Eagles and Pirates Wrap Up Last Two Conference Titles

Stayton used 13 second half points to claim the last Capital Conference title, and the Eagles' first in 39 years, with a 13-0 win over North Marion. The eighth ranked Eagles’ win relegated the Huskies to third, and also eliminated Estacada, despite the Rangers’ 32-7 win over La Salle. Cascade, who easily won the Cougar Clash, defeating Illinois Valley 28-6 for their fifth straight win, claimed the second seed, and a second round date with #1 Marist.

The Phoenix Pirates swatted the Henley Hornets off the field, claiming the Skyline championship with a 54-6 runaway, sparked by Justin Bohn, who returned both a punt and an interception for touchdowns, and also caught two of Chris Kammel’s five touchdown passes.

Sutherlin claimed second in the Far West, and a second round trip to the hive to face Henley, with a 48-33 win over Siuslaw in Florence, but league champion Douglas’ 33-0 win over South Umpqua still let the Vikings back into the playoffs.

Sisters took care of business in Cottage Grove to the tune of a 33-21 win, but still missed the postseason when Pleasant Hill handled La Pine 53-32 to claim the third berth from the SkyEm.

Scappoose took Tillamook out in the battle for the third berth from the Cowapa with a 63-15 runaway, and Newport claimed the third spot from the Valco with their 42-19 win in Taft, which brought the Jack Wilkinson era to a close after 28 years on a losing note.

I was 15–5 (75 %) last week, and finished 159–61 (72 %) for the regular season.

Third ranked Astoria tuned up with a 41-8 workout against Seaside, Molalla closed the season with a two game winning streak, and a 42-24 win over Gladstone, and second ranked Central blew an overmatched Philomath squad off the field with a 41 unanswered points, and a 62-15 victory, this after the Warriors had taken a 7-6 early lead.

Marist finished the regular season with a 55-8 victory in Elmira that secured them as the top scoring offense in the state in 11 man football, averaging 53.7 points per game. The Spartans also finished as the best defense in 4A, averaging 9 points per game.

Brookings-Harbor ended their season on a positive note, with a 39-22 win in North Bend, and North Valley claimed bragging rights on the outskirts of Grants Pass, with a 29-20 win over their rivals from Hidden Valley.

The game of the week is the only game where home field advantage won’t exist, further tightening things up in what was already one of the week’s best matchups in any class.

North Marion Huskies (7-3, 4-2), Capital #3, vs. #5 Banks Braves (8-1, 4-1), Cowapa #2 at Forest Grove High School. Banks belted Yamhill-Carlton 35-8 in a tune-up that changed nothing, standings wise, while North Marion was suffering their second consecutive loss.

The winner goes on to Ontario, where the GOL champion and sixth ranked Tigers are waiting, rested after a 62-28 thrashing of McLoughlin, which extended their winning streak to eight straight game.

The game was moved to Forest Grove, making all the musings about the Banks mud a moot point. Which might not be a good thing for North Marion. With or without Jordan McCain, who broke his arm in the Elmira win, the Huskies, are not a track-meet type of team. The Braves average 37 points per game, and no one but Astoria has come close to slowing them down.

Banks hasn’t seen a defense that comes close to the Huskies all season though, except for Astoria, and that was the game they were thoroughly beaten in, 30-3. Only Marist allowed fewer points than the Huskies and the Fish, but while North Marion’s defense is stout, Banks’ defense is better than some might suspect, as the Braves are lurking just outside the top 10 in points allowed. So they could curb North Marion’s offense a little themselves.

The closest thing to a quality win on the NM resume is the victory without McCain over Estacada, while Banks’ best win was 32-13 over ‘Poose, who happened to hand the Huskies a 24-19 loss. Additionally, Banks ranks higher on four of the ratings systems than NM. A number of the Braves’ players have the additional experience from last year’s 4 playoff games in their run to the title game, while the Huskies are not familiar with the postseason.

The lower the score, the more the situation favors North Marion, while the more points that pile up, the more likely it is that Banks wins. On a better track, the comparative ‘Poose outcomes and the ratings say Banks edges away, while North Marion may have a problem finding enough points to keep up.

Siuslaw Vikings (4-5, 3-2), Far West #3 at #8T Scappoose Indians (7-3, 3-2), Cowapa #3. ‘Poose put 112 points on the scoreboard in the last two weeks, both in must win situations, and has topped 40 points scored seven times this season. The Vikings scored 80 in splitting their last two games, but gave up 91. Further, Siuslaw lost to the two teams’ common opponents, 28-13 to La Salle, and 41-40 at Molalla. ‘Poose pounded Molalla 44-7, and out-scored La Salle 42-35.

This would be the ‘Sporty’ game of the week if his alma mater Glide Wildcats weren’t in action in the 3A playoffs just up the road in Rainier.

Siuslaw has only even come close once against a team that has reached the post-season, losing 29-28 in overtime to Newport.

The Indians struggled with injuries and the flu midseason, about the time they ran into Astoria and Banks, and came closer than anyone to Central, in the week four shootout they lost 58-47, except Astoria, since opening night.

But against non-top five opponents, which the Vikings are, the Indians have been on the warpath. ‘Poose gets a rematch with the Panthers.

#10 Newport Cubs (7-2, 2-2), Valco #3 at Pleasant Hill Billies (6-4, 3-3), SkyEm #3. Newport and PHill have a common opponent in Junction City, and both defeated the Tigers by three points.

The Cubs had their best offensive night of the year in beating down Taft, after defeating Philomath the week before with their best defensive outing of the season. The Billies are also coming off a great offensive show, matching their season best from opening night, points wise.

Trouble is, the Billies haven’t had a good outing defensively at any time this season, and that becomes a big problem in the postseason. Pleasant Hill has enjoyed a good revival before heading off to 3A next season, but that lack of defense will overtax their offense, and the run ends here. A good game, but the physical Cubs take advantage of the Billies on both sides of the ball, and move on to Astoria.

La Grande Tigers (2-7, 1-2), Greater Oregon #3 at Sweet Home Huskies (7-3, 3-1), Valco #2. Both teams come in off bad road losses, the Tigers 49-6 in Baker to the seventh ranked Bulldogs, who were tuning up for a second round trip to Stayton, and the Huskies 43-30 in Junction City. It was JC’s second consecutive win, as they prepared for their second round trip to Phoenix.

La Grande absorbed their worst loss of the year, and it was the fourth time the Tigers have scored six points or less. Yet two wins is worth a playoff slot, if you are from the GOL. 13 teams with better overall records, including three at or above .500, are not in the playoffs.

Sweet Home has given up over 100 points in the last two weeks, but that has happened on the road. Where all of the Huskies’ losses have happened. By double digits.

Fortunately for the Huskies, this game is at home, back in Husky Stadium, where they are 6-0 on the season. And the Tigers are struggling on both sides of the ball. Woof! Huskies roll in the mismatch of the week, and on to a date in Winston against the #4 Douglas Trojans.

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