed 14 of 19 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns for South. His leading target was Mendez, who caught six passes for 208 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. Mendez is just shy of 1,000 receiving yards on 44 catches this season, with 11 TDs. “Bonbon” also has passed the 2200 yard mark in career receiving yards, breaking the record set last year by now-graduated Tini Tinitalli.
For the season, Palmateer has impressive numbers: 133-180 passes for 2199 yards, with 24 TDs and just one interception. Athan also has impressive running stats, with 458 rushing yards and 8 TDs.
South Salem’s leading rusher for the game was DJ James, who ran the ball seven times for 84 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Segura Coley had five extra-point kicks for South.
The Saxon defense limited Roseburg to less than 200 yards in total offense, including just 121 yards rushing on 22 carries.
Roseburg (0-5, 0-6) hosts South Medford (3-2, 5-2) at 7:00 pm next Friday. South Salem (5-0, 7-0) visits Sprague (1-4, 1-6), with the kickoff time scheduled for 7:15 pm.
North Salem 47, Sprague 28
North Salem Vikings running back Jamahl Wilson is worth the price of admission—and then some. The 5-10, 180 pound senior continues to electrify crowds at Special District One football games with his instant offense.
The latest Wilson performance this past Friday came at the expense of the Sprague Olympians. North had not beaten the Olys in football since 1993—but all that came to an end as Wilson ran wild with five rushing touchdowns and a pick-six for another TD in a 47-28 victory at Littlejohn Field.
On paper, North Salem had been more successful on the season to date with a 4-2 record, while Sprague came in with a 1-5 record, albeit with a more impressive non-league schedule. After a half, the visiting Olys held a 21-19 lead.
North had the early lead after scoring on their opening possession—a six play, 57 yard drive taking three minutes. Wilson—who ran the ball all six times—scored on a one-yard plunge. The PAT was no-good, and North lead it with nine minutes left, 6-0.
Sprague started with a short field at the North Salem 38 yard line—and wasted no time in evening the score. Olympians quarterback Dukkati Witherspoon hit receiver Landon Baldwin-Branch on a 29 yard pass down the right sideline, and the PAT attempted by Kenya Johnson was good, giving Sprague the 7-6 lead.
North Salem came right back with a Wilson dominated drive that covered 53 yards on five plays in 2:46. This time, Wilson cut off tackle for a 12 yard TD. The two-point PAT run came up short, but the Vikings led again, 12-7.
The second quarter belonged mostly to the visitors. First, Sprague went on an epic 14 play, 56 yard drive, using a mix of run and pass to eat up nearly five minutes of clock. The payoff play was a two-yard Kenya Johnson run. Despite missing the PAT, Sprague led 13-12.
The Olympians then got a break when North Salem couldn’t move the ball and was forced to punt. The punt return team blocked the Julian Brambila punt, and took over at the North Salem 18 yard line. Four plays later, Izaiah Terrones caught a 16 yard pass from Witherspoon and waltzed into the end zone. The Olympians converted on a two-point conversion, and led 21-12 with over six minutes remaining in the half.
North Salem took over at their own 32 yard line, and ground out an impressive drive, using the legs of Wilson and other, fresher running backs to move steadily down the field. Fullback Jerrik Wangler scored from one yard out with 23 seconds remaining in the half. Another missed PAT, but North was still in the game at 21-19.
Sprague began with the ball in the second half, but watched their momentum crash, due in large part to a three-play sequence with the ball.
First, Witherspoon found a wide-open Aiden Andresen on a deep post pattern, but the ball was dropped. Before the next play could be run, the Olympians were called for illegal procedure. On the next play, Witherspoon threw another deep ball, and had it picked off by Vikings sophomore Braxton Singleton, who raced back down the field on a 70 yard pick-six. It was Singleton’s second INT for a TD of the season. Jamahl Wilson converted the two-point PAT on a short run, and North was in control with a 27-21 lead.
Sprague’s offense fell all but silent the rest of the way. First, North stopped the next Sprague possession and Wilson culminated the next North drive with a one yard dive. A two point conversion moved the North Salem lead to 35-21.
