7 Salem-area football teams to watch in OSAA quarterfinals

There are a handful of Salem-Keizer football teams still standing going into this week's round of state quarterfinals.

In total, seven teams from Marion and Polk counties are among the last eight remaining in their respective classifications.

Here's a look at each local matchup for the quarterfinals of the OSAA state playoffs. All games will be played at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted otherwise.

Class 6A

No. 6 Sprague at No. 3 Sheldon

Records: Sprague 9-1, 7-1 Special District 1; Sheldon 9-0, 8-0 Special District 1

Sprague breezed through the first round of the state playoffs with a dominant win over Clackamas. Now, the Olympians are set on avenging their loss to Sheldon in the regular-season finale.

Sheldon has yet to truly be tested this fall; the Irish have won each of their games by at least 30 points. Led by Boise State commit Mana Tuioti and standout quarterback Kelsen Sperry, they feature the top scoring offense in the state.

Class 5A

No. 8 Summit at No. 1 Silverton

Records: Summit 6-4, 4-1 Intermountain Conference; Silverton 9-1, 5-0 Special District 2

Silverton and Summit have already met once this season; the Foxes trounced the Storm at home in a "zero week" matchup on Aug. 30.

Since then, though, Summit has been on a steady rise. It won six of its seven final games, with the lone loss coming during a 28-27 nail-biter at No. 2 Mountain View.

No. 6 West Albany at No. 3 Dallas

Records: West Albany 8-2, 5-0 Special District 3; Dallas 9-1, 4-1 Special District 3

West Albany and Dallas have already met once this season. The Bulldogs beat the Dragons 34-20 on Oct. 25 in a showdown that ultimately decided the league title.

The Dragons will look to flip the script this week as they attempt to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2016.

Class 4A

No. 7 Pendleton at No. 2 Cascade

Records: Pendleton 7-3, 3-1 Special District 5; Cascade 9-1, 4-1 Special District 3

Cascade has been badly stung by injuries during the second half of the season. But that didn't slow the Cougars down during their first-round playoff matchup; they beat Molalla 46-14.

Pendleton, which finished second in Special District 5, breezed to a 41-0 home win over Mazama in the first round.

No. 9 Stayton at No. 1 Marist Catholic

Records: Stayton 7-3, 2-3 Special District 3; Marist 9-1, 5-0 Special District 3

Stayton will look to orchestrate a massive upset this week when it goes on the road to face top-seeded Marist. The Eagles scratched and clawed their way to a 14-12 road win over Estacada in the first round.

When Marist and Stayton faced earlier this season, the Spartans emerged with a 35-0 road win.

Class 2A

No. 5 St. Paul at No. 4 Culver

Records: St. Paul 10-0, 5-0 Special District 3; Culver 10-0, 6-0 Special District 5

St. Paul's transition to Class 2A this season has been a smooth one; the Buckaroos own both the top scoring offense and scoring defense in the division.

They will face their toughest test of the season this week as they travel to face undefeated Culver.

No. 14 Stanfield at No. 6 Gervais

Records: Stanfield 5-4, 4-2 Special District 6; Gervais 8-1, 2-1 Special District 2

Gervais notched a dominant 50-14 home win over Lowell in the first round of the playoffs and will now look to secure a trip to the semifinals.

Stanfield is the last double-digit seed still remaining in Class 2A. The Tigers went on the road and orchestrated a big upset win over No. 3 Colton in the first round.

Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X@jarrid_denney