3A Week Two Top-10 and Breakdown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3A…What a mess. A nuclear bomb didn't go off in week one, but there certainly was turbulence. Here is where we stand:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>10) Yamhill-Carlton (n/a)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fantastic offensive performance against a well coached Dayton defense. Brad McKechnie year after year looks like a better and better hire for YC. After a performance like that and looking at the Tigers schedule, it is not hard to imagine a five to six win season coming.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>9) Siuslaw (8)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No overperformance, no underperformance for the Vikings. A solid, mostly non-contested win over Newport doesn't prove or disprove much. The real test starts in week two when they travel to Kennedy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8) Santiam Christian (5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles looked like a sub .500 team in spurts against Vale. It wasn't just that the Vikings played tremendously–they did, make no mistake–the Eagles played really poorly. Slow in running the ball between the tackles, off rhythm in throwing the ball short, off target in throwing the ball deep, etc. A poor, poor showing for a team that on paper should be a fringe contender.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7) Scio (9)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scio ran over Rainier, which in any year–regardless of whether Rainier is in a down year, which they are, or not–is a noteworthy accomplishment. Dominance on the line of scrimmage, dominance on the edge; Everything came up orange. Depth remains a concern, but Scio looks better than anticipated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6) Kennedy (6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offensive and defensive lines had to take a step back at some point, and the Trojans may have been down players, but they look small on the line of scrimmage. Against a Stanfield team that last year only won three games and is playing 9-man this fall, the line of scrimmage battle was–at best–a draw. The saving grace for Kennedy in this area, coincidentally enough, is that the only team in SD1 with an offensive and defensive line group that is conclusively better through week one is Banks. Rainier, VC, Warrenton, etc. all look to have similar line issues, meaning there might be a long runway to fix the issue.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5) Dayton (3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The bad news: The Defense looked slow and bad in spurts against YC. The good news: Jacob Peterson being the head coach–one of the better defensive coaches in the state regardless of classification–means it is likely to get fixed. [player_tooltip player_id='209680' first='Zach' last='Smith'] looked great at fullback for the Pirates, as everyone knew he would, but him scoring in bunches can't be the only way Dayton can win games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4) South Umpqua (4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As soon as the Lancers have an established quarterback between Elijah Earls and Lacob Logan and have time to work with just one behind center, the Lancers are going to be pretty good. Both took snaps at QB against Phoenix and both looked comfortable, but eventually one will have to win out. No red flags with South Umpqua, they looked as advertised.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3) Vale (7)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colten Stepleton has to be the leader in the clubhouse for POTY right now. He was already all-state caliber on defense, and apparently now is all-state caliber on offense if his five touchdown performance against Santiam Christian is any measure. Vale looked well, well beyond preseason expectations. Week three against Baker looks like the definition of a “prove it” game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2) Cascade Christian (1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Challengers were surprisingly underwhelming not just from an execution standpoint, but from an athleticism standpoint. Caleb Scaglione is one of the few backs with separation speed in 3A at the moment and the sophomore is going to be really good once he matures physically, but he appeared to be alone in the “special” or “near special” category. Championship teams–without fail–have something or someone special on their roster. Against North Valley, Cascade Christian didn't seem to have much, if any, special. The question of whether Cameron Rague's departure would slow down Cascade Christian or whether it would cripple them seems to have a negative opening answer.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others: Coquille (10), Sisters, Lakeview, Harrisburg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coquille, Sisters, and Lakeview looked as good on a field as they did on paper, no real surprises with any of them. Harrisburg, however, exceeded expectations offensively. The Eagles looked like a potential playoff team in week one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1 ) Banks (2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Banks looked like the best team in the state in week one, and it wasn't close. Ashton Crossen looked like a man amongst boys against Astoria running the ball, and physically just looks different than just about every other back in 3A, potentially save Dayton's [player_tooltip player_id='209680' first='Zach' last='Smith']. [player_tooltip player_id='511866' first='Luke' last='Bigsby'] looked like the tank he was last year, and Parker Littlejohn looks like a receiver few in 3A are going to be able to single cover. If the O line plays at a championship level, Banks should be the preeminent favorite to win–potentially run away with-the state title. Right now against anyone else in the top-10, including Cascade Christian and Vale, Banks would open as a two-score favorite. They just look a step ahead of everyone else.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->