Sprague did actually find a way to respond with an efficient drive that ended with Kenya Johnson pounding it in from four yards out for a TD in the wildcat formation. The extra point by Amity Rogers drew Sprague closer to 35-28.
But the game was not Sprague’s to control. Instead, Wilson had two long TD dashes late—of 36 and 51 years. The Vikings sealed the victory by a final count of 47-28.
North Salem coach Jeff Flood was understatedly excited about his team’s performance in ending a 30-year victory drought against the Olympians.
“(Line coach) Tony (Davis) challenged the line this week to be the difference in the game and they were,” said Flood.
“Jamahl was phenomenal.”
Indeed, Wilson rushed for 350 yards on 38 carries and five touchdowns (9.2/carry).
All totaled, North Salem rolled up 362 yards on 57 offensive plays. Just two passes were attempted by North’s TC Manumaleuna. Sprague had 60 plays for 257 yards.
Witherspoon tallied 176 yards on 22 of 32 passes for the Olympians. He threw a pair of touchdowns to Terrones and Baldwin-Branch, and was also intercepted passes.
Defensively, Sprague linebacker Aedan Sale had 11 tackles and a sack, Kenya Johnson recorded 10 tackles, and Landon Cogar recorded nine tackles, while Braxton Bingham was credited with 15 stops. North defenders Jerrik Wangler, Jamahl Wilson, and Enrike Aguilar were mentioned as top performers for the Vikings.
Sprague (1-4, 1-6) will host South Salem (5-0, 7-0) on Friday, while North Salem (3-2, 5-2) will visit West Salem (3-2, 3-4). Both games are slated to begin at 7:15 pm.
WEST SALEM 55, MCNARY 14
The West Salem picked their first back-to-back victories in two years at McNary last Friday. And they did it with an offensive explosion. Meanwhile, winless McNary found the silver lining to its season as youngsters pushed into starting roles showed some maturity in their new roles.
West Salem’s victory in Keizer followed the Titans’ home victory over Sprague the previous week. Although still below .500, the young team is rounding into a force to be reckoned with next year, if not in the Columbia Cup consolation playoffs this season.
West started fast and never looked back in the 55-14 victory at Flescher Field. Titan quarterback Kaiden Martirano—who threw for 199 yards on the night—started with a 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver Connor Oertel—who then promptly kicked the extra point to go with his reception to make it 7-0 West.
It quickly became 14-0 in favor the Titans when defensive back Zach Diaz picked off a McNary pass, and returned it 29 yards for a TD. Diaz had 14 tackles on the evening to go with the pick-six.
Ian Herber capped off a West Salem drive near the end of the quarter with a four-yard TD run. Again, Oertel’s PAT was true, and the Titans had pushed the lead to 21-0.
McNary got on the board next—as early as they have scored since their opening game vs. McMinnville. A four-yard touchdown run by junior RB Jerry Tracy, followed by the PAT made the score 21-7.
West Salem wrapped the scoring in the first half when Martirano went to the air again late in the second period—completing a 36 yard pass to Evan Wusstig. The Titans led 28-7 at the half.
After intermission, West Salem put up three more scores in the third quarter. Martirano first rambled 28 yards for a TD, wrapping the initial Titan drive of the period. That was followed by another Ian Herber run of 21 yards, and 27 yard TD pass from Martirano to receiver Deacon Shinkle. West’s lead stood at 49-7.
Both teams traded scores in the fourth and final quarter. West brought in defensive specialist Cougar Bailey, who muscled his way into the end zone. The PAT was missed, but West nowled 55-7.
McNary wrapped up the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Aris Vasseur to Cameron Harrington to make the final score 55-14.
Celts coach Connor Astley says that considering the injury issues his team faced, including the loss of senior signal caller Gage Smedema for the season, it was a positive step forward for his young team.
“Defensively we had 3 sophomores starting—all guys who we expect to be big time players for us next year,” says Astley.
“Right now they are going through growing pains which unfortunately means getting beat or big plays happening.”
Still, McNary recorded some positive offensive numbers, generating 189 yards in total offense, including 100 yards on the ground. Vasseur had one interception to go with his TD pass. The Celtics also lost one fumble.
