2 Mid-Valley fall sports teams look to defend state titles as practices begin
High school fall sports officially begin practices Monday across the state, as Mid-Valley teams and athletes prepare to go after some OSAA hardware.
In Salem-Keizer non-football sports, North Salem, South Salem, McNary, Sprague and West Salem will again compete in the Central Valley Conference at the Class 6A level.
In football, those five schools will compete in 6A Special District 1 along with Sheldon, Roseburg, Grants Pass, North Medford and South Medford.
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with my teammates and coaches,” North Salem senior football player Pierce Walker said. “And seeing how all the hard work we put in the off season translates as we start putting pads on.”
McKay again will compete in all fall sports in the Mid-Willamette Conference at the 5A level.
This 2023-24 school year will be the second year of the four-year classification cycle.
McKay boys soccer, Salem Academy volleyball look to defend state titles
This fall in the Mid-Valley, there are two programs that will try to defend their OSAA state championships.
McKay’s boys soccer team won the 5A state championship and finished 17-0-0 overall last season.
The Salem Academy volleyball team finished 26-5 overall last season and won the 2A state title.
The first day that teams can have contests in volleyball, soccer and cross country is Aug. 24.
The first contest date for football is Aug. 31.
“After losing some key players from last season, I am looking forward to seeing the younger players step up and show what they can do to help our program to succeed and continue the legacy here at Sprague,” Sprague volleyball coach Anne Olsen said.
Statesman Journal Athlete of the Week poll
For sports news tips throughout the school year, including submitting Athlete of the Week nominations, email Statesman Journal sports reporter Pete Martini at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com.
For Athlete of the Week nominations, please include the athlete’s name, statistics and a photo.
The Statesman Journal will have four nominees per week, and readers will have five days to vote for the winner.
The four nominees will include no more than one athlete for a particular school.
The first Athlete of the Week poll this school year is set for Sunday, Sept. 10. Subsequent polls will be published on Sundays, with the polls closing on Thursday each week, and the winner announced on Thursday.
Statesman Journal reporter Pete Martini covers college and high school sports. He can be reached at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 2 Mid-Valley teams look to defend state titles as fall practices begin
