The Siuslaw Vikings and the McLoughlin Pioneers appear to be two peas in a pod on the football field.

The Vikings travel to Madras on Saturday to play the 4A Pioneers in a nonleague game at Madras High School. Kickoff is 4 p.m.

So how are these two the same?

Both have left their traditional league homes, hoping for better days.

Both were 0-8 last season.

And both ended long losing streaks with victories over the Philomath Warriors.

Friday, at Madras, MacHi snapped a two-year, 13-game losing streak dating to September 2017 with a 14-12 victory over Philomath.

Just a week earlier, Siuslaw ended a nine-game losing streak dating to the end of the 2017 season with a 28-19 victory at Philomath.

McLoughlin left the Greater Oregon League after last season, hoping for better days playing as a rare independent. The Oregon School Activities Association approved an Independent Status Petition for the Pioneers this past February.

Siuslaw is in its second season of playing down a classification for basically the same reason, lack of success on the field. MacHi is 6-19 the past four seasons, Siuslaw 5-22.

Friday, in a game scoreless at halftime, the Pioneers scored two third-quarter touchdowns and a 2-point conversion for a 14-0 lead. Senior running back Marcellus Brinkley scored on runs of 20 and 14 yards.

The Warriors finally responded with 4:03 left in the game when sophomore Caleb Jensen tossed a 20-yard TD pass to freshman tight end Ty May. The extra-point kick failed.

Philomath scored again with 19 seconds to play, Jensen hitting Dylan Bennett on a 14-yard TD pass to cap a 60-yard drive.

The attempt at a 2-point conversion pass to tie the game and forced overtime failed.

Brinkley rushed 19 times for 123 yards to lead the Pioneers, while senior quarterback Wyatt Gilmore was hit 4 of 9 passes for 132 yards.

NOTES

MacHi had not won a game in the Greater Oregon League in more than a decade when the Pioneers opted for independence. Other GOL schools include Baker, La Grande and Ontario. …

Before Friday, MacHi's last win was Sept. 22, 2017, when they beat visiting Riverside, 35-6. …

MacHi is in Milton-Freewater on the Oregon-Washington border, just below Walla Walla, Wash. …

The win was MacHi's first against a 4A school since August, 2013, when they beat Sisters. …

The Pioneers only have 23 players on their roster, including 9 freshmen, 5 sophomores, 4 juniors and 5 seniors. ...

McLoughlin/Griswold 2019 schedule
Friday, Aug. 31 — vs. Stanfield (jamboree)
Friday, Sept. 6 — Madras 16, at McLoughlin/Griswold 0
Friday, Sept. 13 — at Tillamook 46, McLouglin/Griswold 0
Friday, Sept. 20 — McLoughlin/Griswold 14, Philomath 12, at Madras (neutral site)
Saturday, Sept. 28 — vs. Siuslaw at Madras (neutral site)
Friday, Oct. 4 — Henley (homecoming)
Friday, Oct. 11 — at Kiona-Benton (Wash.)
Saturday, Oct. 19 — Phoenix
Friday, Nov. 1 — at North Valley