2023 5A Mid-Willamette Conference Preview
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We are rapidly approaching the return of high school football here in Oregon. Each team has high hopes for the season ahead and is excited to see the work they put in the offseason come to fruition. I will look…
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Continue ReadingWe are rapidly approaching the return of high school football here in Oregon. Each team has high hopes for the season ahead and is excited to see the work they put in the offseason come to fruition. I will look at each 5A conference and predict how the race for the conference title will pan out. Up next is the Mid-Willamette Conference.
1. West Albany Bulldogs (5th, 5-4 record last season)
West Albany is a team that I fully expect to make a jump from last year, as they finished 5-4 with a 1st round playoff loss to Thurston. They are returning some very strong players this year, with conference player of the year Brysen Kachel and impressive juniors Austin Simmons Austin Simmons 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE West Albany | 2025 State OR and Tyler Hart-McNally Tyler Hart-McNally 5'10" | 175 lbs | ATH West Albany | 2025 State OR . I fully expect West Albany to compete for the conference title, and I have them edging out the likes of Silverton and Dallas. Here is a list of West Albany’s top players:
Highlights
Highlights
2. Silverton Foxes (1st, 7-4 record last season)
Even though I have Silverton dropping to second place this year, they are a very talented squad that could easily finish in first once again. QB Sawyer Teeney Sawyer Teeney 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Silverton | 2025 State OR is the real deal, and returning conference defensive lineman of the year Xavier Orozco Xavier Orozco 6'0" | 220 lbs | DL Silverton | 2024 State OR will be extremely important if the Foxes want to finish in first place. Silverton will be a top-ten team in 5A. Here is a list of Silverton’s top players:
Highlights
Elijah Howard
Elijah Howard
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3. Dallas Dragons (4th, 6-4 record last season)
Dallas is another impressive team in this conference that should also finish top-ten. They will have a new QB this season with Isaiah Mosley Isaiah Mosley 6'3" | 200 lbs | ATH Dallas | 2024 State OR who is converting from wide receiver. Dallas will be one of the tougher teams to play this season as Steven Ward Steven Ward 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Dallas | 2024 State OR , Kyron Dodds Kyron Dodds 6'5" | 255 lbs | OL Dallas | 2024 State OR , and Dominic Sabota Dominic Sabota 6'2" | 195 lbs | LB Dallas | 2024 OR will be a very physical trio to play against. Dallas should compete for the conference title this season. Here is a list of Dallas’ top players:
Cliff Johnson
Cliff Johnson
Zayvian Webster
Zayvian Webster
4. Lebanon Warriors (6th, 4-4 record last season)
Lebanon is a team that will need to rely on their star players more than other teams, but that is not such a bad thing when your stars are Hayden George Hayden George 6'4" | 235 lbs | TE Lebanon | 2024 State OR and Wyatt Wessel Wyatt Wessel 6'3" | 220 lbs | LB Lebanon | 2024 State OR . Other guys will have to step up if the Warriors want to make some noise this year and compete for a state title, but they will be a fun team to watch. Here is a list of Lebanon’s top players:
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Owen Cline
Owen Cline
5. South Albany Redhawks (2nd, 7-3 record last season)
South Albany is an exciting team to watch this year, as I could see them finishing 5th or 2nd in the conference. They will be a fun team as their skill players are very talented. If this team wants to perform to their potential, Anthony Vestal will need to be the driving force of the offense while DeShawn Gilliam DeShawn Gilliam 6'1" | 170 lbs | DB South Albany | 2024 State OR will be trusted to lock down other teams top receiving threat. Here is a list of South Albany’s top players:
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Jr Vasquez
Jr Vasquez
6. Central Panthers (3rd, 7-3 record last season)
Central is a team that some analysts and scouts have falling off this year as they graduated an impressive 2023 class, but I think they will be just fine. They won’t finish 3rd in the conference this year but won’t be last. The pure athleticism of this team will be too much for some of the teams in this conference. Here is a list of Cenral’s top players:
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Andrew Taufa’asau
Andrew Taufa’asau
7. McKay Scots (7th, 3-6 record last season)
McKay has some fun players to watch, and I would not be shocked if they finished better than seventh place. The lineman is the problem with this Scots team, so that is why I could not place them any higher on this list. I hope some players on their line can step up so this team can make some noise, but I am not predicting it. Here is a list of McKay’s top players:
8. Crescent Valley Raiders (8th, 1-8 record last season)
If you want to watch a high-scoring game this season, I encourage you to watch the Raiders of Crescent Valley play. They lost a football game against Dallas last season, 71-79. That is more combined points than most high school basketball games in Oregon. QB Rocco McClave Rocco McClave 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Crescent Valley | 2024 State OR is one of the best players in the state and will look to light up any defense he goes up against. Unfortunately, this Raiders team does not have the talent at other key positions like the other teams in their division, so I predict they will finish 8th again this season. Here is a list of Crescent Valley’s top players:
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9. Woodburn Bulldogs (N/A, 7-3 record last season in 4A)
Woodburn is a new addition to the conference this year and should be an excellent addition, as they had a successful year last season in 4A. Woodburn will likely compete with most of the schools in this conference and may even win a couple of games, but they will not finish with a record of 7-3 again. I have to watch them play versus teams like West Albany and Silverton before I am comfortable predicting them to finish higher. Here is a list of Woodburn’s top players:
Logan Taylor
Logan Taylor
Damien Vasquez
Damien Vasquez
10. Corvallis Spartans (9th, 0-9 record last season)
Corvallis is the team I predict will finish last once again this year, which is unfortunate because they are not a horrible team. They have some talent on this team, but the depth and the experience are what I worry about. I hope the Spartans prove me wrong and win a few games this year, but I cannot predict it now. Here is a list of Corvallis’ top players: