By James Day
The college career of former Silverton High athlete Cole Chandler has gotten off to a promising start.
The three-time all-state quarterback played in five games as a freshman at Pacific Lutheran University in Puyallup, Wash. The 6-2, 190-pound Chandler completed 33 of 53 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns and finished third in rushing with 122 yards.
Chandler had perhaps his best day Oct. 24 in a 28-27 home win against George Fox, completing 12 of 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 39 more yards. Chandler led the Lutes on a pair of third-quarter scoring drives to overcome a 24-14 Bruins lead and give PLU its first win of the season.
Two-time all-state wide receiver Logan Munson, Chandler’s top target in 2014 and 2015 also was on the Lutes’ roster but did not catch any passes in his freshman season.
As previously reported in Our Town, Oregon State had three former Foxes on its roster this season, place-kicker Ian Crist, linebacker Sam Kuschnick and safety Jonas Dahl. Kuschnick and Dahl redshirted this season, with Crist, a transfer from Portland State, serving as the backup to Garrett Owens.
Meanwhile, former Silverton soccer standout Sheyenne Brusven served as the starting goalkeeper for the Corban University women’s soccer team. Brusven, a sophomore, played in all 19 games for the Warriors, turning in a 7-11-1 record, with two shutouts and just 28 goals allowed. Brusven made 102 saves and also was credited with one assist.
Hoops update: The Kennedy High girls basketball squad is off to a 5-2 start and the No. 1 slot in the early OSAA Class 2A rankings.
The Trojans, who finished fifth at last year’s state tournament, are 1-0 in Tri-River Conference play and the win was a big one, a 44-41 victory against defending champion Western Mennonite. Kennedy’s two losses both have come against Class 3A teams.
Also ranked No. 1 is the red-hot Silverton girls squad, which is 7-0, with four wins against Class 6A teams.
The Foxes have played stifling defense, holding five opponents to 40 points or less.
Silverton’s boys squad, meanwhile, is 2-1 heading into a pair of holiday tournaments. The defending Class 5A champions played this week after Our Town’s presstime at a tournament at Willamette University and next week in an event in Wilsonville.
The Silverton teams open Mid-Willamette Conference play Jan. 7. The boys are at home against Lebanon, while the girls travel to face the Warriors. The Silverton boys are defending Mid-Willamette champs, while the girls tied with Corvallis for the title.
All-state football: Kennedy, which finished runner-up to Heppner in the Class 2A tournament, had five players earn first-team all-state honors, including Bishop Mitchell, who was named to the first team as a running back and a defensive back. Joining Mitchell on the first team were offensive lineman Jeremy Kliewer, defensive lineman Jacob Lopez, defensive back Brett Traeger and kicker Angel Mendez, who earned his second consecutive all-state honor.
Lopez moved up from honorable mention a year ago, while Traeger was a second-team choice in 2014 at wide receiver.
Silverton, meanwhile, placed three players on the Class 5A second-team offense. Noah Dahl was named at running back despite missing multiple games with injuries, and offensive linemen Owen Koger and Brett Miller were selected for the second consecutive year. Dahl was a first-team choice at defensive back and kicker in 2014.
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