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8 Eugene-area football teams to watch in OSAA state playoffs

edith noriega, eugene register-guard
·4 min read

The first round of the OSAA high school football playoffs begin on Friday.

Here are eight Eugene-area teams to watch.

Sheldon quarterback Colby Parosa drops back to pass against North Medford during the second half in Eugene Oct. 13, 2023.
Sheldon quarterback Colby Parosa drops back to pass against North Medford during the second half in Eugene Oct. 13, 2023.

Sheldon

No. 12 Sheldon (6-3 overall) travels No. 5 Lakeridge (7-2) in the 6A state championship bracket at 7 p.m.

Senior quarterback Colby Parosa finished the regular season with 927 passing yards (77 of 118) and seven touchdowns.

A dual threat, Parosa leads the Irish with 502 rushing yards on 83 carries and eight touchdowns.

Kerek Kato had 179 receiving yards on five catches and three touchdowns.

On defense, Teimana Tuioti leads the Irish with 46 tackles in seven games played.

Thurston

No. 8 Thurston (7-2 overall) will face No. 9 Dallas (6-3) in the 5A state playoffs at 7 p.m. at Willamette High School.

Junior quarterback Noah Blair finished the regular season with 2,557 passing yards (182 of 244) and 33 touchdowns.

Thurston’s Walker Bonar carries the ball as the No. 23 Thurston Colts defeated No. 1 Springfield 34-13 at Springfield High School Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.
Thurston’s Walker Bonar carries the ball as the No. 23 Thurston Colts defeated No. 1 Springfield 34-13 at Springfield High School Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

Walker Bonar has 908 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in seven games played. He is averaging 129.7 receiving yards per game.

Ethan Burkhead is leading the Colts with 642 total rushing yards and seven touchdowns in nine games played.

On defense, junior Holton Halstead leads the Colts with over 54 tackles.

Springfield

No. 4 Springfield (8-1 overall) hosts No. 13 Lebanon (5-4) in the 5A state playoffs. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

Zack Sherman finished the regular season with 566 passing yards (45 of 79) and six touchdowns since taking over at quarterback earlier in the season.

Connor Dye leads the Millers with 1,782 rushing yards on 220 carries and 24 touchdowns. Jackson Babbitt had 258 receiving yards on 18 catches and four touchdowns.

On defense, Jayden Kittrell leads the team with 46 tackles.

Junction City

No. 9 Junction City (7-2 overall) travels to No. 8 Baker (5-4) in the 4A state playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Senior quarterback Cooper Rothenberger finished the regular season with 12 passing touchdowns.

Junction City running back Tylen Franks carries the ball as the Marist Spartans defeated Junction City 22-16 Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at Junction City High School.
Junction City running back Tylen Franks carries the ball as the Marist Spartans defeated Junction City 22-16 Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at Junction City High School.

Tylen Franks leads the Tiger with over 700 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season. Levi Walker had over 600 rushing yards.

On defense, Josh Berry and Avery Thomas have combined for more than 135 tackles.

Marist Catholic

No. 2 Marist Catholic (8-1 overall) hosts No. 15 Crook County (4-5) in the 4A state playoffs at 7 p.m.

Junior quarterback Nick Hudson finished the regular season with 2,395 passing yards (176 of 265) and 33 touchdowns.

Marist quarterback Nick Hudson scrambles as the Marist Spartans defeated Junction City 22-16 Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at Junction City High School.
Marist quarterback Nick Hudson scrambles as the Marist Spartans defeated Junction City 22-16 Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at Junction City High School.

Kaden Erlenbush leads the Spartans with 733 receiving yards on 41 catches and 12 touchdowns. Brady Bidwell had 689 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

On defense James Harvey and Aiden Hazen have over 85 and 80 tackles, respectively.

Elmira

No. 9 Elmira (7-2 overall) travels to No. 8 North Valley (7-2) in the 3A state playoffs at 7 p.m.

Elmira earned its first playoff berth since 2013 in the Class 4A.

Senior quarterback Quinton Buckland finished the regular season with 1,511 passing yards (79 of 139) and 13 touchdowns.

Opponents will have to be on high alert for Buckland who also leads the Falcons with 965 rushing yards on 123 carries and 14 touchdowns.

Kyler Colwell had 510 receiving yards on 20 catches and five touchdowns. Keelan Hecker accounted for 814 total offensive yards and 10 touchdowns.

On defense, Quinton Marshall leads the Falcons with 44 tackles and five sacks. Buckland had three interceptions.

Lowell

No. 3 Lowell (8-1 overall) hosts No. 14 Clatskanie (6-3) in the 2A state playoffs at 7 p.m.

Sophomore quarterback Carter Harris finished the regular season with 1,134 passing yards (61 of 100) and 12 touchdowns.

The Devils have a strong run game with JaMar Thurman, who rushed for 2,033 yards on 145 carries and 30 touchdowns.

Tight end Rowan Files had 500 receiving yards on 20 catches and eight touchdowns.

On defense, Files accounted for 81 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions. Brody Thurman had 42 tackles and 15 sacks.

Triangle Lake

No. 9 Triangle Lake (6-2 overall) travels to No. 8 North Lake (5-2) in the first round of the 1A 6-player football state playoffs at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: OSAA state playoffs: Eugene-area football teams to watch