Don't look now, but Sheldon football is stirring to life again.
After going 2-7 last season – their worst record since 1992 – the Irish are off to a 3-1 start. They rolled past host Sprague 55-14 on Friday night, their third consecutive win since opening the season with a 20-17 loss to 5A No. 9 Thurston.
“We're getting better every week. It's fun,” coach Tyler Martell said. “Our guys have a bunch of confidence right now that just took us a while to get back after last year.”
Sheldon began to build momentum by winning at West Salem 31-14 and defeating 5A co-No. 2 Summit 21-14.
“Against Thurston, our guys felt like they were close and they let one slip that they probably could have won,” Martell said. “To find a way to gut out a win against Summit, that gave us a bunch of confidence. All of the sudden now they feel like can play with anyone on the schedule.”
The Irish took their lumps last season with a young squad. This season, they returned 11 players on offense and eight on defense that saw significant playing time.
“Last year we ended up throwing a bunch of guys to the fire that really weren't ready, that probably should've been playing JV games,” Martell said. “But now that experience has paid off for us.”
In Friday's win, Sheldon got contributions all around. Senior Barry Myles returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Senior Trey Duncan blocked a punt that senior Jack Haverland recovered in the end zone. Seniors Cam Thomas and Kyler Cordell and junior Isaac Moaliitele had interceptions.
Junior Ryker Rohaley completed 12 of 15 passes for 123 yards, including touchdown strikes to juniors Cody Hall, Chase Colling and Amar'e Viquelia. Junior Keaton Welch ran for two touchdowns in the wildcat formation.
Rohaley has completed 77 of 110 passes for 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns.
“He's been rock solid,” Martell said. “He's done a good job of getting it where it needs to go. He's not trying to do too much.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Myles not only is routinely making big plays at receiver and special teams, but he is locking down at cornerback. The defensive line is much improved behind seniors Chase Martin, who missed last season with a torn ACL, and Alexi Ganakis-Smith.
The Irish are beginning to resemble the type of teams that won four 6A titles between 2002 and 2012, three of them under Marty Johnson, now an assistant on the staff.
“Marty Johnson said the other day, 'This feels like Sheldon football,' which to me is really cool,” Martell said. “It's a big compliment coming from a guy like that.”
Up next for Sheldon is its Special District 2 opener Friday at No. 5 Grants Pass (4-1), a game that is likely to impact the district title.
“The environment down there when GP is good is as fun of a high school football environment as there is,” Martell said. “I know our guys will be excited about it.”
Milwaukie stands up
Unranked Milwaukie completed the most daunting nonleague schedule in 5A with its first victory Friday night, topping 6A No. 10 Tigard 39-35 at home.
The Mustangs had a breakthrough last season when they moved up from 4A to claim a share of the 5A Special District 1 title and finish 7-2. They were eager to build on that momentum, but their early schedule – games against 5A powers Wilsonville and West Albany, 6A contender Tualatin and Tigard – was imposing.
They lost to No. 6 Wilsonville 56-28, co-No. 2 West Albany 34-28 and No. 3 Tualatin 43-0, but turned back a previously unbeaten Tigard team that had outscored its first three opponents 130-27.
“Everybody in the state seems to think that we asked for this schedule. That's not how it happened,” Milwaukie coach Jonathan Simpson said. “We just took it like it was what we were dealt, so let's just show up and play.”
Jayden Locke, a 6-4 junior quarterback, led the way against Tigard by passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 171 yards. His 65-yard touchdown pass to senior Peyton Daffern-Schell with under two minutes left was the go-ahead score for the Mustangs, who rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit.
Senior Gabe Aruwah caught two touchdown passes and senior Andre Fiallos ran for two scores. Junior Blake Wheat sealed the game with an interception for the Mustangs, who felt vindicated by the win.
“Our kids pay attention to the rumors and all the reporters saying we didn't deserve to be on this stage, and we're crazy for having this schedule,” Simpson said. “The scheduling didn't do us any favors. It's just been trying to build their confidence – because Milwaukie hasn't been on this type of stage before – that they belong here.”
Simpson said he believes his team has the best collection of skill players in the state with Locke, receivers Aruwah and Wheat, tight end Daffern-Schell, running back Fiallos and junior running back/receiver J.D. Harper.
It all starts with Locke. In three games (he missed the Tualatin game with a knee injury), he has passed for about 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for more than 300 yards.
“He's by the far the best quarterback I've ever coached,” Simpson said of Locke, his nephew. “He's the best leader. He's a coach's dream.”
Another shutout for Culver
Culver, ranked No. 3 in the OSAAtoday 2A coaches poll, recorded its fourth consecutive shutout Friday with a 63-0 rout of visiting Bonanza.
Through four games, opponents not only haven't scored on the Bulldogs, but they haven't even sniffed the end zone. The closest they have come is near the 30-yard line.
“We're tackling in open space really well right now,” coach Brian Silbernagel said. “We're aligning well.”
Culver led Bonanza 42-0 at half and cruised to the win, its biggest play a 75-yard touchdown catch by senior Izaiah Middleton. The defensive effort was led by junior linebacker Emmanuel Orozco (eight tackles) and junior defensive linemen Max Dickson (seven tackles, one TFL) and Bryce Cunningham (forced fumble).
For the season, the defensive category leaders are Orozco (22 tackles), Cunningham (five sacks) and senior linebacker Noah Cory (two interceptions). Seniors Middleton, Carter Worley and Kapp Novelli also have interceptions. Junior nose tackle Carlos Giron (6-2, 275) has been a force up front.
The Bulldogs are making quick work of opponents. They beat Weston-McEwen 48-0, Grant Union 38-0 and Gaston 68-0 in their first three games.
“It's weird because we've only been playing about a half of football, and the JV has been playing the second half,” Silbernagel said. “There are so many three-and-outs.”
