Cascade High remains in control of football bragging rights in the region. The Cougars, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A, remained the lone unbeaten team in the division with a 51-26 home win against Stayton on Oct. 24, at Federico Field in Turner. Cascade is now 8-0 overall and 3-0 in Special District II.
“This contest has more emotion than any other game in the state of Oregon,” Cascade coach Shane Hedrick told Our Town.
Cascade has won three games in a row in the series with Stayton and 11 of the last 13. Hedrick, who has 30-plus years of coaching in Oregon, is 3-0 in the rivalry game. His Eagles counterpart, Randy Nyquist, also with 30-plus seasons as a head coach, including three Class 5A titles at West Albany, dropped to 1-8 against Cascade.
The Cougars’ win sets up a winner-take-all showdown for the Special District II title with No. 6 Estacada on Oct. 31, after Our Town’s presstime. The Rangers are 6-2 overall and 3-0 in league. Estacada’s losses have been to No. 3 Tillamook and No. 5 Scappoose. Stayton fell to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in league, with losses only to Cascade and Estacada. The Eagles close the regular season with a nonleague game against visiting Ontario (1-7).
Cascade, Estacada and Stayton all have clinched Class 4A playoff berths. The first round takes place on Friday, Nov. 7. Pairings will be set this weekend.
Boys soccer: Stayton coach Chris Shields has reached a milestone in his 23 years with the Eagles. Shields, who has won two Class 4A state titles and finished second four other times, hit the 250-win mark with a 4-1 win at Cascade on Oct. 14. The Eagles, 12-0-1 overall and ranked No. 1 by the OSAA, already have clinched the Oregon West Conference title and will host a playoff game on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Shields was low-key about the win total and was more interested in talking about the progress of this year’s team.
“Overall this year is going to plan considering we had most of last year’s group come back,” Shields said. The 2024 squad went out in the semifinals against Henley. “Defensively has been a surprise. We were good last year, but might be better this year.”
The Eagles at Our Town’s presstime had scored 59 goals and allowed just 6. Shining on defense have been senior Yael Villazana Gonzalez and three juniors, Jose Navarro, Omar Villazana Gonzalez and Noah Klampe.
Shields added that junior midfielder Miguel Ceballos “has contributed goals this year on top of all his hard work in the middle of the field. Our junior group has really stepped up this year.”
Regis: The Rams have received $6,000 to pay for stadium improvements as part of a “Friday Night Lights” promotion involving T-Mobile. Regis was one of 450 schools accepted into the program, which required schools to promote the contest on their social media accounts. The 25 finalists were selected on Oct. 24 and took home $25K apiece. One school will receive $1 million for a stadium makeover. Still in the running is Lebanon, which is looking to replace aging Heath Stadium on campus. Lebanon is the only Oregon school still in the running. Regis will use its $6,000 to help pay for new signs at its field, said Steffanie Piccirilli, director of advancement.
Volleyball: No. 2 Cascade claimed the Oregon West Conference title with a 9-1 record and will be joined by third-place Stayton, 7-3, ranked 10th, in the upcoming Class 4A playoffs. Stayton finished fifth in last year’s tournament, while the Cougars were sixth. Regis, meanwhile, was in the hunt for a Class 2A playoff slot at Our Town presstime.
Alumni watch, Tyler Voltin: The former Regis High standout is back on the field at Oregon State. Voltin, a 6-4, 368-pound senior, missed most of the 2024 season with a knee injury after earning the top spot at right guard. He finally returned to action in a reserve role for the Houston game on Sept. 26 and has started the past three games against Appalachian State, Wake Forest and Lafayette. The Beavers are 1-7 heading into the Nov. 1, 4:30 p.m. home matchup at Reser Stadium against Washington State.
Got a news tip? Email me at james.d@mtangelpub.com. Follow me on X (Twitter) @jameshday and Our Town on Facebook.
