The Stayton High boys soccer squad is taking the No. 1 seed into the Class 4A playoffs.
The Eagles, who won the 2010 state title and finished second four other times, closed the regular season Oct. 25 with a 1-1 tie against visiting Philomath.
Ismael Esparza scored for Stayton in the first half with an assist from Angel Garcia. Silas Pittman answered for Philomath, last year’s 4A champions, off a corner kick in the 60th minute.
The tie, one of eight that occurred in the Oregon West Conference season, left Stayton with a 7-0-3 league mark, just ahead of 6-0-4 Philomath. The two sides played to a 0-0 tie Oct. 6 in Philomath.
Those draws help show the strength and balance of the league, which put five of its six teams into the 16-team playoffs. Stayton and Philomath earned byes, while North Marion (4-3-3), Cascade (3-5-2) and Newport (2-4-4) are in the play-in round. Cascade will visit Marshfield of Coos Bay.
Stayton, 11-0-3 overall, will play a team to be determined on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Philomath enters as the No. 3 seed, with the two teams only meeting again if they make it to the Nov. 12 championship match in Hillsboro.
“I think we play in a tough league, against good teams,” Stayton coach Chris Shields said. “Many of them are senior-heavy such as Philomath and Cascade, who give us tests each time we step on the field. My feeling is that someone from this league gets to the final, so our chances are good because of the trials we have had to endure to get to this point.”
Esparza, a junior forward, leads the squad with 14 goals, with fellow juniors Jesse Wright, Angel Garcia and Fernando Joachin also contributing to the attack. The defense has been anchored by three seniors, defenders Omar Garcia and Kevin Acevess and goalkeeper Luis Mejia.
The Eagles have outscored opponents 53-5 and trail only Henley (57) in terms of 4A scoring, but Shields said his squad still has room to grow offensively.
For the girls, North Marion (8-1-1) and Philomath (8-2) went 1-2 in the OWC race, with fourth-place Cascade (4-6) earning a play-in slot at North Bend.
Volleyball: Defending 4A champion Cascade hosted Pendleton on Oct. 29 (after Our Town’s presstime) with the winner advancing to the state tournament in Springfield. The Cougars, who also finished second at state under coach Cristina Williams in 2013, are 15-3 overall, finished 10-0 in the Oregon West and are seeded No. 2 in the tournament.
Stayton, meanwhile, which earned a play-in nod by finishing 4th in the OWC, lost 3-0 to No. 1 LaGrande on Oct. 25. The Eagles finished 9-10. The state tournament, which is being conducted in tandem with the 3A event, runs Nov. 4-5 at Springfield High.
Football: Stayton (4-1) and Cascade (3-2) were in the hunt for Oregon West Class 4A playoff berths at Our Town’s presstime as they prepared for their annual rivalry game, with the Cougars hosting this year’s rendition at Lou Federico Field. Marist Catholic, which leads the league at 5-0, faced 4-1 Junction City as all four contenders battled with each other on the regular season’s final Friday. The OWC receives three automatic playoff berths with one statewide at-large berth out there as a possibility for the squad that finishes fourth.
Regis, meanwhile, went into its Oct. 27 home battle with Santiam with a Class 2A playoff spot already clinched. The Rams are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Tri-River conference. Their only loss was to top-ranked Colton in four overtimes.
The 4A and 2A playoffs both begin the weekend of Nov. 4-5.
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