Gladstone, Stayton Move to the Top

Gladstone got a close, 13-7 win over North Marion, and Estacada and Stayton set up for a showdown, with wins over Cascade and Molalla. The Rangers pulled away in the second half, defeating the Cougars 44-18, behind three rushing performances that were for well over 100 yards apiece. The Eagles dominated the Indians 33-14, using a 50 carry rushing effort, and a defense that limited Molalla to about half as many plays as Stayton ran.

La Salle outdistanced Scappoose 38-23, which leaves the Indians 2-2 in the Capital Conference. The Falcons went to 2-0 against Coawpa playoff contenders this pre-season. I was 4-0, and 21-7 on the season.

Stayton Eagles (4-1, 2-0) at Estacada Rangers (3-2, 1-0). Stayton can take sole possession of first place in the Capital Conference race with a win. That was not on anyone's screen as the season started. But the Eagles have quietly become the top scoring defense in the Capital Conference, at least so far, and are sixth in the state. And while not a passing powerhouse, they have made progress toward supplementing the rush, which is still the meat and potatoes, as well as the bread and butter, of the Stayton attack. The strength of their opposition has been somewhat suspect, though, with a Strength of Schedule of 38 (out of 40) so far. Not that Estacada is that much better, at 36. With La Salle and Gladstone waiting in the wings after Estacada, that's not going to be the case from here on.

Estacada concludes a four game home stand, and because they face three of their last four on the road, this game is crucial to their playoff chances. The Rangers are almost totally one dimensional, as the single completion they managed against a banged up Cascade squad attests to. It's not that they don't want to balance things out, but you go with what works.

Astoria and Banks demonstrated what can happen to the Rangers when they do face a multi-threat attack, though. Even a battered Cascade squad threw for over 300 yards. Some balance is what Stayton brings as well, at least to enough of a degree to give them the edge. Eagles fly to uncharted territory atop the conference.

North Marion Huskies (3-2, 1-1) at #5 La Salle Falcons (3-1, 0-1). (At Alder Creek Middle School). The Huskies have been competitive in low scoring and high scoring losses. But the ability to string four quarters together against effective opposition still eludes them. Fifth ranked La Salle defeated ‘Poose by a margin similar to what the Indians collared the Huskies by. That is an excellent barometer.

The Falcons are also still rounding into form offensively, and it's past the midway point of the season, approaching when the Huskies historically start to run out of gas. Falcons fly away with the win in an important game, where the winner stays in the middle of the race, and the loser is looking at a tough, uphill climb.

Molalla Indians (0-5, 0-2) at Cascade Cougars (0-5, 0-2). Someone will finally find the win column. And someone could be headed for an 0-for season. The Indians, with the weakest defense in 4A, can't stop anyone. But the Cougars aren't much better defensively, being rated 38^th of 40.

And with no passing game, a limited rushing game doesn't give Molalla much chance. The Cougars, down to their fifth running back at Estacada, are also minus multiple receivers, but could get a boost from the return of Dillon Davidson at both RB and LB.

Cascade must get up, as teams that can run the ball tend to take the Cougar offense completely out of the game in the late going. But because the Cougars do put up more points than the Indians, their passing game should make the difference, and pull off a much needed win.

The #2 Gladstone Gladiators (5-0, 2-0) have most of the tougher portion of their schedule behind them, and have the week off to get ready for the stretch run. The road win over the Huskies was a key win, coming off the win over La Salle, and sets the Gladiators up nicely.

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