The local squads have finished one-two in Special District 3 football and earned a bye this weekend.
Cascade finished a dominating 5-0 league campaign Oct. 25 with a 64-13 home win vs. Philomath on Senior Night. The Cougars won their league games by an average of 33 points.
Stayton, meanwhile, took second in the district at 4-1. The Eagles won four in a row to close the league season after opening with a 47-39 loss against Cascade.
“We are right were we wanted to be,” Coach Brandon Bennett told Our Team. “This team set a goal to earn an undefeated league title in the spring of 2019. They have done everything right to this point in the weight room, in the classroom, at practice, and in games. This is a fun group to be around. It does not happen very often that you have a team as motivated and passionate about football as you are as a coach.”
Bennett took a bit of a gamble in the offseason and decided to put in completely new offensive and defensive playbooks.
“With our new offense and defense it takes time for the kids to gain the confidence in the scheme,” Bennett said. “It takes time for coaches to make quick adjustments. When you run an offense for years you kind of know how teams will defend you. We definitely had a learning curve for players and coaches alike.”
The offensive approach incorporates more option looks than Cascade fans have been accustomed to but still features a lot of classic Cougar power football.
“We wanted to take advantage of the athletes we have, allow us to spread the wealth and keep teams off balance.
And it’s fun.”
And if it’s fun for the coaches… it’s probably fun for the players, too.
Cascade is 7-1 overall and ranked ninth in Class 4A. The squad hosts No. 8 Baker on Nov. 8 in the second round of the playoffs. Stayton, 6-2 overall and ranked No. 14, will learn its playoff opponent after this weekend’s play-in round. The Eagles, who will be playing on the road, have been playing their most complete football in the past few weeks, allowing just 8 points apiece against Newport and Sweet Home and earning the runner-up spot with a 41-18 win at Sisters.
Soccer: Both Stayton teams are in the hunt for Oregon West Conference title as the season enters the home stretch.
The boys squad is 10-1 in league play and ranked fifth in Class 4A. The Eagles swept Woodburn this season and a win Oct. 29 after Our Town’s presstime against 8-3 Cascade would give the squad a league title. Cascade dealt Stayton its lone league loss on Oct. 1 by a 1-0 score.
Omar Renteria and Jayden Esparza have been spearheading the Eagles’ attack, Coach Chris Shields told Our Town, while the defense of Julian Flores, Nolan Cramer, Omar Garcia, Damien Uribe and goalkeeper Ivan Pelayo has pitched eight shutouts and allowed just four goals in 12 matches. Sophomore Ivan Munguia and junior Erick Gomez also have played keys roles, Shields said.
“As for the playoffs,” Shields said, “it’s hard to say how we might do. I am hopeful this group can get to the end, but right now we are focusing on each game as if it’s the most important team we are going to play this season.”
The Stayton girls, league champs a year ago, are locked in a three-way struggle for this season’s crown. The 10th-ranked Eagles are 8-2-1 and in third place, trailing 9-0-2 Philomath, ranked sixth, and 9-1-1 Woodburn, ranked seventh. All three teams will be in the playoffs, but the top two in the league earn a first-round bye.
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