For West Salem, Martirano threw for 199 yards on 11 of 15 pass attempts. He had a single interception to go with his three touchdowns. Wide out Evan Wusstig had 50 yards, Deacon Shinkle 49 yards, and Connor Oertel 47 yards on two catches—along with TD catch each.
The Titans also recorded 157 yards on the ground, led by Herber’s six carries for 66 yards and the two scores.
Defensively, Zach Diaz was in on 14 tackles to lead West Salem, along with his TD off an interception. Cougar Bailey had 4 tackles, including two sacks on the evening. Cole Hansen and Cade Vandiver recorded eight tackles each, while Evan Wusstig had seven.
McNary (0-5, 0-7) plays next at Medford’s Spiegelberg Stadium against North Medford (4-1, 5-2), with a 7:00 pm kickoff time. West Salem (2-3, 3-4) returns home to host North Salem (3-2, 5-2) beginning at 7:15 pm.
(5A) Silverton 50, McKay 14 (THU)
The McKay Royal Scots played this last Thursday at one of the very best teams in the 5A classification—the Silverton Foxes. The short 15 minute ride to Silverton introduced the team to the town’s homecoming festivities at McGinnis Field.
The game also allowed the Scots to introduce their 2023 football team to Silverton. The initial exchange started with a little bit of apprehension as the Foxes found themselves trailing after the first quarter. That position is one that only a few select teams normally put them in. Not the Scots.
But McKay started the game quite well, as quarterback Kyrin Fuimaono threw a pair of touchdown catches in the opening period.
Kyrin’s first TD throw came at the end of a longer drive—punctuated by a ten yard connection between the QB and receiver Gavin Aguero. That gave the Scots a 7-0 lead.
Silverton didn’t take long to respond. Brody Sullivan received the ensuing kickoff, and jetted 89 yards to the end zone. The PAT was no good, and McKay led 7-6.
Later in the opening frame, Fuimaono went deep, hooking up with Justice Anthony on an 83-yard touchdown pass. Yet another kick by Cristian Naranjo went through the uprights to give McKay a 14-6 advantage,
In the closing minute of the opening quarter, Silverton quarterback Sawyer Teeney completed a long drive by hitting Brody Kuenzi with a 16-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion run by Teeney tied the game at 14-14.
Silverton players after the game admitted that being behind early was a bit unnerving for their entire team. That led to a change in defensive strategy: blitzing Fuimaono mercilessly.
That adjustment produced positive results for Silverton for the remainder of the contest.
McKay’s offense was shutout the rest of the game, while the Foxes continued their scoring onslaught—reeling off 44 straight points after falling behind.
Scots coach Brandis Piper says he expects his team to rebound from the big loss.
“I thought we came out pretty fired up and ready to play football,” said Piper.
“I’m proud of how hard our players continued to play throughout the night, and the intensity they brought to the game.”
For the game, Teeney completed 10 of 13 passes for 126 yards and three Foxes touchdowns.
Fuimaono ended the night with 9 of 18 passes completed for McKay with the two first quarter TDs. Anthony caught four of those passes for 114 yards. Kyrin was harassed from the shotgun all night, and lost 36 yards on nine hurried rushing attempts.
With the win, the second-ranked Foxes improved their Mid Willamette Conference record to 7-0. The seventh-rated Scots fell to 5-2 on the season. Silverton will travel to West Albany next week with a one game lead on the Bulldogs.
McKay (5-2) will play on the road for a second straight week—travelling to 2-5 Corvallis on Friday at 7:00 pm.
South Medford 33, Grants Pass 14
South Medford celebrated their homecoming game in style last Friday, marching past Grants Pass at Spiegelberg Stadium.
The same hard-nosed football that had produced so much success all season was on display by the Panthers all night long, as the team rolled up 310 yards on the ground on 50 carries as they pounded the young Caveman team.
South Medford was without their quarterback Colby Schwartz due to school disciplinary reasons, but it hardly mattered as the Panthers controlled all aspects of the game from start to finish.
