We’re two-thirds of the way through the regular season as I write this and it has been a stunningly impressive one for our two local football teams, Silverton and Kennedy.
The Foxes were 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in Class 5A heading into Thursday, Oct. 12’s Homecoming encounter with 5-1 McKay. The top-ranked Trojans are 5-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 3A. Their lone loss was a 21-14 nailbiter on Oct. 6, against No. 4 Banks, which lost to JFK 15-7 in last season’s Class 3A semifinals.
The two teams have some key similarities. First, they are led by veteran quarterbacks, Sawyer Teeney of the Foxes and Elijah Traeger of Kennedy. Both run and throw well and seldom make game-altering mistakes. Second, they have been playing suffocating defense. Silverton has allowed 64 points in six games. Much of those points have come when the outcome was no longer in doubt. Corvallis scored two late TDs after trailing 40-0. Yes, Crescent Valley scored a season high 22 vs. the Foxes Oct. 6, but they trailed 62-8 at halftime before tacking on two meaningless TDs amid a running clock the entire second half.
Kennedy has been even stingier on D, allowing its six opponents just 54 points while pitching two shutouts and holding two other teams to six points apiece. A third factor is consistency. Are you resilient enough and dialed-in to play a solid game every week? Neither team has come close to a dud this season.
Silverton is winning by an average of 46-10. It’s 31-9 for Kennedy.
The Trojans’ played an excellent game against Banks in a matchup worthy of another state semifinal. That’s a tribute to the two coaches, Dan Lever of Silverton and Joe Panuke of JFK.
Quarterback, defense, consistency and coaching. In high school that package will get you a long way. Last season the Foxes went 7-4 and lost to Wilsonville in the quarterfinals. Kennedy took a 12-0 record into the Class 3A final before losing to perennial power Cascade Christian.
I’m sensing at least that much success this season when November rolls on.
Baseball: Former Kennedy left-handed pitcher Ethan Kleinschmit, who led the Trojans to back-to-back Class 2A-1A titles, has committed to play at Oregon State University after this season. Kleinschmit will play at Linn-Benton Community during the 2023-24 school year before moving on to the Beavers.
Girls Volleyball: Silverton enters the home stretch of the Mid-Willamette Conference season in prime playoff contention. The Foxes, ranked 8th in Class 5A, were 10-5 overall and 7-3 in league play at Our Town’s presstime. Silverton currently sits 4th in the league behind No. 1 Crescent Valley, the defending state champions, No. 3 West Albany and No. 5 South Albany. The Foxes lead No. 18 Corvallis (5-4) by 1.5 games in the battle for fourth, with the two teams facing off in Corvallis on Thursday, Oct. 19. The top four teams in the league earn automatic playoff berths, with two statewide at-large berths also available.
Soccer: The Silverton girls soccer squad fell from the unbeaten ranks with a 2-1 loss on Oct. 10 at West Albany. The Foxes, ranked 15th in Class 5A, are 4-1 in Mid-Willamette play with 3 matches left. Corvallis (4-0), Crescent Valley (3-0-1) and 3-0 West Albany also are in the hunt for the league title. The top four earn automatic playoff berths, with two more teams statewide receiving at-large berths based on OSAA ranking.
Meanwhile, the Silverton boys fell 3-0 to West Albany on Oct. 10, at McGinnis Field to fall to 2-2-1 in league. The 11th-ranked Foxes also have three matches left and also need to get into the top 4 to earn an automatic playoff berth. Silverton currently is battling 2-1 West Albany and 2-1-1 Central for that fourth spot, with defending state champion McKay just behind at 1-2-1.
Boys Volleyball: The Oregon School Activities Association has declared boys volleyball an “emerging” activity. A total of 32 schools, including Silverton, are planning to participate in the sport this spring. According to OSAA guidelines once more than 25 schools are involved the activity is in emerging status. To be fully sanctioned 50 schools must be involved.
OSAA executive director Peter Weber said a committee likely will be formed to study the issue, a process that likely will take two years.
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