Silverton football one win from state championship game

SILVERTON — At the Class 5A level, there have been four top teams all season, and now those four teams will face off in the semifinals to see which will play for the OSAA state championship. 

Silverton is one of those teams, and the Foxes will get a chance to upset defending state champion Thurston at noon Saturday at Autzen Stadium, with the winner advancing to next week’s title game.

“They have a good defense, they have a good offense, they are super athletic, and a pretty big team,” Silverton coach Josh Craig said. “It’s going to be a battle, that’s for sure.”

Thurston is unbeaten (11-0) and No. 1 in the state, and Silverton is 10-1 and ranked No. 4. In the other semifinal, No. 2 Crater (10-1) faces No. 3 West Albany (11-0). Silverton’s only loss is to West Albany, and Crater’s only loss is to Thurston.

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 "We deserve to be here,” Craig said. “We’re going to have to play a clean game to win, but we’re ready, we’re excited.”

The Foxes began the season with an 8-0 record, before losing 28-21 to West Albany in the final game of the regular season.

Since that loss, Silverton has cruised to two easy state playoff victories, beating La Salle (55-7) and Scappoose (48-14).

Obviously, the Foxes wanted to beat West Albany, but the loss was a learning experience, and they have bounced back strong in the postseason.

“I think we’re hitting a good stride right now. Got some gas left in the tanks, try to make a push at this thing,” Craig said. “After we lost to West (Albany), we thought we had chances to win. We came back from that better than ever. If you can handle a loss well, you don’t let it break you, you can learn more from it.”

Thurston has dominated this season, averaging 50.2 points on offense and holding opponents to 11.5 points on average.

Silverton isn’t far behind, outscoring opponents on average 41.0 to 12.4.

The game is going to be played at the Oregon Ducks’ home stadium, which seats more than 50,000. Craig said he doesn’t expect his team to be distracted by the venue.

“Playing at Autzen, it’s the same dimensions as any football field,” he said. “The distractions are there, but don’t focus on them, focus on what’s in front of us, which is having a good practice and getting ready to play a team that’s going to be a great challenge.”

Game of the Week

Matchup: No. 4 Silverton vs. No. 1 Thurston

When/where: Noon Saturday, Autzen Stadium

Records: Silverton (10-1 overall, 8-1 Mid-Willamette Conference); Thurston (11-0 overall, 5-0 Midwestern League)

Coaches: Silverton (Josh Craig); Thurston (Justin Starck)

About the teams: Silverton — The Foxes are 10-1 this season, with the only loss coming to West Albany in Week 9. Nine of Silverton’s 10 wins this season have been by double digits, with the only one by single digits coming against Lebanon (29-25). Thurston — Thurston is 11-0, with every win coming by double digits. The closest game they’ve had all season was a 31-20 win against Crater in Week 3.  

Saturday’s Mid-Valley football games

Silverton vs. Thurston, at Autzen Stadium, noon

Kennedy vs. Monroe, at Hillsboro Stadium, 11 a.m.

St. Paul vs. Camas Valley, at Cottage Grove, noon

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Pete Martini covers high school and college sports for the Statesman Journal. You can contact Pete at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6730 and follow @PeteMartiniSJ