The Silverton High volleyball squad is locked in a three-way battle for the Mid-Willamette Valley Conference title – and state bragging rights as well.
At Our Town’s presstime the Foxes were 11-4 overall, 9-2 in league and ranked No. 3 in Class 5A. League foes West Albany (17-3, 11-0) and Crescent Valley (12-3, 8-2) are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
“We’ve battled some fierce competition this season and our league has some of the best,” coach Kate O’Connor told Our Town. “This entire team brings the strength of flexibility, grit, tenacity, on top of being strong athletes.”
Senior libero Lilly Horner already has broken the school record for career digs, Rowan Reilly has been strong on offense and defense and junior middle blocker Olivia Rosborough “has a very powerful swing,” O’Connor said.
Sophomore setter Alexis Haury is “one of the best in the state,” O’Connor said, with juniors Lindsey Schmidt and Taylor Westfall moving into the starting lineup after playing on the JV team a year ago.
On Oct. 7 the squad received the Class 5A OSAA/Les Schwab Tires “team of the month” award before the Foxes’ 3-0 home win vs. Lebanon. The honor covers excellence in the classroom, effort on the court, sportsmanship and work in the community.
Soccer: A goal for the ages and a historic win have the Silverton soccer program in the thick of the fight for the Mid-Willamette Conference title. The Foxes used a majestic 35-yard blast of a goal from senior defender Solomon Moore and a heroic defensive effort to down Woodburn 1-0 on Oct. 5.
Silverton is 5-0-4 overall and 2-0-2 in league, with tough matchups ahead against North Salem and Corvallis, both 4-0. Corvallis is 4th, North is 5th and the Foxes are 6th in the latest OSAA rankings.
The win against Woodburn, which has won seven state titles and been runner-up four times, was the first in Silverton boys soccer history.
Football: The Silverton and Kennedy football teams appear to be marching toward possible league titles. At Our Town’s presstime the Foxes were 5-1 overall, 4-0 in the Special District 3 and ranked 4th in Class 5A. Silverton, which faced Corvallis on Oct. 15 after Our Town’s presstime, has a showdown with No. 2 West Albany (6-0, 4-0) on Oct. 22 at McGinnis Field.
Kennedy, meanwhile, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Special District 2. The Trojans are a half-game ahead of Regis and Santiam, both of whom are 3-1. The Trojans downed Santiam 32-6 on Oct. 1 and bounced Regis 34-14 on Oct. 8’s Homecoming Game. Kennedy closes with a road game at Gervais and home games against Culver and Salem Academy. The three opponents are a combined 1-8 in league play.
Cross Country: Kennedy and Silverton runners are gearing up for district competition as well as the state meet.
Freshman Rachel Kintz of Kennedy is ranked 6th in Class 3A/2A/1A with a 5K time of 21:16.7. Teammate Nora Breeden is 10th at 22:23.0. Trojans sophomore Jeremiah Traeger is ranked 15th in Class 2A/1A boys with a 19:32.4 clocking. Kennedy participates in the district meet Oct. 28 at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon.
Silverton senior Carter Gauvin, meanwhile, is ranked 11th in the Class 5A Mid-Willamette Conference with a 16:46.2 time. Sophomore Lauren Ortega (21:34.4) is 25th among girls. The Foxes run in their district meet Oct. 30 at Seven Oaks Middle School in Lebanon.
The state meet for all classes is Nov. 6 at Lane Community College in Eugene.
Basketball tryouts: The Future Lady Foxes are hosting tryouts early next month for girls players in fourth through eighth grades. On Nov. 3 fourth- through sixth-graders will try out from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and seventh- and eighth-graders go from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. On Nov. 7 the 4th-6th session runs from 2 to 2:45 p.m. and the 7th-8th from 3 to 3:45 p.m. The tryouts will be at Silverton High.
Team players will participate in four to six tournaments in the Silverton/Salem area. Practices will be twice a week at the high school, Silverton Middle School or Butte Creek. The season starts in late November and ends in late February or early March, depending on the grade level.
The cost per player is approximately $200, which includes uniforms, tournaments, gym rental and insurance. Email coach Tal Wold at [email protected] for more information.
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