The Stayton High boys soccer turned in a sterling three-game run through the Class 4A state tournament and took home its second state title with a 4-1 win vs. Phoenix at Sutherlin on April 10.
The top-seeded Eagles won the three games in five days, downing visiting Marshfield 5-1 on April 6 and traveling to Bend to blank Ontario 1-0 in the semifinals.
“We were healthy going into the tournament which helped a lot,” coach Chris Shields told Our Town. “We had also played three games in five days during the season, prepping for what we thought the state tournament would look like. [I] wanted to have our kids minds and bodies ready for this.”
Shields also won an OSAA Class 4A title in 2010 and took second in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. This year’s COVID tournament featured an 8-team bracket of the six 4A league champs and two at-large teams rather than the usual 16-team bracket because the competition had to conclude in one week.
“Overall they played well all season,” said Shields, whose team finished 12-0 with a 60-5 goals edge. “We had a ton of talent return from last season. We had a lot of players on the roster who played in multiple state championships, so we were up to the challenge.
“So many players stepped up and played great. We return a lot of great talent next year, so we are hoping for yet another run at the final.”
Cascade football: The Cougars’ season ended with a 56-28 loss at Banks in a battle for fifth place in Class 4A. Cascade finished 3-3, but the losses were to No. 2 Marist Catholic, No. 5 Banks and Class 6A Canby.
Coach Brandon Bennett noted that his squad rallied from a 21-6 deficit to within 28-20 against Banks but then “our next five drives went fumble, fumble, fumble, pick and pick.”
“You cannot make as many mistakes as we did against good teams. The best part about that game is the hunger our kids now have. Off-season lifting has already started and the kids are excited for the fall.
“We return 20 of 22 starters. So for us it is awesome to know we play again in a few months.”
Bennett, meanwhile, is staying busy by coaching the golf team and also is getting married this summer.
Volleyball: Another sign that Class 4A was going to work like heck to make it a normal season is that the Oregon West Conference selected an all-league team. Senior Carly-Rose Lederer of Stayton make the second team, as did Cascade’s Lucretia Benolken. Stayton ‘s Olivia Atiyeh, Maddy Mitzel and Mary Weitman earned honorable mention, as did Jadyn Daviscourt, Cami Oliva and Annebelle Peterson of Cascade.
Baseball: Stayton has added a veteran assistant baseball coach, Don Heuberger, who won a pair of Class 2A state titles and more than 700 games in a career that included 28 years at Regis. Heuberger is assisting long-time friend Steve Salisbury of the Eagles.
Track and field: Stayton is in line to host the OWC district meet on Friday, May 14, Eagles athletic director Darren Shryock says, subject, as always, to Marion County’s COVID risk level.
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