VALE – The Vikings routed South Umpqua 56-14 in their first state playoff game in front of a hometown crowd on Saturday, Nov. 9. The fourth-ranked Vale team advanced to the state quarterfinals.
Viking running back Kase Schaffeld rushed for 167 yards and scored four touchdowns, while teammate Landon Haberman carried for 79 yards and scored once himself to lift the squad over the Lancers.
Coach Jeff Aldred said he was “very pleased” with the Vikings performance on Saturday.
“We have a senior-heavy team that’s played in a lot of big games,” he said. “They were looking forward to the playoffs.”
That excitement for postseason play in front of a packed stadium in Vale was evident on the field.
By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings were up 14-7 with just over two minutes to play and the squad didn’t look back for the rest of the game.
Vikings defenders would only allow the Lancers to score one more time and ended up holding the opposing offense to 144 yards.
Aldred said the squad’s defense is “punishing” with players who “tackle well” and have been “battle tested.”
Aldred said the Viking running game has been “outstanding.”
“This team’s been improving each and every week,” Aldred said. “They’re excited for this opportunity.”
No strangers to the postseason, the Vikings have played with a “chip on their shoulder” all season, Aldred said after the way the squad’s 2023 season ended.
Last season, the Vikings fell to Cascade Christian, a Medford school, 27-26 in a state quarterfinal.
The fourth-ranked squad this year has outscored opponents 388-82 and rolled through the Eastern Oregon League undefeated. Aldred said the Vikings played a demanding schedule to be win the advantage to play in front of a hometown crowd.
Aldred, who is in his tenth year as the Vikings head coach, said fans were loud at points in the game on Saturday. That made a big difference, he said.
“It was a great, energetic crowd,” he said.
He said Vale’s quarterfinals contest against Taft High School on Saturday, Nov. 16, will be the first such game the school has hosted in nearly a decade.
If Vale wins Saturday, the Vikings will face the winner of Siuslaw/Mapleton vs. North Valley in the semifinal game scheduled for Nov. 23.
Heading into Saturday’s game against Taft, Aldred said the Vikings will continue their powerful running game. He said Schaffeld has been dominating with over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns.
What’s even more impressive, he said, is that the senior has put up those numbers in just nine games, given that one of the Vikings games this season was forfeited by Umatilla.
A “versatile player,” Aldred said, Schaffeld can catch the ball well and is critical to the team’s defensive strategy.
“He’s a special player,” he said.
Aldred said the return of tight end Damick Eddy this weekend, who had been out most of this season with an injury, was a big boost for Vale’s passing game. He said receiver Skyler Cade is on track to return from a hamstring injury for Saturday’s game so the squad can be more balanced in its offense.
Aldred added that the injuries allowed other players like Maddox Hartley, a sophomore, and Troy Dayton, a junior, to step up and make “good efforts” to contribute to the team’s depth.
He said fifth-ranked Taft High School (8-2) is a team with “athletic wide receivers” and a “shifty quarterback” that likes to spread out its offense.
“We need to be prepared to defend the pass and be able to get to the quarterback up front,” he said
Aldred emphasized playing at home and the importance of fans supporting the team.
“We just really want to see as many fans out there as possible, he said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a quarterfinal game at home.”
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