The game’s scoring started with a South Medford rarity—a pass. Senior running back Ryder Scheid threw a 15 yard TD to fellow senior Gannen Jones in the end zone. The PAT gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
After recovering a Grants Pass turnover near midfield, South Medford then took six plays to get to the end zone. Bridger Foss scored on a two-yard dive to make it 14-0.
A roughing the kicker penalty on the Panthers gave Grants Pass the momentum to score next. Freshman quarterback Jordan Rosetta—who sharing QB duties with sophomore Nathan Bassett for the game—got the Caveman on the board with a 31 yard TD pass to Cole Carnes to cut the lead to 14-7
The Panthers responded on the ensuing kickoff. Junior RB Kameron Rague ripped off a 93-yard kickoff and South Medford was back up two scores, 21-7 and had the momentum back on their side of the field.
South Medford kept a grip on the game with great defense—picking off three passes during the course of the evening. Running back/linebacker Bridger Foss nabbed the first of three picks, returning the ball to the GP 15 yard line. Wes Boyd cashed in three plays later with a two yard run to improve the Panther lead to 27-7.
Grants Pass was picked off in their next possession, as Caleb Morgan laid out to make the play and stymie another Caveman possession.
South Medford wrapped up its scoring for the night at the direction of sophomore quarterback Makana Brown, who filled in for Schwartz for the contest. He handed the ball to Bridger Foss, who ran 56 yards up the middle for the last Panther TD.
Nathan Bassett, who started at quarterback for Grants Pass, threw a 27 yard TD to Tim Hart with under five minutes left in the game.
Grants Pass managed just 42 yards rushing on 23 carries. The two Caveman QBs-Bassett and Rossetta, combined for 145 yards passing while facing continued pressure from the South Medford defense.
South Medford (3-2, 5-2) hits the road next Friday—traveling to Roseburg (0-5, 1-6) to face the Indians at 7:00 pm. Grants Pass (1-4, 2-5) will entertain defending conference champion Sheldon (5-0, 5-2) in a 7:00 pm contest.
OSAA Power Rankings—figuring out the Mess
This is the place where you hold your head and try to figure out how the OSAA’s power rankings will impact your favorite Oregon prep football team. The best that can be offered is that the Three Rivers League is wreaking havoc with the rankings.
South Salem, which was ranked as high as second in the survey, has dropped all the way to seventh after pounding on the 42nd ranked McNary Celtics 63-7. The other SD1 playoff teams include Sheldon (#9), North Medford (#12), and South Medford (#13). North Salem—which has a 5-2 record like the last three teams named—is rated 24th, and is one place behind 3-4 West Salem.
Special District One will get a good share of playoff teams at the end of the regular season, but they are being negatively influenced by the Three Rivers League. West Linn—the defending state champion—is listed at number one. That seems to be a subject not up for debate with its perfect record against solid teams. The issue is that the entire conference is ranked in the TOP TEN.
You read that correctly. After #1 West Linn, Tualatin is rated second, Lake Oswego is fifth, Lakeridge is sixth, Oregon City is tenth, while Three Rivers basement dweller Tigard is actually ranked higher than OC at eighth.
One reason that 3-4 West Salem is sitting right above 5-2 North Salem in the rankings is that West has played Lake Oswego at #5, and before that, Pacific Conference leader Sherwood, which is presently #3 in the power rankings. The fact that the Titans faced two of the top 10 teams has helped float them higher in the computerized numbers despite a sub-.500 season record.
If you think you have the rankings figured, remember that the playoffs still need to figure in one champion from each league. That means the champion from the PIL will be inserted into the top 16. At present, that means Roosevelt—a colossal loser to North Salem early in the year, appears poised to be in the top 16. Numbers 17 through 32 participate in the Columbia Cup consolation bracket.
Remember that wins and losses in the last two weeks of the regular season can flip the rankings upside down with little encouragement.
Grit your teeth and hold on.
In the Sprague/North game, it was not Jamahl Wilson with the pick 6. It was Braxton Singleton.
The Three Rivers League is OSAA’s version of the SEC. Hopefully we can keep our league together.../s