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John L. Braese
The Jordan Valley Mustangs return with a team after a long absence. The Wallowa Cougars enter the realm of 6-man football. The Rattlers are back to defend a state title and 10 other teams in the 1A Special District 1 are preparing to make a run for the district title and a state berth.
Here are the teams in the newly formed Special District 1. Ione/Arlington is playing an independent schedule this year.
2022-23 Record: 2-6 Overall, 2-6 League
League Finish: 7th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 17th
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 5
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 7 sophomores, 0 juniors and 1 senior
Season Opener: Friday, Sept. 15 hosting Prairie City in Monument
Comments: Coach Chris Carlin returns with a team that was heavy on freshmen and seniors last season. How good the Tigers will be this year will be determined early as Dayville/Monument/Long Creek meet the second and third place teams in the league from last year’s results to kick off the year. A good showing early in the season will tell much about the Tigers.
2022-23 Record: 4-4 overall, 4-4 league
League Finish: 5th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 11th
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 4
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 6 sophomores, 3 juniors and 6 seniors
Season Opener: Saturday, August 26 hosting Prairie City
Comments: Coach Thomas VanNice is back with a team that ended last year .500 and just outside the top 10 in the state standings. Good team numbers are expected and the squad looks to have experienced leadership with returnees. The Cougars open at home versus Prairie City before hitting the road for two games, both non-league matchups.
2022-23 Record: 3-5 Overall, 3-5 League
League Finish: 6th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 13th
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 2
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 8 sophomores, 1 junior and 2 seniors
Season Opener: Friday, Sept 8 hosting South Wasco County
Comments: Coach Dave Marker returns with a Hornet team that was just plain young last season. Marker’s sophomores picked up plenty of playing time last year and this season’s freshmen should expect the same based solely on numbers. One speedster did depart to a neighboring school. The early schedule is brutal as the Hornets host the Redsides, the Eagles and former 8-man team Wallowa.
2022-23 Record: 1-7 Overall, 1-7 League
League Finish: 8th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 22nd
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 4
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 2 sophomores, 2 juniors and 3 seniors.
Season Opener: Friday, September 1 at South Wasco County
Comments: The Locomotives are looking for an improved season over last year. Coach Austin Wilcox needs some numbers on the roster as injuries could hurt a depleted roster early. A trip to South Wasco County early will tell much about the Locomotives.
2022-23 Record: N/A
League Finish: N/A
2022-23 Final State Ranking: N/A
Seniors Lost To Graduation: N/A
Returnees: N/A
Season Opener: Friday, Sept. 8 hosting Ione/Arlington
Comments: Welcome back to football Mustang fans! Coach Nathan Portenier takes the field with a team thanks to a large freshman class. Jordan Valley last played as a Mustang-only team back in the 2016-17 season. Combining with Adrian, Jordan Valley won an 8-man state title in 2019, concluding a perfect 13-0 season. No matter the record this season, Jordan Valley will once again have a team to cheer on.
2022-23 Record: 6-2 Overall, 6-2 League
League Finish: 4th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 7th
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 3
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 3 sophomores, 6 juniors and 10 seniors
Season Opener: Friday, September 1 hosting Echo
Comments: A season ending loss kept the Eagles out of the playoffs last season. A full roster, heavy on returning players, bodes well for Joseph and the season will open with two non-league games. With the numbers lining up and a favorable schedule, this could be the year coach Damian Huff has been looking for as Joseph heads towards crossover play in late October.
2022-23 Record: 0-8 Overall, 0-8 League
League Finish: 9th
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 23rd
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 3
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 2 sophomores, 3 juniors and 5 seniors
Season Opener: Friday, September 1 hosting Ione/Arlington
Comments: Coach Kevin May and the Spartans struggled last season. With a projected 10 returnees, Pine Eagle should see better results. The Spartans start the season at home versus Ione/Arlington with the Cardinals playing an independent schedule this year. Sept. 15 will see Pine Eagle hosting Joseph, a good early season testing.
2022-23 Record: 6-3 Overall, 6-2 League
League Finish: 3rd
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 7th
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 3
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 4 sophomores, two juniors and 12 seniors.
Season Opener: Saturday, August 26 at Echo
Comments: Coach Nick Thompson and the Panthers appear loaded with returning seniors after placing third last season. Prairie City wrapped up their season with a loss in the quarterfinals to Triangle Lake, the eventual runner-up in the state championship game. The Panthers will see a test on Sept. 8 with a home game versus Joseph.
2022-23 Record: 8-2 Overall, 7-1 League
League Finish: 2nd
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 3rd
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 3
Returnees: Scheduled to return 4 sophomores, 6 juniors and 2 seniors.
Season Opener: Friday, September 1 hosting Huntington
Comments: The Redsides return the majority of a team that finished second in the league last season. Coach Mike Waine should see what he has for the year on Sept. 15 with a road game versus Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler, the reigning state champions. Opponents will again have to contend with a big line from South Wasco County.
2022-23 Record: 10-1 Overall, 7-1 League
League Finish: 1st
2022-23 Final State Ranking: 3rd
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 5
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 3 sophomores, 3 juniors and 11 seniors
Season Opener:
Comments: The reigning state champions are scheduled to return 17 players from last year’s title team. This is a squad that outscored their opponents 534-153 and came within a single point of a perfect season. From an experience standpoint, Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler may be seeing the tail end of a strong group of athletes with high school careers in the win column. Is this the final year of the Rattlers beating opponents 73-0?
2022-23 Record: 0-7 last season playing in the 8-man league
League Finish: N/A
2022-23 Final State Ranking: N/A
Seniors Lost To Graduation: 0
Returnees: Scheduled to return are 2 sophomores, 6 juniors and 3 seniors
Season Opener: Saturday, August 26 at Echo Jamboree
Comments: After a tough season last year, the Cougars have dropped down to the 6-man ranks with new coach Bill Robb taking over from Jeremy McCulloch. The Cougars bring back everyone with no graduation losses. The question will be how many games it will take for Wallowa to run 6-man offenses and defenses?
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