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The cheerleading squad for Silverton High, which has returned to competitions for the first time in a decade. Submitted photo

Sports roundup – Silverton cheer returns to competitions

By James Day Silverton High has returned to competitive cheerleading. The Foxes took second at a meet at Lakeridge, the first such participation by the school in approximately a decade. Stacey Spears, who has more than a decade of experience with the Future Foxes, is coaching the squad, which continues to have a cheer presence on the sidelines at football […]

James Day

Successful return – Barnes leads Foxes volleyball within one win of state

Kirsten Barnes’ return to the coaching reins of Silverton volleyball was a highly successful one. Barnes previously coached in the program from 1996 to 2010 and won eight league titles during an 11-year run as head coach. This year’s Foxes were 12-8 overall, hovered around the top 10 in Class 5A most of the year, finished fourth in the brutally […]

James Day

Football powers – Silverton, Kennedy off to the races – again

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 […]

Foxes second-year coach Dan Lever works with his linemen on footwork at a practice Aug. 7. Silverton opens at home on Sept. 1 vs. Dallas.  James Day

Football preview – Silverton, Kennedy getting ready for openers

By James Day It’s year two for Silverton football coach Dan Lever, who led the Foxes to a 7-4 record and a Class 5A quarterfinals berth a year ago. “Year two is a lot better than year one,” he said Aug. 7 as the team opened fall camp. “In year one you are just trying to get everything in place.” […]

James Day

Football memories – Top 10 moments from ten years on the beat

This is the 10th anniversary of my sports column in Our Town. Well, actually, it’s the 11th, but I’m not counting the COVID year. With football season almost upon us I thought it was a good time to look back on those ten-plus years and note the top moments from our two teams, Silverton and Kennedy. During that stretch both […]

State champs – Mucken wins long jump, places in 3 other events for SHS

  By James Day Silverton High’s Steeley Mucken scored in 4 events on May 26-27 to lead the Foxes to a tie for 5th in the OSAA Class 5A track and field meet at Hayward Field in Eugene. Mucken won the long jump and took 5th in the 100, and 6th in the 200 and the javelin to help Silverton […]

Track stalwarts – Kennedy takes home two district titles

  By James Day The Oregon School Activities Association moved Kennedy into an unfamiliar district for track and field this season. The Trojans wound up in Special District 1, which featured numerous teams from the northwest corner of the state, including Knappa, Vernonia, Clatskanie and Nestucca. “Our athletes made the most of it,” said veteran JFK coach Steve Ritchie after […]

Trojans resilient – Baseball squad scores huge win in wind tunnel

Baseball is played in a wide range of climates in Oregon. Hot, cold and rainy for sure. Even hail at times. But May 8 at Kennedy High in Mount Angel it was the wind that challenged the host Trojans and St. Paul as they met in a showdown series in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 2. Both teams came in undefeated, […]

A class above – Kennedy an immediate state power at 3A level

One of the challenges of this job is explaining things that are difficult to explain. But I am going to give it my best effort. What the Kennedy High football squad was able to achieve this season was just off the charts. The Trojans finished 12-1, losing only to Cascade Christian of Medford in the Nov. 26 Class 3A title […]

Football all-stars – Foxes, Trojans dominate all-league squads

Silverton earned 17 spots on the all-Mid-Willamette Conference football teams as selected by league coaches. The Foxes were playing Wilsonville in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Friday after the Our Town presstime. Top honors went to Jackson Pfeifer, offensive player of the year, and Xavier Orozco, defensive lineman of the year. Pfeifer was on the first team at running back […]

Foxes rally – Silverton 3-0 in league, Kennedy moves to 4-0

By James Day Silverton High took over sole possession of first place in the Mid-Willamette Conference on a wild Friday night of football in the valley. The Foxes rallied from a 2-touchdown deficit to take out South Albany 39-35 in the home opener at McGinnis Field. Silverton, 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the MWC, scored 18 points in the fourth […]

Football frenzy – Foxes, Trojans getting ready for openers

The Foxes lost tons of contributors from a 12-1 2021 squad that took home the school’s first state title since 1991. But the program, which has made the playoffs every year since 2011 (minus the COVID year), boasted a 25-2-1 record for its 3 teams a year ago and new coach Dan Lever clearly has a lot of talent to […]

Track veterans – Nearly 50 years of coaching experience at JFK, Silverton

It’s spring. It’s raining. And if you drive anywhere near the tracks at Silverton and Kennedy you will see dozens of athletes running and jumping and throwing things. Last week I saw a half dozen Foxes runners trying to cross Oak Street on Second Street at rush hour. Brave lads. And you also know that those activities, as well as […]

Magical season – Foxes have a new trophy for the case

Somehow you get the feeling that folks in Silverton will be talking about the final play of the 2021 Class 5A football title game for a long time.  Here is the setup: The Foxes were clinging to a 26-20 lead against Thurston and were facing 4th and 17 at the Colts’ 26 with 12 seconds left. No timeouts left.  Let’s […]

Trojans fall to Coquille 38-28 in tough 2A football final

By James Day Kennedy’s shot at a second Class 2A football title ended Saturday with a 38-28 loss to Coquille at Cottage Grove High. Gunner Yates, the Red Devils’ standout running back, rushed for an OSAA title game record 388 yards and 5 TDs. Yates, who carried 23 times and only once was stopped for a loss, scored on runs […]

Champs again! Foxes hold off West Albany in instant classic

When the football schedules come out you always circle the Silverton-West Albany match-up. The past 8 times the two teams have played, including Friday night’s 28-21 Foxes win at McGinnis Field, either a league title has been on the line or the game has been in the playoffs. The two schools are 4-4 in those eight contests, with Silverton holding […]

Fast start: Openers show promise

Will Silverton High senior quarterback Jordan McCarty explode for nearly 400 yards of total offense every Friday? Who knows, but it should be a fun ride. McCarty threw for 322 yards and one touchdown and scrambled for 66 more yards and two more scores on Sept. 3 as the Foxes thrashed Class 6A Grant of Portland 41-7 in their opener […]

Football frenzy – Foxes, Trojans getting ready for openers

Silverton was 3-2 in last spring’s shortened football season and the Foxes are hoping for a full nine-game regular season – and perhaps success beyond that point as well, starting with the Sept. 3 home opener against Grant of Portland. Fifth-year coach Josh Craig noticed a surge of energy, particularly after the state opened up from COVID restrictions June 30. […]