4A Week Two Top-10 and Breakdown

Not a ton of upsets or surprises in 4A during week one, resulting in a not too drastically changed top-10. Here's the updated picture:   10) Stayton (5)   Molalla is a tough team. They're physical, they're schematically sound, they have some skill players that would start for just about anybody–but they aren't in the same group as Stayton; At least they are not supposed to be. Stayton has the horses to be a contender, but against Molalla the team as a collective looked well below expectations. Stayton remaining in the top-10 in the final spot rather than falling out entirely is more a reflection of the upside of a highly talented roster than anything else.   9) Baker (6)   In all honesty, Baker didn't play all that badly against Cascade. Yes, a final score of 42-21 suggests a thorough rout, but watch the film and there is more than plenty to be excited about still with the Bulldogs. Primarily, [player_tooltip player_id='769993' first='Rasean' last='Jones'] looks like someone college coaches need to be getting on yesterday. 7 on 7 circuits can show athleticism, but not everybody is willing to hit hard as well as run routes or play defense when the pads come on. Not only does Rasean hit and finish, he does so with force not commonly seen in a sophomore. Aside from guys like Paul Hobson and Malaki Myer–who did play well–Jones is reason enough to be optimistic. #9 is no insult.   8) Estacada (N/A)   Tip of the cap to Andy Mott and the Estacada coaching staff. A lot of people, including myself, wrote Estacada off as a potential contender this fall. If going to Mazama and almost taking down the preseason favorite to win it all isn't a flair in the air reminding everyone just who the Rangers are, nothing could be. It's not the same team from a year ago, but Estacada looks like a quarterfinal team at the very least.    7) Cascade (10)   Speaking of teams reminding the state writ large just who they are: Shane Hedrick and the Cascade Cougars, everybody. [player_tooltip player_id='1234447' first='Bryce' last='Kuenzi'] physically isn't going to frighten anybody when he steps off the bus, but if he continues to put up performances throughout the season like he did against Baker, the sophomore is going to find his name on an all-state list when all is said and done. Karsten Sande and [player_tooltip player_id='383836' first='Teagen' last='Allen'] might be just enough of a senior punch to guide the relatively youthful Cougars deep into the playoffs.    6) Pendleton (9)   Pendleton just looks different than anybody else in the state physically; They're gigantic. The senior heavy Buckaroo roster showed its experience and brute strength against Caldera, in spurts flat out bullying the visiting Wolf Pack on the line of scrimmage. Pendleton might not have the break away speed of other teams, but the explosiveness is certainly there with guys like Benito Jennings and Keegan Kline running down field and Jace Ottsen delivering the ball. It's not hard to imagine a scenario where Pendleton, through sheer physical force, bullies their way to the semifinals.    5) Tillamook (7)   Tillamook and Pendleton–both as towns and as football teams–are near polar opposites. Tillamook has the skill guys and speed to win a ton of football games, the question is the line of scrimmage. [player_tooltip player_id='738760' first='Tanner' last='Hoskins'] can't be forced to run around week to week as much as he did against Marshfield. If that is a regular thing, the Cheesmakers have a very defined limitation that will cap their prospects in the playoffs. But beyond that, Tillamook, similar to Pendleton, just looks like a team composed of men rather than boys. Physically Tillamook looked a class above Marshfield, and should have a similar advantage most weeks.   4) Henley (4)    [player_tooltip player_id='738727' first='Logan' last='Whitlock'] is special. If Henley is able to manufacture a vertical passing game to complement the short stuff on the edges to guys like Chris Janney, look out. Henley suddenly looks like they could have a top-3 offense in the classification if they continue to mature as a group. Keeping the pressure off of Whitlock, letting him run against six man boxes rather than seven or eight, is going to be something if Henley can pull off could send them to the state title game. That balancing act is going to be a major story line throughout the year.   3) Marist (3)   [player_tooltip player_id='1322050' first='Nick' last='Hudson'] is unbelievable. Five touchdowns in week one, and it feels like given the opportunity for that won't be the high point of the season for him. Regardless of what else is or is not on the Spartans roster, Hudson is worthy of a quarterfinal bid by himself. [player_tooltip player_id='511860' first='Max' last='Nowlin'] of Scappoose might be the best pure quarterback in the classification right now, but in two, four, six weeks Hudson might eclipse and blow past him if everything goes right. What a blessing it is to Charlie Landgraf in the first year of his first head coaching job to have such a talent on his roster.    2) Scappoose (2)   Real argument to be made they should be elevated to #1 after dismantling a well coached Gladstone squad at home 41-0. [player_tooltip player_id='511860' first='Max' last='Nowlin'] looked like a POTY candidate slinging the ball around, the defense made short work of Gladstone's offense–now Wing-T again–and, and the receiving core looked like a group ready to challenge anybody in the classification. There are no red flags with Scappoose, anything short of the semifinals would be shocking for this team.   Others: Seaside (8) , The Dalles, and La Grande   Seaside looked like a team with dueling identities for much of their matchup with Henley. The talent is there, but who are the Seagulls? What do they want to hang their hat on? The Dalles looked impressive defensively in their matchup with La Pine, but is the offense enough to win five games? La Grande losing to Idaho powerhouse Weiser is no grand sin, so questions from the preseason still persist into week two, unlikely to be answered until week three.    1 ) Mazama (1)   The close result with Estacada is more a feather in the cap for the Rangers than it is a canary in the coal mine for Mazama. The talent showed for the Vikings, there is nothing major to worry about here. [player_tooltip player_id='738761' first='Tyson' last='Van Gastel'] looks like the create-a-player built to run the option everyone knew he was, the line dealt with what Estacada was doing defensively well enough to move the ball consistently, and the Ranger's offense wasn't able to do as much against the Vikings defense–even if it turned out to still be more than expected beforehand. Mazama losing to or flirting with defeat against Eagle Point would be reason for concern, not doing so against the reigning champions. With that said, however, week three against Marist suddenly seems like less of a sure thing for Mazama than before the season started. Clearing that hurdle, or not, could decide playoff seeding  before October hits.

Not a ton of upsets or surprises in 4A during week one, resulting in a not too drastically changed top-10. Here's the updated picture: