Silverton QB Chase Dominguez looks to pass downfield against Summit in the 5A title game. (Photo by JR Olson)

HILLSBORO – When Silverton football head coach Dan Lever took over the program before the 2022 season, he was leaving plenty behind.

Lever was the head coach at Tualatin where he led the Timberwolves to the 6A state championship game in 2021. 

But Lever left to be closer to where he grew up in Canby, and he always believed that Silverton was a place that could be a powerhouse competing for state titles every year.

And on Friday against No. 1 Summit, the Foxes proved their head coach’s faith was true by taking the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A state title 24-14 over the Storm.

“There were some crazy things that happened in that game,” Lever said. “Just some unbelievable string of plays that happened. … We just made plays when we needed to make plays. Our defense played awesome.”

That awesome defense began on the first possession of the game when the Foxes forced a turnover on downs on their own 47-yard line to end the Summit opening drive.

Silverton marched down to the 1-yard line before going for it on fourth as well, but it was also stuffed on the play as Lever was trying to call a timeout to switch the field goal unit onto the field and get points.

The two sides traded possessions again with Summit punting and Silverton turning it over on downs again at the Summit 23-yard line.

Rinse and repeat. Summit punted once more to end the first quarter, and the Foxes’ possession in the second frame ended on their own 49.

One play later, it was Jude Anderson running for a 49-yard touchdown to put the Storm ahead 7-0 after the made PAT.

However, that Summit score woke something up in Silverton as the Foxes raced their way down the field on the next possession and punctuated it with a 37-yard TD from QB Chase Dominguez to wideout Gavin Aguero wide open in the near-side of the end zone.

“We just brought the energy,” Dominguez said on the momentum-changing drive. “I think we had some nerves. We put it away and just played how we play that second quarter.”

Silverton forced another punt and worked down the field quickly, aided by another big Dominguez to Aguero connection for 40 yards to the Summit 17-yard line. The two both transferred to Silverton from McKay before the 2025 season.

“I mean we’ve played since second grade together,” Dominguez said of his connection with Aguero. “Our connection is pretty good. Me and him, we just know where the ball goes and I know where I have to put it.”

Two plays later, Dominguez threw it out wide to senior Nash Moser who barreled his way into the end zone from 11 yards out to make it 14-7 Foxes going into halftime.

“We’re Foxes, we always find a way,” Silverton senior Nolan Horner said of the second-quarter turnaround. “Sometimes you just gotta put your head down and keep going. You can’t get too caught up with losing on a fourth-down play, you just gotta keep it going, put your foot in the ground and get up field.”

The third quarter was won by the defenses again with both sides punting twice in the frame.

Silverton had the ball going into the fourth but had to punt once more before forcing another Storm punt.

With 10:57 to go in the game, Silverton had the ball looking for the shot to possibly put the game away. 

Dominguez connected on four passes on the ensuing drive while the run game kept chipping away, eventually putting Silverton on the Summit 23-yard line after Dominguez hit Horner for nine yards on a 4th-and-5 play.

The Foxes got the ball down to the 3-yard line, lost a yard and were looking at third-and-goal. Senior Logan Uitto took a direct snap, fumbled it, picked it back up and ran to the far side for a 3-yard score to put Silverton up 21-7 with 4:40 left in the game.

Summit stormed right back though, scoring on the ensuing drive in only 33 seconds thanks in part to QB Andrew Guthrie hitting Conrad Dodge for a 40-yard gain to the Silverton 25. Three plays later, Anderson broke free for a 17-yard TD to cut the Silverton lead to 21-14 with 3:59 to go.

The Storm elected to onside kick, and Silverton made it pay when Michael Orton returned it 27 yards to the Summit 21.

However, the Storm looked like they were going to get the stop when Silverton was looking at 4th-and-6 from the 17. The field goal unit came out to try the 34-yarder.

However, Horner bobbled the hold and instead had to take off to the sideline and try to win the edge. He was able to turn up field and cross the sticks to get the first down and keep the ball in Silverton’s hands.

“Honeslty, I messed up the hold and I decided to yell, ‘Fire,’ and run for the first down. It seemed to work out pretty well,” Horner said. “You just gotta take it and run with it.”

That allowed the Foxes to inch a little closer and waste more time, hitting a 26-yard field goal off the foot of Caden Druliner to make it 24-14 Silverton with 2:02 to go.

Summit tried to hit some deep passes on the next drive, but nothing was open and the Storm turned it over on downs with 1:24 to go, allowing the Foxes to kneel out the game.

“What a great decision for me and my family, I love this community and I love what we stand for,” Lever said, fighting back tears. “This group always did the right thing. Whenever I asked them to do something, they’d do it. You always have a few kids that don’t buy in or don’t do what you ask, but they did it every time. Unbelievable.”

The state title is Silverton’s third in program history, joining the Foxes of 1991 and 2021 as state champions.

“It feels great, I keep saying it’s surreal,” Dominguez said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

Anderson finished the game with 158 rushing yards and two TDs to lead the Summit effort. Guthrie was 11-for-24 passing for 134 yards with Dodge hauling in three catches for 65 yards. Connor Conneely had four grabs for 47 yards.

On the Silverton side, Dominguez was 21-for-27 for 239 yards and two TDs. Horner carried the ball seven times for 65 yards while Aguero led the receivers with two catches for 77 yards and a TD. Uitto was the main target with six catches for 52 yards.

Dominguez, who missed games during the regular season due to injury, only had 20 incompletions in the first three games of the playoffs before having another stellar performance in the title game.

“(Dominguez) was lights out,” Lever said. “He came back, got a big win against a good Dallas program, and then just built off that. … Kid was a difference maker and he sure made a difference tonight.”

Silverton finishes the year 12-1, that lone loss being a 34-28 defeat to Lebanon back on Oct. 17 without Dominguez in the final moments of the game.

Lever said that loss helped motivate his Foxes squad, and they made sure the sting of losing wouldn’t be how 2025 ended.

“It showed us what would happen, it set the edge and it was a horrible feeling losing to (Lebanon),” Uitto said. “We kept our heads up, we worked and remembered every week. I think we brought it to this game.”

That sting of losing went further back than falling to Lebanon. Last year, the Foxes were ousted in the semifinals by Wilsonville in a close 32-29 game.

That team lost plenty of seniors, and this 2026 class wanted to make sure to win one not just for them, but for all of Silverton.

“We had 25 seniors last year, we lose a controversial semifinal game by three points, and I think we were all kind of thinking how the heck do we get back here?” Lever said. “We went right into the weight room and we started working and I could see it start to happen. It just happened week by week, day by day. And look where we are.”

Where those Foxes are is state champions in 5A, something that can’t ever be taken away from this group and the 2025 season they put together.

“It’s awesome, these guys are like a second family to me,” Horner said. “I can’t even explain it. These guys are awesome.”