Vikings to take on highly confident Falcons
Final score: Elmira 74, at Siuslaw 6.
Last year's season opener could have been worse. It was 49-0 after the first quarter and 61-0 at halftime.
Siuslaw would go on to finish 0-8 in Chad Smith's one season as head coach.
Friday, Elmira hosts Siuslaw at 7 p.m. with both teams harboring hopes of unbeaten seasons.
"This is a season we fully expect to win every game we play in," Vikings first-year coach Sam Johnson said shortly after taking the job. "We're never going into a game thinking we're outmatched.
"We expect to win all our football games this season."
Elmira, 4-4 last season, losing its final three games, has similar thoughts.
"We lost some guys to injury and suspension," Elmira senior running back Gavin Parker told KEZI last week. "But this year we're all here, and we are going to dominate.
"We're going undefeated."
The Falcons' 6-foot-5 junior quarterback, Cobyn Herbert, is just as bullish.
"The expectations are really high. Very high," he told KEZI. "We have the potential to win league and compete for state.
"That's what we have right now. So we are just ready for whatever comes to us. We have the athletes to do so."
Herbert was a big part of the Falcons early demolition of the Vikings in the 2018 opener, tossing two touchdown passes and returning a blocked punt 40 yards for a score in the first quarter.
Siuslaw went on to finish 0-8, but no other score was as one-sided.
For the second season in a row the Vikings will be playing down a classification, competing in 3A Special District 2 North with Harrisburg, Santiam Christian, Pleasant Hill, La Pine and Sutherlin.
Siuslaw has expectations of returning to Class 4A in the next few years, when the Vikings likely would join the Falcons in the Sky-Em League.
Meanwhile, remember 74-6. A reason for confidence for Elmira. Motivation for Siuslaw.
In other league games Friday, Harrisburg is at Taft, Santiam Christian is at Dayton, La Pine is at Madras and Sutherlin hosts Hidden Valley.
Pleasant Hill hosts Salem Academy on Saturday.
NOTES
Coast Radio will broadcast Friday's game, beginning with a pregame show at 6:45 p.m. … Bob Sneddon returns to handle play-by-play, while Roby's Furniture colleague Kevin Harris will provide color commentary while doing game statistics. …
There may be a route for the Vikings to return to Class 4A as soon as next season. Siuslaw would need to make the 3A playoffs and win at least one playoff game this season for that to happen. …
Elmira has been a serious thorn in Siuslaw's side the past three seasons. The Falcons won 35-14 at Elmira in Jamin Pool's first game, then opened the 2017 season with a 50-0 romp at Siuslaw. …
2019 SIUSLAW FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 6 — at Elmira, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13 — at Philomath, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20 — Newport, 7 p.m., Hans Petersen Memorial Field
Saturday, Sept. 28 — McLoughlin/Griswold, 4 p.m., Madras High School
Friday, Oct. 4 — Harrisburg, 7 p.m., Hans Petersen Memorial Field
Friday, Oct. 11 — at Santiam Christian, 7 p.m., Adair Village
Friday, Oct. 18 — Pleasant Hill, 7 p.m., Hans Petersen Memorial Field
Friday, Oct. 25 — La Pine, 7 p.m., Hans Petersen Memorial Field
Friday, Nov. 1 — at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
2019 SIUSLAW VIKINGS ROSTER
Heights and weights are semicredible guesstimates, for now
1 TE/LB Rhys Fleming, sophomore, 6-3, 170
3 QB/S Elijah Blankenship, junior, 5-7, 145
5 RB/LB Camp Lacouture, sophomore, 6-0, 170
7 RB/LB Ian Sissel, freshman, 5-10, 160
8 WR/CB Braydon Thornton, sophomore, 6-2, 170
9 TE/DE Avery Hart, sophomore, 6-3, 220
10 QB/S Beau Erickson, sophomore, 5-8, 140
10 TE/DE John Rose, freshman, 6-3, 200
11 WR/S Brady Libby, junior, 5-7, 140
11 TE/DE Noah Dotson, freshman, 5-10, 160
12 RB/LB Hector Garcia, junior, 5-10, 175
13 RB/CB Hunter Petterson, freshman, 5-6, 140
14 RB/LB Mason Buss, freshman, 5-6, 130
15 WR/CB Jake Roberts, freshman, 5-8, 140
23 WR/CB James Smith, sophomore, 5-11, 160
33 RB/LB Skyler Loomis, junior, 5-10, 170
41 WR/CB Jason Garcia, sophomore, 5-8, 150
50 OL/LB Victor Ayala, freshman, 5-8, 200
51 OL/DL Henry Rankin, sophomore, 6-0, 220
53 OL/LB Ethan Aaron, sophomore, 5-9, 170
53 OL/DL Ricky Loza, senior, 5-8, 170
56 OL/DL John Corser, sophomore, 5-9, 180
57 OL/DL Zach Stinger, senior, 5-10, 220
62 OL/DL Joe Slaughter, sophomore, 5-9, 170
64 OL/LB Christian Newlan, junior, 5-11, 200
65 OL/DL Matthew Horillo, senior, 5-10, 240
67 OL/DE Dayson Foglio, senior, 6-5, 240
68 OL/DL David Spencer, senior, 6-2, 330
70 OL/DL Isaiah Jones, senior, 6-0, 180
80 WR/CB Isaac Garza, sophomore, 6-0, 160
86 WR/LB Tyrone Krohn, junior, 5-10, 150
88 WR/CB Colin Leland, junior, 6-0, 160
Head coach: Sam Johnson (first year)
Assistant coaches: Andy Johnson, Billy Jones, Bob Teter, Dennis Davidson, Gerald Fleming, Jeff Gray, Nick Johnson, Tom Shinn.
OSAA Class 3A Special District 2 Schedule
Nonleague
Friday, Sept. 6
Siuslaw at Elmira, 7 p.m.
Harrisburg at Taft, 7 p.m.
Douglas at La Pine, 7 p.m.
Hidden Valley at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Santiam Christian at Dayton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 7
Salem Christian at Pleasant Hill, 1 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13
Siuslaw at Elmira, 7 p.m.
Harrisburg at. Blanchet Catholic, 7 p.m.
La Pine at Madras, 7 p.m.
Pleasant Hill at Hidden Valley, 7 p.m.
Taft at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Douglas at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20
Newport at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
Cascade Christian at Harrisburg, 7 p.m.
La Pine at Burns, 7 p.m.
Dayton at Pleasant Hill, 7 p.m.
Sutherlin at Douglas, 7 p.m.
Scio at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27
Douglas at Harrisburg, 7 p.m.
La Pine at Rogue River, 7 p.m.
Pleasant Hill at Cascade Christian, 7 p.m.
South Umpqua at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Santiam Christian at Blanchet Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 28
Siuslaw vs. McLouglin/Griswold at Madras, 4 p.m.
League
Friday, Oct. 4
Harrisburg at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
Sutherlin at La Pine, 7 p.m.
Pleasant Hill at Santiam Christian, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 11
Siuslaw at Santiam Christian (Adair Village), 7 p.m.
Sutherlin at Harrisburg, 7:30 p.m.
La Pine at Pleasant Hill, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18
Pleasant Hill at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
Harrisburg at La Pine, 7 p.m.
Santiam Christian at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25
La Pine at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
Harrisburg at Santiam Christian, 7 p.m.
Sutherlin at Pleasant Hill, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1
Siuslaw at Sutherlin, 7 p.m.
Pleasant Hill at Harrisburg, 7 p.m.
Santiam Christian at La Pine, 7 p.m.
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