VALE – Eli Aldred piled up 139 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns and the Viking defense proved once again to be a force to be reckoned with as Vale rolled Siuslaw 48-0 in a first-round prep football playoff game Saturday.
Vale now faces Kennedy (10-0) Saturday, Nov. 12, in a quarterfinal game. Kennedy, in Mount Angel, is the state’s top-ranked 3A team. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Silverton High School.
Meanwhile, Adrian punched its ticket to a quarterfinal contest with a commanding 66-6 win over Dufur on Friday, Nov. 4. Adrian (8-2) will travel to Merrill in southern Oregon for a Saturday quarterfinal contest against Lost River.
In Vale Saturday, the Vikings used a little more than two minutes in the second quarter to take control over Siuslaw.
Ahead 6-0, Eli Aldred’s 8-yard touchdown run and point-after jaunt with 8:01 left in the first half pushed the home team out in front 14-0.
Siuslaw fumbled deep in its own territory on its next possession and Vale took advantage. Vale quarterback Colton Stepleton’s 19-yard run gave the Vikings a 20-lead with 6:30 remaining in the second quarter.
A second Siuslaw fumble midway through the third frame set up Kase Schaffeld’s touchdown run and pushed Vale (7-2) ahead 28-0.
There was a quarter and a half of football remaining but Schaffeld’s score essentially sealed the Vale victory.
Leland Tamez’s interception late in the third stanza translated into another Vale score when Stepleton hooked up with Brooks Haueter on a 40-yard touchdown pass for a 34-0 advantage.
Vale added touchdowns by Eli Aldred and Will Friend for the final margin.
Siuslaw coach Sam Johnson didn’t mince words after the game.
“They were better than us,” said Johnson.
Vale coach Jeff Aldred was pleased.
“Our defense is playing at such a high level and we match up well with most teams,” said Aldred.
The Viking offense was efficient throughout the contest and Stepleton finished the day 4 of 6 for 109 yards passing.
“This wasn’t a fluke. Our defense is very good. We are a very opportunistic team. It was a complete team win,” said Aldred.
The Vikings amassed 385 yards of offense for the game while holding Siuslaw to 140 yards. Siuslaw averaged 2.3 yards per play during the game while Vale averaged 11.7 yards.
Odin Smith paced Siuslaw with 90 yards on the ground.
It was a dominating victory but the Vikings will face a steep challenge against unbeaten Kennedy.
“They have a really good mixed of size and speed. They have a great run defense,” said Aldred.
Kennedy’s closest victory was 24-20 win over Santiam Christian Oct. 28.
“I think it will come down to how we travel. But I like where our kids are right now. They are looking at their opponents through the eyes of a coach. We are in a good spot and we are playing out best football,” said Aldred.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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