Stayton-area football teams will be facing some new opponents and new structure this fall.
The biggest change is in Class 2A, where the Oregon School Activities Association has instituted a 9-man model because of declining roster sizes. Regis and Santiam both will be playing 9-man as part of the Tri-River Conference. League opponents for the Rams and Wolverines include Blanchet Catholic, Chemawa, Colton, Culver, Gervais and Willamina.
Regis opens the season with a non-league matchup Sept. 2 at Gaston. Santiam debuts at Knappa on Sept. 2. The Rams and Wolverines will face off Oct. 28 in Mill City.
Stayton and Cascade will be playing in a reshuffled Class 4A Special District 2. Gone from last year’s district foes are Woodburn and Newport. Sweet Home stays, but new for this season are Marist Catholic of Eugene, Cottage Grove, Junction City and Philomath.
Stayton opens Sept. 2 against visiting Molalla, while Cascade debuts with a Saturday, Sept. 3 home game against Baker. The rivalry game between the Cougars and Eagles is Oct. 28 in Stayton.
Baseball Update: Regis, which finished 21-9 overall and turned in a pair of playoff wins to advance to the Class 2A-1A quarterfinals, made its presence felt on the all-district and all-state teams. Pitcher Tanner Manning of the Rams was named Special District 3 player of the year. He was joined on the first team by infielder Max Eaton, outfielder Kollin Schumacher, catcher Noah Koenig and utility player Mason Koenig. Outfielders Tristan McMullen and Cody Ditter were placed on the second team. Manning also was a first-team all-Class 2A-1A choice, while Eaton and Schumacher made the third team and Noah Koenig received honorable mention.
Regis entered the playoffs as the No. 11 seed but took out No. 22 Illinois Valley 2-1 in 9 innings and No. 6 St. Paul 4-1 before falling 4-3 to Knappa in the quarterfinals. Regis also turned in the top cumulative grade-point average among 2A-1A teams, scoring a 3.62 GPA.
Hospital Runs: A total of 338 runners and walkers participated in the June 4 Santiam Hospital fun runs. Kenneth Kosgei, 38, of Salem blistered the field in the 10-kilometer, with 31:17.9. Stacey Hudson, 41, of Salem, was the top female finisher. She took 7th overall in 46:11.4. J. Tate won the 5K walk in 17:12.6, followed by T. Tate in 23:36.3. B. Wagar, 12, of Stayton captured the 3K run in 12:18.9. Jeneane Douglas, 56, took 7th overall and was the top woman finisher in 16:40.5. Zachary Holloway, 20, of Stayton finished first in the 5K run in 20:40.6. Rachel Kintz, 15, of Scotts Mills was 10th overall and tops among women in 24:10.6.
Stayton Runs: B. Wagar of Stayton also was a winner in the 5K trail run as part of Stayton’s 4th of July runs, which attracted 171 participants. Wagar ran 20:34.1 to barely edge Michelle Rose, 34, who ran 20:34.9. Kyle Bandtel, 37, of Sublimity won the 3K walk in 17:40.0, with Gwen Schwartz, 54, of Alliance, Ohio, 2nd in 24:07.5 Todd Coblentz, 54, of Stayton took first in the 3K run in 10:47.9. Emily Kroeker, 18, of Aumsville was 4th overall and the top female finisher in 14:30.2. Richard Boyer, 57, of Albany was the winner in the 10K trail race in 34:37.9. Julia Schwartz, 19, of Alliance, Ohio, was 4th overall and the first woman finisher in 44:53.5.
Middle School Track and Field: Athletes from Cascade and Stayton both scored points in the Oregon Meet of Champions on May 26 at Bob Holt Stadium in Corvallis. Bryce May of Cascade took 7th in the shot put (41-11.5) and teammate Bryce Kuenzi was 7th in the javelin (131-4). For Stayton, Jerry Gallion finished 7th in the 800 in 2:11.73.
