Vikings Are League Champions
The Vikings faced fourth down and inches at the Red Devil nine yard line Friday night in Coquille, trailing by three with 1:46 left in the game. Will Johnson picked up more than the first down, grinding his way into the end zone for his third touchdown of the night and the go- ahead score. Micah Blankenship added the point-after run to give Siuslaw the 37-32 lead that would become the final score in a game that saw eight lead changes. Blankenship and Dylan Gray each had touchdown runs in a very wet and muddy game. Siuslaw will host the Dayton Pirates at Hans Petersen Field in the opening round of the OSAA 3A playoffs Friday night. The Winner of that game will play either Sutherlin or North Valley the following week in the quarter finals.
Soccer Victory
Kale Jensen led Siuslaw Soccer to a thrilling 2-0 victory over the Western Christian-Amity Pioneers in Saturday’s first-round playoff game. Jensen scored his first goal ten minutes into the match, while the Pioneers challenged Siuslaw’s defense several times in the first half. Coach Londi Tomaro noted that Siuslaw’s superior conditioning showed as the game progressed. Midway through the second half, Jensen connected again, running onto a well-placed through ball and securing his second goal. Goalie Terrence Masterman was a standout, making an impressive 15 saves in the second half alone, while defenders Joel Bates and Yair Brito-Xilot added three more key stops. Siuslaw kept a clean sheet, holding the Pioneers scoreless through a combination of solid passing, ball movement, and fitness. The Vikings will advance to face District Two champions, the Dayton Pirates, in an away game Tuesday evening. Dayton, with a 10-2-3 record, enters as the number 4 seed, while Siuslaw, fourth in their district, holds the 13-seed. The winner will take on either 5-seed Creswell or 12-seed Blanchet Catholic.
