“I was just trying to fill in for Hayden Roth and do as good a job as he did,” Nathan Kuenzi said. “I really enjoyed it. That was the most fun game I’ve
ever played.” The Silverton High running back was talking Sept. 28 after the Foxes’ 40-22 Special District 3 football victory against Corvallis. Kuenzi, starting for the injured Roth, rushed for three touchdowns and uncorked a 58-yard run on Silverton’s first possession of the third quarter. Kuenzi scored twice during a 20-0 Foxes blitz in the period that turned the tide.
Kuenzi had even more fun Oct. 5 at Dallas. The running back chewed up the new field turf for 216 yards on an amazing 49 carries and scored twice in the 23-8 victory. The third Foxes touchdown came on a pass from sophomore quarterback Aaron Rieskamp to wide receiver Grant Buchheit, and Ben Willis added a field goal.
Buchheit was on the injury list and missed the Corvallis game, as did quarterback Levi Nielsen.
“We’re slowly getting healthier and have some guys trying to get back in action this week,” coach Josh Craig told Our Town.
The wins moved Silverton, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, to 6-0 in district play, tied with No. 3 West Albany.
“This week” was a trip to 4-2 Crescent Valley, ranked ninth. The game took place after Our Town’s presstime.
Kennedy, meanwhile, has righted the ship after struggling in Special District 2 losses to No. 2 Sheridan and No. 6 Santiam. The Trojans downed nonleague foe Grant Union 37-0 on Sept. 28 and took out Gervais 61-20 on Oct. 5. Kennedy, 1-2 in league and 4-2 overall, hosted Colton (3-1, 5-1) after Our Town’s presstime. Kennedy is ranked 11th and Colton 14th in Class 2A. The top two teams in the league automatically qualify for the Class 2A playoffs, with four at-large berths also available. Santiam (4-0) and Sheridan (3-0) currently are in the top two spots.
Volleyball: Kennedy passed its first major test of the season Oct. 2, taking out visiting Culver 3-0 in Mount Angel. The Trojans entered the week 13-0 in the Tri-River Conference, 22-1 overall and ranked No. 2 in Class 2A behind Grant Union. Culver is 12-1 and seems sure to join Kennedy and make up the two automatic state playoff bids from the conference. Kennedy played its rematch with the Bulldogs after Our Town’s presstime.
Silverton, meanwhile, is in good playoff position in the Mid-Willamette Conference. The Foxes are 8-5 in league, 12-8 overall and ranked No. 11 in Class 5A. The Foxes are in fourth place in league, with the top four all qualifying for the state playoffs.
Soccer: The Foxes’ boys squad has moved up to No. 4 in the Class 5A rankings. Silverton is 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-Willamette Conference. The Foxes’ lone loss was to No. 2 Corvallis. Silverton has a pair of tough matches this week, hosting No. 5 Central on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and visiting No. 3 South Albany on Thursday, Oct. 18.
Silverton needs to stay in the top four in league to guarantee it a spot in the playoffs. Corvallis leads at 4-0, with South Albany at 4-1 and Central at 3-1-1.
Cross country: The Kennedy and Silverton cross country teams are rounding into shape and aiming toward district competition. The Trojans participate in the district preview meet Thursday, Oct. 18 with the district championships set for Oct. 25. Both meets are at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon.
Kennedy’s Alejandra Lopez currently leads all Class 2A Special District 2 runners with an 18:47.6 time. Boys runner Luke Hall, meanwhile, is fourth at 17:38.
Silverton runs in the Mid-Willamette Conference district meet Oct. 24 at Waterloo Park in Lebanon. Haile Stutzman of the Foxes leads district boys runners with a 15:47.6 mark. Jori Paradis is the top Silverton girls runner, ranking 11th.
The state meet for all classes is Nov. 3 at Lane Community College in Eugene.
Hoops camp: The Silverton High girls basketball program is hosting a camp for girls in grades four through eight from
3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the school gym.
Coach Tal Wold and his players will be instructing campers in ball-handling, attacking the basket and shooting, as well as preparing players for upcoming middle school and Future Lady Foxes tryouts.
The camp costs $20, with T-shirts available on a first-registered, first-served basis. Email Wold at [email protected] to register or if you have questions.
Got a news tip? Email me at [email protected] Follow me on Twitter.com @jameshday.
Check facebook.com/ourtown.smasm for sports coverage
