Once again the Stayton High boys soccer program was… this close… to a second Class 4A state title.
The Eagles, who won the 2010 title and have finished runners-up three times, made it four second-place trophies Nov. 16 when Stayton fell 1-0 to Woodburn in the Class 4A title match at Liberty High in Hillsboro.
Rodolfo Campuzano scored in the 29th minute for the Bulldogs, who held on in the second half to take their second consecutive 4A title after dropping down from Class 5A.
The win turned the tables on the Eagles, who had defeated Woodburn by 2-0 and 1-0 scores during the Oregon West Conference season.
“The title game was a struggle. We came out scared and unsure, which is frustrating since we had started each of the previous playoff games at high level,” Stayton coach Chris Shields told Our Town. “That first 30 minutes was enough for Woodburn to get a goal and that put the pressure on us to score.
“The second half was better, but we missed our opportunities. It was the opposite of the two previous encounters with them, where we started strong and scored first.”
Overall, Shields said it was “a wonderful season considering how many new starters we had on the field. Our whole back line was new from last season. We had three players score in double digits, two of them are sophomores and the other is a junior. We will be returning three of four defenders, and five of six offensive starters next year.”
Stayton allowed just seven goals all season, outscoring opponents 83-7 in a 15-3-0 campaign that included an
11-1 championship record in the Oregon West.
Shields was named coach of the year in the league, with Jayden Esparza of the Eagles sharing player of the year honors with Ricardo Hernandez of Woodburn.
Joining Esparza on the first team were Eagles Omar Renteria, David Ramirez and Ivan Pelayo. On the second team were Isael Ramirez and Ivan Pelayo, while Nolan Cramer, Damien Uribe and Omar Garcia received honorable mention.
For Cascade, which was 8-4 in OWC league play and dealt Stayton its lone conference loss, Julian Lopez and Alex Gutierrez were named to the first team. Jacob Farr, Ruben Ruiz and Octavio Leiriao were named to the second team, while Dylan Wolf, Danny Pelayo and Jesus Franco earned honorable mention.
Girls soccer: KJ Nyquist of Stayton was named Oregon West Conference player of the year. Nyquist, a senior, led the Eagles to an 11-4-1 overall record and a 9-2-1 mark in the Oregon West. Stayton took third in league and lost in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs to North Marion.
Joining Nyquist on the first team from Stayton was Maddie Pask. Second-teamers for the Eagles were Kirsten Burt and Julieta Arreola. Earning honorable mention were Kenzie Pugh, Allie Hlavinka, Alissa Humphreys, Rian Hill and Karlee Tyler.
Leah Delamarter was a first-team pick and Alexia Privratsky earned second team mention for Cascade.
Football: Cascade ran the table in the Oregon West with a perfect 5-0 season and the Cougars finished 7-2 overall. But for coach Brandon Bennett and his squad there was one that got away, the round of 16 playoff game against visiting Baker.
Cascade turned over the ball five times, with the mistakes playing a key role in the 38-21 loss to the Bulldogs.
“In the playoffs mistakes are magnified,” Bennett told Our Town. “We played well for the most part but when we got momentum it was killed quickly by a big play (by them) or a turnover by us. We had our chances but did not capitalize. Baker is a good football team and I want to give them the respect that is due. Their kids played well.”
Overall, Bennett came away pleased with the season and noted some distinct improvements.
“Our culture had changed over the last two years in a direction I was not happy with,” he said. “As coaches we set some very high expectations (this year) for the boys, especially the seniors. All the kids in the program rose to those expectations. They changed the culture in a year. Commitment, weight room, and a family atmosphere. I could not be more proud of our 12 seniors and what they did for this program moving forward.”
The undefeated league title was the eighth in school history, and the Cougars made the playoffs all four years.
They were “just a great group to be around. Our community should be proud of them,” Bennett said.
Volleyball: Stayton and Cascade each placed two players on the all-Oregon West Conference second team. Honored from Stayton were Hannah Mitzel and Carly Rose Lederer, while the Cougars placed Maddy Worst and Brooke Worst.
Three Stayton players earned honorable mention: Kalista Szmyd, Emma Heuberger and Megan Benson.
Cascade had one HM on the list, Kenna Coleman.
Santiam, meanwhile, placed two athletes on the all-Tri-River Conference lists, second-teamer Lucretia Benolken and Mckenzie Dodge, who received honorable mention.
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