After falling in the state quarterfinals the last two years, Culver had high expectations for this season. The Bulldogs lost only three seniors from last year's roster.
The offense has been running over foes with Novelli (400 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) and Cory (289 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns).
“They're both very talented,” Silbernagel said. “They would start for most teams in the state at the 2A level. They're kind of our one-two punch offensively.”
Culver will play its toughest opponent of the season Friday when it visits No. 6 Lost River (2-2), the reigning 2A champion, in the Special District 5 opener for both teams. The Bulldogs are likely to be without Cory, who left Friday's game with an ankle injury.
“He's probably going to be out for a little while,” Silbernagel said. “We're going to miss him next week, for sure.”
Raiders ride Jenkins
The move of senior Josiah Jenkins from running back to quarterback continues to reap dividends for Reynolds, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2005.
The 6-2, 200-pound Jenkins rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 127 yards and one score as the Raiders defeated visiting McKay 28-0 in a 6A nonleague game Friday. Jenkins got Reynolds on the board with a 60-yard run and kept the McKay defense off balance all night.
“He did some special things for us,” coach Bo Jones said.
Jenkins has rushed for 769 yards and eight touchdowns and thrown for four scores this season. He is playing quarterback for the first time since his youth football days.
The running of Jenkins “means everything for these boys,” Jones said. “It's a young group of kids, and they all look up to him as the guy. We go as far as he goes. When he's running the football, everybody just kind of feeds off that energy.”
Jenkins rushed for about 500 yards as the starting running back last season for a team that finished 2-7. When the Raiders graduated the key skill players from their passing game, they turned the controls to Jenkins.
“It was like, 'Dude, you're going to have to be the guy,'” Jones said. “He stepped into the role and has been great for us. We're just trying to keep things simple for him.”
As a runner, Jenkins blends power and speed.
“He runs powerful, it's not just pure speed,” Jones said. “He's hard to bring down with one guy. He can run through arm tackles, and once he gets out in space, he can run away from you.”
Wilcox, Harrisburg 4-0
Former Oregon and NFL tight end Josh Wilcox has 3A Harrisburg off to a 4-0 start in his first head-coaching job.
The No. 7 Eagles (4-0, 2-0) took over first place in Special District 2 on Friday with a 33-20 home win over No. 5 Scio (3-1, 1-1). They opened a 26-12 halftime lead and held on for the win.
“Scio is a dominant football team. Our kids were resilient,” Wilcox said. “It wasn't the prettiest game for us, in terms of execution, but we made plays when we had to. Our defense did an awesome job after halftime.”
The catalyst for Harrisburg was senior quarterback Chase Herrera, who ran for three touchdowns and passed for a score to senior Kason De'Herrera, his cousin. He also had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to foil Scio's comeback bid.
“He did everything,” Wilcox said of Herrera, who has four interceptions at safety this season. “We had the best player on the field. Having great players makes coaches look good.”
The 5-10, 160-pound Herrera is thriving at quarterback this season after moving from receiver. His athleticism helped neutralize Scio's stout defensive front.
“They were dominant on the line of scrimmage. We couldn't do a whole lot,” Wilcox said. “Chase just made some athletic special plays. When Chase makes plays, that opens stuff up for other guys and gives them energy.”
Herrera, senior cornerback Paxton Spike and senior linebacker Parker Jordan helped lead Harrisburg's defense Friday.
“They were running down our throats in the first half,” Wilcox said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and made sure the guys got dialed in on their assignments.”
Jesuit ends Holy War skid
Jesuit (2-2) ended a five-game losing streak in the Holy War rivalry with Central Catholic with a 45-41 home win over the No. 6 Rams (0-4) in a 6A nonleague game Friday.
The lead changed hands 10 times, five in the fourth quarter. Central Catholic took its last lead at 41-38 with 1:31 left on a 41-yard touchdown pass from junior Kody Grant to senior Jamear Shambry. Jesuit pulled ahead 45-41 when senior Jack Wilson connected with senior Kyle Goodwin for a 25-yard scoring pass with 1:01 remaining.
Goodwin made an interception to clinch the win, Jesuit's first over the Rams since 2019. The Crusaders' five-game losing streak in the series included defeats in the 2021 semifinals and 2022 quarterfinals.
Wilson completed 20 of 31 passes for 214 yards and five touchdowns, three to Goodwin, who had 10 catches for 122 yards. Senior Luke Ortner rushed for 103 yards and one score on 19 carries for Jesuit.
Grant went 25 of 35 for 27 yards and three touchdowns, two to junior Jeneral Lewis and one to Shambry.
Heppner goes to 11
Heppner's brief return to the 11-man game was a success Friday night.
The 2A No. 1 Mustangs won at 3A No. 3 Kennedy 26-14 in a cross-classification contest under 11-man rules. It was Heppner's first 11-man game since meeting 3A Warrenton in 2022, the year 2A went to nine-man.
Kennedy (3-1) led 14-8 at half on two touchdown runs by senior quarterback Jaden Traeger, but the Mustangs (5-0) took control with three touchdowns in the third quarter.
Senior Caylan Proudfoot threw touchdown passes of 70 yards to senior Tripp Stewart and 51 yards to junior Jace Wilson and senior Alakae Rodriguez tossed a 25-yard scoring pass to senior Keaton Coiner as Heppner pulled ahead 26-14.
The Mustangs outgained Kennedy 424-165. Proudfoot completed 8 of 14 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Rodriguez rushed for 118 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries and threw for a score. Coiner had four catches for 102 yards and Stewart had two catches for 96 yards.
Kennedy's Traeger rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries but struggled to find a rhythm in the passing game, completing 4 of 16 for 39 yards.
jerryu@osaa.org
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