Silverton had a huge hole to fill at quarterback this season. Levi Nielsen had started four years in the position, leading the squad to the playoffs all four seasons.
But as the Foxes, 5-0, headed into a critical Special District 3 game against 4-1 Dallas that took place after Our Town’s presstime the QB slot is in good hands.
Sophomore Jordan McCarty, who split time with junior Aaron Rieskamp in week one, started in week two against South Albany and has caused all sorts of problems for defenses with his speed and his ability to throw on the run.
“McCarty has done a great job at QB this year,” Foxes coach Josh Craig said. “He has been poised when we needed him to be, has made some key plays, and has shown a lot of toughness. For being only a sophomore he’s demonstrated a calmness and control that I’m impressed by.”
Against Lebanon in week three McCarty led the Foxes 97 yards in 16 plays in six minutes and 38 seconds to the winning score in the 29-25 victory. McCarty converted four third-down plays on the drive, including a 7-yard run and a 19-yard pass to Grant Buchheit.
On Oct. 4 McCarty had a quiet night statistically against Corvallis with 128 yards passing and 25 rushing. But he accounted for four of the five Foxes’ touchdowns, rushing for two scores and hitting Buchheit and Nathan Kuenzi on scoring passes in the 34-21 victory.
For the season McCarty has rushed for 369 yards and five TDs and passed for 690 yards and seven more scores.
And the Foxes still have Rieskamp, who was 3-1 as a starter and 1-0 as a relief pitcher last season when Nielsen banged up his knee.
“Aaron is no doubt a solid QB,” Craig said. “If he were to have to take snaps, our offense would function well. He knows the plays and is ready to go at any point.”
I’d put it another way:
No other team in the district has the one-two punch at QB that the Foxes offer.
Kennedy, meanwhile, is 3-0 in Special District 2 and ranked No. 4 in Class 2A. The Trojans’ lone loss was at defending Class 3A state champion Rainier.
“We have been doing a much better job of taking care of ball, and picking up first downs,” Kennedy coach Joe Panuke said. “Our defense has been rock solid and
are playing really physical and not giving up big plays.”
The Trojans are coming off a 42-14 nonleague win at Grant Union of John Day. Running back Bruce Beyer rushed for 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also caught a pair of TD passes from QB Dylan Kleinschmit, who threw for 164 yards and three scores. David Reyes added 82 yards rushing and a TD, while Brady Traeger hauled in three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Soccer: The Foxes are 2-0 in the Mid-Willamette and 5-1-1- overall under first-year coach Marty Limbird. The loss came against Marist, No. 2 in Class 4A, and Silverton played to a 2-2 tie with Hillsboro, No. 2 in Class 5A. The Foxes are ranked sixth.
“I have been very impressed with the senior leadership and the tenacity of the younger players, Limbird said. “Their buy-in has been huge and their willingness to work hard and to learn as a group has been a pleasure to coach.”
The Foxes started eight seniors a year ago on a squad that advanced to the quarterfinals. Cory Garlinghouse and Brian Leon are back to play key leadership roles, while junior forward Britton Ullan has scored 11 goals in seven games. Also making strong contributions, Limbird said, are sophomore midfielder Dominic Doyle and junior midfielder Brandon Rodriguez.
Senior Owen Cote, who returned to soccer after a couple of years off, is starting in goal, a position he has never played before.
Volleyball: The Kennedy volleyball squad continues to dominate the Tri-River Conference. The Trojans are 11-0 in league play and 22-1 overall and own the top ranking in Class 2A. Kennedy is two games ahead of Culver in league and has won 57 sets and lost just 5. The Trojans have not lost a set in league play and their lone overall loss was to Class 4A Sweet Home.
Kennedy already has taken a 3-0 win against Culver, with a second matchup set for Oct. 23 at Culver.
Silverton, meanwhile, remains in the thick of the playoff picture in the Mid-Willamette. The Foxes are 5-5 in league play, tied for fourth with Dallas. The top four teams in league play automatically qualify for the Class 5A playoffs.
Alumni watch: Former Foxes standout runner Jori Paradis is off to a strong start with the Concordia University of Irvine cross country squad. Paradis, a three-sport standout at Silverton, has been twice named freshman of the week by the PacWest Conference.
First, she took 18th in the Sept. 21 Coyote Challenge in San Bernardino in 18:25.87 over 5,000 meters to help lead the Eagles to third place. Then, on Sept. 28 she finished 35th in the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento with a 6K time of 22:54.1. Again, the Eagles took third as a team in the event.
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