Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
The Santiam High volleyball squad is off to a 7-2 start and is in the thick of the playoff fight in the Tri-River Conference.
The Wolverines are 3-1 in league play, tied with Western Christian for third place in the league. Salem Academy (4-0) is the lone unbeaten, with Blanchet Catholic second at 4-1.
The top four teams in the Tri-River make the playoffs, with the 16-team bracket also including three at-large teams. The Tri-River also is looking strong in the Class 2A rankings, with Western Christian first, Salem Academy sixth, Santiam eigth, Culver ninth and Willamina 12th.
Santiam’s two losses have been to Culver and Class 3A Scio. The Wolverines have taken six of their seven victories by 3-0 scores.
Football: Scio continues to put up points in bunches. The Loggers downed Amity 50-16 last Friday in their Class 3A Special District 2 opener and are now 3-0 overall. Scio has scored 138 points in its three wins and is ranked No. 9 in class 3A. The Loggers host Salem Academy (1-2 overall, 0-1 in league) at 7 p.m. Friday night at Newcomb Stadium.
Santiam, meanwhile, fell to 0-2 with a 60-22 Tri-River Conference loss at Culver. Xavier Vital rushed for a pair of TDs for the Wolverines, while Wyatt Dayton added one on a 60-yard scamper.
Running back Lukus Lebahn, who moved into the quarterback role when starter Sam Schroeder injured his ankle against St. Paul, “did a pretty good job at QB,” coach Lyle Schroeder told The Canyon Weekly. “His throwing isn’t like Sam’s, but he is able to make plays with his speed and agility.”
Schroeder’s high ankle sprain will keep him out of Friday’s 7 p.m. home opener in Mill City against Gervais (2-1 overall, 0-1 in league).
“The game at Culver started out OK,” Coach Schroeder said. “We kept it close in the first quarter. Then the wheels started falling off the bus. We had issues with blocking on offense and containment and coverage on defense.”
In his scouting report on this week’s opponent, Schroeder said, “Gervais has really improved this year. In their game against Regis, they were able to put 24 points on the board. In watching film, I’ve noticed their line is blocking better and they have two big running backs. Their passing game is about the same as last year, but can still beat you if you’re not prepared.
“We just have to keep working and improving. Our numbers were low against Culver, but we should have a couple more boys back for this week’s game.”
Cross country: Santiam and Scio competed in the Sept. 13 Silver Falls Oktoberfest Invitational, which was contested on the trails and fire roads at Silver Falls State Park.
The Scio boys took 16th as a team. The competition featured 34 schools, from Class 1A to Class 5A, and approximately 500 runners in the four races.
Chris Zamudio led the way for the Loggers, finishing the 5,000-meter course 73rd in 20:45.8. Also running for Scio were Syrus Diaz (99th, 21:56.7), Riley Utter (125th, 23:48.0), Max Zedwick (126th, 23:50.1), Jack Forson (128th, 23:55.0) and Keltes James (143rd, 25:30.7).
Tico Irving of Santiam was 84th in 21:17.8, with teammate Eli Stave finishing 130th in 24:02.8.
Santiam’s Maggie Sisk was 51st in the girls varsity race in 24:48.4, while Scio’s Emily Zamudio was 78th in 27:00.8 and teammate Richelle Bentley was 96th in 31:03.0.
“We just have to keep working and improving. Our numbers were low against Culver, but we should have a couple more boys back for this week’s game.” – Santiam Head Coach Lyle Schroeder
